Western Australian Museum Annual Report 2003-2004

35
Western Australian Museum–
Science and Culture
fossil collection. This prompted a reappraisal of the Tennant Fossil Collection, obtained by the
museum in 1897. A decision was taken to separate this from the main collection. Work also
began on researching the history of this collection and its significance to 19th-century geology
for a book and ultimately for a display.
Fieldwork was undertaken at Kalbarri National Park in April, when a new Eocene fossil fauna
dominated by sponges and molluscs was obtained.
During the year Ken McNamara was made a Fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science and an Adjunct Professor at Curtin University.
Emeritus Curator Mr George Kendrick continued work on a Cretaceous molluscs fauna from
India. He also began work on further molluscs from the Pallinup Siltstone at Walpole.
Mineralogy and Meteoritics
A magnificent collection of faceted and rough, pink and other coloured diamonds from the
Argyle Diamond Mine was donated to the Museum by Argyle Diamonds in 2003. The collection
comprises twenty-eight parcels numbering more than 300 individual stones weighing 13.73
carats in total. It represents the largest collection of its kind in any public museum in Australia.
The construction of a case for the public display of the collection is presently underway, with
generous sponsorship from Mr Mark Creasy, and the collection will be added to the Diamonds
to Dinosaurs Gallery.
The bulk of the mineral collection that was housed in the upper basement of the Francis Street
building was moved to the Jubilee Wing in April–May, 2004. This move has allowed the old
museum mineral collection to be recombined with the Simpson–MDC collection for the first
time in a century. The relocation of the meteorite collection and staff offices from the Francis
Street building to the Jubilee Wing will continue during the second half of 2004.
Dr Alexander Bevan continued his collaboration with Dr Phillip Bland of Imperial College, London,
in the development of a fireball camera network for the orbital tracking and retrieval of infalling
meteorites in the Nullarbor region of Western Australia. The first camera in the network was
installed in late 2003 and has been operating successfully since that time. It will be transferred
from the Kalgoorlie area to the Nullarbor in September 2004. Dr Bevan continued his research
on new meteorites to the collection with a number of international collaborators. Dr Bevan was
a co-author, with Dr Robert Hough of the CSIRO among others, of two important papers on the
Woodleigh impact structure from Western Australia. In February 2004, Dr Bevan and Mr Downes
travelled to the 17th Australian Geological Convention in Hobart to present their research on
the Yallalie impact structure and the Aries kimberlite, respectively. Mr Downes continued his
research into diamond-bearing alkaline rocks from Western Australia. He also completed an
investigation into the paragenesis of secondary minerals from the Telfer gold mine, Western
Australia, in collaboration with Dermot Henry of the Museum of Victoria.
TERRESTRIAL INVERTEBRATES
The Arachnology collection has been prepared for the move to Welshpool by Julianne Waldock
and Salvador Gomez, with jars of specimens being filled with tissue paper to avoid damage to
the specimens. This huge task was completed ahead of schedule.
Research Officer Dr Volker Framenau, funded by a grant awarded by the Australian Biological
Resources Study (ABRS) to Dr Mark Harvey and Professor Andrew Austin (University of Adelaide),
has continued his detailed examination on the wolf spider fauna of Australia. This highly diverse
and ecologically significant group of spiders is widespread across the Australian landscape,
from the seashore to the summit of Mt Kosciusko, and Dr Framenau’s research will provide the
first comprehensive study of the group in Australia. He has visited all other state and national
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2003–2004