An Ancient Volcanic Arc in Australia: The Pine Creek Orogen

Beneath the landscapes of the Northern Territory lies the eroded core of an ancient volcanic arc that once shaped the edge of Australia nearly two billion years ago. The Pine Creek Orogen preserves the deep roots of a Paleoproterozoic subduction system, where magma was generated, crust was deformed, and metal-rich fluids circulated through the Earth’s crust. Unlike modern volcanic arcs marked by active volcanoes, this system has been stripped down by immense geological time, exposing granites, metamorphosed sediments, and structural pathways that reveal how continental crust grows. This article explores how volcanic arcs form, why Australia preserves only their roots, where the Pine Creek Orogen is located, and how these deep processes led to the concentration of gold and uranium that made the region one of Australia’s most important mineral provinces.

A New 'Super Volcano' Discovered In The Pacific: The Truth

A wave of media hype has recently misrepresented the Melanesian Border Plateau as a looming supervolcano. But geologists aren’t buying it.

Located northeast of Australia, this vast underwater plateau is indeed volcanic in origin—but it’s not a hidden Yellowstone. The Melanesian Border Plateau is the product of hotspot volcanism and back-arc tectonics, forming mostly during the Cenozoic era through scattered submarine eruptions and seafloor spreading.

Unlike true supervolcanoes, which are defined by catastrophic caldera-forming eruptions ejecting over 1,000 km³ of material, the plateau shows no such eruptive history. Instead, it's a diffuse volcanic province, more comparable to the Ontong Java Plateau or Hikurangi Plateau, both massive yet stable oceanic features.

So no, it’s not about to erupt and end the world. It's a fascinating volcanic relic—but not an apocalyptic threat.