Mount Noorat
Encyclopedia
Mount Noorat is an extinct volcano, situated on Glenormiston Road north of the township of Noorat, and approximately six kilometres north of Terang
, Victoria
, Australia
. The last eruption is estimated to have occurred between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago.
Mount Noorat is a major volcano of the Newer Volcanics Province
of Victoria, with a peak height of 310 meters above sea level and a crater between 160 to 200 meters. It is characterised by multiple vents, a complex topography
, and the deepest scoria
enclosed crater in Victoria. The mount illustrates a transition form maar
eruption to scoria cone development, and includes megacryst
and xenolith
.
Terang, Victoria
Terang is a small Australian town situated in Corangamite Shire in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, on the Princes Highway 212 km south-west of the state's capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Terang had a population of 2256...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The last eruption is estimated to have occurred between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago.
Mount Noorat is a major volcano of the Newer Volcanics Province
Newer Volcanics Province
The Newer Volcanics Province is a complex of volcanic centres formed by the East Australia hotspot across south-eastern Australia. It has an area of 6,000 square miles with over 400 vents and contains the youngest volcanoes in Australia...
of Victoria, with a peak height of 310 meters above sea level and a crater between 160 to 200 meters. It is characterised by multiple vents, a complex topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, and the deepest scoria
Scoria
Scoria is a volcanic rock containing many holes or vesicles. It is most generally dark in color , and basaltic or andesitic in composition. Scoria is relatively low in mass as a result of its numerous macroscopic ellipsoidal vesicles, but in contrast to pumice, all scoria has a specific gravity...
enclosed crater in Victoria. The mount illustrates a transition form maar
Maar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. The name comes from the local Moselle...
eruption to scoria cone development, and includes megacryst
Megacryst
In geology, a megacryst is a crystal or grain that is considerably larger than the encircling matrix. They are found in igneous and metamorphic rocks.- Notes :*...
and xenolith
Xenolith
A xenolith is a rock fragment which becomes enveloped in a larger rock during the latter's development and hardening. In geology, the term xenolith is almost exclusively used to describe inclusions in igneous rock during magma emplacement and eruption...
.