Geological evolution of the Wonominta Block

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The Wonominta Block in western New South Wales is an area of over 20,000 km 2 of poorly to moderately exposed Palaeozoic and older rocks. The block is surrounded by Mesozoic or younger sediments and is separated from the Broken Hill and Euriowie Blocks by the Bancannia Trough. The Wonominta Block can be divided into a number of lithostratigraphic units. The oldest unit is a fault-bounded sequence of multiply deformed low- to medium-grade metasediments, basic volcanics and silicic tuffs, that may be correlated with the Middle Proterozoic Willyama Supergroup of the Broken Hill Block. The second unit is an extensive sequence of carbonaceous slates containing several clean quartzite beds, with some dolomitic limestones and rare polymictic conglomerates in its upper section. This unit is equated with the Upper Proterozoic Adelaidean sequence overlying the Broken Hill Block, but differs in having a sequence of alkalic basaltic pillow lavas and tuffs interbedded with quartz-rich rocks at one level within the unit. A thin slate bed at the top of this unit marks a transitional stratigraphie contact with a thick overlying sequence of graded lithic and quartzofeldspathic sandstones with thin slate interbeds. This thick turbidite sequence, forming the third unit, is widespread within the Wonominta Block, becomes less oxidised to the east, contains rare trace fossils and sponge spicule shale horizons and is isoclinally folded along with the two older units. This unit equates with the Kanmantoo Group in South Australia. The more fossiliferous Lower to Middle Cambrian Gnalta Group, exposed near Mount Arrowsmith and near Mount Wright on the western edge of the Wonominta Block, may represent a shallow water near shore sequence equivalent to this deeper water turbidite unit to the east. The fossiliferous Upper Cambrian to Lower Ordovician Mootwingee Group in the west and the Kayrunnera Group in the east overlie the older units with a pronounced unconformity. This unconformity represents the Delamerian Orogeny in western New South Wales, and the overlying units define the near shore facies at the western edge of an extensive sedimentary depository that was destined to become the Lachlan Fold Belt.