Chris FERGUSSON Position:   Associate Professor Room:   41.159 Phone No:   +61 2 4221 3860 Email:   cferguss@uow.edu.au Lab/other loc:     Lab Phone:

Research Interests

Chris Fergusson is an earth scientist with interests in structural geology, tectonics, regional geology, sedimentology and oceanography. His research interests have concentrated on the regional geology and tectonics of the Tasman Fold Belt System of eastern Australia. He has also conducted research into the Appalachians of western Newfoundland and the Zagros Mountains of Iran. He was a sedimentologist on Leg 190 Nankai Trough (off Southwest Japan) of the Ocean Drilling Project. He is undertaking active research in the following areas:

 IODP Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment Stage 1 Expedition 316 "Shallow Megasplay and Frontal Thrusts" on the Chikyu.  (pdf)

Subduction zones in the Lachlan Fold Belt of southeastern Australia

Extensional and contractional deformation in the ancient Gondwanan margin of northeastern Australia

Lapstone Structural Complex – Sydney Basin structures

Leg 190 Nankai Trough

 

Representative Publications

Fergusson C. L., Henderson R. A., Fanning C. M. and Withnall I. W. 2007. Detrital zircon ages in Neoproterozoic to Ordovician siliciclastic rocks, northeastern Australia: implications for the tectonic history of the East Gondwana continental margin. Journal of the Geological Society, London 164, 215-225. (pdf – note Copyright © 2007 The Geological Society of London see The Geological Society's on-line journals at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/geol/jgs) This material has been published in the Journal of the Geological Society, London, Volume 164(1), pp. 215-225, the only definitive repository of the content that has been certified and accepted after peer review. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by The Geological Society of London.

Fergusson C. L. 2006. Review of structure and basement control of the Lapstone Structural Complex, Sydney Basin, eastern New South Wales. Sydney Basin Symposium. In: Hutton A. and Griffin J. (eds), Proceedings of the Thirty Sixth Sydney Basin Symposium, Advances in the study of the Sydney Basin, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, pp. 45-50. (pdf)

Fergusson C. L., Henderson R. A., Lewthwaite K. J., Phillips D. and Withnall I. W. 2005. Structure of the Early Palaeozoic Cape River Metamorphics, Tasmanides of north Queensland: evaluation of the roles of convergent and extensional tectonics. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 52, 261–277.

Underwood M. B. and Fergusson C. L. 2005. Late Cenozoic evolution of the Nankai trench-slope system: evidence from sand petrography and clay mineralogy. In Hodgson D. M. and Flint S. S. eds Submarine Slope Systems: Processes and Products. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 244, 113-129.

Fergusson C. L. 2003. Ordovician–Silurian accretion tectonics of the Lachlan Fold Belt, southeastern Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 50, 475-490.

Mohajjel M., Fergusson C. L. and Sahandi M. R. 2003. Cretaceous-Tertiary convergence and continental collision, Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, western Iran. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 21, 397-412.

Fergusson C. L. and Frikken P. 2003. Diapirism and structural thickening in an Early Palaeozoic subduction complex, southeastern New South Wales, Australia. Journal of Structural Geology, 25, 43-58.

 Full list of publications (1979-2007) (PDF 50k)

Searchable Publication List

 

Students

List of Past Research Students

 

Suggested Topics for Future Students

(1) Structure and uplift history of the Lapstone Structural Complex. Structures in the Sydney Basin developed in the Hunter-Bowen Orogeny with significant younger deformation. This project aims to determine if the Lapstone Structural Complex developed in the lower Blue Mountains has any neotectonic activity associated with the late Neogene plate coupling between the Pacific and Indian-Australian plates in New Zealand. Earthquake activity will be used to identify potentially active structures followed by analysis of topography (DEM) and field investigation of critical sites.

(2) Structural transect of the Capertee Zone, northeastern Lachlan Fold Belt. This project involves a detailed structural analysis of road-cuts along the Cudgegong-Rylstone road that contain folds, cleavage and numerous faults. The main aim is to document the structural style of Devonian shallow marine strata and then extend the transect to the east and west to complete a cross section through the whole northern Capertee Zone utilising results from the NGMA project on the Mudgee 1:100,000 geological map sheet. This project follows on from much mapping undertaken by Honours, postgraduate students and geologists of the Geological Survey of New South Wales in the 1980s and 1990s. This project requires use of a vehicle with 4 weeks in the field.

(3) Structural transects of the Budawang Synclinorium, eastern Lachlan Fold Belt. This project is concerned with the structure of Upper Devonian sedimentary rocks that form the southern part of the Budawang Synclinorium. These rocks are affected by open upright folds and have boundary faults developed at the margins of the main synformal structure. Richard Glen of the Geological Survey of New South Wales argued that this structure was affected by a thin-skinned style deformed region dominated by marginal thrusting. A BSc(Hons) student from the University of Wollongong in 1990 mapped two structural transects across the northern part of the synclinorium west of Nowra and came to quite different conclusions (see Cooper G.T. 1992, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, volume 39, pp. 529–537).

(4) Other projects on the detailed stratigraphy, structure and tectonic development of parts of the Lachlan Fold Belt can also be considered.

 

Abbreviated CV

1984 PhD University of New England, Armidale, N.S.W. "Structure and tectono-stratigraphy of the central Coffs Harbour Block, eastern New England Fold Belt."

1977 BA(Hons) Macquarie University, North Ryde, N.S.W.

Positions

2000-present. Associate Professor, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong.

Research, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in structural geology, tectonics and oceanography. Undergraduate service teaching of geology for engineers.

1991-1999 Senior Lecturer, Department of Geology/School of Geosciences, University of Wollongong.

1986-1990 Lecturer, Department of Geology, University of Wollongong.

1984-1986. Research Fellow – Department of Earth Sciences, Monash University.

Australian Research Grants Scheme project "Tectonic Style and Significance of the Ordovician System, eastern Victoria" with Drs R.A.F. Cas and D.R. Gray as principal investigators.

1979-1982. PhD student – Department of Geology, University of New England. Australian Government Commonwealth Research Award.

1977-1978. Research Assistant – School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie University.

Field work in structural geology and regional geology associated with the Australian Research Grants Scheme project "The Nature of Orogeny in eastern Australia as exemplified by mid-Palaeozoic events in the Lachlan Fold Belt", headed by Associate Professor C. McA. Powell, and with Drs R. A. F. Cas and J. G. Jones.

Chris Fergusson was the Honorary Secretary (July 2000 - July 2002) of the Geological Society of Australia Incorporated.