The Armidale Area

Abstract

The following excursion notes, centred on the Armidale District, have been prepared to assist students and teachers in the practical aspects of geology as it is now being taught in secondary schools. Every effort has been made to integrate these excursions with the current science course syllabus. These notes should also prove interesting and helpful to anyone with a general interest in geology. Each excursion is of one-half to a full day in length and Armidale is the starting point in each case. The figures in brackets following each stop number are mileages (and metric equivalents) from the last stopping point and the total distance covered from the Armidale Post Office. In general, the accompanying geological plans and sections have been prepared by enlarging parts of the Dorrigo - Coffs Harbour 1:250 000 Geological Sheet (1971) published by the Geological Survey of New South Wales. This map is available from Department of Mines offices in Armidale and Sydney. A collection of common rock types, not necessarily obtained near Armidale, is retained in the Armidale District Office of the Department of Mines (see appendix 1) . In addition, a representative suite of local rock types has been collected (appendix 2); from Lhis local set ten petrological slides (thin sections) have been prepared. This material, a petrological microscope, and brief notes on the thin sections are available, on short loan, to teachers of geology in Armidale. A limited number of geological films are also available on loan to teachers through the Department's Armidale office. Short notes on the occurrence of underground water in rocks of the Armidale district and on the origins of chert and greywacke are included as appendices 3 and 4. The geological history of the New England region is summarized in appendix 5. Appendix 6 is a table showing the ages of the geological systems; appendix 7 is a glossary of some of the terms used in this guide.