Tectonically deformed sand volcanoes in a Precambrian greywacke, Northern Territory of Australia

Structures previously described as umbrella-shaped probable fossils are shown to be tectonically deformed cylindrical to conical sand volcanoes. They occur in the upper parts of greywacke beds in the middle Precambrian Pine Creek Geosyncline. The anisotropy caused by the occurrence of the volcanoes resulted in the localization of stresses during the deformation of the geosynclinal sequence, causing the formation of radial and concentric fractures in each of the volcanoes.