ffis+p-J

sorrTHAUsrRALrA \IE,Z
GeologicalSurveyof SouthAustralia

Bulletin54

Thegeologyof SouthAustralia
Volume2 The Phanerozoic

Edited by J.F. Drexel and W.V. Preiss

lssuedundertheauthorityof
The Hon.D.S.Baker,M.P.
Ministerfor Minesand Energy

NewstylePrintingPty Ltd
1995
towards the easternmargin of the basin indicates that the Flinders
Rangeswere in existenceduring deposition.
The difference in elevation between the successionin Lake Torrens
and correlative sedimentswithin the Flinders Rangesimplies maximum
relativepost-depositional uplift ofthe rangesin theorderof 100to 250m.
Greatestsubsidenceappearsto have occurred in the southemporlion of
Lake Torrens. The distribution of silcretes along the northem and
northeastemmargins of the basin indicatesno relative movement along
the Torrens and Norwest Faults since silicification. Binks (1972\ inter.
preteduplift of the EdiacaraRangeto havetakenplacein the Quatemary.
LAKEEYREBASIN
R.A. Callen, N.F. Alley and D.R. Greenwood
There is very little record of sedimentationover most of inland
South Australia betweenthe Cenomanianand Late Paleocene,when
weathering and erosion appearto have prevailed. During the Late
Paleocene,tectonic subsidencein northeasternSouth Australia pro-
duceda large,shallow basin,here referredto as the Lake Eyre Basin,
in which episodicfluvial and lacustrinesedimentationhastakenplace
until the present (Figs. 10.28, 10.29). Although only the Tertiary

WEST EAST
A A
*'-l MT BAYLEY
RANGE
I

,'rl F L I N D E R SR A N G E S PP3,4

,*-l
,uo-]

- ruut
< l
; l

s 5ol
F c l

'l
-501

'*lI
-*o-.1

SOUTHWEST NORTHEAST
B B
wrLLouRAN
RANGES i
G A1 5 I
'150

TORRENS
'100 HINGE
ZONE
lAndamooka
I lsland II
g Lake I

-50

-100

-150

OUATERNARY E KILOMETRES

MIOCENE
NeuroodlaFormation E MESOZOTC r
EOCENE
CotabenaFormation r PRE.MESOZOIC E
9H26 MESA

Fig.10'27 Cross-sections
through Tertiary sedimentsin the Tonens Basin. Lines ofsection are locatedon Figure 10.26. The profile ofB-B is also shown
on Figure 10.33to demonstratethe height relationshipbetweenthe Tonens and Billa Kalina Basins.

188
 DALHOUSIE
DOME

Kuncherinna
1

LAKE EYRE .S'

u"$
a Oodnadatta
SUB-BASIN X-'':"$d" INNAMINCKA
DOME

3 BASIN
\E,
\6
TIRARI
DESERT East
West1
Lycium'l
l *
PEAKEAND
DENISON iL#l2RX&f,,Err
Alreides1
INLIERS
Maralu1
\
I
Cannuwaukaninna
Bore
I
Mad.igan I
I Gulf CALLABONNA
"t"" I
I
,o I
aon Feedy
Springs
"6 SUB.BASIN
Maree I G
LB
WILLOURAN
RANGES
Maroin of
Biltakatina
Basin
\
Olympic
Dam
^ F .r
Beverley
Prospect
'Wooltana'
lp 3d

,l
&camooKa
/uJ \
I Leigh Creek E
;UI
i- at
E6

Fault - -
o
z
U)
l! frE
@
\ Inhe IE
D r i l l h o l e- _ _ - _
Palaeochannel- - - -roeg.
.
I Woomera

t
t\
KILOMETRES
i \
OLARY RANGES

Fig. 10.28 Locality map and structuralelementsofthe Lake Eyre Basin. Sectionsare shown on Figures 10.30
and 10.31

sedimentsare discussedin this section,depositionof some units
commencedin the late Tertiary and continuedinto the euaternary.
Structure
andsetting
Like the underlyingEromangaBasin,the Lake Eyre Basincon-
sistsof a thick sedimentarysuccessionin a northeastern depocentre
and a southwestempart where the sedimentsare significantly
thinnerand discontinuous.The basinis borderedon the westby the
Peake and Denison Inliers and western margin of the Dalhousie
Dome, in the south by the Willouran, Flinders and Olary Ranges,
and in the eastby the Barrier Ranges.In the north the basinextends
into the Northem Territory,Queenslandand New SouthWales.and
is borderedby domesof Mesozoic rocks. The southernmargin is
sharplydefinedand faultedas a resultof late Cainozoicuolift.
The basin is separatedinto the Tirari Sub-basin(Kriee ar a/..
l99l) in the wesr and CallabonnaSub-basinin the easiby the
Birdsville Track Ridge, expressedin the Tertiary as a seriesof
faulted,duricrust-cappeddomes(Figs 10.28,10.30). The srrarigra-
phy of the Tirari Sub-basin(previously named the .Lake Eyre
Basin'; Callen and Tedford, 1976;Catlen,1990)is illustrare<Jon
Figure 10.3l. Stratigraphic
unirsusedin theCallabonnaSub-basin
(previously known as Tarkarooloo Basin and then Callabonna
Basin; Callen and Tedford, 19761Callen. 1981, 1990) are also
shownon Figure 10.31.
Much of the Lake Eyre Basin is closeto sealevel, with subdued
topographyand poor outcrop in low cliffs, around salt lakes,or as
discontinuoussilicified channelremnantsbetweendunes. Tertiary
unlts are commonly coveredby Quaternarysediments.

189
 INTERSTATE
ADJACENT
LAKEEYREBASIN TERMINOLOGY
AGE BILLAKALINA
SUB.BASIN
CALLABONNA BASIN WAITE BASIN (Weslern
TIRARISUB-BASIN
(SoulhAuslralia) (Soulhern) (Norlhern
Terrilory) 0ueensland)
(Northern)
IUATERNART KutiitaraFormation undifferentiated

=
g

q LATE TirariFormation 'laterite'

'laterite'

0 ferricrete
silcrete,
lerricrete
silcrete, \ustBloNns us,/'\
I lerricrete
silcrete, NonnsldoL/s I
L EARLY silcrete,
lerricrete gadelga
1 PogI'D:{q +u!ts!t!e!l!s!€ Waite Hdnc CEk Fft / I

Mampuworqu Da[q,
Formation gravols
terruginous
\ Dolomite
MillersCreek
UITE WiDaiiri
Formation Membor Whitula
Fm(upperl_
Etaduina Formation
u
= \ Etadunna
0 E.E I aittaKatina '
ctav Formation Springvale
9 MIDDLE Namba Member l s Formation
= Formation Formatlon
Namba $E/
r>
EARLY /Danae congtomerate
Member
/
CE
sF r LATE
I'rMirackrna t
Muloorina
E = Conqlomerale lvlember
r o
F o I
g
o
EARLY
srlcrete silcrete silcrete
?Mirackina
LATE Conglomerate
,
r Gl6ndower
= t{il0DLE
? uountsann - E Eyr€Formation ?Willalinchina Formation
0 sanostone (Mumpeowie
Formation) Sandstone
o J E€ Glendower
u
EyreFormation Formation Marion
Formation
EARLY
r
= unnamedsandstone
r
a
= peripheral
1oBillaKallna
Basir
e LATE

= EARLY Drn JW 95-628 i\4ESA

Fig. 10.29 Stratigraphic units in the Lake Eyre Basin, and correlatives in adjacent areas.

WEST
A TIBARI SUB-BASIN CALLABONNA SUB-BASIN
I DALHoUSIE GASON
I DOME 2
Poolowanna DOME 1
Kalladeina
Macumba
1
Purni1 f
Waf,rnOi SturtEast1 BigLake45
I o=arr,I

?-roo
5
e
F
g -2oo

-300

viH=356,/1
100

KILOMETRES Stratigraphy
Deposition in the Lake Eyre Basin occurred in three phases
PLIOCENE.QUATERNARY
Sand- - tI (Krieg, Callen et al.,1990). In the first phase(latestPaleoceneto

LATE OLIGOCENE.PLIOCENE
Etadunnaand NambaFormations rc the Middle Eocene),sandstone, carbonaceous clasticsandconglom-
erate of the Eyre Formation and Mount Sarah Sandstone were
deposited(Fig. I 0.29). Thereis little evidencefor depositionin the
PALEOCENE.EOCENE
Eyre Formation n Lake Eyre Basin between the Late Eocene and Late Oligocene.
According to Wopfner ( 1974),widespreadgentle folding and uplift,

MESOZOTC E including rejuvenation of the Birdsville Track Ridge, initiated the

division of the basin into two sectorsand producedsuch structures
95-€29 MESA
as the Cooryanna and Gason Domes. The secondphasemay have
Drn MWS
commencedin the Oligocene and extendedthrough to the Pliocene;
Fig. 10.30 Cross-section through the Tirari and Callabonna Sub-basins sediments deposited include grey, green and white clay, fine-
Line of sectionis locatedon Figure 10.28. grained sand and carbonate, with minor conglomerate,of the

190
 WEST
B

LakeEyre8A
I LAKEEyre0
0
I
-25
o

-50
E

-75

-100

50

KILOMETRES

'tH- e e o ys p n n g s
| (outcrop)

L C1 A
Skeleton
2 I
I

KILOMETRES

PALEOCENE.EOCENE
QUATERNARY t l Eyre Formation

PLIOCENE-QUATERNARY t-----l MESOZOTC

LATE OLIGOCENE-PLIOCENE
Nambaand EtadunnaFormations li-+4 CAMBRIAN

95-€30 MESA

Fig' 10.31 East-westcorrelationsacrossthe southemTirari Sub-basin(B-B) and CallabonnaSub-basin(C-C). Lines of sectionare locatedon Fieure 10.2g.

191
EtadunnaFormationand its correlativeNamba Formation,Doon-
bara Formationand CadelgaLimestone. The third phase,during
by depositionof red
the Plioceneto Quaternary,was characterised 'l'r'i'r'l)
andyellow-brownsandandsandyclay, anddevelopmentofgypsum '1'r'l'r'!'r
and carbonatepalaeosols.
'l'r'l'r'1'r
Late Paleocene-MiddleEocene units 'l'r'!'r'l'r
EyreFormation
The Eyre Formation(Fig. 10.32;Wopfner et al., 1974),basalunit
ofthe Tertiarysuccession and widespreadthroughoutthe Lake Eyre
Basin,incorporatesthe MacumbaSandstone(Freytaget a|.,1967)
and Murnpeowie Formation(Forbes,1966). The Eyre Formation
.i.i.i.i.il
'l'r'l'r'll
mostly disconformablyoverlies Mesozoic sediments,but locally
'l'r'l'r'l
\
overstepsonto Cambrian and Precambrianrocks; it is overlain 'l'r'l'r'l'l
unconformablyby the middle to lateTertiary Etadunnaand Namba
FormationsandQuaternarysediments.Upper exposedhorizonsare
. t .J . L
Q'o'o"'
commonly silicified. 'D ' o'a
o; ahrd
The Eyre Formation consistsof mature, pyritic, carbonaceous
sand, although the carbonaceouslithologies are often leachedin
outcrop. Grainsizevariesfrom silt to gravel,with clastsup to small
cobblesize,sandgrainsusuallybeingsubangulartosubroundedand
E
polished. Beds of lignite and clay composedof montmorillonite
and kaolinite with some illite, sometimeswith root horizons,are
ffi
u

common; a clay matrix is often presentin sand around the basin E Silcrete- -
g
margins. Polishedgravel composedof resistantsiliceouslitholo-
G Sandstone- l.'.'.'.'l
gies suchas yellow, grey and milky quartz,black cbert,redjasper, q

agate,fbssil wood andbuff andgrey silcrete,area diagnosticfeature

of the basal horizons, with pebbles of basementrock in some
E
F
F

ffi
--l
localities. Theseare a lag of reworkedsecondor third-cycleclasts, Clay,claystone,shale - -
l-----t
l-
derivedfrom Permianand Mesozoicrocks. Pebblesof white and U

coloured quartz are dominant in palaeochannels

marginof the Olary Ranges.
on the northern Cross-bedding @
Wopfner et a1.( 1974)correlatedpalynoflorasfrom the formation
with the L. balmei to Lower N. asperusZones, indicating an age
range from early Late Paleoceneto Middle Eocene. An hiatus
the Early Eocenewas believedto be representedas
):.:.;4.:l
encompassing
(.'.'.'1)'J
an erosionaldisconformityseparatingolder and younger parts of -_\
the formation. Alley and Sluiter (in prep.),however,indicatethat
palynoflorasrangefrom latestPaleocene(Upper L. balmei Zone) to
Middle Eocenewith a relatively short hiatus, perhapsin the late
Early Eoceneto early Middle Eocene.
Other plant fossils are well preservedin silicified sandstone
('silcrete floras') of the Poole Creek Palaeochanneland include
cuticle, algae,fungi, wood, twigs, leaves,shoots,seeds,fruits and
:.K.
flowers. A range of coniferous taxa and capsulesof possible
Eucttlvptusand various other Myrtaceae have been described
(Greenwood et al., 1990: Christophel et al., 1992). The only
exposureof sedimentsin which palynoflorasand macroflorasoccur .7;."")/"\
. .-..-
. . . ) Y . . . .
.^olct:rDA:^4^'

TE . - . F
. . f f i . f r
i!O
tsq
o€

of theEyreFormation
Fig. 10.32Stratigraphy 4.8 km
at thetypesection,
eastof'Innamincka'.

togetheris in the lower reachesof Nelly Creeknearthe southeastern

margin of Lake Eyre South. Here macrofossils are preserved in
carbonaceousclay lensesas mummified remainsand impressions
datedpalynologicallyas Middle Eocene(Alley, 1989b)'indicating
that this is a youngerpart of the Eyre Formation'
The Eyre Formation was depositedlargely by braided streams
during epeirogenicuplift ofthe Olary, Barrier and northernFlinders
C r o s s - b e d d e ds a n d u n i l i n t h e E y r e F o r m a t i o n n o r t h o f M o u n t Y e r i l a Ranges,accompaniedby subsidencein the Lake Eyre Basin (Krieg,
Photo.ll508. Callenet al., I 990). Extensiveerosionof the Eyre Formationduring

192
the early Middle Eocene was followed by fluvial deposition later in NambaFormation
the Middle Eocene.
The NambaFormation was defined by Callen andTedford (1976)
The formation has been correlated with the GlendowerFormation from a type section in Yalkalpo l, a supplementary section in
of Queensland and Marion Formation of New South Wales (Fig. Wooltana l, and a supplementary outcrop section on the western
10.29), although Whitehouse (1954) and Wopfner et al. (1974) side of Lake Tarkarooloo, southeast of Lake Frome. In the south-
believed the Glendower Formation to be younger. western Callabonna Sub-basin, it disconformably overlies Eyre
Formation and averages 90 m in thickness but thickens towards the
MountSarahSandstone Barrier and Flinders Ranges (e.g. 170 m in Wooltana 1), and thins
over the Benagerie Ridge. The unit is similar lithologically to the
Barnes and Pitt (1977) defrned the Mount Sarah Sandstonefrom
Etadunna Formation and comprises alternating fine to medium-
an area west of the main depocentre of the Lake Eyre Basin in the
grained, poorly sorted, angular sand, silt and clay, with thin dolomite
Dalhousie Dome and Stuart Range. Silcrete-capped,massive to
and limy, often oolitic, dolomite interbeds. The clay is black due to
cross-bedded sandstone, siltstone and basal conglomerate form a
ferrous iron and manganese, tough and bears slickensided fracture
sinuous seriesof mesaseastof the Stuart Range. The basal channel
facies containing silcrete, quartz and shale clasts was correlated with surfaces. Horizontal lamination and small to medium-scale cross-
bedding are common in silt and very fine-grained sand. Dolomite
the Mirackina Conglomerate by Barnes and Pitt (1976, 1977).
frequently contains rod-shaped ooliths and is affected by wide-
The Mount Sarah Sandstone unconformably overlies weathered spread bioturbation, intraformational brecciation and slump struc-
Cretaceous sediments and is considered to be disconformable on,
and/orin part equivalent to, the upperEyre Formation (Krieg, 1985).
Although similar to Eyre Formation, the Mount Sarah Sandstone
was thought to be distinguished by its silcrete clasts (Barnes and
Pitt, 1977). However, since silcrete clasts are widespread in the
Eyre Formation, the two units are indistinguishable. Alternatively,
parts of the Mount Sarah Sandstone may be a shoreline facies of the
younger Etadunna and Doonbara Formations (see below).

Late Oligocene-Miocene un its

Mirackina
Conglomerate
The Mirackina Conglomerate, a cross-bedded fluvial conglomer-
ate with silcrete clasts and medium to coarse-grained sandstone,
occupies the Mirackina Palaeochannel, an eroded Tertiary palaeo-
drainage system on the western margin of the Lake Eyre Basin.
Fine-grained sandy siltstone and shale occur in the upper and distal
parts; the top is generally femrginised and silicified. A Miocene
age was inferred by Barnes and Pitt (1976) from the abundance of
silcrete clasts. Alternatively, these fluvial sediments may correlate
in part with the Eyre Formation. Probable equivalents have been
recognised in the ABMINGA and WARRINA map areas.

EtadunnaFormation
The Etadunna Formation of Stirton et al. (1961), with its type
section along the westem side oflake Palankarinna, is restricted to
the Tirari Sub-basin and usually rests on Eyre Formation or, locally,
on Cretaceousstrata. The Mampuwordu Sand (Stirton eral., 1961),
with a type section at the same locality, is now regarded as a channel
facies of the Etadunna Formation. In the southern Lake Eyre region,
a basal fine clastic unit has been named the Muloorina Member
(Callen and Plane, I 985 ; Krieg et aI., 199l). The Yardina Claystone
and Alberga Limestone (Freytag et al., 1967: Wopfrrer, 1974) may
also be members of the Etadunna Formation.
In the type areaand westwardsto Lake Eyre, the EtadunnaFormation
comprises white dolomite and limestone overlain by green and grey
magnesium-rich claystone and fine sand (Callen and Plane, 1985;
Callen et a1.,1986). Thickness varies from 25 m in the type section to
35 m beneath Lake Eyre and 80 m in Poonarunna I (Fig. 10.31).
Intraformational conglomerate and bioturbation are widespread.
The 5-15 m thick Muloorina Member is prominent beneath the
Madigan Gulf and Tirari Desert regions (Callen and Plane, 1985)
and consists of greenish grey, very fine-grained sand and silt with
calcareousintervals. A basal femrginised sand contains clasts of
silcrete and sand reworked from the Eyre Formation.

Top: EtadunnaFormationalongthewestemmarginoflake Eyre.elotoazsoo.

Bottom:Fossilsfrom theEtadunnaFormation,includingpossum,marsupial
cat, potoroo, Diprotodon (giant wombat), platypus, koala and flamingo
(photocourtesyN. Pledge).Width of view is 0.3 m. Photo425lo.

193
tures. The Namba Formation is informally divided into a lower
member characterisedby smectite-dominatedclay and cyclic depo-
sition,andan uppermemberwith illite and kaolinite(Callen,1977).
Carbonatefacies of the Etadunnaand Namba Formations contain
abundant gastropods, ostracodes, algae (Chara, Botryococcus),
stromatolitesand rare foraminifera. In the upper clayey parts of the
succession,remains of fish, reptiles, birds and mammals are locally
abundant. These have aided in reconstructingpalaeoenvironments
and in understandingthe evolution ofAustralian faunas(see'Geo-
logical history and palaeoclimate'). The uppermost grey clay con-
tains leaf impressions and sparse palynofloras. Occasional leaf
impressionshave beenfound in older partsofthe Etadunnabut none
have been observed in the lower Namba Formation. The wide-
spreaddistribution of the Etadunnaand Namba Formations contain-
ing abundantfossils of aquatic animals indicates the development
of shallow, brackish to freshwater lakes throuehout much of the
Lake Eyre Basin.
The age of the Etadunnaand Namba Formations may range from
(?)Late Oligocene to Pliocene. A Rb-Sr age of 25 Ma determined
on green diagenetic illite from the upper Etadunna Formation ap-
proximates the Oligocene-Miocene boundary (Norrish and Picker-
ing, 1983). A monospecific foraminiferal microfauna of
Buliminoides cf. B. chattonensisin Palankarinna I tentatively sug-
gestsa Late Oligoceneage (Lindsay, 1987b). This occurrenceis
enigmatic sinceBuliminoides, unlike Ammonia or Elphidium, is not
recordedas an immigrant or survivor in inland lakes. Age estimates
of fossil vertebratesrangefrom Oligoceneto Early-Middle Miocene
(Stirton et al., 196l; Woodburneand Clemens,1986; Woodburne
et aI., 1985). Palynofloras from the formations are sparse but
suggest an age range from Miocene to Pliocene. A possible late
Tertiary palynoflora was obtained from the uppermost Etadunna
Formation in Palankarinna I (E.M. Truswell, BMR, pers. comm.,
1977), whereas Callen and Tedford (1976) suggestedan Early to
Middle Miocene ageforpalynofloras from the Etadunnaand Namba
Formations. Palynofloras from the Namba Formation in Wool-
tana I indicate an age range from Late Oligocene to Pliocene
(Martin, 1990). Late Miocene palynofloras have been reported
from Namba Formation equivalentsin the southeasternCallabonna
Sub-basinin New SouthWales (Morgan, 1977;McMinn, l98l).
DoonbaraFormationand CadelgaLimestone
Wopfner (1974) defined the Doonbara Formation in the north-
eastem extremity of South Australia, where it comprises pisolitic
and ferruginous fine to medium-grainedsandoverlying partly silici-
fied Eyre Formation (partly silcreted). The formation is generally
7- 10 m thick, but reaches40 m in the core of the Haddon Syncline.
Deposition followed, or was partly contemporaneouswith, folding
of the underlying silcrete surfaceinto broad domes. Although there
is no biostratigraphic evidence for its age, Wopfner (1974) inter-
pretedthe DoonbaraFormation asa fluvial faciesvariant ofthe basal
EtadunnaFormation. Callen (1983a), however, suggestedthat flu-
vial sandandclay at the top of the NambaFormationeastof Strzelecki
Creek becomeincreasinglyfemrginised to the north, and areequiva-
lents of the DoonbaraFormation. It is possible,however, that these
clastics are a regolith and beach equivalent of the Cadelga Lime-
stone.
The Cadelga Limestone (Wopfner, 1974) is a pale cherty and
dolomitic lacustrine limestone up to 5 m thick, which overlies and
incorporatesfragmentsof DoonbaraFormation. Sparsegastropods,
possiblediatoms and algaeare presentbut are not diagnostic ofage.
On the basis of their similar lithologies, Wopfner ( 1974) correlated
the Cadelga Limestone with the Etadunna Formation and with the
Alberga Limestone of the Oodnadattaarea.
The weathered nature of the sediments and lack of biostrati-
graphic evidence make correlations with other similar units diffi-
cult. However, the Austral Downs Limestone and Noranside
Limestone of the Boulia region (Queensland)closely resemblethe
Cadelga Limestone and Doonbara Formation, and are probably of
Late Miocene to Quaternary age (Paten, 1964).
194
PIiocene-Quaternary un its
Wipajiri,Tirariand KutjitaraFormations
The final phase of Cainozoic sedimentation in the Lake Eyre
Basin is characterisedby red-brown arenitesand dark, fine-grained
lacustrine sediments. Aeolian and evaporitic facies are common
and dense horizons of calcrete and gypsum developed in soils.
Although many of these deposits may range in age up into the
Quaternary,the depositsof possible Pliocene age are discussed
below. Thereis no direct evidenceofa Plioceneagefor any ofthe
rock units in the Lake Eyre Basin.
The Wipajiri Formation, defined by Stirton et al. (1967) from
Lake Ngapakaldi in the central Tirari Desert, consists ofover I m
of fine-grained sand and silt channel fill cut into the Etadunna
Formation. It containscoarserconglomeraticlensesup to 0.3 m
thick with intraclastsincluding siliceousand femrginous nodules,
vertebrateremains and Unionid shell impressions, but their strati-
graphic implications are uncertain (Archer and Hand, 1984). The
upper part of the section consists of laminated claystone with leaf
impressions.
Unnamed black clay and white sand in the Tirari Desert is either
Wipajiri Formation or the younger Kutjitara Formation. The clay
contains well-preserved palynofloras, including Nothofagidites
spp., Podocarpidites ellipticus and Phyllocladidites mawsonii,
which is suggestiveof a late Tertiary rather than Quaternary age.
This sequence,characterisedby shallow sand-filled channels,is
interpreted as a meandering fluvial system or lacustrine delta-fan.
The Tirari Formation, a widespread unit with a type section at
Lake Palankarinna,consistsof4-5 m ofbright red-brownsilt with
sandychanneldepositsand fossil vertebrates,including Diprotodon
and short-faced kangaroos. The formation is extensively exposed
over the central Tirari Desert and northwards into the Simpson
Desert,and is usually cementedwith massivegypsum crusts. The
depositional environment was probably one of intermittent stream
flow under semi-arid conditions. The unit overlies possible Wipa-
jiri Formation at a small lake near Peachawarinna2 and has been
datedthere as>0.5 Maby thermoluminescencemethods(Callen and
Nanson, 1992).
geology
Economic
The Eyre Formationhasbeenexploredextensivelyfor sedimen-
tary uranium, particularly in the Lake Frome area where several
depositshave been defined in the Billeroo and Yarramba Palaeo-
channels.Mining by in sira leachingis feasible(Brunt, 1978;Ellis,
1980;Callen, 1990;Curtis et al.,l99O). Although lignite hasbeen
disclosedby drilling, the beds are thin and of low quality. Sand-
stonebeds form useful aquifers in the CallabonnaSub-basinand
are locally pressurisedalong the western margin of Lake Frome.
Zircon and topaz occur locally in significant concentrations in
palaeochannelsalong the southern part of the Callabonna Sub-
basin; similar channelselsewhereare potential sourcesof heavv
minerals.
Prospecting for dolomite as a blast furnace flux was undertaken
in the Etadunna Formation around the margins of Lake Eyre, but
the silica contentproved to be too high (Whitehead,1970).
The Namba Formation has been explored for palygorskite, a
swelling clay used as a catalyst, an ingredient of drilling mud
(attapulgite),a dye absorbent,and a sagerearth in pottery. However,
theseinvestigationshave failed to disclosemarketablematerial.
Uranium in a sandy palaeochannelof Namba Formation near
Lake Namba (Curtis er al., 1990) is potentially recoverable by rn
siru leaching at the Beverley Prospectnear 'Wooltana'.
Celestite, a mineral with growing demand in the television and
computing industries, is widespread throughout Cainozoic sedi-
ments. Exploration programs are currently assessingpotential eco-
nomic sources.