How Antarctic Sand Travelled 2000 Kilometres To End Up in Sydney

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#sydney #antarctica #sand
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During the Triassic Period, roughly 247 to 242 million years ago, the continents of Australia and Antarctica were united as part of the supercontinent Gondwana. This immense landmass allowed landscapes, climates, and ecosystems to stretch unbroken across what is now separated by thousands of kilometres of ocean. Along the southern margin of Gondwana, East Antarctica rose as a region of high ground and mountain ranges. These uplands, composed of ancient crystalline rocks, were subjected to intense weathering and erosion under a warm greenhouse climate with no permanent polar ice sheets. Over millions of years, rivers scoured these mountains, breaking rock into vast quantities of sand, much of it rich in durable quartz grains.

Without the obstruction of the Southern Ocean or the Great Dividing Range, powerful braided river systems carried this Antarctic sand northward through what is now Tasmania and Victoria, feeding into the subsiding Sydney Basin. These rivers were immense, several kilometres wide in places, splitting into shifting channels and depositing enormous sand bars across broad alluvial plains. Seasonal floods and steady currents moved the sediment over distances of more than 1,500 kilometres, adding it to the mix of locally sourced material from nearby Australian highlands. The sheer volume of quartz-rich sand being delivered ensured that, over time, thick, laterally extensive deposits accumulated within the basin.

As the river systems evolved, the Sydney Basin became blanketed in sand up to hundreds of metres thick. Layer upon layer was built up through countless flood cycles, with minor interludes of mud and silt marking quieter periods. The lack of significant vegetation along the channel belts, combined with the energy of the braided river system, meant that fine materials were swept away, leaving behind clean, well-sorted sands. These sands were slowly buried under subsequent sediments, compacted, and cemented over millions of years, ultimately forming the Hawkesbury Sandstone. Today, this massive sandstone unit is one of the most distinctive geological features of the Sydney region, celebrated for its golden cliffs, rugged escarpments, and weathered rock platforms.

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