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Tour Guiding: Geology & Landform Resources

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We always thought Tasmania was different, and now geology can explain why. New discoveries from Tasmania’s oldest rocks at Rocky Cape reveal that about 1.5 billion years ago Tasmania was not part of Australia, but wedged between two other continents. The geology of north-western Tasmania may have more to do with North America and Antarctica than it does with the rest of the Australian mainland.

Tasmania is one of world’s most geodiverse places on the planet, with rocks ranging in age from Proterozoic to Recent. The geology has been subjected multiple episodes of deformation, felsic and mafic magmatism, rifting, erosion and weathering, reflecting changes in tectonic setting and climate with time.

Three Book Gallery - **This page**

Wonderstruck

Websites - **This page**

Geology Websites & online pdf's

Mineral Resources Tasmania

Geoscience Library

Mineral Resources Tasmania has an extensive collection of publications issued by MRT and the former Department of Mines, as well as a large collection of books, journals and  Australian and international Geological Survey publications. The collection is also a repository for reports by mining exploration companies on their mineral exploration activities in Tasmania. The reports issued by Mineral Resources Tasmania and its predecessors, and the company exploration reports, form an invaluable archive of geological information dating back to 1860.

 

Geoscience Maps of Tasmania

A group of fascinating map sets covering the state.

 

AUSGIN (Australian Geoscience Information Network

 Includes 1:250 000 scale scanned geological maps.

 

AUSGIN : Australian Geoscience Information Network

AusGIN gives people and companies interested in exploring for minerals in Australia a single point of access for information about mineral resource exploration in all Australian jurisdictions, and to geological and geophysical data from all Australian governments.

 

GeoScience Australia

Geoscience Australia is Australia's pre-eminent public sector geoscience organisation. We are the nation's trusted advisor on the geology and geography of Australia. We apply science and technology to describe and understand the Earth for the benefit of Australia.


Geotourism and Geotrails (Geological Society of Australia)

Geotourism is emerging as a new global phenomenon which fosters tourism based upon landscapes.  

Its definition has recently been refined as a form of tourism that specifically focuses on the geology and landscapes which shape the character of a region.  This advances an earlier concept of geotourism as strictly ‘geological tourism’. Geotourism promotes tourism to ‘geo-sites’ and the conservation of geodiversity and an understanding of earth sciences through appreciation and learning.  

This is achieved through visits to geological features, use of ‘geotrails’ and view points, guided tours, geoactivities and patronage of geosite visitor centres.


Geodiversity 

General information on the rich geoheritage of Tasmania: 
https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/conservation/publications-forms-and-permits/publications  

   Formation of Tasmania   (135Kb)  

   Tasmania's Cave Reserves   (536Kb) 

   The Lake Highway   (401Kb) 

   Geology of the Tasman Peninsula   (66Kb) 

   Gondwana - The supercontinent   (125Kb) 

   Mole Creek Karst   (485Kb)  

 

University of Tasmania - CODES – CENTRE FOR ORE DEPOSIT AND EARTH SCIENCES

CODES is the Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences. Formed in 1989 at the University of Tasmania, the Centre has grown substantially over the years and is now widely regarded as a global leader in ore deposit research.


Australian and International Geological Websites and Societies

Geological Society of Australia

The mission of the Geological Association of Australia is to promote and advance Earth Science.

 

Edinburgh Geological Society

The Edinburgh Geological Society is one of the UK’s foremost geological societies. We organise a full and varied programme of excursions and lectures that bring together everyone from complete beginners to professional geologists interested in exploring the geology of Scotland and beyond.

 

The Geological Society (United Kingdom)

The Geological Society of London is the UK's national society for geoscience, providing support to c.11,600 members in the UK and overseas.

 

The Geological Society of America

The vision of the GSA is to be the premier geological society supporting the global community in scientific discovery, communication, and application of geoscience knowledge.