Phillip Island Excursion Site 19: Red Rock Point

The car park for Red Rock Point has nearby toilet facilities. There are a few walkways where you can gain access to the beach.

The basalt outcrops here are red, having been altered from the usual black colour by the oxidation of the iron in the minerals in the rock. Check the thickness of the basalt flows. Look for the different layers. Look for holes and joints in the basalt, the holes being likely due to gas bubbles moving toward the top of a lava flow and remaining as holes when it solidified.

Significance

These deposits illustrate the geographical extent of the volcanic eruptions and the effect of alteration on the basalt. The holes (vesicles) in the basalt point to the release of gases during the eruptions.

Guide available as a booklet
This entry is taken from the geological excursion guide for Phillip Island. The complete guide is available as a booklet on creation.com Aussie store.