Journal article
New 40Ar/39Ar ages for selected young (<1 Ma) basalt flows of the Newer Volcanic Province, southeastern Australia
E Matchan, D Phillips
Quaternary Geochronology | Published : 2011
Abstract
The Pliocene-Holocene Newer Volcanic Province (NVP) of southeastern Australia is an extensive, relatively well-preserved, intra-plate basaltic lava field containing more than 400 eruptive centres. This study reports new, high-precision 40Ar/39Ar ages for six young (300-600 ka) basalt flows from the NVP and is part of a broader initiative to constrain the extent, duration, episodicity and causation of NVP volcanism. Six fresh, holocrystalline alkali basalt flows were selected from the Warrnambool-Port Fairy area in the Western Plains sub-province for 40Ar/39Ar dating. These flows were chosen on the basis of pre-existing K-Ar age constraints, which, although variable, indicated eruption during..
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Awarded by Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors thank Bernie Joyce for sharing his invaluable knowledge of the geomorphology and geology of the Western District and for his assistance with the fieldwork, aerial photography interpretation and commentary on the manuscript. We also thank Janet Hergt for discussions on NVP geology and support with fieldwork. We acknowledge Stan Szczepanski for technical assistance with <SUP>40</SUP>Ar/<SUP>39</SUP>Ar analyses. This study was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP0986235) awarded to DP. Reviews by M. Heizler, an anonymous reviewer and P. Renne (editor) have improved the manuscript.