255 MA > At this time the local area was covered by huge coal swamps, fed by water from melting glaziers and snow from the massive mountain range to the north of here.
250 MA > This was the time when the great Permian Extinction happened, possibly
caused by a huge meteor impact in the area that is Antarctica today.
200 MA > The eruption of the Garrawilla Volcano, created a massive pile of pyroclastic debris and lava flows over a very large area. Here we find the
rare Zeolite crystals that are on display in the museum.
150 MA > The Talbragar Fish Beds. A small lake in the southern part ot our area was buried by a massive ash fall, probably from one of the eruptions of
the Garrawilla volcano. These were the first Jurassic fossils discovered in Australia.
120 MA > The area was covered by the "Great Jurassic Sea", a very large body of salt water, which left sandstone deposits up to 600 metres thick (the
Pilliga Beds). The Garravilla volcano formed an island or peninsula in
this marine enviroment.
17 MA > The Warrumbungle volcano starts to erupt through a thick layer of sandstone. The lava of these early eruptions was very thick and quickly
plugged up the vents, resulting in a large number of "Mini Volcanos".
The later eruptions, about 14 MA, consisted of very thin lava, which flowed over a large area, creating a Shield Volcano.
15000 years > The Australian megafauna became extinct about this time, possibly
due to the climate becoming very dry over a long period. They were represented in this area by the giant Diproton Optatum, a marsupial
elephant and the giant kangaroo Procoptodon and others.
MA = Million years ago