On Thursday 15 August 2019 the AGS Tasmanian Chapter hosted a field trip to Tasmania’s Southern Midlands, to the north of Hobart. We learnt about a wide range of geological units and processes which helps build up our understanding of how these can impact on engineered structures:
- Rockfall hazard in steep cuts in colluvium on the East Derwent Highway.
- Landforms associated with periglacial conditions at Baskerville.
- Road cuttings and bridge foundations associated with the Brighton Bypass road project.
- Periglacial landformsat Constitution Hill (Dysart) causing challenges for road design and maintenance.
- Tertiary diatreme at Little Den Hill and nearby landslides impacting Highlands Lakes Road.
- Hypothesized stream piracy in the upper reaches of the Jordan River catchment at Oatlands.
- Geo-heritage lunettes caused by aeolian processes from Lake Tiberias which is a deflation basin.
- Strongly jointed dolerite adjacent to its lower contact causing small landslides impacting the railway line.
The trip was well-attended with 26 participants from a range of sectors of industry and government. Particular thanks goes out once again to Mike Vicary and Colin Mazengarb of Mineral Resources Tasmania who put a lot of work into preparing field notes for the trip. We hope to continue these field trips as an annual Chapter event and invite suggestions from members on other potential itineraries.
