Laurentia in Australia: Structural, metamorphic and magmatic evolution of the Georgetown Inlier, NE Australia

Abstract

The orogenic history, crustal architecture and tectonic processes associated with c. 1600 Ma collision between Australia and Laurentia during the assembly of the supercontinent Nuna, recorded in the Georgetown Inlier of NE Australia, remain elusive. This thesis aims to unravel the structural, metamorphic and magmatic records of this Proterozoic terrane by applying a multi-scale approach that combines regional petrostructural mapping with mineral chemistry, phase equilibrium modelling, geochronology and geothermometry.