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77. Clyde - Baxter Formation

This information has been developed from one or more of these publications:

  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Westernport Bay Catchment (1984) by Neville Rosengren.
  • 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 Environmental Significance in the Flood Plain of the Upper Yarra Valley Region (1983) by Neville Rosengren, Douglas Frood and Kim Lowe (as part of a study of Sites of Environmental Significance by the University of Melbourne for the then Upper Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Authority).
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.

Location:Devon Meadows – 538780. The cutting for the railway south-east of Clyde railway station.
Access:Ballarto Toad.
Ownership:Crown Land.
Geology:The railway cutting provides a geological section into the Baxter Sandstone, a series of fine grained clayey sands and sandy clays with occasional lenses of coarser sand and fine gravels. The beds belong to the Baxter Sandstone (Jenkin, 1962), later described as the Baxter Formation by Thompson (1974). To the south the beds overlie weathered Older Volcanics.
Significance:Regional. The cutting provides one of the few sections in the Baxter Formation, one of the main Tertiary rock formations of the Westernport Bay catchment.
Management:Class 2. Construction work that would obscure the cutting should not be permitted.

References:

Jenkin, J.J. (1962). The geology and hydrogeology of the Westernport area.
Dept. of Mines, Vict. Underground Water Investigation Rept. No. 4.
Thompson, B.R. (1974). The geology and hydrogeology of the Westernport sunklands. Geol. Surf. Rept. 1974/1.
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