| LOCATION |
| Map |
Show Map
|
| Address |
Lot 15 Parachilna Gorge Road MOUNT FALKLAND |
| Locality |
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| Accuracy |
H - high level confidence |
| Council Area |
Land Not Within a Council Area (Flinders) |
| Polygon Type |
P - parcel (from DCDB) |
| DESCRIPTION |
| Details (Known As) |
Parachilna Gorge Geological Monument [Designated place of geological significance] |
| Registered Name |
Parachilna Gorge Geological Monument |
| Significance |
The Parachilna Gorge Geological Monument demonstrates an excellent exposure of a contact typical of the geologically and palaeontologically significant Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary in the western Flinders Ranges. The contact marks the transition between two highly significant geological periods and the turnover and evolution of some of the earliest examples of complex life that occurred at that time. The Parachilna Gorge Geological Monument is also the type section for the Parachilna Formation, containing well-preserved trace fossils of burrowing Cambrian organisms.
STATEMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The geological formations at the Parachilna Gorge Geological Monument are highly significant to ongoing research into the Ediacaran and Cambrian time periods. The site contains a locality where rocks of the older Ediacaran (635-538 million years ago) meet with rocks of the younger Cambrian (538-485.4 million years ago). Here, the Cambrian Parachilna Formation overlies the Ediacaran Rawnsley Quartzite, marking a substantial extinction event, the Ediacaran Extinction, and a subsequent evolution event, known as the Cambrian Explosion, both of which remain the subject of ongoing research. The site contains distinctive trace fossils depicting the evolution of life at that time and is also the location of the type section of the Parachilna Formation. The well-exposed geological formations are highly likely to contribute to our understanding of the geological and evolutionary history of South Australia into the future. Designation date: 10-APR-1997 |
| Subject Index |
Landscape area - Geological Site; Landscape area - Natural Landscape |
| Class |
State |
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| STATUS |
| Status Code |
REG - Confirmed as a State Heritage Place in the SA Heritage Register |
| Status Date |
09-OCT-1997 |
| REFERENCE |
| LGA |
Unincorporated SA |
| State Heritage ID |
14814 |
| Heritage Number |
84 |
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| SECTION 16 INFORMATION |
| Section 16 |
b - it has rare, uncommon or endangered qualities that are of cultural significance
c - it may yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the State's history, including its natural history
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| PLAN PARCEL & TITLE |
| As listed in the SA Heritage Register |
| Plan Parcel & Title Information |
CL 6179/596 H390400 S42;43 |