What is the formation of the Great Dividing range?

Question

fault?block?...whats is it?

Answer 1

"The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range. The range stretches more than 3500km from the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through New South Wales, then into Victoria and turning west, before finally fading into the central plain at the Grampians in western Victoria. All of mainland Australia's alpine areas, including its highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 metres), are part of this range. The highest areas in southern New South Wales and eastern Victoria are known as the Australian Alps."
"The central core of the Great Dividing Range is dotted with hundreds of peaks and is surrounded by many smaller mountain ranges or spurs, canyons, gorges, valleys and plains of regional significance. Some of the major plains include the High Plains of South-Eastern Australia, the Central highlands and Bogong High Plains of Victoria. Other tablelands considered part of the Great dividing range are the Atherton Tableland, Northern Tablelands, Canberra wine region and the Southern Tablelands."
"The Blue Mountains, Bunya Mountains, Liverpool Range, McPherson Ranges and the Moonbi Range are some of the smaller spurs and ranges that make up the greater dividing range. Whilst some of the peaks of the highlands reach respectable heights of a little over 2000 metres, the age of the range and its erosion mean that most of the mountains are not outrageously steep, and virtually all peaks can be reached without mountaineering equipment." [1]

"The Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, are situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney. They are a range of sandstone geological structures that reach to at least 1190 metres. The Blue Mountains are not as the name suggests a range of mountains but rather a series of cliffs surrounding a plateau with rugged eroded gorges of up to 760 metres depth." [2]

"Formation of the Flinders Ranges began 800 million years ago with development of the Adelaide Geosyncline due to stretching of the earth’s crust. The sea covered the land for next 300 million years, depositing rock debris in the depression formed. These rocks were compressed and uplifted to form a mountain chain much higher than the present formations. The softer slates and shales were gradually eroded leaving quartzite and hard sandstone peaks. " [3]

For a complete list of Australian mountain ranges, see #4.

I've checked a lot of different links about geology, etc. but have not been able to find out what kind of mountains they are, except that they are extremely old and probably began forming as the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana began to split apart.

I'm sure the other two folks who answered meant well, but an article about the Great Artesian Basin has little relevance and the other link is about the Continental Divide in the western US.

Answer 2

The Great Dividing Range

Answer 3

The Great Artesian Basin provides the only reliable source of water through much of inland Australia. The basin is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world. It underlies 23% of the continent, including most of Queensland, the south-east corner of the Northern Territory, the north-east part of South Australia, and northern New South Wales. The basin is 3000 metres (10,000 ft) deep in places and is estimated to contain 64,900 cubic kilometres of groundwater[1]. The Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC) [1] coordinates activity between the various levels of government and community organisations.

The aquifers that make up the Great Artesian Basin are composed of layers of quartzose sandstone laid down by continental erosion of higher ground during the Triassic, Jurassic, and early Cretaceous periods, and covered by a layer of marine sedimentary rock laid down shortly afterwards, during a time when much of what is now inland Australia was below sea level. The eastern edge of the basin was uplifted when the Great Dividing Range formed. The other side was created from the landforms of the Central Eastern Lowlands and the Great Western Plateau to the west.

Most recharge water enters the rock formations from relatively high ground near the eastern edge of the basin (in Queensland and New South Wales) and very gradually flows towards the south and west. (A much smaller amount enters along the western margin in arid central Australia, flowing to the south and east.) Because the sandstones are permeable, water gradually makes its way through the pores between the sand grains, flowing at a rate of one to five metres per year.

Discharge water eventually exits through a number of springs and seeps, mostly in the southern part of the basin. It takes up to two million years for water to travel to the springs in the Lake Eyre area.

It is the source of most of the water used in these areas. The basin is an important source of water for cattle raising. Whilst unsuitable for irrigation, it is adequate for stock and domestic usage (with treatment) and is thus vital to human activity. To tap it, bores are drilled down to a suitable rock layer, where the pressure of the water forces it up, mostly without pumping. Additionally, water at 98 °C (208 °F) from the basin is used to power a small 150 kW generator in Birdsville.

The discovery and use of water held underground in the Great Artesian Basin opened up thousands of square miles of country in inland New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, previously unavailable for pastoral activities. European discovery of the basin dates from 1878 when a shallow bore near Bourke, New South Wales produced flowing water. There were similar discoveries in 1886 at Back Creek east of Barcaldine, Queensland, and in 1887 near Cunnamulla, Queensland.[2]

In 1983 there were close to 18 000 bores providing 1575 million litres of water. This included just under 2000 freely flowing bores and more than 9000 that required mechanical power to bring water to the surface.


[edit] Alternative view of water recharge
L. A. Endersbee promotes an alternative view of the recharge mechanism of the Great Australian Basin, suggesting that the orthodox view that the water content is continuously replenished by slow seepage from the strata outcrops in the uplands to the east, is incorrect. He suggests that the water is derived from deep within the Earth, and that it was part of the original composition of the Earth

Answer 4

Check the link...good luck!