The late Neoproterozoic Grassy Group of King Island, Tasmania: correlationand palaeogeographic significance

There is a very strong lithostratigraphic and delta(13)C-chemostratigraphic resemblance between the well-exposed diamictite-cap dolostone-shale succes sion on eastern King Island, and the Marinoan glacials and lowermost Wilpen a Group of the Adelaide Rift Complex. The strength of the resemblance sugge sts original lateral continuity of sedimentation between King Island and th e Adelaide Rift Complex together with the contiguous central Australian Neo proterozoic epicratonic basins. On King Island, unlike mainland Australia, elastic sedimentation is interrupted by a thick succession of mafic, rift-r elated basalts and picrites at the level of the lower Brachina Formation eq uivalent. The evidence is consistent with King Island - and possibly the re st of western Tasmania - lying close to the Australian craton in Marinoan t imes, and rifting shortly after ca. 600Ma. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.