Burrill Lake Research Articles

Sea level controls on palaeochannel development within the Swan River estuary during the Late Pleistocene to Holocene

High-resolution seismic profiles were conducted across the metropolitan area of the Swan River estuary (Perth, Western Australia) to explore the sub-surficial stratigraphic architecture, down to a depth of about 40m below the river bed. The acoustic profiles revealed a complex system of palaeochannels where three main unconformities (R1, R2, R3) bound as many seismic units (U1, U2, U3), over the acoustic basement. Integrating these data with sediment borehole analysis, LiDAR data and available literature of the geology and stratigraphy of the area, it was possible to determine the development of these stratigraphic units, in response to Late Pleistocene and Holocene sea level fluctuations and conditioned by pre-existing topography and depositional palaeoenvironments during the last ~130,000years. The deepest unit (U3) can be interpreted as the Perth Formation, which consists of interbedded sediments that were deposited in a large palaeo-valley downcutting into the underlying acoustic basement (bedrock: Tamala Limestone and Kings Park Formation), under a fluvial to estuarine setting, existing between ~130 and 80ky BP (in the Last Interglacial).The middle unit (U2), composed of heterogenic fluvial (possibly lacustrine) and estuarine sediments, represents the Swan River Formation. Similarly to the Perth Formation, the formation infills channels incised in older formations and reflects the hydrogeological conditions linked with sea level fluctuation changes during the Last Glacial low stand. Holocene (last ~10ky) fluvial and estuarine deposits form the shallowest unit (U1). These sediments have a highly variable internal structure, ranging from heavily layered, filling palaeochannels, to hard and chaotic, atop pre-existing topographic highs. The wave-dominated Swan River system shares several similarities with a number of estuaries worldwide, such as Burrill Lake (NSW, Australia) and Arcachon Lagoon (Aquitaine, France). This research represents the first environmental high-resolution acoustic investigation in the middle reach of the Swan River estuary.

Total arsenic concentrations and arsenic species present in naturally decomposing Ecklonia radiata tissues collected from various marine habitats

To investigate the release and degradation of arsenoribosides associated with the brown alga Ecklonia radiata, tissues were collected in various marine micro-habitats (water column, sand intertidal, and rock platform intertidal) to establish the importance of decomposition stage and the micro-habitat in which decomposition occurs on arsenoriboside degradation. Total arsenic concentrations in E. radiata tissues varied in a similar pattern across all three sampling locations (Lake Tabourie, Burrill Lake, and Ulladulla Harbour) with concentrations in live tissues (53–124 μg As g−1 (dry mass)) greater than concentrations in tissues decomposing in the water column (28–90 μg As g−1 (dry mass)), which were in turn higher than concentrations in tissues decomposing in intertidal environments (16–21 μg As g−1 (dry mass)). Arsenoribosides, specifically sulfonate (SO3-), phosphate (PO4-), and glycerol (Gly-) accounted for all of the arsenic extracted from live E. radiata tissues. Arsenoribosides also accounted for 100 % of the extractable arsenic species in E. radiata tissues decomposing in the water column. The proportions of arsenic species in decomposing E. radiata tissue from intertidal environments varied with sampling location and therefore micro-habitat. In rock platform-based intertidal zones (Burrill Lake and Ulladulla harbour), considerable concentrations of unextractable arsenic (10–60 %) were present plus known arsenoriboside degradation products such as dimethylarsinoylethanol (DMAE), dimethylarsenate (DMA), and arsenate (As(V)). In sand/beach-based intertidal zones, however, the vast majority of arsenic (≈95 %) was unextractable with only small concentrations of arsenoribosides and As(V) present.

Phytoplankton assemblages of two intermittently open and closed coastal lakes in SE Australia

Species composition and biomass of phytoplankton assemblages of a heavily impacted lake (Lake Illawarra) and a less impacted lake (Burrill Lake) in the South-Eastern region of Australia were compared based on bimonthly samples from three sites in each lake collected between April 2005 and April 2007. Lake Illawarra was generally characterized by higher nutrient concentrations and lower salinity than Burrill Lake. Phytoplankton assemblages displayed significant differences between the two lakes in terms of the dominant species composition and patterns of seasonal change rather than biomass. Diatoms were the dominant species in Lake Illawarra on most sampling occasions. In contrast, dinoflagellates (including toxic species) dominated in Burrill Lake during most seasons. Seasonal succession of phytoplankton in the two lakes did not follow the strict spring maximum that is generally observed in temperate waters. In Burrill Lake, maximum phytoplankton biomass often occurred in winter, while the maximum biomasses in Lake Illawarra occurred in autumn, winter and spring. The significant difference of nutrient structure between two lakes and warm temperate regime was regarded as important factors to affect these results. The results suggested care should be taken when relying on estuary health “indicators”, such as chlorophyll a, rather than more detailed investigations of phytoplankton species compositions.

‘Marks of Natives Everywhere’1

MankindVolume 8, Issue 3 p. 230-232 ‘Marks of Natives Everywhere’1 J. V. S. Megaw, J. V. S. MegawSearch for more papers by this author J. V. S. Megaw, J. V. S. MegawSearch for more papers by this author First published: June 1972 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1835-9310.1972.tb00441.x 1 This paper is a review of Burrill Lake and Currarong: coastal sites in Southern New South Wales: Terra Australis I by R. J. Lampert. Department of Prehistory, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, 1971, pp. ix + 86, 26 tables, 18 figs, 3 black-and-white plates, $4.30 (including postage). AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume8, Issue3June 1972Pages 230-232 RelatedInformation

The geomorphological evolution of a wave-dominated barrier estuary: Burrill Lake, New South Wales, Australia

The geomorphological evolution of the Holocene wave-dominated barrier estuary at Burrill Lake on the New South Wales coast, Australia, has been investigated using a combination of seismic stratigraphy and lithostratigraphic analysis of vibracores collected from the back-barrier estuarine environment. A combination of radiocarbon and aspartic acid racemisation-derived ages obtained on Holocene fossil molluscs, and the thermoluminescent signal in remnant the Last Interglacial barrier provides the chronological framework for this investigation. Results from this paper show that the barrier estuary occupies a relatively narrow (< 1.5 km wide) and shallow (< 40 m deep) incised bedrock valley formed during sea-level lowstands. Late Pleistocene sedimentary successions and remnants of the Last Interglacial barrier have been preserved within the incised valley axis and at the mouth of the incised valley. These sediments, deposited during the Last Interglacial sea-level highstand, were partially removed during the last glacial maximum. Overlying the antecedent Late Pleistocene landsurface is a near basin-wide basal marine sand deposited in response to rising sea level associated with the most recent post-glacial marine transgression, which inundated the shallow incised valley ca. 7800 years ago. More open marine conditions, with a diverse assemblage of estuarine and marine mollusc species, persisted until ca. 4500 years ago when the emerging Holocene barrier resulted in the development of a low-energy back-barrier lagoonal environment. A Late Holocene 1–2 m regression of sea level ca. 3000 years ago further restricted oceanic circulation, increased the rate of fluvial bay-head delta progradation and the extension of the back-barrier central basin mud facies. The model of barrier estuary evolution developed for Burrill Lake is consistent with recent research conducted in Lake Illawarra and St. Georges Basin and can be applied to other estuaries that have formed in relatively shallow and narrow incised bedrock valleys on tectonically stable, wave-dominated coastlines.

Heavy metal concentrations in lagoonal saltmarsh species, Illawarra region, southeastern Australia

The importance of saltmarsh environments and their floral communities lies in their ability to act as a buffer between land and aquatic systems. Runoff from rural and urban areas, the generation of power and heavy industry all contribute pollutants to the Wollongong coastal Zone, where heavy metal contents in saltmarsh substrates are found to be up to 200 times greater than at localities on the south coast of NSW. The saltmarsh species Sarcocornia quinqueflora, Suaeda australis and Triglochin striata show enhanced levels of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr and Mn in the Wollongong area relative to sites at Callala Bay and Burrill Lake. This trend reflects, but is much lower than, levels of these metals in the substrate. Cu, Zn and Pb are concentrated in the horizontal stems of Sarcocornia and the leaves of Suaeda, but both are lower than levels in Triglochin. The elevated Cu and Zn levels in plants at Bellambi Lagoon are probably derived from urban runoff as there is no current industrial source of pollution within the catchment. The type of pollutant affects the bioavailability of the heavy metals. Industrial airborne particulate pollutants generally require considerable acidic leaching before the metals become available to the biological community. These processes only occur to a limited extent in a natural ecosystem and hence account for low uptake of heavy metals by plants in the anoxic environment at Griffins Bay. Saltmarshes act as low energy coastal sediment traps and, together with the plants, effectively reduce the amount of bioavailable pollutants being transferred into the aquatic environment. Analysis of saltmarsh species can rapidly provide very important information about the bioavailability of metal pollutants in marginal marine environments and they have considerable potential as monitors of diverse sources of pollution.

Burrill Lake rockshelter excavation, 1931

Burrill Lake rockshelter excavation, 1931

Hot rocks: heat treatment at Burrill Lake and Currarong, New South Wales

Heating of siliceous rocks to alter their flaking properties was practised extensively in the Americas and the Old World, but its documentation in Australia has been limited to ethnographic and prehistoric but undated contexts (Akerman 1979, Flenniken and White 1983). In this paper I will show that heat treatment has been practised in at least one part of Australia since late Pleistocene times. I will attempt to assess:

BURRILL LAKE ROCKSHELTER: An early use of a research design in Australian prehistory

Burrill Lake rockshelter, located near Ulladulla on the south coast of New South Wales, was first excavated by the Anthropological Society of New South Wales in 1931. This investigation has been disregarded in archaeological histories in favour of the more systematically excavated sites of Devon Downs (1929) and Lapstone Creek (1936) (Mulvaney 1958, 1961, 1975, 1980; Murray and White 1981; White and O'Connell 1982:22-8). Burrill Lake is better known by its later excavations in 1967 and 1968, which were carried out in the undisturbed areas of the site by Lampert (1971).

BARBECUES AT BURRILL LAKE?: Or, what has been done to restore, protect and manage the Burrill Lake rocksheiter site

BARBECUES AT BURRILL LAKE?: Or, what has been done to restore, protect and manage the Burrill Lake rocksheiter site

: Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales . R. J. Lampert. ; Archaeology of the Gallus Site, Koonalda Cave . R. V. S. Wright.

Book reviewed in this article: Archeology: Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales. R. J. LAMPERT Archeology: Archaeology of the Gallus Site, Koonalda Cave. R. V. S. WRIGHT

Aboriginal Man and Environment in Australia. Edited by D. J. Mulvaney and J. Golson. 389pages, 59 figures, 39 tables, XXXI plates. Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1971. Price $Aust. 12.50. - Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in southern New South Wales. By R. J. Lampert. 86pages, 18 figures. Terra Australis 1. Australian National University, Canberra, 1971. - Corpus of

Aboriginal Man and Environment in Australia. Edited by D. J. Mulvaney and J. Golson. 389pages, 59 figures, 39 tables, XXXI plates. Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1971. Price $Aust. 12.50. - Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in southern New South Wales. By R. J. Lampert. 86pages, 18 figures. Terra Australis 1. Australian National University, Canberra, 1971. - Corpus of the Hand Figurations in Primitive Australia. By A. R. Verbrugge. 266pages, 138 figures. Editions Ophrys, Compiègne, 1970. - Felsbilder in Nord-Australien. ByAgnes S. Schulz. 115pages, 47 figures, 44 plates, 2 colour plates. Franz Steiner Verlag GMBH, Wiesbaden, 1971. - Volume 38

Reflections on Burrill lake: Archaeologist as ecologist

Reflections on Burrill lake: Archaeologist as ecologist

Burrill Lake and Currarong

Burrill Lake and Currarong

Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales.

Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales.