Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2
(continued)
Geological feature
Type of site, and its scale (category of site from
Fig.
1
)
Signi
cance
Rationale for assigning the level of signi
cance
Beach rock in the tidal zone
Modern landscapes and setting (active
processes); medium scale to small scale
feature
State-wide/
Regional
This type of beach rock is restricted to this part of Western Australia, and reects the
hydrochemical interchange between the freshwater reservoir in the barrier and the
marine shore
Freshwater seepage at dune/
estuary interface
Modern landscapes and setting (active
processes); small scale feature
State-wide/
Regional
Freshwater seepage along the dune/estuary interface produces complex ecological
responses, and results in the second most complex estuarine shore in Western
Australia
Mangrove stand and its lithotope
at dune/estuary interface
Modern landscapes and setting (active
processes); small scale feature
State-wide/
Regional
A prominent mangrove stand is formed at the dune/estuary interface where there is
freshwater seepage from the tip of a parabolic dune encroaching into estuary;
geologically it represents the effects of hydrological processes and also the
formation of a mangrove sedimentary lithotope
Estuary western shore landforms
graded south to north
Modern landscapes and setting; large scale
feature
State-wide/
Regional
The south to north transition of shore landforms along the western estuary shore re
ects
the unique nature of the northerly oriented linear lagoon, and its relation to wind and
wave dynamics, and is a feature of State signi
cance
North-south and east-west patterns
in sediments and stratigraphy
of estuary
Modern landscapes and setting; large to
medium scale feature
State-wide/
Regional
The linear lagoon bordered by distinct landforms and provenances has resulted north-
south and east-west patterns in sediments and stratigraphy of the estuary that are
unique in Western Australia
An intra-estuarine delta
Modern landscapes and setting (active
processes); medium scale feature
State-wide/
Regional
At the southern end of a north-south oriented estuarine lagoon, the Collie Delta is
asymmetric re
ecting
uvial construction and a storm in
uenced northern part that
faces the long fetch of the lagoon
—
a feature unique in Western Australia
Peripheral wetlands along western
and eastern shore of estuary;
Modern landscapes and setting (active
processes); large scale feature
State-wide/
Regional
The stratigraphy, landforms, and freshwater seepage along the estuarine shores from the
dune barrier and the Eaton Ridge has resulted in distinct peripheral wetlands along
western and eastern shores of the estuary that are found nowhere else in Western
Australia
Stratigraphic type sections;
Reference sites; small scale feature
State-wide/
Regional
The area contains a number of stratigraphic type sections
