BLOG # 1 - Newer Volcanic Providence of Victoria, Australia

Australia sits directly on top of the Indo-Australia plate, which is currently moving north at a rate of 7.5cm/year by subducting, or sinking, underneath the Pacific and Indo-Asian plates (Volcano World).

The black arrows indicate the Indian-Australian plate is moving north, and underneath the Pacific plate. While the opposing arrows at the bottom of the image indicate the divergence between the Antartica plate and the southern edge of the Indian-Australian plate.  The northern movement of the Indian-Australian plate is relevant to the volcanic development along the eastern coast of the Australian island.

Photo Credit: http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/australia/volc_australia.html

 A hotspot is a stationary location where magma rises up from the mantle through weaker spots in the earth’s crust causing exterior volcanic activity.   Volcanologists have identified a solitary hotspot that created the Newer Volcanic Providence in Southeastern Australia. 

Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Australia_hotspot
Text cropped into corner of image credited to: Julia Johns

The physical markings of plate movement are demonstrated by the linear development of volcanic regions from northern Australia, with the youngest volcanoes on the southern coast of Australia and even younger volcanoes on the island of Tasmania. The two images below demonstrate the northern movement of the Australian plate to create the linear volcanic development from north to south, due to the stationary hotspot as the continent travelled for millions of years over the hotspot.

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/australia/volc_australia.html

As the plate moves over the hotspot of rising magma, a chain of volcanoes is formed

Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hotspot(geology)-1.svg

Mount Shank is the youngest volcano on the southern coast of Australia because it was the last volcano to erupt on the island around 5,000-7,500 years ago.  All the volcanoes along the Newer Volcanic Providence are considered to be dormant.

http://www.seismicity.see.uwa.edu.au/welcome/seismicity_in_australia/volcanoes_and_earthquakes_in_southeastern_australia


"Mount Schank's cinder cone-shaped landform is a rare South Australian example of volcanic activity in recent geological time" (DENR, Australia)


http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/Heritage/Heritage_places_and_areas/State_heritage_areas/Mount_Schank




In geological timeline, all of the volcanic and tectonic plate development described above happened relatively recently, but spans eons of human history.  Since the hotspot is no longer underneath Victoria, Australia, the threat of volcanic activity threatening urban life is non-existant. 
The final image of Mount Shank even depicts agricultural and irrigation development across the cone, which is protected geological/historical land under the Victorian providencial government Department of Environment and Natural Resources. 


It is still debatable whether the Newer Volcanic Providence should be considered "dormant" or "extinct" because there is no foreseeable threat to human life but scientists cannot prove without a doubt that the volcanic chain will never be active again.

Works Cited

Australia, D. o. (n.d.). Mount Schank State Heritage Area. Retrieved from http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/Heritage/Heritage_places_and_areas/State_heritage_areas/Mount_Schank

Volcano World. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oregon State Volcanology: http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/australia/volc_australia.html