Anticline in Melbourne
March 14, 2012
Photographer: Phil Lachman
Summary Author: Phil Lachman; Stu Witmer
The photo above shows a roadcut as seen from the Belford Road overpass on the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne, Australia. The major geological feature in this roadcut is an anticline. According to Nicholas Steno's law of superposition, the oldest sedimentary deposits are at the bottom.
Two fault lines can be seen to the right of the anticline's axis. These are discernible because the sedimentary layers on either side of the faults do not match. Both of these appear to be thrust faults where the rocks of lower stratigraphic position (on the left) are pushed up and over higher strata (on the right). On the left of the fold axis the sedimentary rocks are cut by a small decomposed dike, which has been filled in with concreted rocks. I have labeled the fold axis, the dike, the faults and a possible matching of sedimentary layers on either side of the first fault. Photo taken January 19, 2012.
Photo details: Camera Maker: Canon; Camera Model: Canon EOS 50D; Focal Length: 50.0mm; Aperture: f/8.0; Exposure Time: 0.0031 s (1/320); ISO equiv: 250; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Matrix; Exposure: shutter priority (semi-auto); White Balance: Auto; Flash Fired: No (enforced); Orientation: Normal; Software: Paint Shop Pro Photo 12.01.