Carpentaria Basin

Sedimentary: sandstone, mudstone, limestone.

Epoch Min:

Cretaceous.

Epoch Max:

Jurassic.

Age Min:

65 Ma.

Age Max:

205 Ma.

Summary:

An intracratonic basin sporadically exposed across the northeastern Northern Territory and offshore under the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Relationship:

Unconformably overlies the sedimentary rocks of Palaeoproterozoic Murphy Inlier, Paleo-Mesoproterozoic McArthur and South Nicholson basins, Neoproterozoic to Palaeozoic Georgina Basin and Palaeozoic Daly Basin.

Thickness:

Up to 5 km.

Economic:

Hosts giant manganese deposits at Groote Eylandt and bauxite at Gove. Numerous additional bauxite and manganese occurrences. Oil shows have been recorded offshore.

Metamorphism:

Unmetamorphosed.

Main References:

Munson TJ, Ahmad M and Dunster JN, 2013. Chapter 39: Carpentaria Basin: in Ahmad M and Munson TJ (compilers) ‘Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Territory’. Northern Territory Geological Survey, Special Publication 5