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Australian Shield
geological feature, Australia
Also known as: Western Australian Shield, Western Craton, Western Plateau, Western Shield
Learn about this topic in these articles:
major reference
- In Australia: The Western Plateau
The Precambrian western core area, known geologically as a shield or craton, is subdivided by long, straight (or only slightly bowed) fractures called lineaments. Those fractures, most obvious in the north and west, delineate prominent rectangular or rhomboidal blocks, some of which have…
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continental shields
- In continental shield
…appropriately, the Indian Shield, the Australian Shield, and the Antarctic Shield.
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geology of Australia
- In Australia: Tectonic framework
…of oldest rocks is the Western Shield, comprising the western half of the continent, which has been eroded to a low relief. The youngest rocks are found in the growing fold belt of the Banda arcs and in New Guinea at the boundary between the Indian-Australian plate and the Eurasian…
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