284 
THE OVENS AND BUCKLAND RIVER VALLEYS. 
By E. J. Dunn , F.G.S., late Director , Geological Survey. 
In all the river valleys of the North Eastern District of the State such 
as those of the King, Buffalo, Buckland, Ovens, Kiewa, Mitta Mitta and 
Murray Rivers, terraces occur that attest the oscillations of the land in 
relation to sea-level. 
The Ovens Valley, near Myrtleford. 
There has been a succession of alternate uplifts of the land and 
subsidences. During the uplifts denuding influences prevailed and 
valleys were scooped out, and during the periods of subsidence these 
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Fig. 87.—Diagram illustrating the cross-sections of the Ovens valley at several periods during its evolution. 
valleys were again partly filled in. When the uplift was greatest as 
compared with sea-level then denuding agencies were most effective and 
during that time (apparently about the commencement of what is known 
as the Newer Pliocene period) valleys were worn to their greatest depth in 
the Ordovician and other old rocks. In .the hills there is evidence of 
older Tertiary leads that extend back to Miocene times, as in the case of 
Mount Fainter at the head of the Kiewa valley, but these very ancient 
Tertiary drifts are not known in the Ovens River valley. A reaction 
appears to have set in, and the relative position of the land and sea was 
so altered by subsidence that drift material accumulated in the valley and 
filled it up for 250 to 300 feet in depth, burying the old river gravels 
(some of them auriferous) to that depth. This material is considered to 
be of Newer Pliocene age. Again an uplift of the land took place, 
with the result that the valley was worn down in the Newer Pliocene 
material to a depth of 50 or 60 feet, leaving remnants along the foot of 
the hills skirting the valley. The uplift was arrested and succeeded by a 
subsidence, during which about 20 feet of Post-Pliocene drift-material 
was laid down. Once more an uplift occurred, and a valley was cut in 
Post-Pliocene drift; then another subsidence followed, and 10 to 15 feet 
of Recent drift was laid down, and this forms the present surface, the 
tendency being to cut away this material rather than to add to it. 
Fig. 38.—Section showing the alluvial deposits in the Ovens valley. 
