Episodic post-rift deformation in the south-eastern Australian passive margin: Evidence from the Lapstone Structural Complex

Abstract

Identifying the influence of neotectonics on the morphology of elevated passive margins is complicated in that major morpho-structural patterns might plausibly be explained by processes related to late Mesozoic to early Cenozoic rifting and/or differential erosion induced by Cenozoic epeirogenic uplift. The proportional contribution of each process can vary from continent to continent, and potentially even within the same passive margin. In the passive margin setting of the southeast Australian highlands the documented occurrence of neotectonic deformation is rare, and accordingly its role in landscape evolution is difficult to establish. The results of investigations within the Lapstone Str..