XVII International Congress on the Carboniferous and Permian
CONGRESS FIELD EXCURSIONS
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Pre-congress excursion northern Canning Basin
Tuesday 28 June – Saturday 2 July
Field Excursion Guide is available online at http://bit.ly/kk2Pn8
Mid- congress excursion Perth Core Library
Wednesday 6 July
Workshop guide and materials are available at Core Library
Mid- congress excursion Collie Basin and Lake Clifton
Wednesday 6 July
Field Excursion Guide is available online at http://bit.ly/lCBXdL
Mid- congress excursion The Pinnacles and Lake Thetis
Wednesday 6 July
Field Excursion Guide is available here
Post- congress excursion Perth–Carnarvon Basins
Sunday 10 – Saturday 16 July
Field Excursion Guide is available online at http://bit.ly/lERgnP
Congress excursions will examine Carboniferous and Permian strata deposited in a complex rift system that extended far into the interior of Eastern Gondwana. The excursions cover the Canning, Carnarvon–Perth and Collie Basins of Western Australia. The successions were deposited over a large latitudinal range and record not only marine transgressive cycles into the rift complex, but also a climatic north–south gradient that includes evidence of major continental ice sheets during the latest Carboniferous and Early Permian. Cored sections through the Permian–Triassic boundary will be available for examination at the Perth Core Library as a mid-conference excursion. The other mid-conference excursions, to the Pinnacles Desert and to Lake Clifton, include a chance to see modern stromatolites or thrombolites, and modern sediment within the littoral zone from one of the world’s largest carbonate platforms. Permian coal measures at Collie are also examined on the Lake Clifton trip.
Carboniferous–Permian facies are dominantly siliciclastic, shallow-water marine to fluvial, deposited within intracratonic settings. Carbonate facies were most prevalent in the Early Carboniferous, and were succeeded by late Visean to mid-Sakmarian fluvio-deltaic glacial conditions, with shallow-water marine conditions re-established in the late Sakmarian, and continuing into the early Triassic. As the major tectonic event — the breakup of Gondwana in the latest Jurassic to early Cretaceous — was most pronounced offshore, onshore structure is relatively simple with dips generally less than 20°. Generally exposures are strongly oxidised so there commonly is a dichotomous relationship within some stratigraphic intervals where outcrop is dated from macrofauna and the subsurface is dated using palynology. Many of the outcrops to be visited are in remote regions and have not been subjected to detailed sedimentological or palaeontological studies.
The field excursions are an opportunity to visit areas that often are not straightforward for individuals to access due to their remoteness and the necessity to negotiate with landowners, government departments, and companies (in the case of Collie) for right of entry. Each excursion will be led by two geologists who have considerable experience in working in that region, and who will prepare an illustrated field guide for participants. For the longer trips to remote areas the excursion leaders will explain any necessary protocols, especially regarding sampling, and areas that are off limit (protocols vary from conditions imposed by Department of Environment and Conservation in the case of visiting National Parks to safety considerations, as a significant accident could jeopardise an entire excursion, especially in a remote area). In general, a moderate level of fitness is expected, and any medical condition that could be a problem must be disclosed to the excursion leader since accessing medical services could involve a drive of up to 8 hours.
