Turpins Falls Scenic Reserve is situated 12.6km from Kyneton and is one of several waterfalls and associated deep pools located along the Campaspe River.
Campaspe River catchment contains cambrian greenstones and shales, occurring in a northerly trending narrow belt, are the oldest rocks in the catchment. The Mt Camel Range, located on the northern end of the belt, forms a prominent ridge line which is part of the true eastern divide. However, for planning purposes the entire range has been included in the plan area. Sedimentary rock is common throughout the catchment, extending from dissected low hills in the south and centre of the catchment to gentle rises fringing the Riverine Plain in the north. The Harcourt, Cobaw and Crosbie granitic plutons, (a body of intrusive igneous rock) of Devonian age have intruded into the sedimentary rock towards the centre of the catchment. The plutons are encircled by slates and sandstones, which formed prominent ridges. Mt Macedon, which is formed on ryodacite, forms the south-eastern catchment divide. Tillites overlie bedrock in a belt to the north and south of Lake Eppalock. Similarly basalt rocks overlie bedrock in the south of the catchment. The basalt flow has extended northwards infilling the old course of the Campaspe River. To the north of the catchment, alluvium overlies bedrock and Tertiary deep lead systems forming the flat to gently sloping Riverine Plain.
Greenstone Belt
Greenstone belts have been interpreted as having formed at ancient oceanic spreading centers and island arc terranes. The belts are primarily formed of volcanic rocks, dominated by basalt, with minor sedimentary rocks inter-leaving the volcanic formations. Through time, the degree of sediment contained within greenstone belts has risen, and the amount of ultramafic rock (either as layered intrusions or as volcanic komatiite) has decreased.
There is also a change in the structure and relationship of greenstone belts to their basements between basalt and peridotite sheets of the greenstone and the granites. This change in nature is interpreted as a response to the maturity of the tectonic plates studied in the Earth's geological history. Due to the plate tectonics, they did not take place on mature crust and as such the presence of this greenstone belt is expected.
Greenstone
The following questions can be answered from the bottom of the falls in the pool area
Questions
Q1 Looking at the wall of the waterfall, does one side differ to the other? Give details for your answer.
Q2 Explore the rocks in the area you are standing, do they seem the same as the falls above or are the different?
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References ~ Wikipedia, VRO, big-geo blogspot