Deep beneath Australia geologists have discovered a Jurassic world . Sadly , it does n’t take any living dinosaurs ( and probably few dead ones either ) but it does have more volcanoes than a Hollywood theater director ’s aspiration , even if they ’ve been out for well over a 100 million years .
The Cooper - Eromanga Basin underlie what are now some of the driest role of Australia . It ’s Australia ’s largest onshore crude and gas producing region , and while its fossil fuels are fairly paltry by external standards that still mean its geology has been more heavily explored than many other parts of the continent . Despite this , no one remark at least 100 signally well conserve nonextant vent within the Basin .
The volcanoes were alive 180 - 160 million year ago . Their presence was jolly unexpected because most volcano occur at the edges of architectonic home , but these existed in an field that was as much mid - plate then as it is today .
Dr Simon Holfordof the University of Adelaide told IFLScience that , besides no one anticipate them , the volcanoes were miss through 60 class of oil exploration in part because exploration method acting have n’t been well suitable to finding volcanic provinces . Holford ’s team has develop world - lead techniques for notice the sign from ancient volcanoes in seismic expression view , and ended up bump a state close to domicile .
In the journalGondwana Research , Holford and colleagues refer the state Warnie , in part for a local waterhole that gave its name to an exploration drill site important to their findings , but also for the legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne . Holford assure IFLScience that as an English - born obsessive cricket lover he ca n’t bring himself to support his sweep up country despite 12 years of residence , but call up the Brobdingnagian fields of volcano reminiscent of Warne ’s volatile talent and fiery disposition .
Although the responsibility was surrounded by mighty rivers in its heyday , if these wiped out any volcanoes from the geologic record there were plenty left . The rest were entomb under a big load of protective sediment as this part of the continent sank .
Holford recount IFLScience the work has some commercial-grade applications . “ drill through volcanic rock is harder and more expensive than through deposit , ” he say . “ The drill mo keep hold out out . ” By key out the location of these rocks the determination will make it easier for those attempt underground resources , whether raw gas , H2O or blistering rocks for geothermal energy , to find the route of least resistance .
Sadly , however , Holford doubt there will be much palaeontological benefit . oil production fishing gear make jam so narrow-minded the chance of them hitting a fossil is minor at the best of time , and Holford noted Australia’sCretaceous rockshave been a muchricher sourceof dinosaur bones than those of Jurassic long time .
