Australian interacratonic evolution and deformation

Intracratonic orogency is a confronting phenomena because it contradicts the plate tectonic paradigm, which highlights the apprently rigidity of the lithospheric plates. Central Australia contains an expecptional record of intracratonic orogency, expressed by the formation of the Petermann and Alice Springs orogens. This project will quantify the duration, and the thermal conditions associated with the comparatively poorly known Petermann Orogen. Given the importance of Intracratonic deformation in shaping the lithospheric architecture of central Australia, understanding the history of the Petermann Orogeny is essential to developing models that describe the evolution of the Australian continent, and continental interiors in general.