3. Erica - Walhalla Road Cuttings

This information has been developed from the publications:

Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in Central Gippsland (1981) by Neville Rosengren, M.S McRae-Williams and S.M Kraemers,
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the coast of Port Phillip Bay and in the Catchment of Westernport Bay (1984, 88) 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 section of the Geological Society of Australia website (external link) for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:	483970 to 488984. Erica-Walhalla Road between the Thomson River Crossing and the hairpin bend on Coopers Creek.	Site 8122-1 to 4
Access:	Erica-Walhalla Road.
Ownership:	Crown Land (Road Reserve).
Geology/Geomorphology:	The type section for the boola Formation (Coopers Creek Formation) is exposed in road cuttings at this locality. The lower 25 metres of the formation consists of thin to massively bedded medium grained sandstones which are interbedded with quartz rich siltstone similar in appearance to the underlying Whitelaw Siltstone. The sandstone sequence is overlain by approximately 26 metres of well bedded siltstone, and then by approximately 140 metres of medium to thick bedded coarse grained clastics consisting of weathered greenstone and chert interbedded with siltstone. Several weathered greenstone and chert interbedded with siltstone. Several of the siltstones show slump folding features. The top of the sequence is marked by the rapid disappearance of the coarse grained sandstones and the appearance of siltstone and shale. The conformable contact with the underlying Whitelaw Siltstone is exposed at 484974 and is marked by a transition from dominantly siltstones to weathered fossiliferous sandstone beds. In addition, the contact of the Boola Formation with the Wilson Creek Shale is exposed at 488974 and is marked by a sharp transition from the siltstones of the Boola Formation to black paper shale characteristic of the Wilson Creek Shale.
Significance:	Regional. Type section of Boola Formation and also includes important contacts with Whitelaw Siltstone and the Wilson Creek Shale.
Management:	Maintenance of clear faces on the road cuttings would maintain the value of the site.
References:	VandenBerg , A.H.M. 1975. Definitions and descriptions of middle Ordovician to middle Devonian rock units of the Warburton district, East Central Victoria. Rep. geol. Surv., 1975/6.

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