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4-7 River capture of the Crawford River by a tributary of the Glenelg River

This information has been developed from the publications:
  • An assessment of the Geological/Geomorphological Significance of Private Land in the Shire of Portland (1981) by N. Rosengren, J Mallen, T Shepherd.
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 section of the Geological Society of Australia website (external link) for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Locality:

7222-409843. Three kilometres north of Lyons.

Access:

Lyons-Hotspur Road.

Geology/Geomorphology:

The great bend of the Crawford River north of Lyons and the swampy alluvial valley of Spring Creek are the result of capture of the Crawford River by a formerly separate tributary of the Glenelg River. Details of the processes involved in this capture are contained in the reference cited below.

Significance:

State. This is one of the most obvious examples of river capture in Victoria.

Management:

Because of the area covered by the site, the major geomorphological features are unlikely to be affected by localised land disturbance, e.g. roadworks or bridgeworks.

Reference:

Douglas, J.G. and Ferguson, J.A. (eds.) (1976). Geology of Victoria. Geological Society of Australia, Special Publication No. 5.
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