| LOCALITY |
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CONTINENTAL MAP |
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|
REGIONAL MAP |
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To be added |
|
MAP REFERENCES |
|
Hermannsberg 1:250,000 topographic and geological
maps. |
| SAMPLE SATELLITE/AERIAL IMAGE |
|
To be added |
| SAMPLE MARS SATELLITE IMAGE |
|
To be added |
| IMAGE REFERENCES |
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| Gosse's Bluff |
| DESIGNATION |
| Australia-NT_S-Gosses_Bluff |
| LONGITUDE |
| 132°15'E - 132°21'E |
| LATITUDE |
| 23°46'S - 23°41'S |
| LOCALITY AND OWNERSHIP |
| 100km west of Alice Springs. Gosses Bluff NT Conservation
reserve. The local aboriginal community may have land tenure over the
reserve. |
| ACCESS |
| Dirt road via Hermannsberg mission. This may require
permission from the land council. There is also an airstrip at
Hermannsberg, which may also require permission for use. |
| LOCAL CONTACTS |
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| NEAREST SERVICES |
| Alice Springs |
| RISKS |
| The area is fairly remote with the usual risks associated
with water, communications, and emergency evacuation. Two vehicles in the
party is advisable. The central uplift is rugged and probably accessible
only by foot. Basic medical services are probably available at
Hermannsberg with the nearest hospital at Alice Springs. Overall risk
medium. |
| GEOLOGY |
| The geology of Gosses Bluff has been extensively studied.
The Bluff is the central uplift only of a deeply eroded astrobleme. The
very low relief outer ring and the high points of the central uplift are
composed of Devonian sandstones. The core of the central uplift consist of
more easily eroded Cambro-Ordovician siltstones and limestones. The impact
occurred in the late Jurassic had has had about 1 km of erosion. The
regolith history is the only aspect that has been poorly studied. |
| CLIMATE |
| Nearest BOM Weather Station: Alice Springs |
| FLORA AND FAUNA |
| Low woodland vegetation on the central uplift, scattered
shrubs and grassland on the plain and outer ring. |
| HISTORY |
| Gosses Bluff was first visited by Europeans in 1872, when
Ernest Giles named it "Gosse's Range". An impact origin was
first proposed in 1966. It is Australia's most intensively studied
astrobleme. |
| ANALOGUE VALUE |
| The deeply eroded nature of this astrobleme may have no
equivalent on Mars. The extensive vegetation also makes it a poor visual
analogue. The terrain is either relatively smooth, offering little
challenge to Marsupial, or extremely rugged. Overall value must be low. |
| REFERENCES |
- Milton, D. J. Geology of the central uplift, Gosses Bluff impact
structure, Northern Territory (1:7500 geological map). AGSO Journal of
Geology and Geophysics 16(4) (In back pocket). Most detailed and
essential map to working at Gosses Bluff.
- Milton, D. J., Glickson, A. Y., and Brett, R. 1996. Gosses Bluff - a
latest Jurassic impact structure, central Australia. Part 1;
geological structure, stratigraphy, and origin. AGSO Journal of
Geology and Geophysics 16(4): 453-486. The main reference on the
geology of Gosses Bluff.
- Milton, Barlow, B. C., Brown, A. R., Moss, F. J., Manwaring, E. A.,
Sedmik E. C. E., Young, G. A., and van Son., J. 1996. Gosses Bluff - a
latest Jurassic impact structure, central Australia. Part 2; seismic,
magnetic, and gravity studies. AGSO Journal of Geology and Geophysics
16(4): 487-528. Presents the results of a range of geophysical
studies of the astrobleme.
- Quinlan, T. 1966. Explanatory notes, Hermannsburg Geological Sheet,
Northern Territory. B<R Record 1966/027.Thompson. 1991. A guide
to the geology and landforms of central Australia. Northern territory
Geological Survey. A very useful popular introduction to the subject
that covers the geological and geomorphological history of the region.
It also has site descriptions of Henbury, Gosses Bluff, and many other
points of geological interest.
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