Geological terrane | Description |
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Uplifted Australian Plate affinity | Rocks that are Miocene or older and have always been or were once part of the Australian Plate |
Transitional | Metamorphic rocks—typically of Cretaceous age. Note however, these typically have poor age control and more often than not were classified on the basis that these are deformed/metamorphic rock |
Mesozoic ultramafic rocks | Refers to Cretaceous or older ultramafic rocks |
Accreted Pacific Plate affinity | Cretaceous to Early Miocene mafic volcanic rocks that likely accreted to New Guinea's northern margin during the Cretaceous, or during the Eocene–Oligocene. This classification contains some ultramafic rock |
Post collisional volcanics and intrusives | Refers to volcanic and plutonic rocks that are Miocene age or younger |
Miocene or younger rocks that overlie Pacific Plate | Refers to sedimentary rocks and carbonates that are Miocene or younger that overlie what was once likely part of the Pacific Plate (and therefore assumed to also be representative of the ‘Accreted Pacific Plate affinity’ category) |
Pliocene or younger rocks that overlie the Australian Plate | Refers to sedimentary rocks and carbonates that are Pliocene or younger that overlie what is or was once part of the Australian Plate (and therefore assumed to also be representative of the ‘Uplifted Australian Plate affinity’ category) |