Get a deeper understanding of western Victoria this Earth Science Week

To celebrate Earth Science Week, the Geological Survey of Victoria (GSV) has launched a new film that shows how applied geoscientific research can answer questions about Australia's vast and well-hidden geology.

The Stavely Arc film captures scientific research on western Victoria's geology and what may lie beneath the ground's surface in an area extending from Penshurst to Nhill, including Hamilton, Cavendish, Balmoral, Dunkeld, Horsham, Dimboola, Moyston and Stawell.

The film demonstrates how Victoria evolved from the ocean floor more than 500 million years ago to the landscape it is today.

GSV and Geoscience Australia collaborated on the project to increase the data and knowledge available about a region in western Victoria geologically known as the Stavely Arc.

Volcanic arcs, like the Stavely Arc, are alignments of huge volcanoes. Active arcs are found in Japan, Indonesia and South America. They are some of the most distinctive and dynamic landscapes on Earth.

It's remarkable to imagine that, 500 million years ago, such a landscape dominated western Victoria. Millions of years of erosion has long since removed the volcanoes, but volcanic rocks remain, and these are the critical clues geologists use to interpret ancient Victoria.

These volcanic arcs often represent geological environments known for world-class copper and gold resources.

GSV is committed to improving public knowledge of the state's earth resources, such as minerals, gas, quarry materials and groundwater and helping communities understand what might be beneath the surface in their local area.

The data and knowledge gathered is crucial to informing natural resource assessments, including which areas may have minerals potential and which areas are unlikely to, reducing uncertainty for regional communities and explorers.

Watch The Stavely Arc – uncovering the geological evolution of western Victoria film on Youtube.

Earth Science Week is been held between 13 and 19 October 2019.

Quotes attributed to Paul McDonald, Director Geological Survey of Victoria

"Geology influences our lives every day from the ground that infrastructure is built on, to the groundwater and resulting soil for our agriculture industry, to the remarkable landscapes that drive Victoria's tourism."

"The present is the key to the past, and by comparing modern mineral systems to ancient rocks, geologists can start to build predictive capacity, even in ancient, mostly hidden geology."

"This Earth Science Week we're encouraging western Victoria communities to go deeper in understanding what made their region and what opportunities may lie there."