©2007 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Economic Geology, v. 102, pp. 1377–1395

Tectonic Framework and Evolution of the Gawler Craton, Southern Australia

MARTIN HAND,†
Continental Evolution Research Group, Geology and Geophysics, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia

ANTHONY REID, AND LIZ JAGODZINSKI

Geological Survey Branch, Primary Industries and Resources South Australia, GPO Box 1671, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia

Abstract
The Gawler craton is the major crustal province in the southern Australian Proterozoic and is pivotal in mod-
els seeking to describe the evolution of Proterozoic Australia. The craton is host to the Olympic Dam iron oxide
Cu-Au-U-REE deposit, as well as a number of other iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG), Au, and iron ore deposits.
The evolution of the Gawler craton is dominated by two major phases of tectonic activity, Late Archean and
late Paleoproterozoic-early Mesoproterozoic, in total spanning ca. 1 billion years. The Late Archean
(2560–2500 Ma) basin development was coeval with arclike felsic magmatism and mafic-ultramafic magmas,
including komatiites. Collisional deformation between 2480 and 2420 Ma led to ca. 400 m.y. of tectonic quies-
cence, conceivably within an early Paleoproterozoic continental interior. The second major phase of tectonic
activity was in the middle to late Paleoproterozoic and early Mesoproterozoic (2000–1450 Ma). Paleoprotero-
zoic tectonism was initially dominated by rift-related events, which produced a series of basins over the inter-
val ca. 1900 to 1730 Ma, some of which contain significant iron ore reserves. Transient contractional deforma-
tion at ca. 1850 Ma led to batholith-scale granitic magmatism, in part derived from melting of the late Archean
basement. Major basin development was finally terminated by the 1730 to 1690 Ma Kimban orogeny, the ef-
fects of which are widespread and include the formation of crustal-scale shear systems, granitic magmatism,
and low- to high-grade metamorphism. The Kimban orogeny was followed by a renewed period of extension
between ca. 1680 and 1640 Ma, leading to local magmatism and sedimentation which appears in part to have
been coeval with the high-grade ca. 1650 Ma Ooldean event in the western Gawler craton.
At ca. 1620 to 1615 Ma, the generation of the arc-related St. Peter Suite in the southern Gawler craton im-
plies that craton components were located at an active plate margin. The arc environment was superseded by
a transition to a continental interior regime, which coincided with the voluminous Gawler Range Volcanics
(1595–1590 Ma) and Hiltaba Suite granitoids (1595–1575 Ma). The Hiltaba Suite is dominated by high T frac-
tionated felsic rocks with coeval mafic magmatism confirming a mantle involvement. Emplacement of the
Hiltaba Suite coincided with the major mineralizing interval in the Gawler craton. Regionally, two distinct min-
eral systems have been recognized: the Olympic IOCG province in the eastern part of the craton, and the gold-
dominated systems within the central Gawler gold province. The spatial distribution of IOCG versus Au-dom-
inated mineral systems appears to reflect regional variations in crustal composition and Hiltaba Suite
petrogeneses. Hiltaba-aged granites in the Olympic IOCG province are isotopically more evolved, richer in U
and Th, and oxidized compared to similar aged granites in the Au-dominated province. Modern-day heat flow
in the IOCG province is significantly higher (90 ± 10 mWm–2) compared to the Au-dominated province (54 ±
5 mWm–2), suggesting there are important lithospheric compositional differences between the two metallo-
genic provinces, which may reflect an older phase of craton assembly.
Widespread northwest-southeast contractional deformation coeval with the emplacement of the Hiltaba
Suite is expressed by the formation and/or reactivation of shear zones ranging up to crustal scale. Within this
regime, northwest-trending structures such as those in the vicinity of the Olympic Dam deposit are likely to
have accommodated dilation associated with strike-slip movements. Intersection between these structures and
northeast-trending contractional faults may have formed suitable structural traps for 1590 to 1580 Ma miner-
alization. The timing of syn-Hiltaba deformation overlaps with transpression and medium to high-grade meta-
morphism associated with the ca. 1570 to 1540 Ma Kararan orogeny which dominates the geophysical archi-
tecture of the central northern part of the craton. The youngest phase of deformation in the craton is expressed
by reactivation of shear zones between ca. 1470 and 1450 Ma and regional cooling.

Introduction (IOCG) deposit (Heithersay, 2002), the Carrapateena IOCG

THE GAWLER CRATON in southern Australia (Fig. 1) is host to
the immense Olympic Dam iron oxide Cu-Au-U-REE de-
posit, which contains ~40 percent of the world’s known U re-
sources, as well as world-class resources of Cu and Au. The
prospectivity the Gawler craton has been further enhanced
by the discovery of the Prominent Hill Fe oxide Cu-Au
† Corresponding author: e-mail, martin.hand@adelaide.edu.au
prospect (Fairclough, 2005) and the numerous Mesoprotero-
zoic Au prospects in the central Gawler gold province (e.g.,
Ferris and Schwarz, 2003). The craton also contains a number
of other highly prospective rock packages such as the Harris
greenstone belt (late Archean Ni, PGE), the Christie domain
(late Archean Au), and the Fowler domain (Paleoproterozoic
Ni, PGE: Daly et al., 1998). Nevertheless, mineral explo-
ration activity within the Gawler craton traditionally has been

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1378 HAND ET AL.

Pine Creek
Cohen
Inlier

133o30’ 136o30’

Georgetown
Arunta Inlier
Pilbara Mt Isa
Musgrave
Province
Gawler
Craton
Yilgarn
28o00’ Curnamona
Province
Coompana Adelaide
Mine (working Block Rift
Complex
or historical)
PB 2
R698126 Prospect
CPR
St. Peter Suite:
~1620 - 1610 Ma
Nuyts Volcanics (NV) : 1630 Ma
Karari Fault Zone
Prominent Hill
Challenger Tarcoola Formation (TF): ~1715–1660 Ma

Olympic Dam Tunkillia Suite: 1690-1670 Ma

TF
Ooldea 2
Tarcoola LF Barossa Complex: ~1715 Ma
o
31 00’
Eba and Labrynth
Formations (LF): ~1715 Ma
N Tunkillia
AI Carrapateena
Moody Suite (MS): 1730–1700 Ma
coast M MuG
DO Nundroo 2
Fowler Domain: ~1740–1720 Ma
R

Paleoproterozoic
LE
W Mt Woods Domain: ~1740 Ma
FO Menninnie
Dam Moondrah Gneiss: ~1740 Ma
NV
Iron Peake & Denison Domain:
Barns Duke ~1760 - 1740 Ma
Nawa Domain: 1760–1740 Ma
MS MG
Wallaroo Price Metasediments (PM): ~1760 Ma
34o00’
Moonta
Wallaroo Group
PM and equivalents: ~1760 Ma

Adelaide Broadview Schist/

150 km Myola Volcanics: ~1790 Ma

Donington Suite: ~1850 Ma

Spilsby Suite: ~1510 Ma
Mesoproterozoic

Munjeela Granite (MuG): ~1590 Ma Hutchison Group: 2000–1857 Ma

Gawler Range Volcanics: ~1590 Ma Miltalie Gneiss (MG): 2000 Ma

? Hiltaba Suite: ~1590 Ma Archean- Sleaford and Mulgathing complexes:
Hiltaba Suite: 1595–1575 Ma Paleoproterozoic ~2550–2440 Ma

FIG. 1. Interpreted crystalline basement geology of the Gawler craton, South Australia, showing the location of major min-
eral deposits and prospects. CPR = Coober Pedy Ridge. Inset shows the location of the Gawler craton in relation to Pro-
terozoic provinces of Australia. R698126 refers to a sample location discussed in the text.

much lower than in other terranes of late Archean and/or
Paleoproterozoic age (e.g., Yilgarn craton, North Australian
craton, Superior province, Canada), although it is increasing.
A number of workers have highlighted the significant am-
biguities that exist in understanding the geologic framework
of the Gawler craton, which spans some 1300 m.y. from the
late Archean to the middle Mesoproterozoic (Daly et al., 1998;
Ferris et al., 2002; Skirrow et al., 2002). Principally, these am-
biguities revolve around (1) the timing and spatial distribu-
tion of many of the tectonic events within the craton (Daly et
al., 1998; Ferris et al., 2002), (2) the tectonic settings of the
major magmatic systems (e.g., Creaser, 1995), and (3) the
crust-mantle evolution of the craton through time. This lack
of knowledge in part reflects the limited basement outcrop,
and has consequently hampered the development of tectonic
models that describe the space-time evolution of the Gawler
craton. Since the development of effective mineral explo-
ration strategies in complex basement terranes is increasingly
reliant on integrated, data-rich tectonic models (e.g., Kerrich
et al., 2005), it is likely that the lack of systematic tectonic
analysis has been a factor in companies deciding not to un-
dertake exploration in potentially prospective greenfield re-
gions of the craton. These ambiguities also underpin the dif-
ficulties that exist in placing the Gawler craton into the
context of Australian and global Proterozoic continental evo-
lution (Daly et al., 1998; Betts et al., 2002; Giles et al., 2004).
In this paper we present a review of the Late Archean to
the early Mesoproterozoic evolution of the Gawler craton,

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 TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON
including an analysis of currently known tectonic events. This
paper focuses on the Mesoproterozoic geology of the craton;
however, as the late Archean and Paleoproterozoic tectonism
has had significant bearing on the subsequent Mesoprotero-
zoic tectonism, including the mineralizing events, these
events are also discussed in some detail.
Geologic Framework of the Gawler Craton
The development of the Gawler craton can be separated
into two major phases. The first is a narrow time interval in the
late Archean (ca. 2550–2500 Ma). The second major phase en-
compassed the late Paleoproterozoic and early Mesoprotero-
zoic (ca. 1900–1450 Ma). Between these two major periods of
activity, there appears to have been essentially a stable cratonic
system over at least the interval 2400 to 2000 Ma, during
which no significant geologic activity is recorded. For detailed
lithological descriptions, the reader is referred to Drexel et al.
(1993), Daly et al. (1998), and Ferris et al. (2002).
Late Archean (ca. 2550–2500 Ma)
Late Archean rocks form a geographic nucleus of the cur-
rently defined Gawler craton and have been divided into the
Sleaford Complex in the southern Gawler craton and the
Mulgathing Complex in the central-western part of the craton
(Fig. 2a). Geochemical, isotopic, and geochronological data
suggests the Mulgathing and Sleaford complexes share a
common history and are likely to represent portions of a sin-
gle Late Archean belt (Swain et al., 2005a). These late
Archean rocks of the Gawler craton are dominated by
(meta)sedimentary sequences including aluminous metasedi-
ments interlayered with banded iron formations, carbonates,
and siliceous rocks, and broadly coeval felsic and mafic-ultra-
mafic volcanics, including komatiites that were deposited or
erupted in the interval ca. 2560 to 2500 Ma. The oldest of
these rocks are relatively juvenile calc-alkaline volcanics pre-
sent within the Mulgathing Complex, which formed at 2558
± 6 Ma (εNd2560Ma = –1 to +3: Cowley and Fanning, 1991).
Swain et al. (2005a) interpreted these volcanic rocks to have
formed in an active subduction environment. Plume-related
ca. 2520 Ma komatiites and mafic volcanics of the Harris
greenstone belt (Hoatson et al., 2005) and the Hall Bay Vol-
canics (Teale et al., 2000) are prospective for volcanic-associ-
ated massive sulfide (VMS) and magmatic sulfide mineraliza-
tion. The Christie Gneiss hosts the Challenger gold mine,
with a premetamorphic, possible meso- or epithermal origin
(Tomkins and Mavrogenes, 2002). Dominant U-Pb detrital
zircon ages for the metasedimentary rocks in both the Mul-
gathing and Sleaford complexes range between ca. 2850 and
2510 Ma, with a minor older component ranging between ca.
3150 and 2950 Ma (Swain et al., 2005a).
These volcanosedimentary rocks were intruded by a series
of ca. 2520 to 2500 Ma felsic to intermediate composition
magmas (e.g., Glenloth Granite, Dutton Suite: Daly and Fan-
ning, 1993). Swain et al. (2005a) attributed Nb and Ti deple-
tion anomalies and Sm-Nd isotope signatures in the late
Archean granodiorites to derivation from contaminated man-
tle sources in a magmatic arc environment. These rock units
were subsequently deformed and metamorphosed in the
early Paleoproterozoic Sleafordian orogeny (2480–2420 Ma:
Daly et al., 1998).
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1379
Proterozoic (ca. 2000–1690 Ma)
The bulk of the Gawler craton is composed of Paleo- to
Mesoproterozoic (ca. 2000–1580 Ma) rocks that largely en-
close the late Archean core (Fig. 1). In the following sections,
the Proterozoic depositional and magmatic framework is di-
vided into two intervals: 2000 to 1690 Ma and 1690 to 1500
Ma. The 2000 to 1690 Ma interval is dominated by rift-basin
development and was terminated by the 1730 to 1690 Ma
Kimban orogeny. The 1690–1500 Ma interval is the final
rock-forming period in the evolution of the Gawler craton.
The Kimban orogeny is chosen as the demarcation between
these two intervals, since prior to this time sedimentation ap-
pears to have dominated the geologic record, whereas follow-
ing the Kimban orogeny, magmatism was the dominant
process.
In the southeastern Gawler craton there is evidence of
magmatism ca. 2000 Ma in age (Fig. 2a; Fanning et al., 1988,
2007). The granodioritic Miltalie Gneiss crops out discontin-
uously over a north-south extent of ~250 km (Parker and Fan-
ning, 1998). The development of the Miltalie Gneiss marks
the onset of ~400 m.y. of Paleoproterozoic tectonic activity
that to a large extent shaped the geologic character of the
Gawler craton. However, there are almost no data that con-
strain the compositional and petrogenetic affinities or the
causative tectonic regime of this magmatic event.
Over the interval ca. 2000 to 1690 Ma, a series of rift basins
developed within and on the currently preserved margins of
the late Archean Gawler craton, punctuated in the eastern
Gawler craton by the emplacement of a granitic batholith at
ca. 1850 Ma. Sedimentary and volcanic materials from this in-
terval form a significant proportion of the Gawler craton (Fig.
2b, c).
The variably deformed and metamorphosed Hutchison
Group forms the largest basin sequence in the eastern Gawler
craton (Fig. 2b; Parker and Lemon, 1982). The basal se-
quence comprises quartzite and massive dolomite, which is
overlain by the economically significant Middleback Sub-
group consisting of carbonates, interlayered pelitic units, and
iron ore-hosting iron formations (Parker and Lemon, 1982).
The upper part of the Hutchison Group consists of pelitic
rock types and felsic volcanics and volcaniclastics of the 1866
± 10 Ma Bosanquet Formation (Fanning et al., 2007). The
Hutchison Group is interpreted to unconformably overlie the
Miltalie Gneiss, suggesting a maximum age of deposition of
ca. 2000 Ma (Parker et al., 1988). The younger age limit is
poorly constrained owing to the ambiguous relationships be-
tween the Bosanquet Formation and the remainder of the
Hutchison Group (Rankin et al., 1988; Vassallo and Wilson,
2001).
The next major event in the Gawler craton was magmatism
of the Donington Suite, at ca. 1850 Ma, across much of the
eastern cratonic margin (Fig. 2b). The Donington Suite has
an elevated incompatible element signature and εNd1850Ma val-
ues between –2 and –4 and has been interpreted to have
evolved from a contemporary mantle source substantially
contaminated by Archean lower crust (Mortimer et al., 1988).
The Donington Suite was associated with a compressional
tectonic setting that appears to have interrupted rifting in the
eastern Gawler craton (Reid et al., 2008).
1380 HAND ET AL.

Archean to early Paleoproterozoic

a. Paleoproterozoic b. <2000-1850 Ma
~2550-2000 Ma

Mulgathing Complex

Donington Suite

Miltalie Gneiss
Sleaford Complex Hutchison Group

Paleoproterozoic Paleoproterozoic
c. 1790-1730 Ma d. 1715-1650 Ma

Nawa Domain Peake

Metamorphics
Mt Woods
Domain
Undifferentiated
metasediments

Tarcoola
Formation

ain Eba &

o m Myola &
Labyrinth
le rD McGregor
Volcanics; Formations
w
Fo Moonabie
Formation

Wallaroo
Price Metasediments Group

Paleoproterozoic
e. 1730-1670 Ma f. Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic
1630-1500 Ma

uite
aS
iltab
b le H
ssi
po

Hiltaba Suite
Tunkillia Suite
Munjeela
Granite
Gawler
Range
Volcanics
Nuyts
Volcanics

St Peter Suite
Moody Suite

Spilsby Suite

FIG. 2. Archean to Mesoproterozoic development of the Gawler craton, highlighting the location of major rock units
formed during each interval. a. Archean to early Paleoproterozoic (ca. 2550–2000 Ma). b. Paleoproterozoic (<2000–1850
Ma). c. Paleoproterozoic (1790–1720 Ma). d. Paleoproterozoic (1715–1650 Ma). e. Paleoproterozoic (1730–1670 Ma). Note
that in this interval the Tunkillia Suite equivalents within the Fowler Domain are also highlighted to emphasize the regional
extent of magmatism of this age. f. Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic (1630–1500 Ma). See text for discussion.

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 TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON 1381

Post-Donington Suite rifting along the eastern margin of
the Gawler craton is recorded by the eruption of the bimodal
Myola Volcanics at 1791 ± 4 Ma (Fig. 2c; Fanning et al.,
1988) and deposition of associated clastic sediments (Broad-
view Schist: Parker et al., 1993). In the northern Gawler cra-
ton, the Peake Metamorphics, which include the Tidna-
murkana Volcanics and associated sediments of the Peake
and Denison inliers, were also deposited at about this time
(Fanning et al., 1988), and it is conceivable, although not
proven, that these rock packages represent portions of a
large-scale basin across the eastern Gawler craton. Wide-
spread deposition across the eastern Gawler craton contin-
ued over the interval ca. 1770 to 1740 Ma, leading to the de-
position of the Price Metasediments (1767 ± 17 Ma: Oliver
and Fanning, 1997), the Wallaroo Group (1760–1740 Ma:
Cowley et al., 2003), the Moonabie Formation (1756 ± 8 Ma:
Jagodzinski, 2005) the McGregor Volcanics (ca. 1740 Ma:
Fanning et al., 1988) and sediments within the Mount Woods
inlier (>1742 ± 27 Ma: Fanning et al., 1988). The magmatic
suites associated with these basins are bimodal in nature.
Limited whole-rock geochemical data show a predominance
of LREE enrichment within both felsic and mafic compo-
nents (Wyborn et al., 1987; Hopper, 2001), while εNd1780Ma
values for the Tidnamurkana Volcanics range from 0 to –5
(Hopper, 2001), and the McGregor Volcanics range between
0 and –3 (Turner et al., 1993), suggesting crustal contamina-
tion of mantle melt.
In the western Gawler craton, the poorly exposed Fowler
Domain (Fig. 2c) also contains a belt of pelitic metasediments
(Daly et al., 1998). Limited detrital zircon and Nd isotope
data suggest that the sequences are Paleoproterozoic in age
(Teasdale, 1997; Fanning et al., 2007). Likewise, in the Nawa
Domain, metasedimentary rocks include pelites, iron forma-
tions, and carbonates (Parker et al., 1993; Daly et al., 1998),
which contain little or no Archean detritus and appear to be
derived from a terrane more juvenile than the late Archean
Gawler craton (Payne et al., 2006). Payne et al. (2006) sug-
gested that these sequences could plausibly be derived from
central Australian terranes such as the Arunta Block.
A craton-wide pulse of magmatism appears to have oc-
curred at ca. 1730 Ma. Documented magmatism of this age
includes felsic magmatism in the southern Gawler craton
(Middle Camp Granite at 1726 ± 7 Ma: Fanning et al., 2007),
mafic magmatism in the Fowler Domain (metagabbro at 1726
± 9 Ma; Fanning et al., 2007), and trondjhemite intrusion in
the Peake and Denison inliers (1733 ± 13 Ma: Hopper, 2001).
In addition, new SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronology from
a metagabbro within the Coober Pedy Ridge (sample
R698126) yields a magmatic emplacement age of 1725 ± 7
Ma (MSWD = 1.6, n = 14; Figs. 1 and 3, Table 1).
Magmatic rocks younger than ca. 1730 Ma occur across the
Gawler craton and include the syn-Kimban orogeny Middle
Camp Granite and the Moody Suite in the southeastern
Gawler craton (Fig. 2e; Parker et al., 1993; Schwarz, 1999).

data-point error ellipses are 2σ

R698126: 1800
0.32 metagabbro, Coober Pedy Ridge

cores
1700
0.30

cores:
W. mean = 1725 ± 7 Ma
rims:
1600 MSWD = 1.6, n = 14
U

W. mean = 1566 ± 9 Ma
0.28
238

MSWD = 0.65, n = 5
Pb/
206

1500 rims 4.1

0.26 1.1
partially
reset cores
1.2

0.24
15.1

50 µm
0.22
3.0 3.4 3.8 4.2 4.6 5.0
207 235
Pb/ U
FIG. 3. SHRIMP U-Pb concordia plot for metagabbro sample R698126 from the Coober Pedy Ridge. The inset shows a
cathodoluminescence image of representative zircons. The location of sample R698126 within the Coober Pedy Ridge is
shown in Figure 1. SHRIMP methods are identical to those reported in Jagodzinski et al. (2006). The data are presented in
Table 1. Sample R698126 is from drill hole DD89LR22, from the Mount Brady prospect of CRA Ltd. (Leonard Rise). The
drill hole DD89LR22 intersected medium-grained gabbro to fine-grained dolerite. The gabbro is dominated by subhedral
laths and aggregates of plagioclase, with chloritic hornblende and biotite.

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1382 HAND ET AL.

TABLE 1. Summary of SHRIMP UPb Zircon Results for Sample R698126, Metagabbro, Coober Pedy Ridge

Radiogenic ratios Age (Ma)

Grain U Th Th/U Pb* 204Pb/ 206Pb/ 207Pb/ 207Pb/ 206Pb/ 206Pb/ %

spot (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) 206Pb 238U % 235U % 206U % 238U ± 1σ 207Pb ± 1σ Disc

1.1 305 121 0.41 81 0.000011 0.3090 0.7622 4.581 1.104 0.107 0.7986 1736 12 1750 15 1
2.1 575 170 0.31 124 –0.000004 0.2519 0.6989 3.501 0.780 0.100 0.3453 1448 9 1630 6 12
3.1 149 45 0.31 39 –0.000012 0.3063 1.3726 4.485 1.501 0.106 0.6082 1723 21 1726 11 1
3.2 277 71 0.26 70 0.000055 0.2917 1.1375 4.258 1.783 0.105 1.3736 1650 17 1721 25 5
4.1 187 79 0.44 48 –0.000002 0.2965 0.8078 4.393 1.288 0.107 1.0037 1674 12 1749 18 5
5.1 272 129 0.49 64 0.000025 0.2743 1.3035 3.932 1.408 0.104 0.5325 1562 18 1688 10 8
6.1 270 17 0.06 61 –0.000004 0.2647 0.7382 3.546 0.859 0.097 0.4394 1514 10 1562 8 4
7.1 168 63 0.39 44 0.000003 0.3016 0.7849 4.435 0.927 0.106 0.4942 1699 12 1734 9 2
9.1 340 160 0.49 90 0.000003 0.3069 0.7286 4.492 0.821 0.106 0.3775 1726 11 1726 7 0
11.1 169 56 0.34 45 –0.000017 0.3094 0.7881 4.517 0.939 0.105 0.5108 1738 12 1722 9 0
13.1 83 28 0.36 19 0.000057 0.2626 0.9583 3.555 1.669 0.098 1.3662 1503 13 1581 26 5
13.2 475 478 1.04 104 0.000046 0.2557 0.7034 3.424 0.795 0.097 0.3714 1468 9 1561 7 7
14.1 502 147 0.30 128 –0.000004 0.2967 0.6880 4.344 0.752 0.106 0.3039 1675 10 1726 6 3
15.1 190 429 2.34 44 0.000020 0.2715 0.7819 3.650 1.012 0.097 0.6422 1548 11 1568 12 2
16.1 197 76 0.40 52 0.000012 0.3042 0.8596 4.502 1.051 0.107 0.6052 1712 13 1746 11 2
17.1 53 21 0.40 14 –0.000031 0.3055 1.2406 4.554 1.652 0.108 1.0911 1718 19 1760 20 3
18.1 253 124 0.51 63 –0.000009 0.2926 0.8170 4.346 0.971 0.107 0.5252 1654 12 1753 10 6
20.1 382 92 0.25 79 0.000001 0.2422 0.7384 3.425 0.921 0.102 0.5505 1398 9 1663 10 16
21.1 526 346 0.68 131 0.000004 0.2902 0.7049 4.231 0.779 0.105 0.3311 1643 10 1719 6 5
22.1 235 81 0.36 54 –0.000023 0.2694 1.1851 3.645 1.349 0.098 0.6434 1538 16 1581 12 3
23.1 333 179 0.55 88 0.000009 0.3088 0.7498 4.491 1.077 0.105 0.7737 1735 11 1714 14 –1
24.1 181 58 0.33 48 –0.000022 0.3065 0.8772 4.462 1.086 0.105 0.6409 1724 13 1716 12 0
1.2.1 262 100 0.39 68 –0.000003 0.3004 0.7676 4.342 0.901 0.104 0.4717 1693 11 1703 9 1

Notes: (1) Uncertainties given at the 1σ level; (2) correction for common Pb made using the measured 204Pb/206Pb ratio; (3) For % Disc, 0% denotes a con-
cordant analysis; (4) sample location: drill hole DD89LR 22 (145.50 to 146.10m), Lat. –29.22767, Long. 135.17284

Both of these igneous units consist of I-type intermediate and
S-type felsic rocks that intruded the Hutchison Group and
adjacent Sleaford Complex between ca. 1730 and ca. 1710 Ma
(Fanning et al., 2007). In places, Moody Suite granitoids are
weakly foliated and/or intrude along fold axial planes, thus
providing important constraints on the timing of the Kimban
orogeny (Schwarz, 1999). Granites of a similar age are known
also from the central Gawler craton (e.g., ca. 1715 Ma Paxton
Granite in the Tarcoola area; Budd and Fraser, 2004).
In the central Gawler craton, a series of slightly younger,
isolated, fault-bounded basins preserve sedimentary packages
comprising basal conglomerates, overlain by quartzites and
black shale packages with basaltic and felsic volcanic rocks
(Eba and Labrinyth Formations: Cowley and Martin, 1991)
with a total thickness of ~1 km. A rhyolite interpreted to be
intercalated with the top of these sequences yielded a
SHRIMP zircon age of 1715 ± 9 Ma (Fanning et al., 2007),
indicating sedimentation and volcanism continued, at least lo-
cally, during the Kimban orogeny.
Proterozoic (ca. 1690–1500 Ma)
Unlike the interval 2000 to 1690 Ma, the period from ca.
1690 to 1580 Ma was dominated by igneous events that far ex-
ceeded the volume of preserved, coeval sedimentation. The
limited sedimentary packages from this interval are restricted
to the central and northern Gawler craton (Fig. 2d), with de-
position of the ca. 1656 Ma Tarcoola Formation (Daly et al.,
1998; Budd, 2006). The Tarcoola Formation is a thick (>2,000
m) package of clastic sediments, dolomites, dacitic to an-
desitic volcaniclastic rocks, and carbonaceous shales; the lat-
ter formed an important chemical trap in the deposition of
early Mesoproterozoic Au (Daly et al., 1990; Budd and
Fraser, 2004). The depositional age range of the ca. 1715 Ma
Labyrinth and the ca. 1654 Ma Tarcoola Formations is simi-
lar to that of the Willyama Supergroup that hosts the giant
Broken Hill Pb-Zn-Ag deposit in the adjacent Curnamona
province (Page et al., 2005).
Following the Kimban orogeny, a number of plutonic
and/or volcanic rock suites are recorded within the Gawler
craton. The oldest is a suite of 1690–1670 Ma, I-type intru-
sives termed the Tunkillia Suite, which are interpreted to
form an arcuate belt through the central Gawler craton and
also to occur as discrete plutons throughout the western
Gawler craton, particularly within the Fowler Domain (Fig.
2e; Ferris and Schwarz, 2004). Geochemically, the Tunkillia
Suite granites show moderate LREE enrichment and moder-
ately negative Eu anomalies (Ferris and Schwarz, 2004); how-
ever, the implications of these geochemical data have not
been fully evaluated. The oldest ages for Tunkillia Suite plu-
tons overlap with the youngest ages for Kimban-aged meta-
morphism (Swain et al., 2005b). Thus, the Tunkillia Suite ap-
pears to have initiated late in the Kimban orogeny with
intrusive activity continuing to a postorogenic timing.
Subsequently, at ca. 1630 Ma, alkaline, porphyritic rhyo-
dacite to rhyolite of the Nuyts Volcanics erupted in the south-
western Gawler craton (Fig. 2f; Cooper et al., 1985; Rankin et
al., 1990). These volcanic rocks were intruded by the 1620 to
1610 Ma St. Peter Suite (Flint et al., 1990), which is a granitic
to mafic magmatic suite that appears to volumetrically domi-
nate the southwestern Gawler craton (Fig. 2f) based on lim-
ited exposures. Intimate mingling relationships between both
felsic and mafic rock units within the St. Peter Suite suggest

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 TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON
a comagmatic origin (Flint, 1987; Flint et al., 1990). Geo-
chemically, the suite shows pronounced Nb and Ti anomalies,
marked Y depletion, moderate to high Sr along with εNd1620Ma
values between –2 and +2 (Ferris, 2001; Swain et al., 2005c).
Swain et al. (2005c) interpreted the St. Peter Suite to have
formed in a subduction-related environment. The St. Peter
Suite thus appears to be one of a limited number of magmatic
rock suites in Proterozoic Australia that resemble modern
magmatic arc rocks (Budd et al., 2001).
The Gawler Range Volcanics-Hiltaba Suite magmatic event
occurred between ca. 1595 and 1575 Ma and was associated
with a major tectonic-tectonothermal and metallogenic episode
that affected much of the Gawler craton (e.g., Daly et al., 1998;
Budd et al., 2001; Skirrow et al., 2002; Fig. 2f). In the eastern
Gawler craton, the Hiltaba Suite is temporally and spatially as-
sociated with significant regional-scale Fe and Na-Ca alteration
and associated Cu-Au-U-REE mineralization (Skirrow et al.,
2002). Further, the Hiltaba Suite is also linked to Au mineral-
ization in the central Gawler craton (Ferris and Schwarz, 2003)
and is therefore of prime economic importance.
The Gawler Range Volcanics were comagmatic with the
Hiltaba Suite and are one of the largest felsic volcanic systems
in the world. In the Gawler craton they have a maximum pre-
served thickness of ~1.5 km and extend >25,000 km2 across
the central Gawler craton (Fig. 2f; Blissett et al., 1993; Allen
et al., 2003). The upper Gawler Range Volcanics consist of
dominantly felsic volcanic rocks (dacite-rhyodacite-rhyolite)
and are flat lying and relatively undeformed. Lower parts of
the sequence are locally moderately to vertically dipping and
contain sequences of basalt, andesite, dacite, rhyodacite, and
rhyolite. ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon ages from the lower (1591 ±
3 Ma) and upper (1592 ± 3 Ma) parts of the system are indis-
tinguishable (Fanning et al., 1988; Blissett et al., 1993), indi-
cating that the bulk of the Gawler Range Volcanics was
erupted over a short period of time. Their preserved extent is
controlled by a series of northwest-southeast structures,
which also appear to control a number of widely spaced erup-
tive centers (Allen and McPhie, 2002). Felsic volcanic rocks
of similar age have been found in moraines in Terre Adelie
Land in Antarctica and are interpreted to be a lateral equiva-
lent of the Gawler Range Volcanics (Peucat et al., 2002). In
the Curnamona province adjacent to the Gawler craton (Fig.
1) there also occurs a sequence of slightly younger, flat-lying
felsic volcanic rocks erupted at ca. 1580 Ma (Fanning et al.,
1998). This suggests that the Gawler Range Volcanics may be
part of an even larger, predominantly felsic volcanic province.
It is also noted that local, apparently rift-hosted clastic se-
quences (Corunna Conglomerate and Mentor Formation) are
associated with the Gawler Range Volcanics (Daly et al., 1998).
The bulk of the Hiltaba Suite is highly fractionated granite
to granodiorite (>70 wt % SiO2); however, mafic rocks also
comprise a minor but spatially widespread component
(Creaser, 1989, 1996; Stewart and Foden, 2003). Compila-
tion of U-Pb crystallization ages from Hiltaba Suite-Gawler
Range Volcanics samples suggests that there may be two
phases of Hiltaba magmatism, one at ca. 1590 Ma and a
slightly younger event at ca. 1580 Ma (Fig. 4); however, the
significance, if any, of this potential bimodal age population
remains to be shown. Geochemically, Hiltaba Suite granitoids
are enriched in light REE and show a pronounced Eu anom-
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1383
20 ~1580 Ma ~1590 Ma
15
10
5
0
1570 1590 1610
Age (Ma)
FIG. 4. Histogram of available U-Pb zircon crystallization ages incorporat-
ing both ID-TIMS and SHRIMP techniques for Hiltaba Suite and Gawler
Range Volcanics samples. Two ages can be identified visually from apparent
peaks at ca. 1580 and ca. 1590 Ma. The data are from Cooper et al. (1985),
Fanning et al. (1988), Johnson and Cross (1991), Creaser and Cooper (1993),
Creaser and Fanning (1993), Fanning et al. (2007) and the Ozchron database
(http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/ozchron).
aly with increasing silica content, suggesting crustal differen-
tiation and/or contamination has occurred (Budd et al., 2001;
Budd, 2006). Sm-Nd isotope data indicate that the Hiltaba
Suite contains a significant component of existing crust. In
general, εNd values for Hiltaba Suite Granites throughout the
Gawler craton are slightly more juvenile than their host rocks
at 1595 Ma but, importantly, these values are seen to vary
sympathetically with the host-rock system isotopic composi-
tion (Stewart and Foden, 2003; Budd, 2006). For example,
Hiltaba Granites that have intruded the juvenile St. Peter
Suite are also relatively juvenile (εNd1610Ma = 0.1–1.2), whereas
those intruding crust with a significant Archean component
are significantly more evolved (εNd1590Ma = 5.8 to –9.1; Stew-
art and Foden, 2003). This regional pattern of slightly more
juvenile, but sympathetically varying isotopic compositions
with wall rocks, suggests that the Hiltaba Suite was derived
from a depleted mantle source mixed with crustal compo-
nents and is consistent with the presence of a regionally dis-
tributed mafic component.
In the southwestern part of the craton, the Munjeela Gran-
ite is an unfractionated, restite-rich, garnet-muscovite ± tour-
maline-bearing S-type granite derived from melting of juve-
nile metasedimentary rocks (Fig. 2f; Ferris, 2001). Geophysical
data suggests that the Munjeela Granite occupies a region of
strongly deformed rocks, which may include its source
metasediments (Ferris, 2001). Recent U-Pb monazite data
from the Munjeela Granite gave ages of ca. 1585 Ma (Payne
et al., 2007), consistent with geophysical data that suggest the
granite intrudes the 1620 to 1610 Ma St. Peter Suite.
Although the bulk of the Hiltaba Suite appears to have
been intruded as lopolithic upper crustal plutons that show
little evidence of synmagmatic deformation (Flint et al.,
1993), there is considerable evidence that the Hiltaba Suite
1384 HAND ET AL.
was emplaced during a period of major regional deformation
(see below).
Only localized, undeformed magmatic rocks are recorded
within the Gawler craton with post-1575 Ma ages. The most
significant of these are intrusions with ages between ca. 1555
and ca. 1530 Ma in the Peake and Denison inliers in the
northern Gawler craton and, in the southeastern Gawler cra-
ton, granites of the ca. 1500 Ma Spilsby Suite (Fig. 2f; Fan-
ning et al., 2007). Magmatism of a similar age is also recorded
in the Fowler Domain, with an age of 1489 ± 4 Ma reported
for a crosscutting pegmatite dike in Nundroo diamond drill
hole (DDH 2; Fanning et al., 2007).
Tectonic Events in the Gawler Craton
The Gawler craton records the effects of at least six re-
gional-scale tectonothermal events, which are summarized in
Table 2. There have been a number of event chronologies and
nomenclatures proposed for the Gawler craton. Table 3 pro-
vides a comparison between the nomenclature framework
suggested here and previous terminology for the tectonic
events in the Gawler craton.
Sleafordian orogeny (2480–2420 Ma)
The early Paleoproterozoic Sleafordian orogeny (Daly and
Fanning, 1993; Daly et al., 1998) terminated the late Archean
basin evolution and volcanism. In the central part of the cra-
ton, metamorphism reached granulite facies, with peak condi-
tions of about 850°C and 5 to 7 kbars (Teasdale, 1997;
Tomkins and Mavrogenes, 2002). At lower metamorphic
grades, mineral assemblages in the southern part of the craton
are characterized by andalusite-chloritoid–bearing assem-
blages (Schwarz, 2003), consistent with the inferred elevated
geothermal gradient for the Sleafordian orogeny. Owing to ex-
tensive reworking by later events, the structural architecture
of the Sleafordian orogeny is poorly understood in the south-
ern Gawler craton. However, in the central part of the craton,
early Sleafordian structure was characterized by a near-hori-
zontal granulitic layering (Teasdale, 1997), which was refolded
into gently north- to northeast-trending open to tight folds
that range up to kilometer scale (Daly and Fanning, 1993). Lo-
cally, these structures are important in controlling the orienta-
tion of metamorphosed gold mineralization in the Challenger
deposit (Tomkins and Mavrogenes, 2002). Following the
Sleafordian orogeny, there appears to have been a ca. 400 m.y.
hiatus in tectonic activity, suggesting that 2480 to 2420 Ma tec-
tonism may have led to a temporary cratonization.
Miltalie event (ca. 2000 Ma)
This poorly characterized tectonic event is defined by the
emplacement of the largely granodioritic protolith and the
subsequent formation of the high-grade migmatitic fabrics
within the ca. 2000 Ma Miltalie Gneiss (Fanning et al., 1988).
The Miltalie Gneiss is apparently unconformably overlain by
the Hutchison Group, suggesting that the high-grade meta-
morphism that formed the gneissic fabrics occurred sometime
between 2000 and ca. 1850 Ma (Parker and Lemon, 1982).
Cornian orogeny (ca. 1850 Ma)
In the southeastern part of the craton the voluminous 1850
Ma Donington Suite was emplaced both immediately prior to
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and during the onset of contractional deformation and associ-
ated granulite facies metamorphism (Reid et al., 2008). Gar-
net-bearing migmatitic assemblages in metapelitic rock units
indicate granulite facies conditions, whereas replacement of
peak metamorphic garnet by cordierite-sillimanite-biotite as-
semblages points to a decompression-dominated retrograde
P-T evolution. Previously, the 1850 Ma event in the Gawler
craton has been termed the Lincoln orogeny (Vassallo and
Wilson, 1999) and the Neill event (Ferris et al., 2002). How-
ever, since both of the localities indicated in these names are
sites dominated by extensive Kimban-aged reworking, Reid
et al. (2008) have proposed the term “Cornian orogeny” be
used for this event. Given the regional extent of the Doning-
ton Suite, it appears likely that the Cornian orogeny was a
major tectonic event in the eastern Gawler craton.
Kimban orogeny (1730–1690 Ma)
The Kimban orogeny dominates the structural architec-
ture of the eastern Gawler craton. The most obvious expres-
sion of Kimban tectonism is the development of the Kalinjala
shear zone, which forms a subvertical high-strain zone be-
tween 4 and 6 km wide along the eastern Eyre Peninsula
(Fig. 5; Parker, 1980; Vassallo and Wilson, 2002). High-grade
metamorphic assemblages within the Kalinjala shear zone
developed within a regional, dextrally transpressive regime.
Kimban-aged deformation and metamorphism also occur
within a zone between 50 and 100 km wide adjacent to the
Kalinjala shear zone (Fig. 5). This zone preserves noncylin-
drical and chevron-style folding (Vassallo and Wilson, 2001)
and up to granulite facies mineral assemblages (Tong et al.,
2004). In the northern Eyre Peninsula, metamorphic grade
decreases to low P amphibolite facies, and deformation has a
wider across-strike expression where the fold-thrust systems
verge to the east away from the orogenic core (Parker et al.,
1993). Thus, in the southern Gawler craton, the Kimban
orogeny is manifest as an obliquely exposed crustal-scale
flower structure.
The Kimban orogeny is also recorded in strongly deformed
Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary sequences in both the
Mount Woods Domain and the Peake and Denison inliers in
the northern Gawler craton. In the Mount Woods Domain,
Kimban-aged metamorphism apparently reached upper am-
phibolite to granulite facies (Betts et al., 2003). In the Peake
and Denison inliers, peak metamorphic conditions of about 5
kbars and 650°C occurred at 1718 ± 31 Ma (Hopper, 2001).
In the western Gawler craton, a SHRIMP U-Pb age of 1712
± 9.5 Ma has been reported for metamorphic monazites in a
garnet-sillimanite-biotite gneiss, interpreted to record the
timing of upper amphibolite facies metamorphism within the
central Fowler Domain (Teasdale, 1997). Likewise, electron
microprobe-based U-Th-Pb monazite analyses from the Tal-
lacootra shear zone in the Fowler Domain gave ages of 1679
± 39 Ma and 1680 ± 37 Ma, which may record Kimban-aged
deformation along discrete shear zones (Swain et al., 2005b).
In the northern and central Gawler craton, dating of zircon
and monazite by the laser ablation-ICPMS U-Pb method
yielded ages between 1730 and 1690 Ma, consistent with
metamorphism and deformation during the Kimban orogeny
(Payne et al., 2006, in press). Widespread magmatism oc-
curred across the Gawler craton at ca. 1730 Ma at the outset
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TABLE 2. Summary of the Characteristics of the Major Tectonothermal Events That Have Affected the Gawler Craton

Distribution
Event within the craton Age range (Ma) Metamorphic style Peak P-T conditions P-T evolution Magmatism

Sleafordian orogeny Entire proto–craton 2480–2420 High heat flow, low Greenschist to 850°C, 6 kbars1 Unknown Felsic
to moderate P

Miltalie event Eastern craton (?) ~ 2000 Unknown ? Low to medium-P granulite Unknown Unknown

Cornian orogeny Eastern craton 1855–1845 High heat flow, 750°C, 6 kbars2 Clockwise Felsic, minor mafic:
moderate P large volume

Kimban orogeny Entire craton 1730–1690 High to low heat flow Eyre Peninsula Clockwise Felsic and mafic:
Greenschist to 800°–850°C, 7–9 kbars3 large volume
Northern and western Gawler craton
Low to medium-P amphibolite to granulite4, 5

1385
Ooldean event Western craton 1660–1630 High heat flow, low P 900°C, 10 kbars4 Isobaric cooling Felsic (?)

Deformation associated Southwestern craton 1620–1610 High heat flow Amphibolite Unknown Felsic and mafic
with St. Peter Suite

Deformation associated Entire craton 1595–1575 High heat flow Greenschist to low-medium-P granulite6, 7, 8 Unknown Felsic and mafic,
with the Hiltaba Suite large volume

Kararan orogeny North and western 1570–1540 Moderate heat flow Coober Pedy Ridge Unknown None known
craton Medium-P amphibolite to granulite9
Fowler Domain:
800°C, 10 kbars4
TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON

Coorabie orogeny Western craton 1470–1450 Moderate heat flow ~500°C, <4 kbars4 Unknown None known

References for P-T conditions: 1 Tomkins and Mavrogenes, 2004, 2 Reid et al., 2008, 3 Parker et al., 1993; Tong et al., 2004, 4 Teasdale, 1997, 5 Payne et al., 2006, 6 Holm, 2004, 7Conor, 1995, 8 Ferris
and Schwarz, 2003, 9 Daly et al., 1998
1385
1386 HAND ET AL.

a.
Age range (Ma)

GRV
pre– ~1850
Post–2000,

1660–1630

1620–1610

1595–1575
1570–1540
1470–1450
2480–2420

1855–1845
1730–1690

Deformation associated

Deformation associated
with the Hiltaba Suite
Sleafordian orogeny

with St. Peter Suite

SC HG

Coorabie orogeny
Cornian orogeny

Kararan orogeny
Kimban orogeny
Ooldean event
Miltalie event
This study
TABLE 3. Comparison Between Terminologies for the Tectonic Evolution of the Gawler Craton from Different Studies

Event

Z
in

KS
gra
ral
co

ct u
as

t ru
tlin

ns
Port Neill

e
Age range (Ma)

1690–1540 Ma
2600–2300 Ma

1730–1700 Ma

ba
Kim
~2000 Ma

1850 Ma

pre
-Kim
Sleafordian orogeny

ban DS
Ferris et al. (2002)

stru
Kararan orogeny
Kimban orogeny

ctur
al g
Miltalie event

rain
Neill event
Event

b. c.
Age range (Ma)

2440–2420 Ma

1850–1700 Ma
1650–1540 Ma
~2000 Ma
Sleafordian orogeny
Daly et al. (1998)

Kararan orogeny
Kimban orogeny
Miltalie event
Event

2637 ± 21–2440
Age range (Ma)

FIG. 5. Expression of the 1730 to 1690 Ma Kimban orogeny within the

southeastern Gawler craton. DS = Donington Suite, GRV = Gawler Range
1845–1710
1630–1620

Volcanics, HG = Hutchison Group, KSZ = Kalinjala shear zone, SC =

Sleaford Complex. a. Regional total magnetic intensity image of the southern
~1964

Eyre Peninsula showing the location of the Kalinjala shear zone, Donington
Suite, and Hutchison Group and the late Archean to early Paleoproterozoic
Sleaford Complex. To the southeast of the Kalinjala shear zone, west-north-
west–trending pre-Kimban, a ca. 1850 Ma Cornian-aged structural fabrics
Sleafordian orogeny
Drexel et al. (1993)

Wartarkan orogeny

are rotated into the dextral Kalinjala shear zone. Kimban deformation in the
Kimban orogeny

southern and central regions is manifest as intense magnetic layering that

Miltalie event

forms a north-south–trending belt, with dextral transpression suggesting a

broadly west-northwest–trending stress field as indicated by white arrows. b
and c. Outcrop relationships in the granulite-grade core of the Kalinjala shear
Event

zone at Port Neill. b. Highly attenuated mafic dikes within the Donington
Suite. c. Dextral fabric elements in migmatitic mafic gneiss.

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 TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON
of the Kimban orogeny. Magmatism continued from 1730 to
1690 Ma, with granites having ages of ca. 1715 Ma (Paxton
Granite: Budd and Fraser, 2004) in the central Gawler craton
attesting to a significant, craton-wide thermal perturbation
during the Kimban orogeny. Thus, although the magmatic
and/or tectonothermal effects of the Kimban orogeny are
recorded across the central and northern Gawler craton, the
geometry and distribution of these features and the relation-
ship to the well-exposed belt in the southern Gawler craton
remain to be defined.
Ooldean event (1660–1630 Ma)
The Ooldean event is defined as a granulite facies tectonic
event recorded in metapelites of the Moondrah Gneiss, in-
tersected in drill holes in the far western part of the Gawler
craton. Zircon U-Pb data defined an age of 1659 ± 7 Ma, in-
terpreted to record the timing of high-grade metamorphism
within drill hole Ooldea DDH 2 (Fanning et al., 2007). Petro-
logical relationships indicate, however, that the granulites in
Ooldea DDH 2 contain two distinct metamorphic assem-
blages: an early low P, high T (spinel-quartz and cordierite-
quartz) and a later, high PT (orthopyroxene-sillimanite-quartz
± sapphirine-bearing) assemblage (Teasdale, 1997), suggest-
ing that there may be two high-grade events recorded within
the Moondrah Gneiss. If the SHRIMP 207Pb/206Pb data of
Fanning et al. (2007) are processed using the unmixing algo-
rithm of Sambridge and Compston (1994), two statistically
distinct ages emerge: 1649 ± 7 Ma and 1693 ± 9 Ma, which
account for 77 and 23 percent of the data, respectively. The
validity of these ages, in terms of the morphology or chem-
istry of the analyzed zircon, is unclear. However, both zircon
Kober Pb-Pb evaporation data (Teasdale, 1997) and monazite
U-Pb laser ablation-ICPMS analyses (Payne et al., in press)
from samples of metapelitic rock units from Ooldea DDH 2
gave ages of ca. 1690 Ma, which is consistent with the older,
subordinate age population in the data of Fanning et al.
(2007). This older age coincides with the late stages of the
Kimban orogeny. The bulk of the Fanning et al. (2007) zircon
data yield an unmixed age of 1649 ± 7 Ma, which is similar to
electron microprobe chemical U-Th-Pb ages of monazite
from Ooldea DDH 1 and DDH 3 of 1640 ± 12 Ma and 1631
± 12 Ma, respectively (Swain et al., 2005b). Taken together,
the available geochronology and metamorphic petrology sug-
gest that the Moondrah Gneiss was affected by the Kimban
orogeny at ca. 1690 Ma and underwent high P reworking at
ca. 1650 Ma during the newly defined Ooldean event.
The Ooldean event appears to reflect a high thermal gradi-
ent, with the formation of the high T granulite assemblages in
Ooldea DDH 2 and the presence of coeval volcanic rocks in
the Tarcoola Formation in the central Gawler craton (Daly et
al., 1998). Notionally, the Ooldean event is similar to the
Ooldean orogeny of Direen et al. (2005). We have avoided as-
signing this event the status of an orogeny, since the spatial
distribution and the structural or magmatic expression of tec-
tonism at this time is impossible to characterize at present,
given the paucity of data available.
Deformation associated with St. Peter Suite magmatism
Rocks of the 1620 to 1610 Ma St. Peter Suite typically pre-
serve tectonic foliations, which are dominantly steeply dipping.
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1387
The steep orientation of these structures suggests they may
have formed in a compressional regime; however, there is lit-
tle information on the geometry and regional extent of this
deformation. Given the inferred spatial extent of the St. Peter
Suite across much of the central-southern Gawler craton (see
Fig. 1) and the plate margin tectonic setting ascribed to it
(Betts et al., 2002; Giles et al., 2004; Swain et al., 2005c; Betts
and Giles, 2006), it is possible that the deformation recorded
within the St. Peter Suite was associated with shortening at a
convergent margin.
Deformation associated with Hiltaba Suite magmatism
The Hiltaba Suite magmatism has widely been considered
to have developed in an anorogenic or extensional setting
(e.g., Flint et al., 1993; Creaser, 1995). These interpretations
were largely predicated upon the volume of magmatism asso-
ciated with the Hiltaba Suite and the lack of obvious com-
pressional deformation within the comagmatic Gawler Range
Volcanics, rather than on direct evidence of extensional struc-
tures. However, on the broader scale, the timing of Hiltaba
Suite magmatism in part coincides with the northwest-south-
east compressional Olarian orogeny in the adjacent Curna-
mona province, suggesting that magmatism (and associated
mineralization) occurred in an overall compressional regime
(Fig. 6; see also Direen and Lyons, 2007).
In the Gawler craton there is abundant evidence of syn-
Hiltaba-aged deformation. This includes formation and/or re-
activation of the east-west–trending Yerda and north-
south–trending Yarlbrinda shear zones in the central Gawler
craton (Ferris and Schwarz, 2003; McLean and Betts, 2003;
Swain et al., 2005b; Fraser and Lyons, 2006) and deformation
along the northeast-trending Bulgunnia shear zone, which is
associated with mineralization at the Prominent Hill deposit
on the southern edge of the Mount Woods inlier (Belperio
and Freeman, 2004). Within the Mount Woods inlier, zircon
U-Pb data from upper amphibolite to granulite-facies rocks
give metamorphic ages that range between 1587 ± 2 Ma and
1583 ± 18 Ma (Holm, 2004), indicating that Hiltaba Suite
magmatism was coeval with high-temperature metamor-
phism in that region. In the adjacent Coober Pedy Ridge, a
metapelitic granulite has a SHRIMP metamorphic zircon U-
Pb age of ca. 1590 Ma (Fanning et al., 2007), coinciding with
Hiltaba-aged magmatism. Additionally, east-northeast–trend-
ing folds associated with north-northwest–directed thrusting
within the Tarcoola Formation in the central Gawler craton
(Hughes, 1998) appear to have been active during Hiltaba-
aged mineralization and are cut by 1582 ± 5 Ma diorite dikes
(Budd and Fraser, 2004).
In the Moonta region in the southeastern part of the cra-
ton, deformation of the ca. 1760 Ma Wallaroo Group was
synchronous with emplacement of the 1577 ± 7 Ma Tickera
Granite (Conor, 1995; Fanning et al., 2007). Folds and asso-
ciated greenschist to lower amphibolite facies foliations
trend northeast-southwest, with axial planes showing moder-
ate to steep northwest dips and displaying steeply plunging
lineations (Conor, 1995). Farther west on Eyre Peninsula,
syn-Hiltaba deformation was accompanied by cooling of
midcrustal rocks to below ~500°C, indicating that the retro-
grade shear zones responsible for reworking Kimban-aged
fabrics within the northeast-trending Kalinjala shear zone
1388 HAND ET AL.

FIG. 6. Simplified map of the Gawler craton showing the location of structures and regions that underwent compressional
deformation in the interval 1600 to 1580 Ma. The bulk of the structures trend northeast to east within an overall northwest-
southeast–directed compressional regime. Pervasive deformation occurred in the Mount Woods region (up to granulite
grade), Moonta-Wallaroo region (greenschist-lower amphibolite) and the Fowler Domain (upper amphibolite), and affected
comparatively young parts of the craton. The older Archean and Paleoproterozoic “core” of the craton underwent deforma-
tion along discrete shear zones. The inset shows the interpreted solid geology in the Olympic Dam region in the eastern
Gawler craton (after Direen and Lyons, 2002). The northwest-trending array of faults in the Olympic Dam region is favor-
ably oriented to have accommodated dilation within the 1600 to 1580 Ma northwest-southeast–directed compressional
regime. Abbreviations: BSZ = Bulgunnia shear zone, CPR = Coober Pedy Ridge (high-grade deformation), FD = Fowler
Domain (high-grade deformation), KnSZ = Konnibba shear zone, KSZ = Kalinjala shear zone, Mnta = Moonta Wallaroo (fold
trends), MW = Mount Woods inlier (high-grade deformation), PDSZ = Point Drummond shear zone, TF = Tarcoola For-
mation (fold trends), YrlSZ = Yarlbrinda shear zone, YSZ = Yerda shear zone.

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 TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON
were probably active at this time (Foster and Ehlers, 1998).
These retrograde fabrics have dip-slip movement (Foster and
Ehlers, 1998; M. Hand, unpub. data) that contrasts with the
strike-slip character of the Kimban-aged fabrics. Sm-Nd iso-
tope data from a reworked amphibolite facies garnet-bearing
metasedimentary mylonite on the western margin of the
Kalinjala shear zone gives an age of 1577 ± 21 Ma (Table 4),
similar to hornblende 40Ar/39Ar ages within the nearby Kalin-
jala shear zone, which range from 1611 ± 3 MA to 1582 ± 4
Ma (Foster and Ehlers, 1998). In the far western Gawler cra-
ton, northeast-trending upper amphibolite-grade foliations in
the central Fowler Domain have electron microprobe mon-
azite Th-U-Pb ages ranging between 1608 ± 13 Ma and 1592
± 18 Ma (Thomas, 2004), again suggesting approximately syn-
Hiltaba deformation.
Based on the orientation of structures across the Gawler
craton that either formed or were reactivated from ca. 1590
to 1570 Ma, it appears that deformation was driven by a com-
ponent of northwest-southeast–directed shortening (Fig. 6).
An intriguing aspect of this shortening regime is the general
lack of deformation of the Gawler Range Volcanics. However,
it is noted that the lower parts of the Gawler Range Volcanics
and associated sedimentary sequences are folded and show
dips as steep as subvertical (Dalgarno et al., 1968; Cowley and
Martin, 1991; Weste, 1996; Daly et al., 1998), and evidence of
deformation that appears mirrored in the underlying rocks
(Cowley and Martin, 1991). One possible explanation for the
general lack of deformation in the upper Gawler Range Vol-
canics is that the ca. 1590 to 1570 Ma deformation was largely
partitioned into shear zones such as the Yerda, Yarlbrinda,
and parts of the Kalinjala, which effectively bound the late
Archean core of the craton. These shear zones may have
acted as strain buffers that allowed much of the Gawler
Range Volcanics to escape deformation.
The presence of active structures recording northwest-
southeast shortening during Hiltaba Suite emplacement is
significant in that these and other synchronous structures are
likely to have controlled fluid pathways, and consequently
sites of mineralization (e.g., Skirrow et al., 2002; Direen and
Lyons, 2007). In the Olympic Dam region, Direen and Lyons
(2002) inferred the presence of northwest- and northeast-
trending faults (Fig. 6) that were interpreted to have played
a role in mineralization. Within a northwest-southeast con-
tractional regime, the northwest-trending structures are
likely to have generated dilational zones associated with
strike-slip movements. Intersection between these struc-
tures and the northeast-trending contractional faults may
have formed suitable structural traps for focusing fluid flow
TABLE 4. Summary of Sm-Nd Isochron Data for Sample EP00-12, within the Kalinjala Shear Zone, Mine Creek, Eyre Peninsula
Sm (ppm) Nd (ppm) 147Sm/144Nd
Whole rock 8.93 55.09 0.098
Garnet fraction 1 4.76 21.99 0.131
Garnet fraction 2 1.28 3.33 0.232
Garnet fraction 3 2.63 6.10 0.261
Analyses were undertaken at the University of Adelaide following the method described in Dutch et al. (2005); sample location: Lat. –34.32361, Long.
136.07479, within a zone of mylonitic reworking on the western margin of the Kalinjala shear zone; adjacent mylonites give a monazite electron microprobe
Th-U-Pb age of 1682 ± 10 Ma (Swain et al., 2005b), consistent with having formed during latter stages of the Kimban orogeny
0361-0128/98/000/000-00 $6.00
1389
during mineralization (see also Direen and Lyons, 2007). The
notion that deformation was important in focusing fluid flow
is consistent with the presence of dextral structures within the
Olympic Dam deposit (Reeve et al., 1990) and the shear-
hosted nature of the Au systems in the central Gawler gold
province (Ferris and Schwarz, 2003).
Kararan orogeny (1570–1540 Ma)
The term “Kararan orogeny” previously referred to tecton-
ism throughout the Gawler craton from 1650 to 1540 Ma
(Daly et al., 1998). However, this interval encompasses sepa-
rate events, including basin formation and contrasting styles
of granitic magmatism, metamorphism, and deformation,
which encompass the events described above. Therefore, we
prefer to restrict the Kararan orogeny to tectonism at ca. 1570
to 1540 Ma, since this has a distinctive high-grade tectonic
character and appears spatially linked to the Karari fault zone
and associated shear zones in the central-northern Gawler
craton.
Metamorphic rims on ca. 1725 Ma magmatic zircon from
the Coober Pedy Ridge metagabbro sample discussed above
(R698126) yield a SHRIMP U-Pb age of 1566 ± 9 Ma
(MSWD = 0.65, n = 5; Fig. 3 and Table 1). This age for meta-
morphism within the western Coober Pedy Ridge is consis-
tent with zircon growth at ca. 1565 Ma within upper amphi-
bolite to granulite facies metapelite in the Mabel Creek Ridge
to the north of the Coober Pedy Ridge (Fanning et al., 2007)
and ages of ca. 1555 Ma reported from elsewhere in the
northern Gawler craton (Payne et al., 2006). Metamorphic as-
semblages reported from the Coober Pedy Ridge, including
cordierite-rich and sapphirine-bearing assemblages (Daly et
al., 1998), appear to be associated with nappes and fold-thrust
structures that verge southward onto the Late Archean to
early Paleoproterozoic core of the craton (Direen et al.,
2005).
In the Fowler Domain, garnet-bearing mafic granulites in-
terlayered with aluminous metapelites in the Nundroo Block
formed at about 10 kbars and 800°C (Teasdale, 1997). Meta-
morphic zircon from a mafic granulite gives an age of 1547 ±
10 Ma (Fanning et al., 2007). These ages are within error of
our new U-Pb age data from the Coober Pedy Ridge, which
together help to define the timing of the Kararan orogeny.
High-grade metamorphism in the Fowler Domain appears
restricted to a shear zone-bounded domain within a trans-
pressional belt of anastomosing shear zones (Teasdale, 1997).
We note that the oldest metamorphic U-Pb zircon and
monazite ages attributed to the Kararan orogeny (Payne et al.,
in press) have errors that overlap with ages of granites within
± 143Nd/144Nd ±
0.001 0.5114272 0.000007 Age = 1577 ± 21 Ma
0.001 0.5117741 0.000019 Initial rock 143Nd/144Nd
0.001 0.5128032 0.000022 =0.510412 ± 0.000018
0.001 0.5131310 0.000032
1389
1390 HAND ET AL.
the Hiltaba Suite. Thus it may be that syn-Hiltaba deforma-
tion and the 1570 to 1540 Ma Kararan orogeny are actually
part of a continuum of magmatic emplacement, deformation,
and metamorphism from ca. 1595 to ca. 1540 Ma, a possibil-
ity that may be clarified with further geochronology.
Coorabie orogeny (1470–1450 Ma)
Direen et al. (2005) introduced the term “Coorabie
orogeny” to encompass deformation in the Gawler craton be-
tween ca. 1560 and 1450 Ma. However, only localized unde-
formed magmatism is recorded in the Gawler craton between
ca. 1540 and 1490 Ma, and there is no evidence for continu-
ous tectonism over this interval. We therefore suggest that the
term Coorabie orogeny be restricted to reactivation of the re-
gional shear systems between ca. 1470 and 1450 Ma and as-
sociated terrane-scale cooling. In the western Gawler craton,
the terrane-scale system of shear zones underwent reactiva-
tion at greenschist to amphibolite facies between 1470 and
1450 Ma (Teasdale, 1997; Swain et al., 2005b; Fraser and
Lyons, 2006). Across the Gawler craton, low-temperature
thermochronometers, such as muscovite 40Ar/39Ar and biotite
Rb-Sr, record temperatures of ~300°C at ca. 1450 Ma (Webb
et al., 1986; Fraser and Lyons, 2006), suggesting that the re-
activation of the shear zone system was associated with re-
gional denudation of much of the Gawler craton.
Importance of the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic
Tectonism in the Gawler Craton
The 1595 to 1575 Ma Hiltaba Suite and comagmatic
Gawler Range Volcanics represent a major magmatic event
in the Gawler craton, which apparently has equivalents in the
adjacent Curnamona province, as well as in Antarctica (Peu-
cat et al., 2002). Isotopically, the Hiltaba Suite appears to
have been generated by fractionation of mantle-derived
melts that incorporated various amounts of late Archean to
Paleoproterozic crust (Budd et al., 2001; Stewart and Foden,
2003). Although the presence of pyroxene-bearing felsic lavas
in the Gawler Range Volcanics (Flint et al., 1993) suggests
high-temperature magmatism (Creaser and White, 1991),
there is little direct evidence for the presence of significant
volumes of mafic rocks within the crust. Nevertheless, several
workers have suggested that the Hiltaba Suite represents the
fractioned products of melt generated by the impact of a
mantle plume beneath the southern Australian Proterozoic
(Giles, 1988; Creaser, 1996). This premise is largely based on
two lines of reasoning: firstly, that it is difficult to generate
high-temperature felsic melts incorporating comparatively
refractory granulites without an overwhelming input from
mantle heat sources, and secondly, generating mantle melts
by asthenospheric decompression should be associated with
crustal extension. However, the record of syn-Hiltaba defor-
mation points to a compressional rather than an extensional
regime. In contrast to these earlier workers, Betts et al.
(2002), Giles et al. (2004), and Betts and Giles (2006) have
suggested that the Hiltaba Suite was generated in a back-arc
regime associated with far-field subduction. Wade et al.
(2006) further refined these models for a back-arc setting of
the Hiltaba Suite through their identification of ca. 1600 to
1550 Ma arc rocks in the Musgrave province, which lies to the
north of the Gawler craton. They interpreted the Hiltaba
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Suite to have formed in the back arc to the south-dipping (in
present coordinates) paleosubduction front that is repre-
sented by the contemporaneous arc magmas within the Mus-
grave province. In these models, compressional deformation
could arise in the back arc owing to shallowing of subduction
or collision with buoyant elements on the margin (e.g.,
Collins, 2002).
The close spatial and temporal relationships between
Hiltaba Suite magmatism, hydrothermal alteration, and Fe-
oxide Cu-Au-U-REE mineralization have been recognized
previously (Conor, 1995; Johnson and Cross, 1995; Skirrow et
al., 2002, 2007). More recently, Budd et al. (2001), Ferris et
al. (2002), Ferris and Schwarz (2003), and Budd and Fraser
(2004) have shown a clear spatial demarcation between the
Fe-oxide Cu-Au-U-REE systems of the Olympic Cu-Au
province in the eastern Gawler craton and the Au-dominated
systems of the central Gawler gold province (Fig. 7). These
mineral systems have been the focus of a significant propor-
tion of the exploration activity in the Gawler craton. The
Olympic Cu-Au province is host to IOCG systems, including
Olympic Dam as well as Prominent Hill and Moonta and the
Carrapateena prospect, and numerous other prospects (Skir-
row et al., 2002, 2007). In contrast, the central Gawler Au
province contains shear-hosted Au systems that contain little
Cu and are largely devoid of the Fe-bearing alteration that
characterizes the IOCG systems (Ferris and Schwarz, 2003;
Budd and Fraser, 2004; Fraser et al., 2007).
In attempting to understand the spatial pattern of these
contrasting mineral systems, Budd et al. (2001) and Budd
(2006) subdivided the Hiltaba Suite granites, noting that
those associated with the IOCG systems in the eastern
Gawler craton are more fractionated, metaluminous, oxi-
dized, and enriched in Rb and HFSE compared to the gran-
ites in central Gawler gold province. Isotopically, the IOCG-
associated granites are more evolved (avg. εNd1590 = –5.9),
compared to most Hiltaba Suite granites in the central
Gawler gold province (avg. εNd1590 = –3.4; Creaser, 1995;
Johnson and McCulloch, 1995; Stewart and Foden, 2003).
Additionally, the Hiltaba Suite granites in the Olympic Cu-Au
province are more enriched in U and Th compared to the
central Gawler Au-associated granites (Creaser, 1989, 1995;
Budd et al., 2001; Stewart and Foden, 2003; Budd, 2006).
The geochemical and isotopic differences between the
Hiltaba Suite granites associated with the different mineral
systems also appear to be reflected in bulk lithospheric com-
positional differences as recorded by the modern-day heat
flow. The Olympic Cu-Au province lies within the South Aus-
tralian heat flow anomaly (Houseman et al., 1989; Neumann
et al., 2000). The average heat flow from measurements
within the Olympic Cu-Au province is 91 ± 11 mWm–2 (Fig.
7; Cull, 1982). This value is about 50 percent higher than typ-
ical heat flows from Mesoproterozoic crust (McLaren et al.,
2003). In contrast, the two measured heat flow values from
the Au-dominated province are 49 and 58 mWm–2, respec-
tively (Fig. 7; Cull, 1982), giving an average of 53 mWm–2.
This region of lower heat flow in the central Gawler craton
may form part of a broader domain of lower heat flow in the
western Gawler craton (Fig. 7). Averaging the three heat flow
measurements from the central and western Gawler craton
gives 54 ± 5 mWm–2, which is within the range typically
 TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON 1391

FIG. 7. Distribution of the major mineral systems in the Gawler craton that formed in the interval 1595 to 1585 Ma. The
Olympic Fe oxide Cu-Au province in the eastern part of the craton includes the giant Olympic Dam Cu-Au-U-REE deposit
as well as a number of other significant deposits (e.g., Prominent Hill, Moonta) and prospects (e.g., Carrapateena). This do-
main is characterized by high modern-day heat flow (avg. = 91 ± 11 mWm–2), evolved compositions of Hiltaba Suite gran-
ites (avg. εNd 1590Ma = 5.6) and is dominated by ca.1850 to 1750 Ma metasedimentary packages. In contrast, the central Gawler
Au province has less evolved Hiltaba Suite granites (avg. εNd1590Ma = –3.4), an average modern day heat flow (53 mWm–2),
and little or no Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks.

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1392 HAND ET AL.
expected from composite Archean and Proterozoic crust
(McLaren et al., 2003), and significantly less than that from
the IOCG-bearing eastern Gawler craton.
This contrast in measured heat flow points to important dif-
ferences between the lithosphere of the central and eastern
parts of the Gawler craton, a difference that appears to be
mapped out by the contrasting mineral systems, contrasts in
the Nd isotope composition of the Hiltaba Suite Granites, and
contrasts in Hiltaba granite compositions. These differences
are also reflected in the surface geology. In the central Gawler
gold province, late Archean to early Paleoproterozoic rocks
form the core of the Gawler craton. In contrast, in the Olympic
Cu-Au province there is no direct evidence for Archean rocks
(although the isotopic compositions of the Hiltaba granites
suggest an Archean component in the crust: Creaser, 1995;
Stewart and Foden, 2003). Additionally, the Olympic Cu-Au
province contains voluminous ca. 1850 Ma granites, which ap-
pear to be absent in the Au-dominated province. Conceivably,
the geologic and geophysical contrasts between the central
(Au-bearing systems) and the eastern (IOCG-bearing) parts of
the Gawler craton reflect the juxtaposition of different terranes
sometime prior to the Mesoproterozoic (see also Howard et al.,
2006). In such a scenario, differences in crustal composition
and/or fertility may have led to the spatial organization of min-
eral systems in the Gawler craton. The timing of any such jux-
taposition is highly speculative, although there are a number of
major tectonothermal events (e.g., Sleafordian, at ca. 2450 Ma;
Miltalie, at 2000 Ma; and Cornian, at 1850 Ma) that could have
been associated with terrane amalgamation.
The post-Hiltaba evolution of the Gawler craton is domi-
nated by the intractonic reworking associated with the
Kararan orogeny at about 1570 to 1540 Ma and later reacti-
vation at 1470 to 1450 Ma of Kararan and older shear zones.
The Kararan orogeny appears to have affected a narrow belt
connecting the western and central northern part of the cra-
ton along the Karari fault. Localized fault-bounded domains
consisting of middle and lower crustal granulites were ex-
humed along the largely strike-slip Karari fault (Daly et al.,
1998); however, little is known about the evolution of these
granulite blocks.
The Gawler Craton in the Context of
Proterozoic Australia
A number of models have been proposed to explain the lo-
cation of the Gawler craton within Precambrian Australia. A
consistent theme within these models is the notion that the
Gawler craton collided or amalgamated in some way with the
North Australian craton to explain its current location. Myers
et al. (1996) suggested that collision occurred at ca. 1300 to
1200 Ma, leading to the development of the Grenvillian Mus-
grave-Albany Fraser orogen. Betts et al. (2002), Giles et al.
(2004), and Betts and Giles (2006) proposed a more complex
evolution whereby the Gawler craton collided with the North
Australian craton at ca. 1700 Ma and was subsequently relo-
cated to its present position via a rift-drift-reattachment
process from 1400 to 1200 Ma. Wade et al. (2006) suggested
that collision occurred at about 1600 to 1560 Ma, synchro-
nous with the development of arc-related magmatic rocks in
the Musgrave province and similar-aged deformation in the
Gawler craton. However, with the exception of the 1620 to
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1610 Ma St. Peter Suite in the southwestern part of the cra-
ton, direct evidence for plate margin-driven tectonism is lim-
ited. Furthermore, given the relatively small scale of the
Gawler craton compared to modern plate margin systems, it
is highly likely that the tectonic drivers that controlled its evo-
lution operated at length scales well in excess of the dimen-
sions of the preserved craton.
Key to understanding the present-day relationship between
the Gawler craton and the surrounding Proterozoic provinces
is to develop robust correlations that are based on a number
of different geologic criteria that span a range of ages. One of
the key orogenic systems in the Gawler craton is the Kimban
orogen in the eastern part of the craton, which appears to
form part of a much larger orogenic system that extends into
Antarctica (Peucat et al., 1999). Such a correlation formed a
key element in the reconstruction model proposed by Betts et
al. (2002), Giles et al. (2004), and Betts and Giles (2006). The
Kimban orogen deforms long-lived basins with volcanic
and/or magmatic inputs at ca. 1850, 1790, and 1760 Ma. In
addition to the Kimban orogeny, the subsequent Ooldean,
Hiltaba, and Kararan events and orogenies may form a useful
basis for correlation with other Proterozoic regions.
Although event timing is generally used as the primary cor-
relative tool, further work is needed to constrain event style
and evolution, as well as the geochemical and isotopic evolu-
tion of magmatic suites and the lithospheric volume for ef-
fective correlation. If viable paleogeographic reconstructions
can be made, the large-scale setting of the Gawler craton at
different times during its Proterozoic evolution can be evalu-
ated. This potentially allows the tectonic drivers to be identi-
fied, with corresponding predictions regarding spatial pat-
terns in geochemical systems, including mineralization.
Conclusion
The evolution of the Gawler craton is dominated by two
phases of tectonic activity, Late Archean and late Paleopro-
terozoic to early Mesoproterozoic. The former is characterized
by Late Archean (2560–2500 Ma) volcanosedimentary basin
formation that was followed by collisional deformation be-
tween 2480 and 2420 Ma. The second phase of tectonic activ-
ity was initiated at ca. 2000 Ma, which was expressed by ap-
parently localized magmatism in the southern Gawler craton.
This localized magmatism was followed by widespread vol-
canosedimentary basin development from ca. 1900 to 1730
Ma, which was interrupted by granitic batholith emplacement
and deformation during the ca. 1850 Ma Cornian orogeny and
finally terminated by the 1730 to 1690 Ma Kimban orogeny.
The Kimban orogeny was followed by renewed extension be-
tween ca. 1680 and 1640 Ma, which led to localized sedimen-
tation and magmatism. This extension appears in part to be co-
eval with the high-grade ca. 1650 Ma Ooldean event in the
western Gawler craton, although the relationship between
sedimentation and metamorphism at this time is uncertain.
Subsequent to the Kimban orogeny, the tectonic develop-
ment of the Gawler craton was dominated by emplacement of
widespread magmatic rock suites, including the relatively ju-
venile and possibly arc-related St. Peter Suite (ca. 1620–1610
Ma), which was followed by formation of voluminous Gawler
Range Volcanics (1595–1590 Ma) and Hiltaba Suite (1595–
1575 Ma). Thus, the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic transition in
 TECTONIC FRAMEWORK & EVOLUTION OF THE GAWLER CRATON
the Gawler craton appears to record the progression from an
arc-related, possibly active plate margin setting to a continen-
tal interior setting. Emplacement of the Hiltaba Suite was co-
incident with the major mineralizing interval in the Gawler
craton, with two regional metallogenic provinces recognized:
the Olympic IOCG province and the gold-dominated central
Gawler gold province. The spatial distribution of IOCG versus
Au-dominated mineral systems appears to correspond to re-
gional variations in crustal composition, Hiltaba Suite petroge-
nesis and heat flow still recorded today. The spatial organization
of these features suggests there are important lithosphere-
scale contrasts between the two metallogenic provinces, con-
trasts that may reflect an older phase of craton assembly.
Widespread northwest-southeast contractional deforma-
tion was coeval with the emplacement of the Hiltaba Suite.
Deformation at this time involved the formation and/or reac-
tivation of numerous shear zones that range up to crustal
scale. Within this contractional regime, northwest-trending
structures, such as those in the vicinity of the Olympic Dam
deposit, are likely to have accommodated dilation associated
with strike-slip movements. Furthermore, the intersection
between these structures and northeast-trending contrac-
tional faults may have formed suitable structural traps for
1590 to 1580 Ma mineralization. Syn-Hiltaba deformation ap-
pears to overlap in time with transpression and medium to
high-grade metamorphism associated with the ca. 1570 and
1540 Ma Kararan orogeny. The effects of the Kararan
orogeny dominate the crustal architecture of the central
northern part of the craton. The youngest phase of deforma-
tion in the craton is expressed by reactivation of shear zones
between ca. 1470 and 1450 Ma and regional cooling, after
which the craton appears to have largely remained a stable
continental block.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge discussions with Sue Daly, Martin Fair-
clough, Mike Szpunar, Ailsa Schwarz, Neil Chalmers, and
others within the Geological Survey, Primary Industries and
Resource South Australia (PIRSA), along with other col-
leagues, including Peter Betts, Bruce Schaefer (Monash Uni-
versity), Justin Payne, Rian Dutch, Katie Howard, Karin
Barovich, Nick Direen, Graham Heinson, Kate Selway, David
Giles (University of Adelaide), Roger Skirrow, Geoff Fraser,
Patrick Lyons (Geoscience Australia), and Michael Schwarz
(Monax Mining). Greg Swain (Monax Mining) is acknowl-
edged for discussions and for sampling the metagabbro from
the Coober Pedy Ridge utilized for geochronology. Construc-
tive reviews were provided by Ian Fitzsimons and George
Gibson. Editorial assistance by Roger Skirrow is also ac-
knowledged. SHRIMP geochronology presented here was ac-
quired under the auspices of a National Geoscience Agree-
ment between PIRSA and Geoscience Australia. The
Australian Research Council and PIRSA are acknowledged
for support of this project via funding to Linkage Grant no.
LP0454301.
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