UoM–East Timor project to map Atauro Island geology
[ UniNews Vol. 14, No. 9
30 May - 13 June 2005 ]
The first geological map of East Timor’s Atauro Island is to be produced by University of Melbourne scientists working with the East Timor Energy Minerals and Resources Directorate (EMRD) and Dili Polytechnic Institute.
Dili Polytechnic Institute students participating in the project will gain geological research skills and training from the University team, led by Professor Mike Sandiford (Earth Sciences).
“Atauro is an extinct volcanic island north of Dili where only a few cars and several kilometres of road exist at the moment. This will be the first geological map of the island,” Professor Sandiford says.
“The East Timorese have not had the resources and training to map such an area before, so this will be a first for them.”
Digitised maps and GPS technology will enable the project team to track its position on the island and satellite images will help locate geological landmarks. The images will be interpreted to determine areas where rocks are particularly well exposed – facilitating the development of a detailed geological map.
Professor Sandiford says Atauro Island, about 20km long and 8km wide, has a rugged and ‘volatile’ terrain.
“Atauro is small, but it is very rough and landslides and flooding are big issues. It’s important, as East Timor stabilises politically, that its people understand how their islands are moving and emerging.
“They can then look at building infrastructure such as roads and buildings in more stable areas. Knowledge of natural resources is precious to help generate an income stream which will support their economy,” he says.
While in East Timor the Melbourne scientists aim to further their knowledge of the recent history of the Indo-Australian plate. It is the second foray they have made into the country as part of a grant provided by the Australian Research Council to study the plate’s movements.
“We are trying to build up a picture of East Timor and an idea of the processes that have shaped the area into what it is today,” says Professor Sandiford.
“Geologically speaking East Timor is relatively new. It is on the leading edge of the north-west shelf of the Australian continental crust which has risen out of the sea in the past few million years. We want to know at what rate and at which points this will continue.”
He says the tectonic plate on which Australia sits has moved more than 100km in the past two million years. It reached a collision point with the volcanic island chain of Indonesia several million years ago.
“From that point it has been crumpled and pushed up and broken up to create East Timor,” Professor Sandiford says.
“The geological make-up of the Indo-Australian plate is forever changing and it is important to understand how this is happening now to be able to predict what will happen in the future. This is also a way of doing relevant scientific work while helping a young nation that has had a pretty rough time.”
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