Kevin Kiernan

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A revised climatology of SE Australia at the LGM

EGUGA, Apr 1, 2015

Karst Engineering Beneath an Early Australian Railway

The Australian Journal …, 1989

Tasmania traversed a belt of karst topography developed on limestone. Crossing a small cave syste... more Tasmania traversed a belt of karst topography developed on limestone. Crossing a small cave system necessitated minor engineering works within the cave and careful alignment of the railway to avoid sinkholes. This may be the earliest example of karst engineering on a major Australian development project.

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Prehistoric Occupation and Burial Sites in the Mountains of the Nam Khong Area, Mae Hong Son Province, Northwestern Thailand

Australian Archaeology, 1988

... surveying some of the caves that are widespread amid these mountains (Kiernan 1987). We have ... more

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Karst Caves within the Southern Forests Region of Tasmania, September 1987

Australian Archaeology, 1988

Page 1. 1 AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE OF KARST CAVES WITHIN THE SOUTHERN FORESTS REGION OF T... more

The Australian National University-Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service Archaeological Expedition to the Franklin River, 1982: A Summary of Results

Australian Archaeology, 1983

Dead logs and branches impeded us at every step; and we were continually meeting with large tract... more

Periglacial processes on Heard Island, Southern Indian Ocean

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 2008

Periglacial activity on Heard Island is manifested by intense physical weathering of the longest-... more Periglacial activity on Heard Island is manifested by intense physical weathering of the longest-exposed surfaces, and hillslope forms produced by a variety of cold-climate mass wasting processes. Microrelieffeatures include rudimentary sorted steps, terraces and polygons. No evidence of deep cryoturbation was obtained from excavations at 14 sites in moraines and no landforms indicative of discontinuous permafrost were identified. Periglacial landform development has been inhibited by the maritime climate and is more restricted than on other islands in the region due to the low altitude of the ice-free terrain, limited extent of glacier-free ground, and relatively recent deglaciation.

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Aquifer structure and contamination risk in lava flows: insights from Iceland and Australia

Environmental Geology, 2003

Relatively recent recognition of the importance of endogenous lava emplacement mechanisms require... more Relatively recent recognition of the importance of endogenous lava emplacement mechanisms requires updating of groundwater models for some volcanic terranes because voids produced during lava inflation play a more significant role in their hydrogeology than has generally been recognised. Highly integrated, underground drainage systems in some very young lava flows in Iceland exemplify the potentially complex, fissured and conduit aquifers which may exist. Similarities between such aquifers and easily polluted, karstic conduit aquifers suggest greater research and more careful and protective management of some volcanic aquifers are warranted. Interpretation of aquifer structure can be impeded on very old lava flows by superimposition of sediments and accumulation of weathering residues but, if emplacement was by endogenous processes, then relicts of similar void systems may persist and pose similar hazards. Keywords Groundwater AE Fissured aquifer AE Conduit aquifer AE Lava tubes AE Pollution Ash deposits near volcanic vents tend to be highly permeable and springs may occur downslope due to better sorting of ash with increasing distance from a vent, the

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Management considerations for the Heard Island lava tube caves

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 2000

Heard Island contains a system of lava tube caves in a largely pristine condition which are the b... more Heard Island contains a system of lava tube caves in a largely pristine condition which are the best developed bedrock caves known in Antarctic or Subantarctic latitudes. They require special management, because of significant and sometimes fragile attributes associated with cave geomorphology, geology, hydrology, atmospheres, soils, microbiology, flora, fauna, vertebrate palaeontology, archaeology and safety considerations. Use for recreation, tourism or science may pose serious impacts on these cave environments. Restricted access under the Heard Island Wilderness Reserve Management Plan would be an appropriate management response.

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Late Wisconsin glaciation of Tasmania

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 1996

During the Late Wisconsin, icecap and outlet glacier systems developed on the West Coast Range an... more During the Late Wisconsin, icecap and outlet glacier systems developed on the West Coast Range and on the Central Plateau ofTasmania. Local cirque and valley glaciers occurred in many other mountain areas of southwestern Tasmania. Criteria are outlined that enable Late Wisconsin and older glacial landforms and deposits to be distinguished . Rad iocarbon dates show Late Wisconsin ice d eveloped after 26-25 ka BP, attained its maximum extent c. 19 ka BP, and disappeared from the highest cirques before 10 ka BP. Important Late Wisconsin age glacial landforms and deposits of the West Coast Range, north-central and south-central Tasmania are described. Late Wisconsin ice was less extensive than ice formed during middle and earlier Pleistocene glaciations. Late Wisconsin snowline altitudes, glaciological conditions and palaeodimatic conditions are outlined.

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Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure ages of glaciations in the Frankland Range, southwest Tasmania reveal a limited MIS-2 ice advance

Quaternary Science Reviews, 2017

Abstract New mapping of the glacial geomorphology coupled with 10 Be and 26 Al exposure age datin... more Abstract New mapping of the glacial geomorphology coupled with 10 Be and 26 Al exposure age dating of moraines on the flanks of the Frankland Range in south west Tasmania indicate that glacier extent during MIS-2 was far smaller than during earlier glaciations with the ice cover being confined to only the uppermost cirques of the range. Moraines further down the range flanks, ∼50–150 m lower in altitude than the MIS-2 dated advance, indicate that glaciers were only slightly larger during earlier glaciations and, depending on the interpretation of their exposure ages, may range from MIS 7 to MIS 12. These older moraines are nested inside the maximum ice limits of an even more ancient and extensive glaciation, defined by degraded valley floor moraines and coalescing glacio-fluvial fans that remain undated but appear no younger than MIS 12. Patterns of glacial erosion and moraine deposition on the Frankland Range suggest that the more recent glaciations were increasingly influenced by the erosional morphology initiated by earlier glaciers. Microclimatic differences resulting from this earlier glacial topography were particularly influential determinants of glaciation during MIS 2. These results are consistent with emerging evidence from studies of other ranges in southwest Tasmania.

Drought damage in a Tasmanian forest on limestone

Widespread but patchily distributed drought death of forest trees occurred in early 1988 on a lim... more Widespread but patchily distributed drought death of forest trees occurred in early 1988 on a limestone ridge at Mole Creek in Tasmania. A close juxtaposition of damaged and undamaged vegetation probably reflects differences in the speed of soil moisture decline down the length of individual soil-filled solution tubes in which the trees are rooted. Possible palaeoecological, geomorphological and silvicultural implications are briefly reviewed.

Thermokarstic landforms and processes at Marine Plain, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica

Land Surface Rehabilitation Research in Antarctica

Proceedings- Linnean Society of New South Wales

ABSTRACT

A reconnaissance survey of soil erosion in Australia

Funding was provided by the National Soil Conservation Program of the Australian Department of Pr... more Funding was provided by the National Soil Conservation Program of the Australian Department of Primary Industries and Energy for a reconnaissance survey of soil erosion using the environmental fallout isotope caesium-I37. The project should provide information to landholders on soil erosion by water and wind. All state soil conservation authorities throughout Australia are participating. It is expected that the survey will provide information which is useful for future land management decisions.

Climatic conditions in SE Australia at the LGM

Contemporary Sorted Patterned Ground in Low Altitude Areas of Tasmania

Geographical Research, 2015

ABSTRACT This paper summarises the distribution of patterned ground phenomena in Tasmania. It pre... more ABSTRACT This paper summarises the distribution of patterned ground phenomena in Tasmania. It presents observations of low altitude sorted stone circles forming on glacial and alluvial deposits in the vicinity of Queenstown, Western Tasmania. Evidence suggests that freeze-thaw derived patterned ground could develop in most inland valleys in Tasmania where cold air drainage causes sub-zero ground temperatures in winter and permits the formation of ground and segregation ice to low elevations. Field observations suggest that patterned ground can only develop where freeze-thaw processes are not inhibited by vegetation. The occurrence of patterned ground below altitudes of 900 m asl in Tasmania is largely a result of anthropogenic disturbance.

Topographic and microclimatic impacts on glaciation of the Denison Range, southwest Tasmania

Quaternary Science Reviews, 2014

ABSTRACT Morphostratigraphic relationships between landforms and sediments, comparative boulder w... more ABSTRACT Morphostratigraphic relationships between landforms and sediments, comparative boulder weathering status, and paired 10Be and 26Al exposure ages indicate the occurrence of at least three separate glaciations that are interpreted as dating from MIS 2, 6 and possibly 8. The Rhona Glacier remained at or close to its greatest LGM extent until ∼17.6 ka due to a very favourable micro-climate that resulted from local topography. That these factors were sufficient to over-power relatively subtle zonal temperature shifts that caused significant changes in more exposed Tasmanian glaciers implies a need for caution in correlating between glacier systems in markedly different topographic settings when environmental conditions are only marginally supportive of glaciation. No evidence was detected for any greater ice extent during MIS 3 or MIS 4 than during MIS 2, but much more extensive glaciations occurred during earlier glacial climatic cycles. Reduced local precipitation in parallel with increasing aridity of the Australian continent may account for the progressively diminishing maximum extent of glaciers during the latter part of the Pleistocene, and it would have emphasized the importance of local topography and microclimate for the glaciers of southwest Tasmania.

Style and timing of late Quaternary faulting on the Lake Edgar fault, southwest Tasmania, Australia: Implications for hazard assessment in intracratonic areas

Geological Criteria for Evaluating Seismicity Revisited: Forty Years of Paleoseismic Investigations and the Natural Record of Past Earthquakes, 2011

Geomorphic analysis of the ~30-km-long Lake Edgar fault scarp in southwestern Tasmania suggests t... more Geomorphic analysis of the ~30-km-long Lake Edgar fault scarp in southwestern Tasmania suggests that three large surface-rupturing events with vertical displacements of 2.4 m to 3.1 m have occurred in late Quaternary time. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age estimates from a sequence of three periglacial fl uvial terraces associated with faulting constrain these events to ca. 18 ka, ca. 28 ka, and ca. 48-61 ka. A similar amount of vertical displacement during each faulting event suggests that surface-breaking earthquakes on this fault are characteristically of magnitude M W 6.8-7.0. Estimates for the average slip rate calculated over two complete seismic cycles range from 0.11 to 0.24 mm/yr, which is large for a stable continental region fault. This sequence represents the fi rst recurrence data for surface-rupturing earthquakes on an eastern Australian Quaternary fault, and one of only a few for the entire Australian continent.

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Cosmogenic radionuclide chronology of pre-last glacial cycle moraines in the Western Arthur range, Southwest Tasmania

Quaternary Science Reviews, 2010

ABSTRACT Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure ages of 12 boulders from two moraine complexes in the ... more ABSTRACT Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure ages of 12 boulders from two moraine complexes in the Western Arthur Range of southwest Tasmania, which previously were considered to have been deposited during the Last Glacial Maximum, predate the Last Glacial Cycle. Zero-erosion minimum exposure ages range from 95 ka to 232 ka based on weighted mean 10Be and 26Al ages per boulder. For a reasonable choice of erosion rates, 10Be boulder ages range from 105 to 326 ka, respectively. Although a direct association of moraine construction to a specific marine isotope stage (MIS) glaciation is not definitive, erosion-corrected exposure ages indicate glacial advances commensurate with MIS-6 and -10, although the latter advance may be attributable to MIS-8 if the erosion rate correction is an over-estimate. Given the relatively close proximity of the dated moraines to their source cirques, this new cosmogenic glacial chronology implies a very limited extent for any younger glacial advances that occurred in the Western Arthur Range during the Last Glacial Cycle (post MIS-5) including the global LGM.

Geomorphology and glacial history of Rauer Group, East Antarctica

Quaternary Research, 2009

The presence of glacial sediments across the Rauer Group indicates that the East Antarctic ice sh... more The presence of glacial sediments across the Rauer Group indicates that the East Antarctic ice sheet formerly covered the entire archipelago and has since retreated at least 15 km from its maximum extent. The degree of weathering of these glacial sediments suggests that ice retreat from this maximum position occurred sometime during the latter half of the last glacial cycle. Following this phase of retreat, the ice sheet margin has not expanded more than ∼ 1 km seaward of its present position. This pattern of ice sheet change matches that recorded in Vestfold Hills, providing further evidence that the diminutive Marine Isotope Stage 2 ice sheet advance in the nearby Larsemann Hills may have been influenced by local factors rather than a regional ice-sheet response to climate and sea-level change.

Kevin Kiernan

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