The Pilbara Region. The Pilbara, located in the North Of Western Australia is a vast but remote area
The Pilbara Region. The Pilbara, located in the North Of Western Australia is a vast but remote area of land. The area has an arid and tropical climate, with periods of no rain and temperature of above 45 degrees Celsius, and tropical Summer cyclones. Cyclones hit the Pilbara with a frequency of around 7 per 10 years, but due to the area being very thinly populated these cyclones rarely have a devastating effect. The name Pilbara is said to derive from the aboriginal word “bilybara” meaning dry, however an opposing view has said that the name is derived from the aboriginal word “pilbarra” meaning mullet (a type of fish) and is reference to the Pilbarra Creek a tributary of the Yule River which runs through the Pilbara region, and discharges in the Indian Ocean. The Pilbara covers a region of 507,896 square km and has a population of just 48,610. The economy of the Pilbara region is supported by the vast amounts of Iron Ore mined mainly from around the Newman and Tom Price areas. Geology. The Pilbara craton is a very old, stable piece of continental lithosphere made up of archean rocks and is around 3.5Ga. The Pilbara is one of only two pristine areas of archean crust found in the world (the other is the Kaapval Craton in South Africa). The oldest rock types that make up the Pilbara are granitoid Greenstone belts overlaid by felsic volcanic rocks. Other rocks which make up the Pilbara region are mafic to ultramafic volcanics, felsic volcanics, cherts interbedded with basalt. large amounts of banded iron are found, pyroclastics, rhyloites and agglomerates. The structure of the area is defined by crustal thickening, accretion of island arcs, strike-slip faulting, diaprism, vertical tectonics and core complex formation. This Link; http://www.wa.gsa.org.au/publications/guidebook4.pdf Is a PDF guidebook to the geology of the region, and contains detailed maps, descriptions and references. Well worth a Look! -LL Links For more information about the Pilbara:http://www.ga.gov.au/minerals/projects/concluded-projects/north-pilbara-project/introduction.htmlhttp://www.westernaustralia.com/Experience_Extraordinary/Pages/Karijini_Discovery.aspx?CID=dgm%3Asem%3Aaud1112%3AWA+Extraordinary+Experiences+Karijini+Discovery%3AThe+Pilbara&gclid=CJGU8-vbjbECFeuTpgodqi62Qg Types of Volcanic Rock;http://www.rocksandminerals4u.com/example_of_igneous_rocks.html Image Hosted By;http://www.phvc.com.au/port-hedland/camping-and-caravans -- source link
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