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8.8 Carlisle River - Avulsion Channel

This information has been developed from the publications:

  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Western Region of Melbourne (1986) by Neville Rosengren
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay (1988) by Neville Rosengren.
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Shire of Otway (1984) by Neville Rosengren.
Geological heritage sites, including sites of geomorphological interest and volcanic heritage sites, are under regular revision by the Geological Society of Australia, especially in the assessment of significance and values. Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage (external site) section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:8-093275. Two kilometres south of Carlisle River.

Avulsion channels (arrowed) and isolated hill (A) on the flood plain of the Carlisle River.

Access:

Moomowroong Road.

Ownership:

Private land.

Geomorphology:

The lower Carlisle River valley broadens into a flood plain up to one kilometre wide. An isolated hill of Tertiary sediments occurs on the flood plain and at two locations on the flood plain margin the eroding end of small spurs illustrate stages in the isolating process. Downstream from the small hill, there is a long section of abandoned river course that may indicate a single or sudden shift of the entire river course. This process is known as avulsion.

Significance:

Regional. This is one of the longest single abandoned channel sections of the Gellibrand River system and is important in demonstrating that avulsion may be a major process of channel shift in some streams.

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