[en] Full text: This project involves studying the internal plumbing of intracontinental orogenic belts from the perspective of fluid-rock interaction. Importantly, fluid-rock interaction processes involving fluid flow through metamorphic belts affects the tectonic evolution of the belts. So, therefore, the retrogressive evolution (post-peak metamorphism) of metamorphic provinces can be assessed by studying the areas of focussed deformation and fluid infiltration. The study area for this project is the Arunta Inlier in central Australia, which is a multiply deformed and metamorphosed Proterozoic Inlier dissected by many faults and shear zones. Faults and shear zones play an important role as fluid conduits during reworking of metamorphic provinces owing to increased transient permeabilities and rehydration reactions accrued during active faulting and shearing. Therefore, much of this project is focussed on looking in detail at fluid involvement during shearing. This presentation summarises the results from several shear zones in the Arunta Inlier. The shear zones form part of a crustal scale pop-up structure which exhumed the northern Arunta Inlier during the Palaeozoic Alice Springs Orogeny (300-400Ma). Results from oxygen isotope analyses suggest some of the fluids involved in shearing during this event came from the surface. This involves a major downward migration of possibly 10km into the ductile crust. Therefore, the surface derived fluids have infiltrated the middle crust without loosing their isotopic signature through water-rock interaction. This implies large volumes of fluids are involved, which is also reflected in the major geochemical changes seen across the shear zones. So there is evidence in central Australia for large volume and large scale fluid flow through shear zones active during Alice Springs age reworking of the Arunta Inlier. Copyright (1999) Geological Society of Australia