The case for a greenfields renaissance Feature - Geological Society ...

The Geological Society 

of Australia Inc 

tag 

Newsletter Number 150 

March 2009 

The case for a greenfields renaissance 

Feature: Tsunami risk in Australia 

Part 2: rallying cry for geoscience 

Focus on geotourism

The Australian Geologist 

Newsletter 150, March 2009 

Registered by Australia Post 

Publication No. PP243459/00091 

ISSN 0312 4711 

Technical Editor: Bill Birch 

Production Editor: Heather Catchpole 

Send contributions to: tag@gsa.org.au 

Central Business Office 

Executive Director: Sue Fletcher 

Suite 61, 104 Bathurst Street, 

Sydney NSW 2000 

Tel: (02) 9290 2194 

Fax: (02) 9290 2198 

Email: info@gsa.org.au 

GSA website: www.gsa.org.au 

22 From the President 

23 Report of the Merger Committee 

24 Guest Editor’s Comment 

25 Society Update 

Business Report 

Membership Update 

From the AJES Editor’s Desk 

Education & Outreach 

Stratigraphic Column 

Data Metallogenica 

Design and typesetting The Visible Word Pty Ltd 

Printed by Ligare Pty Ltd 

Distributed by Trade Mailing & Fulfilment Pty Ltd 

15 News from the Divisions 

17 News 

22 Feature: Tsunami hazard and mitigation in Australia 

25 Special Report: A rallying cry for geoscience: part 2 

29 In Focus: The case for a greenfields renaissance 

Adelaide University Honours student 

Joanna McMahon sampling euro 

(also known as the common wallaroo) 

droppings in Hidden Valley, 

northern Flinders Ranges, as part 

of a multi-disciplinary regolith 

and biogeochemistry Honours 

student research program centred 

on the Four Mile uranium (U) 

mineralisation. This study found 

euro droppings near the Four Mile 

mineralisation had concentrations 

up to 24 parts per million U. It is 

estimated that the samples of euro 

droppings provide an approximate 

1 km diameter biogeochemical 

'footprint' of buried uranium mineralisation 

in this region. Reports of 

mushroom-shaped dust clouds 

originating from jumping kangaroos 

are not substantiated! Image 

courtesy Steve Hill, University 

of Adelaide. 

32 ARC grants for Earth Science research 

37 Book Reviews 

42 Letters to the Editor 

46 Calendar 

47 Office Bearers 

48 Publishing Details

From the President 

This is our planet and we have a 

crucial role to play 

Earth Science is THE science of the 21st century and faces two 

crucial issues, energy and environment. It is imperative that 

Earth Science is front and centre, to provide the necessary 

knowledge to understand and to solve these issues. 

The important role that Earth Science can play in our future has 

also recently been recognised by the American Geological Institute 

(AGI) in its document ‘Critical needs for the twenty-first century: the 

role of the geosciences’ (a PDF of this document is on the AGI 

Government Affairs website at www.agiweb.org/gap/trans08). The AGI 

prepared this as a policy document for the incoming US president, US 

Federal agencies and Congress. The American Geological Institute is a 

non-profit federation of 45 organisations that represent more than 

120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other Earth Scientists. The AGI 

recognises that with pressures from growing human population, rising 

demands for natural resources and a changing climate, it is critical to 

more fully integrate Earth observations and Earth system understanding 

into actions for a sustainable world. The document identifies seven 

critical issues facing the world and the role geosciences can play in 

addressing them. These are: 

1. Energy and climate change: how do we secure stable energy supplies 

in an increasingly carbon-constrained world 

2. Water: will there be enough fresh water and where will it come 

from 

3. Waste treatment and disposal: how will we reduce and handle waste 

and provide a healthy environment for all 

4. Natural hazards: how will we mitigate risk and provide a safer 

environment 

5. Infrastructure modernisation: how will we develop and integrate 

new technology and modernise aging infrastructure 

6. Raw materials: how will we ensure reliable supplies when they are 

needed and where will they come from 

7. Geoscience workforce and education: who will do the work to 

understand Earth processes and meet demands for resources and 

resiliency Who will educate the public and train the workforce 

The report makes three broad recommendations which are built 

around: 

1) providing expert Earth Science advice to government, ideally 

through an advisor or panel with direct access to the head of 

government; 

2) investing in mapping, monitoring and assessments, as well as State 

and Federal surveys of natural resources; 

3) investing in research and development to 

understand Earth processes. Sustainable 

consumption and conservation of resources, 

enhancement of environmental quality and resilience from risk depend 

on living with our dynamic planet. 

The need for expert advice in the US echoes a similar urgent call 

that the Geological Society of Australia made last year to the Federal 

and State governments to establish an independent national advisory 

panel of expert geoscientists. This would provide a much-needed highlevel 

‘early warning system’ for a wide range of issues, particularly 

potential environmental crises, years before these crises become 

irreversible. A National Geoscience Expert Panel would serve as 

an independent voice to provide scientifically-based warnings and 

recommendations on a wide range of issues. See following link: 

http://gsa.org.au/ > Resources > Media Centre > 18 August 2008 > 

National Geoscience Expert Panel needed as high-level “early warning 

system” on environmental disasters 

An Australian perspective on the workforce and education component 

of the AGI report is provided in this issue of TAG by Jim Ross with 

part 2 of ‘A rallying cry for geoscience in Australia’. This report draws 

upon the 2007 AGC survey published in 2008 and paints a bleak 

picture of the sustainability of teaching Earth Science in our tertiary 

institutions (something those of us working in the sector have known 

instinctively for some time). The article goes on to emphasise the need 

for more, and better, integration of Earth and environmental knowledge 

into school curricula and the importance of this in securing the 

future of the profession. 

We as a profession recognise the importance of Earth Science and 

its role in society; however, this is not always appreciated in the broader 

community. There is a dichotomy between the accomplishments and 

vision outlined in reports such as the AGI report and society’s perception 

of Earth Science, in which scientists can be portrayed as part of 

the problem, rather than being instrumental in finding a solution. 

Whether as individuals or through organisations such as the Geological 

Society of Australia, we as a profession need to work hard to ensure 

Earth Science provides the pathway to a sustainable planet for our 

children and grandchildren. 

PETER CAWOOD 

President 

2 | TAG March 2009

GSA–AIG merger negotiations 

The merger committee, consisting of Peter 

Cawood, Jim Ross, Jon Hronsky and Andy 

Gleadow, is continuing negotiations with the 

Australian Institute of Geoscientists about a possible 

merger of the two organisations. Discussions of the 

GSA merging with other Australian Earth Science 

organisations date back to 2004. Specific negotiations 

with the AIG commenced during the term of the last 

National Executive and are a priority for the current 

executive, in line with directives from the Council and 

Annual General meetings held last July in Perth (see 

TAG 148, p23). 

There have been a series of meetings between the 

merger committees of the two organisations over the 

last six months, and both committees have obtained 

independent legal and financial advice to guide these 

discussions. Whilst there are substantive areas of agreement 

between the two negotiating committees on the 

merger, some first order issues, including the nature of 

the merger vehicle, require further negotiation. The 

GSA National Executive met in early February for a 

strategy meeting to review progress to date and to provide 

guidance to the merger committee in future 

negotiations. The Executive also approved allocation 

of up to $25,000 to provide administrative support 

and services to assist the merger process, subject to 

satisfactory cost sharing. Strategy meetings of the 

Executive will continue on a bimonthly basis during 

the merger process. 

It is envisaged a merged organisation will mean little 

change in the day-to-day activities of the GSA and the 

functions and services it provides to members. The 

divisional and specialist group structure would continue, 

but with the benefit of stronger divisions as the two 

sets of State and Territory-based divisions are merged. 

This process has already commenced in Queensland, 

where the GSA’s Queensland Division already includes 

about 50% AIG members on its Executive. The AIG 

does not have specialist groups and therefore the 

current GSA groups would continue. The Australian 

Journal of Earth Science, our premier publication, will be 

unaffected. Both societies produce quarterly member 

magazines and these would be merged in any combined 

organisation. 

A merger would result in a considerable increase in 

size; with a combined membership of approximately 

3,500 members, taking into account members common 

to both organisations. This increase would allow 

the new society to more fully represent the Earth 

Science profession and provide greater benefits to 

members. Importantly, the merged entity would have 

more capacity, and more impact, when addressing 

external issues such as: expanding our active role in 

promoting Earth Science education, and in providing 

an Earth Science perspective on issues of national 

importance. The AIG provides professional registration 

for Earth Scientists and arrangements to provide for 

this membership category have been agreed in some 

detail between the negotiating committees. 

More details on the value proposition for the merger 

are included in TAG 148, p23. 

The AIG and GSA merger committees will meet 

again in late February for a workshop with the aim of 

finalising the most logical vehicle for the merger, in 

the light of legal and tax advice, and of settling the 

remaining first order issues. We also aim to finalise our 

strategy to communicate with the members of both 

organisations with the first step being a letter to 

every individual member in March. This letter will 

detail the implications of the proposed merger, the 

feedback mechanisms, the proposed schedule for 

members to vote and, if the vote is in favour, a date for 

commencement of the merged organisation. 

Stay tuned. 

PETER CAWOOD, JIM ROSS, JON HRONSKY 

AND ANDY GLEADOW 

Executive Merger Committee 

11 February 2009 

TAG March 2009 | 3

Guest Editor’s Comment 

It is a great honour to be invited to write a guest editorial for 

TAG. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost exactly 35 years 

since the first editorial I wrote for the initial issue of TAG 

appeared. Although there were sceptics among the councillors 

when the idea was given the go-ahead, it was the support of 

the then president, Dorothy Hill, which saw the newsletter 

stagger to its feet. Fortunately, the journal did not, as I suggested 

“soon show signs of debility and go into a state of nervous 

decline”, but, thanks to those who took over from 1984, Brenda 

Franklin in particular, TAG has become an important part of the 

Society’s story. 

In her foreword to the first issue, Dorothy Hill emphasised 

the importance of the development of the Specialist groups to 

the Society, and something of their story has been told in Rock 

Me Hard…Rock Me Soft…, compiled by Barry Cooper and myself 

in 1994. We almost need an update, for much has happened in 

our profession and in the Society in the past 15 years. Not all 

members have time to look back into the founding of the GSA, 

or to the beginning of geology in Australia, but as I myself 

“show signs of debility and go into a state of nervous decline”, 

I am pleased to have had the opportunity, through the Earth 

Sciences History Specialist Group of the Society, to learn about 

the pioneers and to pay homage to their work. 

This year, we are already hearing a bit about Charles Darwin 

as we remember his seminal work on evolution and the bicentenary 

of his birthday. It is important to remember that when 

the young Darwin visited Australia in 1836, he considered himself 

a geologist, albeit a relative neophyte, although he had 

learnt quickly, particularly in seeing and recording a wide 

variety of geology in South America. Darwin’s ‘geological life’ 

has been told in a splendid book by the distinguished American 

science historian, Sandra Herbert, although his period in 

Australia receives scant mention. 

This omission is partly rectified by Charles Darwin in 

Australia, by Frank and Jan Nicholas (1989), an almost day-byday 

coverage of Darwin’s wanderings, which is superbly 

illustrated, particularly the illustrations by Darwin’s Beagle 

companion, Conrad Martens, who decided to stay in Australia. 

Herbert’s book emphasises the geological influence on Darwin 

of the writings of Charles Lyell, although a recent paper by 

Chris Nicholas and Paul Pearson shows that Darwin’s self-proclaimed 

‘instant conversion’ to uniformitarianism, during his 

brief visit in 1832 to Santiago, Cape Verde Islands, is somewhat 

of an exaggeration. 

The Darwin celebrations give our profession and the Society 

the opportunity to make geology better known to the 

Australian community, and it is pleasing to see biographies of 

earlier distinguished workers appearing, including those of 

RL Jack, pioneer Queensland geologist; Archibald Liversidge, 

mineralogist; and the more recently-deceased Reg Sprigg. 

In January, the Royal Society of Victoria flew spectators 

over the vicinity of the South Magnetic Pole, as it was visited 

just 100 years before by David, Mawson and Mackay, taking in 

also the site out to sea found by Charles Barton, on 

23 December 2000. Another opportunity for publicity seems to 

exist in the newly-opened National Portrait Galley in Canberra, 

which currently lacks a display featuring any of our wellknown 

geoscientists. 

DAVID BRANAGAN 

Sydney 

4 | TAG March 2009

SocietyUpdate 

Business Report 

Most members renewed over the holiday season using 

the online system, but unfortunately there were a 

few members who encountered issues with Firefox 

and Safari browsers. My apologies for your inconvenience — 

technology is great when it works, but frustrating when it 

doesn’t. Other members chose to take advantage of the direct 

debit system, which is great if you want to ‘set and forget’. If 

you want to know more about the direct debit system, please 

email info@gsa.org.au or phone (02) 9290 2194. 

With the slowdown in the economy and impact on the 

resources sector, some members may reconsider attending 

professional development events. But it is during tougher times 

that networking and professional development can bring 

rewards, knowledge and contacts. For example, The Macquarie 

Arc 2009 Conference (13–21 April 2009) is nearly upon us and 

there is still time to plan your attendance at the Society for 

Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits — SGA 2009 (17–20 

August 2009) or consider a short course like EGRU’s financial 

management for professions, in the minerals sector short 

courses (now reduced by 50%). If you want the links to these 

development opportunities or to know about other events near 

you, visit the GSA website: http://gsa.org.au/ and follow the 

links > Events > Calendar. You’ll see many events organised 

locally and a listing of relevant international conferences, too. 

This issue of TAG includes an insert from the Centre for 

Groundwater Studies. This brochure is very informative for 

those working in groundwater — if that isn’t you, but you know 

someone who is, please pass the brochure on or put it in your 

tearoom. Inside this issue you will find the feature: ‘Tsunami 

hazard in Australia and steps being taken to mitigate it’, from 

Barry Drummond, Trevor Dhu and Jane Sexton, Geoscience 

Australia; plus a very timely article from Jon Hronsky, BJ 

Suchomel and JF Welborn ‘The case for a greenfields renaissance’. 

We also include Part 2 of Jim Ross’ ‘A rallying cry for 

geoscience’. Held over from the December issue was the full 

listing of the relevant ARC Linkages and Discovery Grants. 

Also, in this issue of TAG you can read an interview with John 

Jackson (aka the Rock Doctor) and the importance of 

geotourism, as well an update about the GSA merger, a report 

from the AIG/GSA merger committee, GSA membership 

demographics and the usual columns, news, book reviews and 

letters to the Editor. 

TAG doesn’t often review exhibitions, but in this instance 

we had to include Ken McQueen’s review of the Charles Darwin 

exhibition at the National Museum, Canberra. You would 

have to have your eyes shut not to 

know 2009 sees the commemoration 

and celebration of one of the world’s 

greatest scientific thinkers; Charles Darwin. Two hundred years 

after his birth (born on 14 February 1809) and 150 years after 

publishing On the origin of species by means of natural 

selection, his scientific thinking influenced and transformed 

scientific theory and our relationships to each other and the 

planet we live on including: the origins of life, palaeontology, 

genetics (well before DNA sequencing was developed), ecology, 

avian biodiversity, medicine, human evolution and psychology. 

Many people don’t realise (apart from geologists) that Charles 

Darwin was firstly a geologist and the geology of Australia 

stimulated his early thinking. The Australian leg of Darwin’s 

journey on the HMS Beagle took him from Sydney over the Blue 

Mountains and onto Bathurst, as well as to Hobart, King 

George’s Sound and Albany. This year, there are an enormous 

number of activities commemorating his life and work 

globally, from exhibitions, public lectures, dinners, workshops, 

conferences, specially designed holiday packages (you can go 

to “Taz-mania” and “nurture the naturalist in you”). For those 

with more time (and money) you can join the Stanford Alumni 

for the ‘Voyage of the Beagle’ by private jet, on an around-theworld 

expedition taking in the Galapagos Islands, Uruguay, 

Argentina, New Zealand, Tasmania, the Cape Verde Islands and 

finishing at London’s Maritime Museum. 

Even if you don’t participate in one of the above activities, 

or haven’t organised a Darwin event, it isn’t too late to do 

something local. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to 

create education or outreach activities to show the link back to 

Earth Sciences, to promote the Earth Sciences to the general 

public, to tickle young enquiring minds or to go into the field 

with your colleagues and friends. 

You can organise a Darwin activity this year — it doesn’t 

have to be as grand as the HMS Beagle project or Sir David 

Attenborough’s ‘Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life’ program — 

and the business office can support your efforts by promoting 

your event, acting as the banker or providing other administrative 

assistance. We are here to assist you; lets commemorate 

and celebrate Charles Darwin. 

SUE FLETCHER 

Executive Director 

TAG March 2009 | 5

New members 

The GSA welcomes the 

following new members to 

the Society. May you all 

have a long and beneficial 

association with the GSA: 

ACT 

M EMBER 

Emma-Kate Chisholm 

QLD 

M EMBER 

Amy Budinski 

Michael Cane 

Joseph Corrigan 

Brent Creevey 

Adam Dunstall 

Peter Henderson 

Joanne Henry 

Cameron Huddlestone-Holmes 

Harriet Miller 

Bonnie Munchinsky 

Carl Spandler 

Reginald Tandoc 

Claire Williams 

J OINT M EMBER 

Heather Spring 

G RADUATE M EMBER 

Larianna Morgan 

R ETIRED M EMBER 

Keith Bedford 

S TUDENT 

Scott Fredericks 

SA 

M EMBER 

Suzanne Miller 

TAS 

M EMBER 

Daniel Bombardieri 

R ETIRED 

Bill Sharp 

VIC 

M EMBER 

Matthew Sheppard 

WA 

M EMBER 

Andre Cacciopppoli 

Simon Johnson 

Don Vreugdenberg 

G RADUATE M EMBER 

Courtney Gregory 

S TUDENT 

Saleh Alqahtani 

Benjamin Dingli 

Ian Pryor 

Lee Rummer 

Brea Stephen 

A SSOCIATE M EMBER 

Antonio Tan Jr 

Lost member 

For following members mail 

is being returned to the GSA 

office ‘return to sender/not 

known at this address’. Thank 

you to members in advance 

for assisting uniting members 

and their GSA mail. 

Ronald Myson, NSW 

Phil Greenhill, NSW 

We have reproduced the following membership demographic graphs for your interest. 

Measurement of demographics continues to inform the society and identifies trends. 

Identifiable membership trends include increasing student membership; this may be attributed 

to 2007 initiatives and less honour students for this period also graduating students choosing 

full membership. 

6 | TAG March 2009

FAR LEFT 

This graph is based on 

the Divisions members 

have chosen to affiliate 

with and shows incremental 

changes. 

LEFT 

Tracking the new 

membership take-up 

over the past five years; 

indicates modest but 

continuing new memberships. 

2005 could be 

interpreted as an 

anomaly in comparison 

to the intervening years. 

LEFT 

This graph represents the 

members affiliating with 

a Specialist Group. Some 

members choose to affiliate 

with more than one 

Specialist Group. 

FAR LEFT 

Geological Society of 

Australia members work 

in a variety of areas. The 

overwhelming majority 

of members work in the 

Minerals sector, 

followed closely by 

Tertiary institutions. 

LEFT 

Membership records 

indicate a steady, but 

modest upward trend 

over the past few years. 

Again, 2005 is the lowest 

point for memberships 

and the increase may be 

attributed to the minerals 

boom. 

TAG March 2009 | 7


From the AJES Hon Editor’s Desk 

Some musings on poetry and geology 

In a previous article I quoted Edward Hitchcock Jr’s remark, 

“Shall not geology, which is the first science in affording 

scope for the imagination, be brought into favour with the 

Muses, and afford themes for the Poet”. Samuel Taylor 

Coleridge on the other hand, in his Definition of poetry said, 

“Poetry is not the proper antithesis to prose but to science. 

Poetry is opposed to science, and prose to metre. The proper 

and immediate object of science is the acquirement, or 

communication, of truth; the proper and immediate object of 

poetry is the communication of immediate pleasure” [Alas, 

I thought that AJES was communicating truth and giving 

pleasure!] However, as Emily Ballou points out “Anyway, he 

[Coleridge] was an opium addict so the two things would have 

caused some sort of disworkmanship on his brain when 

thought of simultaneously…” 

In truth, no one has recently tried to write a scientific 

paper in poetic form — many authors have enough difficulty 

in writing prose. But science has often been the inspiration 

for a poem. One well known one is about the dinosaur 

(attributed to Bert Leston Taylor in the Chicago Tribune). 

Behold the mighty dinosaur 

Famous in prehistoric lore, 

Not only for his power and strength 

But for his intellectual length. 

You will observe by these remains 

The creature had two sets of brains-- 

One in his head (the usual place), 

The other in his spinal base. 

Thus he could reason A priori 

As well as A posteriori. 

No problem bothered him a bit 

He made both head and tail of it. 

So wise was he, so wise and solemn, 

Each thought filled just a spinal column. 

If one brain found the pressure strong 

It passed a few ideas along. 

If something slipped his forward mind 

'Twas rescued by the one behind. 

And if in error he was caught 

He had a saving afterthought. 

As he thought twice before he spoke 

He had no judgement to revoke. 

Thus he could think without congestion 

Upon both sides of every question. 

Oh, gaze upon this model beast; 

Defunct ten million years at least. 

The American poet Emily Dickinson 

learned geology from Edward Hitchcock 

Jr, which may have inspired her to write 

about volcanoes: 

Volcanoes be in Sicily 

And South America 

I judge from my Geography — 

Volcanoes nearer here 

A Lava step at any time 

Am I inclined to climb — 

A Crater I may contemplate 

Vesuvius at Home. 

Nearer to our own time, geologist Paul Maddock from the 

University of London has penned The plume soliloquy. 

(The complete poem may be found at geology.about. 

com/od/geopoetry/Geology_Poetry, along with many other 

geology-themed poems): 

To Plume, or not to Plume — that is the question: 

Whether 'tis nobler in the mantle to suffer the Rises and Falls of 

outrageous Convection 

Or to take Geophysics against a sea of Plumists and by opposing 

question them.… 

But it is to Erasmus Darwin, Charles Darwin’s grandfather, that 

we must turn to see science written as a poem. He was a 

physician, natural philosopher, physiologist, inventor as well 

as a poet. His best-known work is Zoonomia, a treatise on 

biology, which to some extent anticipated Lamarck’s views on 

evolution. His poem, The temple of nature, was published 

posthumously in 1803 and develops his ideas on evolution, 

tracing the progression of life from microorganisms to civilised 

society. The poem starts: 

By firm immutable immortal laws 

Impress'd on Nature by the great first cause, 

say, muse! how rose from elemental strife 

Organic forms, and kindled into life;…. 

and develops the theme 

Organic life beneath the shoreless waves 21 

Was born and nurs'd in Ocean's pearly caves; 

First forms minute, unseen by spheric glass, 

Move on the mud, or pierce the watery mass; 

These, as successive generations bloom 

New powers acquire, and larger limbs assume; 

Whence countless groups of vegetation spring, 

And breathing realms of fin, and feet, and wing. 

8 | TAG March 2009

with footnotes to explain some of the finer points of the poem: 

21 

beneath the shoreless waves: The Earth was originally 

covered with water, as appears from some of its highest mountains, 

consisting of shells cemented together by a solution of part 

of them, as the limestone rocks of the Alps... It must be therefore 

concluded, that animal life began beneath the sea. 

The full poem may be found at 

www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/Darwin/templetp.html. 1 

While this may not be the clearest way to get one’s message 

across to the reader, I eagerly await the first poem submitted to 

AJES. But alas! The days of the scientist/poet may have gone, 

never to return. 

ISSUE COPY FINISHED INSERTS 

ART 

JUNE 2009 30 Apr 5 May 25 May 

SEPTEMBER 2009 31 Jul 8 Aug 16 Aug 

DECEMBER 2009 30 Oct 3 Nov 10 Nov 

MARCH 2010 29 Jan 5 Feb 8 Mar 

TONY COCKBAIN 

Hon Editor AJES 

Reviewers 2008 

I would like to thank the following people who reviewed 

manuscripts submitted to, or published in, the Australian 

Journal of Earth Sciences during 2008. 

Annual citation for excellence in 

reviewing for the year 2008 

It is my pleasure to commend the following persons for 

consistently providing constructive and thoughtful reviews: 

John Bradshaw, Geoff Derrick, Chris Fergusson and Colin Pain. 

Wayne Bailey 

Graham Baines 

Tim Baker 

Andy Barnicoat 

Mark Bateman 

Tony Belperio 

Pete Betts 

Bill Birch 

Gavin Birch 

Phil Blevin 

Simon Bodorkos 

John Bradshaw 

Peter Cawood 

Jonathan Clarke 

Michele Clarke 

Phil Commander 

Thomas Cudahy 

Brett Davis 

John De Laeter 

Xiaoli Deng 

Mike Dentith 

Geoff Derrick 

Nick Direen 

Barry Drummond 

Scott Dyksterhuis 

John Everard 

Nick Eyles 

Chris Fergusson 

Marc Fiorenti 

John Foden 

David Foster 

Jeff Foster 

Richard George 

David Gibson 

Cathryn Gifkins 

Dick Glen 

Vic Gostin 

David Gray 

Kath Grey 

David Groves 

Peter Haines 

Pat Harbison 

Anthony Harris 

Lyal Harris 

John Hellstrom 

Guy Holdgate 

John Holliday 

Michael Hutchinson 

Laurie Hutton 

Jim Jackson 

Brian Jones 

Bernie Joyce 

Chris Klootwijk 

Evan Leitch 

Paul Lennox 

Qianyu Li 

Ted Lilley 

Pat Lyons 

Roland Maas 

Joe McCall 

Ian McDougall 

Brian McGowran 

Sandra McLaren 

Ken McNamara 

Ken McQueen 

Mike McWilliams 

Sebastien Meffre 

Peter Milligan 

Kingsley Mills 

Harvey Mitchell 

Vince Morand 

Arthur Mory 

Sharon Mosher 

Cec Murray 

Tony Naldrett 

Ian Nicholls 

Geoff O’Brien 

Robin Offler 

Gordon Packham 

Colin Pain 

Neil Phillips 

Steven Phipps 

Bob Pidgeon 

Chris Pigram 

Brad Pillans 

Franco Pirajno 

Wolfgang Preiss 

Lynn Pryer 

Ollie Raymond 

Patrice Rey 

Angela Riganti 

Rick Rogerson 

Mac Ross 

Bruce Runnegar 

Peter Schaubs 

Phil Schmidt 

Phil Seccombe 

Simon Shee 

Willem Sijp 

Carol Simpson 

Keith Sircombe 

Catherine Skinner 

Rick Squire 

Tony Stephenson 

Tim Stern 

Barney Stevens 

Ian Tedder 

Alec Trendall 

Fons VandenBerg 

John Veevers 

Ron Vernon 

John Walshe 

Malcolm Walter 

John Webb 

Barry Webby 

Martin Williams 

Ian Withnall 

Lisa Worrall 

Steve Wyche 

Jian-xin Zhao 

TAG March 2009 | 9


Education&Outreach 

In the last TAG for 2008 I highlighted the need for the geoscience 

community to respond to the call for submissions from the 

newly formed National Curriculum Board (NCB) on the shape 

that a national curriculum and the science curriculum should take. 

I am pleased to report that the GSA made a submission on The shape 

of the national curriculum: a proposal for discussion document. 

Independent letters of support for the GSA submission were also 

sent from the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG) and Teacher 

Earth Science Education Program (TESEP). 

A second submission was made in late February on the specifics 

of the science curriculum. Other groups, notably Earth Science 

Western Australia (ESWA) and TESEP, have reportedly submitted their 

own proposals that no doubt complemented the GSA submission. 

To read more visit the NCB website: www.ncb.org.au/default.asp 

Specific suggestions for a 

national curriculum 

The GSA developed suggestions for the NCB with respect to 

the three broad categories that the curriculum should deliver for 

students and how these relate to the proposed national curriculum 

structure: 

1) A solid foundation in skills and knowledge on which further 

learning and adult life can be built. 

The GSA concurred that the curriculum must include a strong 

focus on literacy and numeracy that is underpinned by a competent 

understanding of the principles of science and encouraged the NCB 

to adopt a curriculum that contains: 

■ literacy programs that address the issues of the language of 

science; 

■ numeracy programs that address issues of data analysis; 

■ a program that introduces students to the history, philosophy, 

culture, ethics and principles of science within the context of the 

value that science and scientific method bring to society. 

2) Deep knowledge and skills that will enable advanced learning and 

an ability to create new ideas and translate them into practical 

applications. 

The requirement that students develop a deep knowledge within 

a discipline which enhances the ways in which problems can be 

represented, considered and solved, was fully endorsed by the GSA. 

The GSA recommended a curriculum approach that embraces: 

■ a global, 'big picture' emphasis on key learning areas for the 

21st century. Science should be taught under the banner of 

Earth and Space Studies where all traditional sciences are 

sub-disciplines united by this overarching theme; 

■ at pre-senior level, all science teaching to be approached from 

the perspective of understanding how the Earth (and the universe 

it sits within) works; 

■ in senior studies, all science students 

attend an integrated unit of study that 

includes elements of traditional biology, 

chemistry, physics units as well as some 

components of classes that in some 

states are called Earth and Environmental Science; 

■ a requirement that all sub-disciplines are treated equally as the 

content and context for the new curriculum are developed. 

3) General capabilities that underpin flexible and critical thinking, a 

capacity to work with others and an ability to move across subject 

disciplines to develop new expertise. 

The GSA reiterated the proposition that flexible and critical 

thinking are essential foundations of good scientific method and 

recommended the NCB introduce: 

■ an overarching program that utilises the multidisciplinary, 

team-oriented nature of much of the Earth Sciences to train 

students to think creatively, critically and flexibly; 

■ a requirement for all science content to be embedded within 

a framework that demonstrates the need for, and trains students 

in the use of, collaborative research, innovative thinking and a 

willingness to be open to new ideas. 

In discussing the need for deep knowledge and skills, the NCB indicated 

that it will specify rigorous in-depth study over breadth of 

content wherever possible. This approach was supported by the GSA 

with caveats that the NCB: 

■ adopt a more holistic view of deep knowledge in science that 

incorporates Earth Science as an essential complementary component 

of the traditional sciences taught at senior levels in school; 

■ retain or enhance the current emphasis on Earth Science in 

middle school curricula but take steps to ensure it is not a 

'disposable' component; 

■ avoid further diminishing the presence of 'other sciences' as a 

solution to creating space in the curriculum for deeper inquiry in 

the traditional sciences at any level; 

■ acknowledge that part of the 'time poor' problem faced 

by teachers is due to large class sizes, reporting and other 

administrative duties and that these are genuine barriers to 

the effective implementation of a national curriculum that the 

government will also need to address if the NCB recommendations 

are to be successfully adopted. 

GREG McNAMARA 

Education and Outreach 

Send all comments to Greg McNamara at 

outreach@gsa.org.au 

10 | TAG March 2009

Coming soon in an 

AJES near you 

Thematic issue — Evolution of the Bowen, 

Gunnedah and Surat Basins, eastern Australia 

RJ Korsch and JM Totterdell (guest editors) 

Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 56(3) 

Volume 56 Issue 3 will be a thematic issue of 10 papers summarising 

the main results generated during the National 

Geoscience Mapping Accord's project Sedimentary basins of eastern 

Australia, which studied the evolution and petroleum potential 

of the Early Permian–Middle Triassic Bowen and Gunnedah 

Basins and the Early Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Surat Basin in 

Queensland and New South Wales. 

Key objectives of the project were to: (i) enhance our knowledge 

of, and develop models for, the origin and evolution of the 

Gunnedah, Surat, southern Bowen and associated basins in eastern 

Australia; (ii) relate these models to potential hydrocarbon 

occurrences as a basis for future exploration and assessment of 

resources; (iii) update the understanding of the geology of the 

basins; and (iv) provide information to explain the distribution of 

known, potential and undiscovered occurrences of fossil fuels. 

TAG March 2009 | 11

The use of liquid crystal displays is now commonplace. Truly amazing advances have been made in recent years in 

understanding the behaviour of sub-microscopic particles in response to electric charges. Principles governing the 

behaviour of charged particles also apply to high-energy sediment components like clay. Many geologists now 

recognise interactions between charged particles and ions in surrounding pore fluids relate to ore forming processes. 

This e-book is the first systematic use of modern colloid science to define the properties and 

behaviour of the high-energy sediment particles from which crustal rocks and mineral deposits 

were formed. 

World leaders in surface chemistry and the earth sciences have achieved this 

classic work over many years and it is based on the current physical chemistry 

of small particle systems. Existing problematic observations relating to the 

formation of rocks and ore deposits are simply resolved by using principles 

more recently established in colloid science. 

The many far-reaching interdisciplinary research projects have been recorded in 

89 progress reports and papers. The principles of sediment particle interactions 

and surface chemistry apply universally but the cross-referenced e-book selects 

and illustrates 259 separate problematic observations to provide clear evidence 

of the properties of ancient sediment components. It details the processes by 

which veins and mineral deposits were formed. The photographic records of 

actual structures and textures that are preserved in rock outcrops, drill cores, 

and polished rock surfaces are therefore unusual in number, scope, and their 

global extent. Geophysical data, seismic reflection profiles and microscope and 

SEM images have also been used. A comprehensive glossary provides simple 

explanations of the physical chemistry, particle interactions and rheology. 

Recognition of source rocks and understanding the ore forming processes 

have resulted in improved exploration success rates. Over 300% better cost effectiveness was achieved in a 

comparison of the results of 13 successful exploration companies over 15 years. Exploration managers can now 

identify source rocks and assess the likelihood of associated economic mineral deposits. 

Principal Technical Advisers and experimental confirmation: 

Professor T.W. Healy, Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, The University of Melbourne. 

Professor A.E. Alexander, Department of Physical Chemistry, The University of Sydney. 

Professor S.W. Carey, Department of Geology, The University of Tasmania. 

Professor T.F.W. Barth, The University of Oslo, President, 23rd International Geological Congress. 

Dr. Ralph K. Iler, Cornell University and E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co, Wilmington, Delaware. 

Professor R.L. Stanton, Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of New England, Armidale, NSW. (Independent 

complimentary research that established the precursor principle by direct measurement with a microprobe analyzer.) 

Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, The University of Melbourne. (Independent research that confirmed DLVO theory 

by direct measurement of interparticle forces with an atomic force microscope.) 

Research Coordinator and Author: 

John Elliston, Research Geologist (Previously Chief Geologist and Executive Director Peko-Wallsend Limited and then 

Research Consultant to CRA-Rio-Tinto for 12 years). 

This E-book contains: - 706 pages, 144 diagrams, 756 colour photographs, 227 references, 4 referee reports, 

40 comments and endorsements, Australian Government assessment and certification. 

Price: $AU75.00 each plus $10 postage (see order form for student concession price at $25). 

Printable Order Forms at CODES: http://fcms.its.utas.edu.au/scieng/codes/index.asp 

ELLISTON RESEARCH: http://www.ellistonresearch.com.au/book_order.html


Stratigraphic Column 

When geographic names change 

There has been a previous Stratigraphic Column that included 

this topic, but recently I came across some more Australian 

examples to add to the discussion. 

As Albert said, we all know that lithostratigraphic units 

must be named after a geographic locality. But life has a habit 

of throwing up some unexpected problems, such as the 

Newcastle suburb of Violet Town changing to Tingira Heights in 

the 1960s. What, if anything, should be done if the locality a 

unit is named after changes its name or spelling 

The International Stratigraphic Guide has some guidance on 

this. It says “Change in the name of a geographic feature does 

not entail change of the name of a stratigraphic unit. The original 

name of the unit should be maintained; eg the Mauch 

Chunk Shale should not be changed to Jim Thorpe Shale 

because the former town of Mauch Chunk is now called Jim 

Thorpe. Disappearance of a geographic feature does not require 

the elimination of the corresponding name of a stratigraphic 

unit. For example, Thurman Sandstone, named from a former 

village in Pittsburgh County, Oklahoma, does not require 

renaming.” In Australia, in fact, with our shortage of geographic 

names in some areas, some units have used locality names 

that were already obsolete at the time the unit was defined. 

More common are changes in spelling, such as the change of 

Mount Kosciusko to Kosciuszko. The same rule applies, and if only 

everyone abides by it, it would simplify searches of databases. 

Thus the Merrimbula Formation in NSW and Kombolgie Subgroup 

in NT remain that way, even though the town is now spelled 

Merimbula and Kombolgie Creek became Kambolgie Creek in the 

1970s; and Kosciusko Granite does not have to become 

Kosciuszko Granite. The original published spelling has priority. 

That’s the theory, anyway. In real life, people who are 

unaware of the old spelling of a locality and don’t check the 

unit name closely will inadvertently use the new version, and 

those who are unaware that the old spelling has changed will 

continue to use the old version, as they’ll have no reason to 

think of doing otherwise. 

In addition to inadvertent changes, there may be occasions 

when the spelling of a stratigraphic name is deliberately 

changed. Although not required by stratigraphic guidelines, 

sometimes names may be changed out of respect for the wishes 

of land managers, or local people. This has happened in western 

New South Wales, where the Mootwingee Group has been 

changed to the Mutawintji Group, to reflect its correct pronunciation. 

This change was made at the request of the Mutawintji 

people, and applies to the Mutawintji National Park too. 

Of course, as was done in this particular case, any deliberate 

change to a stratigraphic unit name needs to be explained 

in a publication, in the same way as any other change to a unit. 

This explanation can then be used in the Australian 

Stratigraphic Units Database, to indicate the current version of 

a unit name and show links to various related unit names, 

including previous spellings. In publications where a spelling 

change is found without explanation, database staff will 

assume it is unintentional and record it as a misspelling of the 

original. Of course with some spelling variations, especially in 

the first few letters of the name, the link to an existing name 

may not be recognised, unless someone familiar with the area 

points it out. 

Whatever rule is followed in a particular case, the result is 

that some stratigraphic units have been published with more 

than one spelling. So if you want to find all the relevant references, 

you should keep in mind the need for flexible search 

techniques with the geographic part as well as the rank or 

descriptive part of the unit name. 

CATHY BROWN 

National Convenor, Australian Stratigraphy Commission 

Geoscience Australia 

TAG March 2009 | 13


Data Metallogenica 

Mineral Exploration Roundup held in Vancouver at the 

end of January was an important event in Data 

Metallogenica’s calendar. It was organised by one of 

DM’s valued sponsors, the Association for Mineral Exploration 

British Columbia. On a world scale Roundup is surpassed in size 

only by the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada 

(PDAC) gathering, but arguably caters better to field geologists 

and district managers. This suits Data Metallogenica very well 

and for the fourth year in a row the Data Metallogenica booth 

occupied its usual very visible position. 

The latest e-newsletter reviewing DM’s progress in 2008 is 

available at: www.datametallogenica.com/dm_frames.asp 

framefile=news_page.htm 

Other significant new data 

■ Bulgaria: the high sulphidation Chelopech gold–copper 

deposit 

■ Australia: Ghost Crab (Mt Marion) Au discovery history and 

more data on Randalls Au in WA; Bimurra Au in Queensland; 

the Merlin molybdenum discovery at Mt Doré in Queensland; 

■ Russia: more data on the Sukhoi Log gold deposit; 

■ Philippines: Boyongan / Bayugo copper–gold deposits in 

Mindanao; and the Didipio-Dinkidi gold-copper mineralised 

system in Luzon; 

■ New Zealand: more data on the Macraes gold project and 

Blackwater gold; 

■ Argentina: Cerro Vanguardia gold–silver; 

■ Indonesia: the Mt Muro gold deposits in Kalimantan; 

■ Papua New Guinea: more data on the Ladolam gold deposit 

on Lihir Island; 

■ kimberlites: descriptive nomenclature and classification; 

■ theses: seven full-text theses have been added, making over 

50 theses now available on DM Marcus Willson on the weathering 

geochemistry of the Las Cristinas gold–copper deposit in 

Venezuela; Charlie Davies on the Cajamarca mining district in 

Peru; Matt Godfrey on the Eastern Goldfields of Western 

Australia; Nicholas Jansen on the Campamento gold–silver 

deposit in Mexico; John Watkins on gold mineralisation in the 

Mudgee–Gulgong district of New South Wales; Maya 

Kamenetsky on the Udachnaya–East kimberlite pipe in Siberia; 

and Tony Longo on the Yanacocha mining district in Peru. 

As a Foundation Sponsor of Data Metallogenica, members of 

the Geological Society of Australia pay only $110 pa (inc GST) 

for an individual (personal) subscription, which is half price. 

Subscriptions support maintenance and development of the 

database. DM is not-for-profit so your contribution will help 

us to provide you with a better service and a faster growing 

database. 

For more information please contact: Alan Goode, 

DM Project Director: alan.goode@amira.com.au, or Kerry 

O’Sullivan, DM Project Manager kerry.osullivan@amira.com.au, 

at AMIRA International. 

KERRY O’SULLIVAN 

DM Project Manager 

14 | TAG March 2009

News from the divisions 

New South Wales 

Hunter branch 

The GSA Hunter branch of the New South 

Wales division has undergone a renaissance 

in the last six months. The relocation of the 

Geological Survey of NSW (GSNSW) from 

Sydney to Maitland in late 2004 and a surge 

of coal mining in the Hunter region have 

seen numbers of local ‘grazing’ geologists rise 

from a mob to a multitude. Hunter branch 

stalwarts Phil Seccombe and Valerie Smith 

have seized the opportunity for renewal and 

a new committee has been voted in: 

Chair: John Greenfield (GSNSW) 

Deputy Chair: John Watkins (GSNSW) 

Secretary: Phil Gilmore (GSNSW) 

Treasurer: Phil Seccombe (University of 

Newcastle) 

With committee members: 

Simone Meakin (GSNSW) 

Peter Downes (GSNSW) 

Glen Phillips (University of Newcastle) 

Valerie Smith (Consultant) 

Chris Woodfull (SRK Consulting) 

With GSNSW and other entities, the branch 

will co-sponsor and organise the Hunter 

Earth Science Discussion Group (HEDG), 

which produces a bi-monthly series of public 

talks presented in Newcastle. There have been 

three talks presented since May last year. The 

HEDG diary for 2009 includes: 

March 10: Dr Glen Phillips (University of 

Newcastle): ‘A three billion year record of 

continental evolution – evidence for continent 

building and break-up in Antarctica’. 

April 30: John F Dewey, FRS (University of 

California Distinguished Emeritus Professor of 

Geology): title to be announced. 

August 25: Dr Judy Bailey (University of 

Newcastle): ‘Mineral sequestration of CO 2 : 

the need to be viable’. 

Talks are also planned for June, October 

(to coincide with Earth Science week) and 

November. Dates and speakers will be 

confirmed in the near future. 

If you would like to attend any of these talks 

please contact Phil Gilmore at 

phil.gilmore@dpi.nsw.gov.au or phone 

(02) 4931 6533. 

Other activities the branch will be involved 

in include sponsoring awards for geology 

students at the University of Newcastle and 

perhaps running short geological excursions 

around the Hunter. 

We encourage all GSA members in the Hunter 

area to sign up to the Hunter branch and get 

involved with the local geological community. 

This can be done by changing your membership 

details online or contacting Sue Fletcher 

at info@gsa.org.au. 

I would like to add a personal thank you to 

Phil Gilmore, who has been the main ‘mover 

and shaker’ in all the progress we’ve made 

with HEDG and the Hunter Valley branch. 

JOHN GREENFIELD 

Chair, GSA Hunter branch 

Geological Survey of NSW 

Maitland 

02 49316728 

john.greenfield@dpi.nsw.gov.au 

QUEENSLAND 

The Queensland Division of the Geological 

Society Australia currently has two medals 

that may be awarded annually to individuals. 

The Dorothy Hill Medal is awarded to those 

individuals who have made significant contributions 

to the advancement of knowledge 

on Queensland geology. The Neville Stevens 

Medal is awarded to anybody who has distinguished 

themselves through public education 

of geology and increasing geological 

awareness of the general public. 

On 26 October 2008 the GSAQ held a medals 

presentation night, which was attended by 

about 60 members and additional friends 

and family members. 

For 2008, David O’Connell was presented by 

Neville Stevens with the Neville Stevens 

Medal for his outstanding contribution on 

presenting geology to the public. First 

convening the Education Subcommittee in 

1981 and carrying its activities for a number 

of years, he has always seen himself more as 

a teacher rather than a researcher. Positive 

feedback from his students has given him 

the drive to become a good teacher and dedicated 

anchor within the Education 

Subcommittee without ever expecting to be 

rewarded for it. He was instrumental in 

establishing links to Queensland schools with 

a geological education newsletter. At QIT and 

QUT David was a very well respected geology 

lecturer and teacher, and maintained a close 

relationship with the GSAQ and the science 

teachers fraternity. He was nominated for 

the best lecturer award at QUT in 1999. 

David O’Connell responded: “Back in the 

Palaeozoic, when I was an undergraduate 

student, I was lucky enough to have been 

taught by Neville Stevens”. He was surprised, 

but pleasantly so to be awarded this honour. 

“I have always regarded myself as a teacher, 

and not a researcher, and never undertook a 

doctorate. My papers were all about teaching 

geology, and I think the one I am most proud 

of was describing a method of teaching 

three-dimensional mine mapping, using our 

building as a mine, with corridors as drives, 

stair wells as shafts, and with data sheets 

fastened to various walls. The students had 

to produce a three-dimensional perspex 

model of this mine, and a cross section and 

simple resource calculation. That was published 

in 1995 in the English journal 

Teaching Earth Science. Prior to publication 

I surveyed the students, and the ones who 

most valued the exercise were those who 

had done work in underground mines during 

Co-operative Education placements. I’d 

like to thank Lloyd Hamilton, and our late 

colleague Joe Williams, for contributing 

ideas to this project.” 

For 2008, Ian Withnall was awarded the 

Dorothy Hill Medal for his outstanding contributions 

to the knowledge of the geology 

of Queensland. Since 1972, Ian has worked 

within the Geological Survey of Queensland 

in numerous mapping projects, published 

countless geological maps and publications 

TAG March 2009 | 15

From left: 

Neville Stevens Medal recipient David O’Connell, 

Neville Stevens, Dorothy Hill Medal recipient Ian 

Withnall and Len Cranfield at the 2008 GSAQ 

medals presentation night. Image courtesy of 

Chris Withnall. 

and also been a major innovator in moving 

the GSQ towards a digital environment. A 

recipient of the (GSA) WR Browne Medal in 

2004, he is widely known in the geological 

community for his detailed knowledge of the 

geology and mineralisation of north 

Queensland. 

Ian Withnall accepted this honour with great 

thanks. He stated that “being honoured by 

your peers is probably one of the greatest 

honours anyone can have”. Ian also recited 

the time in 1971 when he was attending a 

class of Prof Hill just before her retirement 

and also mentioned a small booklet by Prof 

Hill and Maxwell (1960s) ‘The elements of 

the stratigraphy of Queensland’, stating that 

he was impressed with the breadth of Prof 

Hill’s knowledge of the Geology of 

Queensland as it was known at the time. 

Ian has started his career from this point and 

said “it was interesting to reflect on where 

we have come since then”. Ian thanked a 

series of mentors at BMR and GSQ and his 

family. 

Ian presented yet another fine talk on 

“Advances in understanding the geology of 

the Eastern Fold Belt, Mount Isa Region”. 

GSAQ Field Conference 

6–8 June 2009 

The GSAQ is again running its popular Field 

Conference on the Queen’s Birthday long 

weekend from 6–8 June. 

This year, the field conference will be held in 

the Charters Towers district of north 

Queensland in conjunction with the AIG’s 

North Queensland Exploration and Mining 

Conference (NQEM 2009) being held at 

Jupiters Hotel Townsville on 4 and 5 June. 

In line with the NQEM 2009 theme of “new 

discoveries, mineralisation styles and 

advances in the understanding of ore 

deposits of north Queensland”, this year’s 

field conference will be based on gold mineralisation 

styles of the region. It will feature 

three days of field excursions, including visits 

to Conquest Mining NL’s Mt Carlton deposit 

near Collinsville; a high-level epithermal 

gold/silver/copper project deposit; Resolute 

Mining Ltd’s Ravenswood and Mt Wright 

breccia pipe deposit; and Citigold 

Corporation Ltd’s deep high-grade gold 

deposits at Charters Towers. Features of the 

regional geology will be seen during the 

excursion, along with historic features of the 

Charters Towers field. Recent releases by 

Geoscience Australia and the GSQ of seismic 

data in the area will also be reviewed. 

Further information on registration, accommodation 

and sponsorship opportunities will be 

confirmed in the near future or by contacting 

Doug Young at d.young@findex.net.au. 

16 | TAG March 2009

NEWS 

IGCP512: 

Neoproterozoic Ice Ages 

2008 Symposium and 

the 33rd International 

Geological Congress, 

Oslo 2008 

IGCP512 Neoproterozoic Ice Ages convened 

its 2008 symposium within the 33rd 

International Geological Congress 

(Geoscience World Congress 2008 – Earth 

system science: foundation for sustainable 

development) held in Oslo in August last 

year. The IGCP512 disciplinary symposium, 

Neoproterozoic ice ages: Quo vadis, included 

about 15 oral and seven poster presentations 

over two sessions. Attendance was high in 

the first session, but parallel session clashes 

in the second session resulted in reduced 

numbers. Participation of both experienced 

and new researchers in the field allowed for 

a mix of both broader Neoproterozoic Earth 

systems-based discussions, and presentation 

of new regionally-based research. In particular, 

new Russian data presented by Julius 

Sovetov reported on the glacigenic succession 

of Marnya Formation in the base of 

Oselok Group in the north–west Sayan region 

of the Siberian Craton, which is correlated 

with end Cryogenian glaciation. This presentation 

represented work from a new region 

that is still poorly known and underresearched. 

The congress also provided the opportunity 

for field-based workshops and IGCP512 supported 

and funded a seven day, pre-congress 

field trip to view Neoproterozoic successions 

in Finnmark. The trip was organised and led 

by Drs Hugh Rice and Marc Edwards, and 

included 14 international participants. The 

trip focused on the Varanger type section, 

which is time-equivalent to the ‘snowball 

Earth’ Marinoan sections of South Australia. 

Field investigations included the Smalfjord 

(Marinoan glaciation equivalent) and 

Mortensnes Formations (Gaskiers glaciation 

equivalent; Egan Formation in north–western 

Australia), both glacial and non-glacial 

facies, and the intervening Nyborg 

Formation, which includes the Marinoan cap 

dolostone. 

Our understanding of Neoproterozoic climate 

change has significantly advanced over the 

past decade, despite ongoing dissension over 

the number, severity and impact of these ice 

ages. The results presented at this symposium 

will contribute to a global synthesis of 

Neoproterozoic climate change to be published 

in a forthcoming book published by 

the Geological Society of London (edited by E 

Arnaud). 

The Australian UNESCO committee for the 

International Geological Programme, sponsored 

by the Australian Government, is sincerely 

thanked for providing me with funding 

support to attend the 33rd International 

Geological Congress and IGCP512 symposium 

in my capacities as participant, Australian 

correspondent and secretary for the 512 

group. 

MAREE CORKERON 

School of Natural Resource Sciences 

Queensland University of Technology 

Review: Darwin 

exhibition, National 

Museum of Australia 

This excellent exhibition at the National 

Museum of Australia reveals the experiences 

that led Charles Darwin to formulate his 

groundbreaking theory of evolution by natural 

selection. It also traces the development 

of the young, inquisitive collector of beetles 

and other life forms into an accomplished 

analytical scientist, largely focussing on his 

epic voyage on HMS Beagle between 

December 1831 and October 1836. In fact, 

as the exhibition points out, Darwin nearly 

didn’t go on this expedition. 

As well as his scientific work, the exhibition 

reveals the human side of Darwin with fascinating 

information about his personal and 

family life. It uses numerous artefacts, 

including Darwin’s own personal items, 

together with documents, video and interactive 

computer displays and even some live 

animals and plants, to tell the story of his 

life’s work and the importance of his theory. 

Highlights include an original notebook used 

by Darwin on his voyage on the Beagle, a recreation 

of Darwin’s study at Down House, 

where he spent most of his life writing up 

his observations and ideas, and a display 

outlining the connection between Darwin 

and Australia during and after his 61-day 

visit in early 1836. The social reaction to 

publication of the ‘theory’, and its critical 

importance to modern biology and genetics 

are well explained. 

One of the most interesting revelations of 

this exhibition is the importance of geology 

in Darwin’s development as a scientist. I was 

interested to learn that Darwin was most 

impressed by a geological field trip he made 

through Wales with Adam Sedgwick in 1831, 

just before his around-the-world trip. He was 

fascinated by how Sedgwick could “read the 

history of the land” and this stimulated in 

Darwin a new ‘big picture’ way of looking at 

the natural world. This approach was put to 

good use by Darwin over the next five years. 

While in South America he made numerous 

geological observations. His notebooks for 

this period contain 368 pages on animals and 

1383 pages on geological observations. 

One of the prominent artefacts on display is 

a geological hammer similar to the one used 

by Darwin. Before, during and after his expedition 

on the Beagle, Darwin interacted with, 

and communicated with, many of the geologists 

of his day. It was a geologist, Charles 

Lyell, who finally persuaded Darwin to write 

up his theory for publication, 21 years after 

its initial formulation. This was just before 

Alfred Wallace sent Darwin a copy of his 

own very similar theory for transmission to 

the Linnean Society in London. Lyell knew 

that Darwin had come up with the theory 

first and that he had written a short essay 

outlining part of it 15 years earlier. Lyell was 

instrumental in organising for both scientists 

to have papers read and published simultaneously 

in the Proceedings of the Linnean 

Society in August 1858. Within a year 

Darwin had completed his major work. 

The exhibition provides other fascinating 

insights. I was amazed to learn how small 

the Beagle was (only 90 feet long, 16 feet 

shorter than Cook’s HMS Endeavour), but 

that it carried a library of 200 volumes, as 

well as numerous supplies, scientific and 

navigational equipment (including 22 

chronometers and five barometers) as well as 

eight brass cannon (replacing iron ones to 

avoid disturbing the ships compasses). The 

up-to-date library included a copy of Charles 

Lyell’s Principles of Geology, hot off the press. 

Darwin himself had purchased this on the 

advice of his Cambridge professor and mentor, 

Reverend JS Henslow, who also advised 

him “on no account to accept the views 

therein advanced” because they deviated 

from conventional religious views. 

It is also interesting to realise that Darwin 

benefited greatly during the five year voyage 

TAG March 2009 | 17

from the extensive network and activities of 

the British navy and merchant fleets. These 

provided a 19th century world wide web, 

allowing him to send thousands of specimens 

back to England from diverse localities and 

to communicate with many other scientists 

around the world. It meant Darwin could 

build his reputation while absent from the 

centres of learning and research. 

I think this exhibition is a ‘must see’ for 

geologists. But you will have to be quick. It 

closes at the end of March and apparently 

won’t be travelling to any other museums in Rock Doctor John Jackson on site with a school 

group, Kweebani Cave, Lamington National Park, 

Australia, although it will next be going to 

Queensland. Image courtesy of Angus Robinson. 

New Zealand. 

At the National Museum of Australia, 

Dr Jackson is an accomplished raconteur, 

Canberra, 10 December 2008 to 29 March 

artist, and a geotour leader – in all an 

2009. The Darwin Exhibition is based on an 

effective communicator of geoscience to 

exhibition organised by the American 

young and old alike. Pictured recently on site 

Museum of Natural History, New York, in collaboration 

with the Museum of Science, 

at Kweebani Cave on the Caves Circuit of the 

Lamington National Park, the ‘Rock Doctor’ 

Boston, The Field Museum Chicago, Royal 

(as he is now known) is helping some local 

Ontario Museum, Toronto and the Natural 

school children and accompanying adults on 

History Museum, London. 

an ecotour to understand the finer points of 

the lessons of geology. The cave highlights 

KEN McQUEEN 

structures in the outcropping perlite 

University of Canberra 

extrusions, all contained within the ash flows 

from the ancient Mount Warning volcano. 

Rock doctoring geotours 

Geotourism has been defined as ecotourism ANGUS M ROBINSON 

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Geotourism – an exciting 

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with over 30 years of international tal camera. 

dents were placed in a draw to win a Nikon digi- 

experience in exploration and development. ECU students have recently completed an initial 

John, who grew up on a farm in Inverell, has analysis of the 159 questionnaire responses 

had a passion for the stories found in rocks (some 7% of the GSA membership) and this 

since he was old enough to walk and pick up work will be published in due course and made 

his first pebble. He regards rocks and the Earth available to the Executive of the GSA. In the 

as the source for storytelling. John’s own fascination 

with these tales led him through his of Leisure Solutions®, and a long-standing mem- 

meantime, Angus M Robinson, Managing Partner 

university studies at the University of New ber of both the GSA and Ecotourism Australia 

England and on to explore the continents and Ltd, presented some of the preliminary results to 

oceans of the globe. During his travels he has the Inaugural Conference on Green Travel, 

met people from all walks of life who share Climate Change and Ecotourism, held in 

his quest to read and relate the stories that Adelaide, 17–20 November 2008. 

rocks can reveal. 

18 | TAG March 2009 

The lucky prize draw winner of the camera was 

David Tucker, a geologist with a BSc from the 

University of Melbourne and an MSc from James 

Cook University. After about 28 years in the 

mineral exploration business working for a variety 

of Australian and overseas companies, David 

recently retired from Barrick Gold where during 

11 years, his corporate development role transformed 

over time to Director Corporate Affairs. 

In “retirement” David is a non-executive Director 

of Bannerman Resources and otherwise is focusing 

on travel with his wife. 

David agreed to discuss some of his thoughts on 

geotourism with Dianne Tompkins, an Associate 

of Leisure Solutions®. 

Dianne: How easy is it to book and plan a trip to 

areas of geological interest in both Australia and 

worldwide 

David: Booking the trip is the easy part, but 

planning where you want to go and what you 

want to see is the challenge. For me, and for my 

‘non-geological’ wife, sites of geological interest 

are important components of any trip but are 

very rarely the prime target, let alone the sole 

reason for the trip. Any geoscientist knows that 

the underlying geology, and its resultant landforms, 

soil profile etc, is an integral part of any 

ecological system. For example, if you go to 

southern Africa, as I did recently, it’s pretty easy 

at the planning stage to find out what range of 

wildlife is on show in any particular region, but 

to include even a broad understanding of the 

geology and identification of specific sites of 

geological interest is not so easy, especially for 

the non-geologist. 

Whether it is baby-boomers ‘grey-nomading’ 

around Australia or backpackers seeing the world 

through the eyes of the climate change generation, 

I know that if they are provided with a 

geological understanding of the landform(s), in 

language they understand, they show both fascination 

and a thirst for more. I suggest that it is 

incumbent on the entire geological fraternity to 

grasp this opportunity to broaden the public 

understanding of geological processes that shape 

the environment around them, if for no other 

reason than to promote a more informed 

climate change debate. Easy accessibility of geological 

information expressed in layman’s terms 

should be our goal at every tourist destination. 

Dianne: How do you feel about travelling on an 

organised tour as opposed to your own independently-organised 

travel 

David: You probably don’t want to hear this, but 

we are very much the independent travellers. We 

want the flexibility to move at our own pace. In 

our experience organised tours tend to try to 

include too much with the result that you spend 

lots of time travelling from A to B, but not

David Tucker inspecting the Hoba Meteorite near 

Grootfontein, Namibia 

You never know when the next one is coming! 

(Warning on approach to Hoba Meteorite near 

Grootfontein, Namibia. The meteorite itself is in 

the clearing beyond the trees in left centre of the 

photo). 

David Tucker on the east flank of Mt Augustus – a 

monolith in WA that is bigger, but much less famous 

than Uluru. All images courtesy of David Tucker. 

enough time taking in whatever it was that you 

came to see. 

Dianne: What do you think are the three most 

important logistical factors to making a trip to 

an area of geological interest a success 

David: Ease of access, information, and preservation. 

Not just physical access, but good signposting 

to draw the tourist to the site and to keep 

them on track, if it’s too hard to find they’ll give 

up and go somewhere else. Good interpretive 

information both on site and in a pre-trip format 

in language that the non-geologist can understand. 

A sense of humour never goes astray, for 

example in Namibia recently we visited the Hoba 

Meteorite, a 60 tonne block of solid iron–nickel 

that is “the largest single meteorite on Earth” 

according to my guide book (Grünert, 2008). 

The sign on the path approaching the meteorite 

warns the visitor “BEWARE OF FALLING 

METEORITES”! 

Nicole Grünert’s travel handbook 1 is a wonderful 

example of the kind of information required for 

the non-geologist tourist, both for pre-reading 

and as a tour guide. 

Preservation – it goes without saying that if 

appropriate steps are not taken to preserve a 

site, then its value may rapidly deteriorate. 

Dianne: What makes a trip memorable as 

opposed to just enjoyable 

David: Unique experiences are the ones that are 

memorable, even if they aren’t all that enjoyable. 

My mind goes right back to a field trip I did to 

New Zealand as a student. We did a walk up to 

the toe of Fox Glacier in mid-summer. An hour 

after setting out in sunshine, the heavens 

opened in a way that is characteristic of South 

Island west coast. Not only did we get drenched 

head to foot but we found ourselves trapped for 

several hours on the wrong side of a major landslide 

that was no doubt triggered by the incessant 

heavy rain. We got back to town late in the 

day miserably cold and wet, but to see that 

whole talus slope slide catastrophically from 

the valley wall to temporarily dam the glacial 

outflow river was a truly memorable experience, 

and a geological lesson well learned. The 

enjoyable part came later, telling the story over 

and over in the warmth and convivial atmosphere 

of the pub. 

Dianne: What destinations would you suggest in 

Australia for travellers new to geotourism 

David: Where do I start Every point in this vast 

country has its geological story to tell, and that 

geology is in some way a controlling factor for 

the local economy, ecology and land-use. For the 

new geotourist, sites related to volcanoes, meteorite 

craters, fossils (especially dinosaurs), caves, 

major fault lines (especially active ones, where 

evidence is in the form of damage to man-made 

infrastructure), monoliths and heritage mine 

sites are probably of most general interest. 

I reiterate that geotourism is just part of the 

whole ecotourism experience — the important 

thing is to ensure that the geological context for 

the flora and fauna experience is available, both 

prior to and during the visit. 

Dianne: What has been your favourite 

geo-destination to date and why 

David: That’s the toughest question of the lot! 

I suppose for pure geological gee-whizz the 

aforementioned student trip, and subsequent 

trips to New Zealand because active geology is 

everywhere. From active volcanoes, to bubbling 

mud, fault scarps on recent river terraces and 

fast moving glaciers, it’s got it all. 

On the other hand, our Namibian experience last 

month encompassing the Damara Mobile Belt 

marking the collision trace of two ancient cratons, 

all overprinted by subsequent tectonics and 

climatic conditions that led eventually to the 

development of the shifting sands of the Namib- 

Naukluft and Skeleton Coast National Parks with 

their rare and unique desert adapted flora and 

fauna will be a memory to savour. 

DIANNE TOMPKINS 

REFERENCES 

1 Grünert, N, 2008, ‘Namibia — fascination of geology, 

a travel handbook’ 4th edition; published by Klaus 

Hess Publishers; Europe, ISBN 978-3-933117-13-7 

Ian Wark dinner 

The Ian Wark Medal was presented to Alan 

F Reid AM FAA FTSE at a dinner held at the 

Adelaide Hyatt on Friday 7 November. The 

Ian Wark Medal and Lecture recognises the 

contributions to Australian science and 

industry by the late Sir Ian Wark CMG, CBE, 

FAA, FTSE. The award recognises contributions 

to the prosperity of Australia where 

such prosperity is attained through the 

advancement of scientific knowledge or its 

application, or both. The award is normally 

made every two years. 

Dr Reid achieved international recognition 

in the areas of solid state chemistry, high 

pressure minerals, mineral processing, solar 

energy, and automated mineralogy. His most 

significant commercial contributions include 

understanding of and improvements to heavy 

minerals processing, the invention of the 

stable and highly efficient AMCRO solar 

energy absorber surface now widely used 

across Australia, and the early development 

of an automated mineral analysis system, 

QEMSCAN. 

TAG March 2009 | 19

The QEMSCAN system is now the basis of 

highly successful new company, Intellection 

Pty Ltd, and of a new industry – automated 

mineralogy. It has had a revolutionary and 

financially beneficial effect on the use of 

mineralogical data in geology, mining, mineral 

processing and oil and gas exploration, 

and lately, cosmology and forensics. Dr Reid’s 

innovation and development of the technology 

brought together a number of emerging 

advances in mathematics, statistics, physics, 

chemistry, and engineering. 

As a senior CSIRO research manager and 

leader, Dr Reid established and mentored a 

number of successful research groups, and 

played a major role in developing and directing 

collaborative research between CSIRO 

and Australian industry. As a CSIRO executive 

he helped to establish major research facilities 

in the mining states of Queensland and 

Western Australia. 

Ian Wark Medalist, 

Alan Reid. 

Image courtesy 

Australian 

Academy of 

Science. 

Dr Reid’s work has been recognised through 

many awards including the Rivett Medal in 

1970 for ‘a decade of outstanding contribution 

to physical science’, and a DSc from the 

Australian National University for contributions 

to solid state chemistry. He was elected 

to the fellowship of the Academy of Science 

in 1982 and to the Australian Academy of 

Technological Sciences and Engineering 

(ATSE) in 1988, and made a Member of the 

Order of Australia in 1993. In 2003 the high 

pressure mineral reidite was named after him. 

He was for 12 years the chairman of the 

Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research 

Centre, and was a member of the council of 

Macquarie University. In 1997 he led an 

extensive study into national urban air pollution, 

published by ATSE for the Australian 

Government, and recently co-authored a 

paper on the geological history of the Murray 

Basin. 

For the last four years Dr Reid has studied 

painting and drawing at the Adelaide Central 

School of Art. 

Article reproduced with the permission of the 

Australian Academy of Science. 

The Royal Society of 

Victoria’s centennial 

flyover of the South 

Magnetic Pole, 

Antarctica, January 2009 

On 16 January, 1909, two Australian academics, TW 

Edgeworth David and Douglas Mawson, with 

Scottish doctor, Alistair Forbes Mackay arrived at the 

vicinity of the South Magnetic Pole, so becoming 

the first persons to accomplish this feat, and realising 

the dream of James Clark Ross who reached the 

North Magnetic Pole on 1 June, 1831. The 2,000 km 

man-hauled sledge journey undertaken by this 

three-man northern party of Shackleton’s British 

Antarctic Expedition remains one of the most 

remarkable epics of the heroic era of Antarctic 

exploration and discovery. 

Shackleton’s expedition was notable for two 

other outstanding accomplishments: the first 

ascent of the continent’s only active volcano, 

Mount Erebus on 10 March 1908, and penetrating 

further south than anyone had managed 

before – to within 97 miles of the south 

geographic South Pole on 9 January, 1909. Alas, 

the successes of the expedition were to be overshadowed 

by the subsequent Amundsen/Scott 

‘race to the South Pole’ in 1911–12. 

It is fitting that the first ‘discovery’ and location 

of the South Magnetic Pole should be recognised 

100 years on. On Saturday 17 January 

2009, the Royal Society of Victoria chartered a 

Qantas aircraft to fly over the current location 

of the South Magnetic Pole, now 250 km out to 

sea off the French Antarctic Territory of Adelie 

Land, then along the 1,300 km path travelled by 

TW Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson and 

Alistair Forbes Mackay at the vicinity of the 

South Magnetic Pole, 16 January 1909. 

The home-made flag has come down through 

the David family and is now the property of 

the Australian Academy of Science. Image 

courtesy of the David family. 

the Pole back to the observed 1909 position 

deep inland and, possibly, the position estimated 

by Ross in 1841. 

The historic anniversary flight featured an inflight 

scientific program arranged by Charles 

Barton (Australian National University), Patrick 

Quilty (University of Tasmania), Ian Allison 

(Australian Antarctic Division and International 

Polar Year joint committee co-chair), and Larry 

Newitt (Canada). 

Guests included HRH Duke of Gloucester and the 

Governor of Victoria, David de Kretser FAA (the 

Society’s patron). Sixty ‘young science ambassadors’ 

from secondary schools in NZ, Canada, 

France, Finland, the UK, and all States and 

Territories of Australia also participated. 

The anniversary flight was part of the society’s 

education, outreach, and communication project 

contribution to the International Polar Year 

Path followed by the 

South Magnetic Pole 

(the principle point where 

the Earth’s magnetic field 

is vertically upwards) 

since its position was first 

accurately determined by 

James Clark Ross in 1841. 

Observed positions are in 

grey; black dots, going 

back to 1600, are 

positions inferred from 

numerical models of 

world-wide observations, 

such as the International 

Geomagnetic Reference 

Field. Image courtesy of 

Pat Quilty. 

20 | TAG March 2009

(IPY), 2007–08 (www.ipy.org), the Society having 

been associated with all three past International 

Polar Years in 1882–83, 1932–33, and 1957–58. 

The latter became the International Geophysical 

Year. The society, in association with the Royal 

Australian Mint and Australia Post, has also 

contributed to the design and release of the 

Polar Series coins and stamp issues to mark 

Australia’s involvement in the current polar year, 

which concluded on 1 March 2009. 

DAVID M DODD, CHARLES BARTON, 

PATRICK QUILTY and IAN ALLISON 

Article reproduced with the permission of the 

Australian Academy of Science. 

7th International 

Conference on 

Geomorphology (ANZIAG) 

Ancient Landscapes – Modern 

Perspectives 

Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre, 

Australia. www.geomorphology2009.com 

Program topics 

The scientific program will accommodate all 

aspects of geomorphology, including: river management; 

landscapes and geomorphic processes 

in drylands; ancient landforms and regolith; 

fire and geomorphology; global environmental 

change and geomorphology; landscape connectivity; 

applications of long-term chronometric 

methods, including cosmogenic isotopes landscape 

and process modelling; coastal geomorphology; 

hillslopes and mass movement; applied 

and urban geomorphology; Quaternary and 

glacial geomorphology and dating, especially of 

the Southern Hemisphere; karst geomorphology; 

geomorphology and archaeology; geomorphology 

and ecology; planetary geomorphology. 

Field trips 

A wide range of field trips will be offered for 

delegates to experience the diversity of 

Australian and New Zealand landforms. One-day 

mid-conference field trips will be offered, as 

well as longer pre- and post-conference field 

trips. Planned trips may include: 

One day mid-conference field trips: 

■ geology and landforms of Melbourne’s inner 

and northern suburbs; 

■ geomorphological processes in urban 

Melbourne; 

■ Cape Liptrap and Waratah Bay; 

■ Western Port Rivers (drainage of the “great 

swamp”); 

■ Great Ocean Road and Otway Ranges. 

Proposed pre and post-conference field trips: 

■ north–east Victoria and Gippsland coast; 

■ Western Victorian Uplands (including 

Grampians), volcanic plains and limestone coast; 

■ riverine plain, Lake Mungo World Heritage 

site, and the desert country of western NSW; 

■ the Great Barrier Reef and tropical rainforest 

— north–east Queensland; 

■ the Red Centre; 

■ the Huon Peninsula — sea level and coral 

terrace flight; 

■ Australian wine regions; 

■ field trips across the Tasman Sea: the dynamic 

landscapes of New Zealand. 

Intensive course for young geomorphologists 

A three day intensive course for young 

geomorphologists, partially subsidised by the 

IAG and the Organising Committee, will be 

held following the conference. 

Leader: Kerrie Tomkins, Department of Physical 

Geography, Macquarie University. 

Further information will be posted on the 

conference website as details are confirmed. 

geomorphology2009@tourhosts.com.au 

web: www.geomorphology2009.com 

The Macquarie International Conference on Island Arc – Continent Collisions 

13–21 April 2009 

Monday 13 April: evening icebreaker. 

Tuesday 14 April: one day trip to the 

northern part of the Molong Volcanic 

Belt, Fairbridge Volcanics and Copper 

Hill Mine, courtesy Golden Cross 

Resources. 

Wednesday 15 April: one-day trip to the 

southern part of the Molong Volcanic Belt, 

Cargo Volcanics, Bowen Park Limestone and 

Malachis Hill Formation. 

Thursday 16 April: presentations: what is an 

arc, anomalous subduction, the Ross Orogen 

(Bradshaw), NZ, the Delamerian Orogen. 

Friday 17 April: presentations on the 

Macquarie Arc plus Tasmanides. 

Saturday 18 April: presentations on the 

Caledonides (Dewey, Ryan, Draut), 

Appalachians (van Staal) Cordillera Tectonics 

plus mineral deposits (Tosdal, Goldfarb) the 

Americas (Dalziel, Rojas Agramonte), generic 

(Clift). 

Sunday 19 April: presentations on New 

Guinea tectonics plus mineral deposits 

(Cloos, Davies, Corbett), mineral deposits 

(Walshe, Barnicoat, Williams, Herrington, 

Tosdal, Goldfarb) Urals (Brown, Puchkov), 

Altaids (Kroener, Xiao) inter alia. 

Monday 20 April: one-day trip to the 

southern part of the Molong Volcanic Belt 

and Cadia Valley Deposits, courtesy of 

Newcrest Mining, Angullong Volcanics. 

Tuesday 21 April: one-day trip to 

Junee–Narromine Volcanic Belt (Parkes 

geology, Northparkes Mine, courtesy NPM) 

Wednesday 22 April: one-day post 

conference trip to Cowal Mine via Cargo 

Deposit (courtesy Cowal Gold Mine and 

Max Rangott). 

Wednesday 22–Sunday 26 April: postconference 

field trip through the Lachlan 

Orogen in southern NSW. 

Andesitic lava in the Goonumbla volcanics, 

Junee–Narromine Volcanic Belt. Image courtesy 

of Geological Survey of New South Wales, 

Richard Glen. 

TAG March 2009 | 21

Feature 

Tsunami hazard and mitigation in Australia 

As part of its response to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 

26 December 2004, the Australian Government funded 

the establishment of the Australian Tsunami 

Warning System (ATWS). The ATWS has three objectives: 

(i) provide a comprehensive warning system for Australia, 

(ii) contribute to international efforts to establish an Indian 

Ocean Tsunami Warning System, and (iii) facilitate tsunami 

warnings in the Pacific Ocean. The ATWS has been issuing 

warnings for Australia since July 2006, and in 2007 started 

sharing advisories 1 with other warning centres. It expects to 

begin issuing advisories directly to other countries during 2009. 

The ATWS encompasses all the various Australian, 

State/Territory and local government organisations that have a 

role in monitoring, warning and responding to tsunami threats 

and resulting recovery efforts. These agencies include; the Joint 

Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, operated by Geoscience 

Australia and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, which 

monitors earthquakes that have the potential to generate 

tsunami, monitors sea level data and issues the tsunami warnings. 

Other agencies included in the ATWS are Emergency 

Management Australia (EMA), which provides community preparedness 

programs and assists in recovery activities and the 

various State/Territory emergency management agencies 

responsible for evacuation, response and recovery. 

The warning system must monitor 

for tsunami and issue warnings; 

and it must implement response 

strategies. 

Over 80 people in Geoscience Australia and others in the 

Bureau of Meteorology, EMA and the States and Territories 

have contributed to the development of the ATWS. 

The warning system must monitor for tsunami and issue 

warnings; and it must implement response strategies when a 

tsunami approaches the coastline and a recovery phase afterwards 

(figure 1). In Australia, responsibility for these phases is 

shared by the Commonwealth, State/Territory and local governments. 

To be successful, an end-to-end warning system must 

develop mitigation strategies to prepare communities for 

tsunami. Mitigation strategies include: taking steps to minimise 

the impact of a tsunami, eg avoiding building in the likely inundation 

zone; and, when this cannot be avoided, building sea 

walls; as well as response procedures, such as evacuation plans, 

when an event occurs. 

FIGURE 1: Successful warning systems must have phases that are undertaken 

before, during and after a tsunami. 

Preparing communities 

The first step towards developing mitigation strategies is 

tsunami hazard assessment. This typically relies on the following 

steps: 

1. Identify potential tsunami sources, and make an assessment 

of the magnitude and frequency of tsunami generated by that 

source. This is based on the study of earthquake sources, 

including fault geometry and likely failure mechanism (thrusts 

are considered to generate the worst tsunami); maximum 

likely magnitude and its probability; and estimates of the 

resulting tsunami height and direction. 

2. Use a deep-water propagation model to simulate propagation 

of tsunami identified in step 1 through the open ocean. 

Geoscience Australia (GA) has produced a probabilistic tsunami 

hazard map for Australia that shows the minimum tsunami 

heights offshore, at the 100 metre isobath, for a given probability 

of exceedence. The portion for Western Australia reflects 

earthquake source zones along the Indonesia archipelago. (See 

www.fesa.wa.gov.au/internet/upload/1139951739/images/TSU 

NAMI_THREAT_MAP.gif for a WA tsunami hazard map.) Source 

zones off eastern Australia extend from the Solomon Islands in 

the north–east to the Puysegur Trench south of New Zealand; 

the east coast is also exposed to tsunami originating along the 

west coast of the Americas. 

3. Use a shallow-water inundation model to simulate the 

behaviour of the tsunami as it nears the coast, shoals and 

potentially inundates the land. Such models are usually run at 

a finer resolution and show the effects of local bathymetry on 

the tsunami wave. 

Palaeotsunami research, which identifies and dates the 

geological signatures of past tsunami, can validate and 

constrain estimates of tsunami magnitude, frequency and 

behaviour. 

22 | TAG March 2009

GA and State/Territory emergency managers have used the 

probabilistic tsunami hazard map to prioritise coastal communities 

for inundation modelling as a means of estimating 

onshore impacts. The modelling indicates the people likely to be 

exposed and their vulnerability. Vulnerable people require timely 

warnings and pre-planned evacuation routes that lead to 

safety and not into further danger. Impact on infrastructure 

required to support the community after the event (hospitals, 

emergency services, water, food, electricity, gas, transport and 

communications systems) must also be considered. This information 

feeds into the development of mitigation strategies. 

Australia is...more likely to face 

tsunami with smaller heights 

regionally, but possibly increasing 

unpredictably to much larger heights 

locally. 

Images of the tsunami that impacted Thailand on 26 

December 2004 showed tsunami several metres high inundating 

large sections of shore line. Australia is much farther from 

the potential tsunami sources, and is more likely to face tsunami 

with smaller heights regionally, but possibly increasing 

unpredictably to much larger heights locally. Worst-case-scenario 

inundation modelling has been undertaken by GA in collaboration 

with the Fire and Emergency Services Authority 

(WA). Communities in other States will be modelled in 2009. 

A further description of the modelling process, including some 

examples, is given by Hall, Stevens and Sexton (2008) 2 . 

GA officers have worked with emergency management 

agencies to conduct training for emergency management staff, 

who in turn have begun educating and training their communities. 

Only after the communities have been fully engaged 

with the process will the results of the modelling be released 

more widely. Experience overseas shows that premature release 

of such information can depress local community morale, business 

confidence and real estate values for a number of years. 

On the morning of Sunday 26 December, 2004, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake 

occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia. The epicentre 

was 30 km under the seabed and approximately 250 km south–southwest of 

Banda Aceh. In the nine hours following the earthquake, 14 aftershocks with 

magnitudes between 5.7 and 7.3 occurred along an arc extending from 

Sumatra towards Nicobar and the Andaman Islands. There have been more 

than one hundred aftershocks recorded since. Image courtesy of DigitalGlobe. 

Monitoring and warning 

Over 80% of tsunami are caused directly or indirectly by earthquakes. 

The ATWS is to issue warnings 90 minutes before a 

tsunami reaches Australia. To do this, GA must report the 

earthquake less than 15 minutes after its origin time. The 

detection of earthquakes requires access to interoperable 

national and international near-real-time seismograph networks, 

and algorithms for the rapid determination of locations 

(including depth), magnitude and focal mechanism. 

The Bureau of Meteorology has focussed on the development 

of a real-time sea-level monitoring system to detect the 

passage of tsunami, pre-computed scenarios to help populate 

warning messages, and tools for providing warnings to emergency 

managers and the public. The content of warnings 

depends on whether sea level data confirm that a tsunami was 

generated, and the predicted height of the tsunami at the 

beach. In cases where this cannot be done, the warning system 

must rely on predictions based on earthquake parameters 

alone. 

TAG March 2009 | 23

This pit was dug to study the effects of the July 17, 2006 Java tsunami 

on the Western Australian coast (Steep Point). Geologist Amy 

Prendergast is collecting samples for microfossil analysis from a sand 

sheet deposited by the tsunami. Image courtesy of Amy Prendergast. 

Research is therefore being conducted into new, direct 

measures for quantifying earthquake rupture, including, for 

example, directly measuring fault rupture length using seismic 

arrays (figure 2 above). 

Response and recovery 

Under the Australian Constitution, response and recovery are 

the responsibility of the States and Territories. Emergency 

Management Australia coordinates planning and public education 

to ensure that a uniform approach is taken. Australia 

receives many overseas visitors, and Australians travel overseas. 

Tsunami education in Australia is consistent with international 

practice. The mantra of “Shake; Drop; Roar; Run” is international 

– if you are on the beach and you feel an earthquake, if you 

see the sea level dropping unexpectedly, if you hear a roar coming 

from the ocean, then run to higher ground. The ATWS is 

working with the United Nations to ensure that warning messages 

issued by Australian and overseas authorities and signage 

of evacuation routes are consistent. 

Acknowledgments 

Reviews by Jonathan Griffin and Daniel Jaksa greatly improved 

the article. Published with the permission of the CEO of 

Geoscience Australia. 

BARRY DRUMMOND, TREVOR DHU and JANE SEXTON 


REFERENCES 

1 A warning can only be issued by a person or agency that has legislated authority 

to do so. It contains information on what people should do in an emergency. The 

Amy Prendergast collects samples to date sand sheet evidence of prehistoric 

tsunamis on Phra Thong Island, Thailand. This trench shows ities in those countries and they must issue the warnings. 

ATWS cannot issue a warning to other countries. It advises the appropriate author- 

evidence for four tsunamis in the last 2500 years. Image courtesy of 2 Stevens, R, Hall, G and Sexton, J, 2008, ‘Tsunami planning and preparation in 

Amy Prendergast. 

Western Australia: application of scientific modelling and community engagement’ 

Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 23, 4, p 30–36. 

24 | TAG March 2009

Special Report 

A rallying cry for geoscience in Australia: part 2 

Part 1 of this paper in TAG 149 1 outlined the decline in Australian 

tertiary geoscience and focused on the state of geoscience teaching in 

secondary schools. Part 2 addresses the status of tertiary geoscience, 

provides examples of remedial actions in Western Australia, and concludes 

with a call for action. 

Tertiary geoscience: problems 

and solutions 

The decline in Australian tertiary geoscience from 1990–2007 is 

evident in several metrics. For example, academic teaching staff 

decreased from about 220 to 170, third-year students increased 

only slightly from 300 to 381, despite major expansion of our 

resource industries, and the Honours retention rate fell from 

50% to 31%. The latter decrease is of particular concern, 

because a well-rounded geoscience qualification requires 

Honours or postgraduate studies. These students also provide 

geoscience teaching groups with relatively high student-load 

income. Industry zeal for recent recruiting of BSc graduates is 

a very short-sighted strategy. It deprives companies of better 

qualified graduates, and weakens the teaching groups responsible 

for a continuing supply of well-trained geoscientists. 

In contrast, the number of full time geoscience researchers 

in universities increased from 70 to 187, and this additional 

research income enabled some geoscience groups to survive. 

Nevertheless, Earth Sciences’ share of Australian R&D expenditure 

declined by about 23% from 1996/7–2004/5, despite 

continuous economic growth. 

The status of 17 Australian tertiary geoscience groups in 

2007 is shown in figure 1, based on data from the Australian 

Geoscience Council (AGC)’s survey. AGC estimated an Equivalent 

Full Time Student Load (EFTSL) of at least 150 is required for 

financial independence under current funding models and 

referred to a minimum of eight, and ideally 10–12, academic 

teaching staff for a well-rounded geoscience degree. Although 

such comparisons are complicated by curriculum variations 

between universities, it is clear that few groups operate with the 

desirable combination of EFTSL and staff. Furthermore, the AGC 

analysis indicates that the required EFTSL per staff member may 

be unsustainable, if quality people are to be attracted to academic 

careers. In other words, improving viability through 

increased student numbers is not a long term solution; more 

funding is required. Finally, AGC’s survey was at an industry high 

point, with peak demand and salaries for geoscientists; the 

EFTSL loads in figure 1 are unlikely to be sustained. 

Figure 1 provides another example of market failure, particularly 

in resource-rich Queensland, where student loads are 

relatively low. Institutional reactions have varied, with only five 

stand-alone geoscience departments now remaining. Most are 

integrated into larger groups and schools, with disciplines such 

FIGURE 1: Plot of academic teaching staff versus equivalent full time student 

load (EFTSL) in 2007 for 17 tertiary geoscience groups in Australia, identified by 

state and institution (source: reference 1). The vertical line at EFTSL 100 indicates 

very marginal economics without income supplementation. 

as geography, environment, marine science, atmospheric 

science and soil science. Some geoscientists fret about the loss 

of identity, but such integration is consistent with progress in 

science, and particularly Earth Science. It is certainly supported 

by academic staff at the University of Western Australia (UWA), 

who joined geographers and soil scientists in the School of 

Earth and Environment. 

Figure 2 highlights the per capita strength of third-year 

geoscience numbers in Tasmania and the Australian National 

University (ANU), in contrast to their unviable standing in 

figure 1, and thus demonstrates the flaw in current funding 

models and their impact on smaller groups and disciplines. It 

also reinforces the lower relative standing of geoscience in 

Queensland. 

FIGURE 2: Number of third year geoscience students in 2007 per million 

people by State (source: reference 1). 

TAG March 2009 | 25

The Western Australia context 

The profiles of geoscience at UWA and Curtin University over 

the period 1995–2008 (figures 3–6) provide examples of the 

array of possible problems and responses at institutional and 

State levels. Both have strengths in minerals-related geoscience 

and suffer large fluctuations in student load due to industry’s 

cyclic demand for graduates. First year enrolments (figures 3 

and 5) trace the impact of the 1997 international minerals 

exploration boom and subsequent decline, in response to deep 

and visible retrenchments of exploration geologists. Curtin 

reversed this trend in 2002 with a strategy to diversify geoscience 

degree offerings, via double degrees linked to other disciplines, 

and its upwards trajectory was sustained by exceptional 

increases in demand and price for mineral and energy commodities 

(and for geoscientists) from 2004 onwards. In contrast, 

the reversal at UWA in 2005 appears to correlate with external 

factors. 

FIGURE 5: Geoscience at Curtin 1995–2008: showing BSc Geology enrolments 

(first year), completions, honours students and full time equivalent (FTE) 

teaching staff. 

FIGURE 3: Geoscience at UWA 1995–2008: showing first year enrolments, third 

year and honours students, and full time academic teaching staff. 

FIGURE 6: Geoscience at Curtin 1995–2008: showing PhD enrolments, 

FTE research only staff and FTE teaching staff. 

FIGURE 4: Geoscience at UWA 1995–2008: showing PhD enrolments, full time 

research only staff and academic teaching staff. 

26 | TAG March 2009 

Figures 3 and 5 also illustrate declining Honours retention rates 

after 2004, and increasing teaching load at UWA, as reductions 

in academic staff coincided with increasing enrolments. The 

more stable teaching staff numbers at Curtin reflect increased 

income from its degree diversification strategy and from 

students committing to a BSc in geoscience on entry, a factor in 

the high EFTSL score in figure 3. PhD enrolments have also 

declined, particularly at UWA (figures 4 and 6), but both show 

significant increases in research-only appointments in recent 

years. 

These differences between Curtin and UWA geoscience 

partly reflect the different histories, objectives, priorities and 

circumstances of their host institutions. Such differences exist 

between all tertiary institutions and therefore if national and 

State initiatives to address the unacceptable status of 

geoscience in Australia are to be fully effective, they need more 

comprehensive information than is currently available.

Local solutions in Western Australia 

It is anticipated that tertiary geoscience in Western Australia 

will experience considerable benefits, over time, from the initiatives 

of Earth Science Western Australia (ESWA) in secondary 

schools described in Part 1 (TAG 149, p31). However, there 

are two other examples which are currently addressing the 

decline, particularly at UWA. First is the work of the UWA 

Geoscience Foundation, initiated in 2002 by UWA geology 

alumni in response to the declining status and morale of geoscience 

at UWA. It was launched in 2004 with the aim of raising 

$1.5 million to strengthen Earth Science commensurate 

with the State’s strategic needs by: 

— increasing the number and quality of UWA graduates with 

strong generic skills; 

— strengthening research and postgraduate education 

capabilities in petroleum, hydrogeology and climate change, 

whilst maintaining traditional strengths in minerals; and 

— strengthening the academic/industry interface. 

With the assistance of favourable external circumstances, the 

Foundation has initiated, or facilitated, new commitments to 

geoscience at UWA totalling almost $4 million. The Foundation 

has catalysed a strengthening of morale, staff numbers, profile, 

and institutional support for geoscience at UWA. In addition, 

the high level Board of alumni provides strategic advice to the 

School of Earth and Environment and facilitates links with 

industry and other stakeholders. 

The second example is establishment of the Centre for 

Exploration Targeting (CET). This UWA-based applied research 

centre brings together UWA, Curtin and the minerals industry. 

It was initiated in 2003 with strong industry input and following 

State Government funding of $2.1 million from the Centres 

of Excellence scheme, plus commitments from industry, UWA 

and Curtin, CET opened in 2005. The Centre has benefited from 

the excellent legacy of applied research, strong postgraduate 

cohort, and industry support that characterised the antecedent 

centres led by David Groves from 1987–2003. However, new 

leadership and senior staff, a new business model, high standards 

of governance, and a majority of industry representatives 

on the Board, have been key factors in its outstanding performance 

to date. Like its antecedents, CET strengthens the viability 

of its host school. 

These two examples have obviously benefited from the 

strength of minerals and energy in Western Australia, but that 

should not obscure the key message: informed external input 

can be a very positive factor in improving the health of individual 

tertiary geoscience groups. Whilst more Commonwealth 

funding is required for most of our tertiary geoscience groups 

to be viable, and must be pursued with vigour, its arrival date 

is very uncertain. In the meantime, at the scale of individual 

institutions, experience in Western Australia indicates that 

commitments from alumni, industry and professional organisations, 

together with constructive and supportive external influences 

on senior university management, is likely to achieve 

considerable leverage. In my experience, the external voice is 

always heard more clearly. 

Entering the era of Earth Science 

The desire to differentiate appears to be a hard-wired characteristic 

and in geoscience we make a plethora of distinctions 

and spread ourselves across six professional organisations in 

Australia. These distinctions probably have little meaning for 

the general public, which experiences many benefits from 

advances in geoscience, and has a strong interest in natural 

history documentaries and nature tourism, but little appreciation 

of its often unacknowledged contributions. This point is 

reinforced by the low level of awareness of geoscience amongst 

university entrants. 

Part 1 referred to the central role of Earth Science in 

several key national issues. If we are to fully capture the potential 

benefits that can flow from these issues, we need to adopt 

new badges, such as ‘Earth Science’ and ‘Earth Scientists’, and 

more consciously educate the public through consistent 

branding. As Earth Scientists we may achieve more intuitive 

recognition for the profession, stimulate more awareness of its 

strategic importance to Australia, and more effectively market 

Earth Science as a career. 

Another reason to consider such a change is our secondary 

schools. Since Part 1 was published, data have been obtained 

for teaching of Earth Science-related subjects in years 11 and 

12 and are summarised below: 

TABLE 1: Student numbers for Earth Science-related courses in 

Years 11 and 12, 2007. 

WA* SA NT Vic Tas NSW Qld 

(EES) (Geol) (Geol) (Env) (Env) (EES) (Earth Sci) 

Total students 785 160 36 334 258 2958 461 

Students/ 

1000 people 0.37 0.10 0.16 0.06 0.52 0.42 0.11 

*2008 

There is potential to raise awareness in secondary schools and 

to promote Earth Science, but the big problem is the low per 

capita uptake. In Western Australia, the ratio is expected to 

exceed 0.7 in 2009 and ESWA’s aim for a minimum of 1.0 

provides us with an initial target. 

Comparison of table 1 with figures 1 and 2 may explain the 

relatively low EFTSL scores for Queensland and the generally 

lower scores for Victorian groups, compared with NSW groups 

in figure 1, and also the high ranking of Tasmania in figure 2. 

At the very least, the data indicate that stronger support for 

Earth Science in secondary schools is essential if Australia is to 

have the broader Earth Science expertise we increasingly 

require. Current development of a new national curriculum provides 

a unique opportunity and all geoscience professional 

organisations must ensure that EES becomes one of the four 

core senior science subjects. 

To reinforce awareness of Earth Science we need consistent 

branding, from secondary to tertiary education and in external 

communications from our professional organisations. Impacts 

will be amplified by closer coordination and integration of the 

six professional geoscience organisations at both State and 

national levels. Combined membership of almost 10,000, 

TAG March 2009 | 27

including overlaps, is smaller than most science and engineering 

professional associations and the resulting fragmentation 

blunts our impact and diminishes our capacity to address 

problems. Therefore we should be seriously considering 

consolidation wherever practical. 

An encouraging example is the merger being considered by 

GSA and AIG, under the working title “Earth Science Australia”. 

If completed in 2009, as planned, it would be logical for other 

organisations to consider participation. Enlargement will 

strengthen the geoscience voice at State and national levels 

and lead to more robust divisions with the capacity to influence 

the status of Earth Science in secondary schools and tertiary 

institutions at the State level. 

A call for action 

The parlous state of tertiary geoscience in Australia has had a 

long gestation time and will not be corrected quickly. The AGC 

has made a very important contribution, but corrective action 

must be broadened and strengthened and, as active participants, 

it is reasonable to expect that the professional organisations 

and industry should contribute to the strategic solutions 

For example: 

■ We must raise public awareness of our brand by consistently 

promoting Earth Science and Earth Scientists at all levels 

and ensure that our key roles in current issues such as climate 

change are recognised; 

■ We must strengthen the teaching of EES (Earth and 

Environmental Science) in our secondary schools through 

State-based initiatives, support for TESEP, and by ensuring it 

becomes a core senior science subject in the new national 

curriculum; 

■ We must acknowledge that problems exist at the local, 

State and national levels, identify appropriate solutions, and 

take action; 

■ We must address the fragmentation of our professional 

organisations, and harness their combined skills and financial 

resources at both State and national levels. 

One immediate challenge for State divisions of professional 

organisations is to strengthen the teaching of Earth Science in 

secondary schools in Queensland, Victoria and NSW. These 

three States represent 77% of Australia’s population and table 

1 and figures 1 and 2 suggest they could provide a good return 

on the required investment of effort and money. 

Experience in Western Australia over the last five years in 

secondary and tertiary geoscience education indicates that it 

takes time to fully understand the issues, acquire the relevant 

information, and implement effective actions to address them. 

At the national level, and probably in most States, we lack the 

comprehensive, detailed and internally consistent data sets 

required to formulate and guide effective policies in tertiary 

and secondary geoscience education. We urgently need such 

data. 

The quickest response is for the key stakeholders (eg professional 

geoscience organisations, tertiary geoscience groups, 

AMC, APPEA, and State-based chambers of minerals and 

energy) to subscribe funds for a thorough six to 12 month 

review by a high-level consultant, coordinated by AGC. The 

review should assess the status and outlook of tertiary geoscience 

at the institution, State and national levels through 

interaction with all stakeholders. It should also include international 

benchmarking and other factors such as: the true status 

of secondary school teaching of Earth Science by State; the age 

profile of the geoscience workforce and estimates for future 

demand for Australian Earth Scientists; and international 

opportunities provided by our high standing in geoscience, such 

as postgraduate training of industry geologists from overseas. 

Outcomes should include: practical strategies for strengthening 

Earth Science in Australia to a match our national needs; 

recommendations and road maps for action at the local, State 

and national levels; direct feedback to all stakeholders; and 

publications and media reports. Such a review would provide a 

mechanism for wider sharing of information about successful 

initiatives, and encourage new ones. It should also provide 

mechanisms for many concerned geoscientists to become 

engaged and contribute to solutions. 

We have been in decline for too long; it is time to reverse 

the trend. 

JIM ROSS 

Member, GSA Executive; Chair, Earth Science Western 

Australia; UWA Geoscience Foundation; John De Laeter Centre 

for Mass Spectrometry; immediate past Chair of the Centre 

for Exploration Targeting, and Director, Berkeley Resources Ltd. 

REFERENCES 

1. Ross, J, 2008, ‘A rallying cry for geoscience, part 1’ The Australian Geologist, 

No 149, p31–34 

Amendment to figure 1, Part 1 

Status of geoscience in WA secondary schools and universities 

for the period 1995–2003. This figure, from Part 1 of the 

article (TAG 149, p33) was missing the titles of the graph. TAG 

apologises for the error. 

28 | TAG March 2009

In Focus 

The case for a greenfields renaissance 

The collapse in commodity prices in the latter half of 

2008, triggered by the global financial crisis, heralded 

a clear end to the global mining industry’s most recent 

boom cycle. At the beginning of an uncertain 2009, it is opportune 

to review and reflect on the large-scale context in which 

our industry, and in particular the exploration sector, operates. 

The strong increase in global demand for mineral commodities 

that we saw over the period 2003–2007 was driven by rapid 

economic growth in east Asia and, to a lesser extent, south Asia. 

This demand for growth led to an unprecedented global focus 

on the mineral resource sector. As a result, many major organisations, 

particularly from east Asia, entered the global mineral 

commodities market for the first time. An initial focus on buying 

minerals produced by others rapidly evolved to a move 

upstream to secure the primary sources of mineral production. 

This trend, together with prevailing high prices for mineral commodities, 

resulted in strong price increases for the pool of 

known, undeveloped and available mineral assets, most of 

which were discovered decades ago and remained undeveloped 

because they were of fundamentally poorer quality than those 

assets which were put into production. 

With the benefit of hindsight, it is now possible to see that 

the prices paid for many of these assets were significantly 

greater than their underlying value. In fact, many of them are 

probably unlikely to be economically viable under any foreseeable 

set of long-term conditions. Their initial acquisition could 

only have been justified by a world view that assumed that a 

structural shift in the global economy had occurred, and boomlevel 

commodity prices would now be the long-term norm. We 

are all aware that this assumption was dramatically punctured 

last year. Many companies appear to have based their growth 

strategies solely on this assumption and have now suffered significant 

reductions in enterprise value. 

The most significant lesson to emerge from the recent boom 

is that increases in commodity prices alone are not enough to 

make poor quality deposits economically viable! This conclusion 

might seem to be counterintuitive at first glance, but it is easily 

understood. In any environment of booming demand for metals, 

the key cost inputs to metal production (energy, materials and 

skilled labour) also dramatically increase in price (although with 

a lag effect) and therefore margins change little. Furthermore, 

mines are most often very large projects with many integrated 

parts that must work together with relatively low variation in 

order to produce satisfactory returns. Low-quality deposits inherently 

restrict the margin for error (ie variability) and this is probably 

why most newly developed, lower quality deposits incur 

significant write downs during the early stages of production. 

A key question that our industry must address at the 

beginning of 2009 is why the current pool of available resource 

assets is of such lesser quality than the world-class mines that 

have sustained us in the past. We believe that the fundamental 

reason is the lack of investment by the global mineral industry in 

greenfields exploration over the last 20 years. 

Greenfields (also sometimes referred to as “grassroots”) 

exploration is the way that all major mining districts begin and is 

the foundation of our industry. Greenfields exploration seeks to 

discover mineral deposits in new areas, away from the immediate 

vicinity of producing mines. In contrast, brownfields exploration 

seeks to find new deposits close to existing mines. Greenfields is 

a high risk, but high reward, business that creates long-term 

option value for the discoverers of new deposits. Brownfields 

exploration is lower risk, but is unlikely to deliver more 

than incremental growth, and the brownfields exploration 

opportunities in any one location will ultimately be depleted. 

Geoscience Australia has recently compiled expenditure data 

for the last two decades of Australian mineral exploration 

(figure 1). These data clearly illustrate a long term decline in 

greenfields exploration expenditure. During the same period, 

brownfields expenditure gradually trended upward until 2003, 

the start of the recent mining boom, when there was explosive 

growth. 

FIGURE 1: Australian Mineral Exploration Expenditure in constant 2006–2007 

dollars separating greenfields (solid line) from brownfields (dashed line) 

expenditure. Image courtesy of Geoscience Australia (based on ABS survey 

data deflated by CPI). 

TAG March 2009 | 29

How should we interpret these data Greenfields exploration is a 

long-term activity that companies tend to neglect during times of 

poor mineral prices. The period from the mid 1970s to 2002 was 

one of generally declining real metal prices and relatively flat 

demand growth that followed a period of globally successful 

greenfields mineral exploration between about 1960–1975. 

Therefore, it is not surprising that the period 1975–2002 saw a 

general decline in greenfields investment, and this contributed to 

tight mineral supply at the start of the recent mining boom. 

Beginning in 2003, a dramatic change occurred in the 

macroeconomic environment for the global mining industry. As 

illustrated in figure 1, the response of the mining industry has 

been to increase brownfields exploration dramatically. 

The explanation for the brownfields explosion probably relates 

to the recent large expansion in production capacity of existing 

mines (including the development of previously un-economic 

satellite deposits) in response to surging demand. The inevitable 

consequence is the shortening of mine life, unless exploration can 

keep up, and the reflexive response to this challenge is to increase 

brownfields exploration because it is the only exploration that 

can have a short-term impact on ore supply. 

Many large companies have assumed in recent years that 

they would no longer need to do greenfields exploration 

because the large (although very volatile) increase in capital 

flows to the junior sector over the last two decades would see 

these smaller companies increasingly doing this work. 

Unfortunately, as illustrated by figure 1, this has clearly not 

been the case and in general, the majority of investment by 

juniors has been even more incremental and short-term in focus 

than by the majors. 

Greenfields exploration remains relatively neglected for several 

reasons. For decision makers in large companies and for the 

investment market that funds junior explorers, greenfields 

exploration struggles to compete with brownfields exploration. 

The returns are not as immediate, and in recent decades, greenfields 

investment has probably not delivered enough quality, 

high-option value deposits to maintain favour in the 

risk–reward trade-offs of portfolio management. In addition, 

there remains widespread belief that new greenfields exploration 

is not really required due to the considerable number of 

low-grade, low-quality deposits that exist around the world and 

that were discovered during an earlier (1960–1975) period of 

greenfields success. 

However, as discussed above, we are now seeing that many, 

if not most, of these low quality deposits are not economically 

viable, even in an environment of higher commodity prices, due 

to extremely high development and operating costs and to 

social concerns. In addition, the recent massive global deleveraging 

process is producing a more stringent credit environment, 

and this means that borrowing to finance development of lower 

quality deposits will become even more difficult. 

The focus on brownfields exploration, though rational in the 

short term and for individual smaller mining companies, will 

exacerbate long-term problems for the global mineral supply. 

Recent large increases in production capacity imply that, since 

the beginning of the recent boom, the ratio of greenfields 

expenditure to unit of metal production has fallen dramatically 

and may now be at historically low levels. It is very likely that 

strong fundamental demand for resources will continue in the 

mid–long term, irrespective of the current global financial 

crisis. It is therefore a concern that, at a time when the longterm 

challenges of mineral supply remain great, we have the 

worst long-term investment ratio in greenfields exploration of 

recent decades! 

At the industry scale, brownfields exploration is a lower risk 

investment than greenfields; however, in a given mining district, 

it is inevitably harder to sustain brownfields success over time. 

More importantly, greenfields exploration is a long-term business 

that requires persistence, planning and good risk management. 

It cannot be switched on after high quality brownfields 

opportunities have been exhausted. Therefore, it is critical that 

the industry put in place greenfields programs now so they have 

the time to deliver results before we start to confront the 

reality of widespread brownfields depletion. 

The data in figure 1 only relate to Australia; although we are 

not aware of similar data from other jurisdictions, our anecdotal 

experience suggests that this is a widespread phenomenon. 

With the exception of Canada, and in particular the province of 

Quebec, there is little evidence of the most recent mining boom 

resulting in a major increase in levels of greenfields exploration. 

Another global factor is that prior to the 1990s, countries in 

the former communist economic system all maintained very 

large State mineral exploration groups charged with the 

systematic long-term delineation of mineral resources. These 

groups were not governed by market considerations and, 

although arguably inefficient in many respects, were responsible 

for a large proportion of global greenfields discoveries in 

preceding decades. These discoveries were not just made in 

communist countries, but also in many “nonaligned” States, 

particularly in Africa, that received aid from the former Soviet 

Union. These groups all essentially disappeared with the fall of 

communism, and the market-oriented organisations that have 

replaced them in these countries have been much more focused 

on exploiting previously discovered resources than finding new 

greenfields deposits. 

What is required to provide the necessary increase in global 

greenfields exploration As an example, fiscal incentives have 

been put in place in Quebec that provide preferential treatment 

for exploration north of a certain latitude, thereby favouring 

greenfields exploration. This seems to have led to an increase in 

30 | TAG March 2009

Reverse circulation drilling at Paddy's Flat. Gold exploration in Mekatharra by 

Mercator Gold Aus Pty Ltd, 2007 (Murchison Province, WA). 

Image courtesy of Ignacio Gonzalez-Alvarez. 

Contrasted tones of regolith in the northern Yilgarn reflect its origin (transported 

or residual regolith). Distinction between the two is critical to greenfields 

exploration. Image courtesy Ravi Anand, CSIRO Exploration and Mining. 

greenfields exploration expenditure and in the success rate. 

Similar incentives are under consideration by the Australian 

government. Perhaps we will see the emergence of new players 

from Asia who take a longer-term view of the problems of 

mineral supply and therefore see it to be in their long-term 

interests to sustain significant levels of greenfields exploration. 

The Japanese agency JOGMEC already has a stated strategy 

which favours investment in greenfields exploration projects. 

It is also critical that greenfields capability be increased; we 

need a renaissance that (like the period 1960–1975) looks for 

and applies innovative science in unexplored and hard to 

explore areas, ie that encourages the risk takers. Such a renaissance, 

however, will require the following: 

■ There must be better education of senior management in 

mining and minerals companies as well as governments and 

financial industry workers as to the value proposition of 

greenfields exploration and its challenges. 

■ There must be more financial incentives (ie incremental 

reduction of short-term risk). Brownfields is often easier to 

support because costs can be capitalised and amortised. With 

the exception of Quebec and other flow-through regimes in 

Canada there are almost no real short-term financial incentives 

for greenfields exploration. 

■ Industry capability and experience in the discipline of greenfields 

exploration must improve; there is no use increasing 

support for greenfields if the money won’t be spent effectively. 

Finally, the short-term view that is pervasive in public companies 

and capital markets is a considerable hurdle for a greenfields 

renaissance. The focus on immediate returns and return ranges 

makes it extremely difficult to treat greenfields investment as 

non-discretionary at some base level, which it must be to 

succeed. Much of this short-term thinking makes the fundamental 

philosophical mistake of confusing risk (ie the probability of a 

positive economic return from a project) with certainty (ie level 

of knowledge regarding the probable project parameters). For 

example, an acquisition target with a relatively high level of 

certainty may be a much higher risk opportunity than an 

exploration project with highly uncertain outcomes, if it requires 

sustained boom-level commodity prices to be viable. 

There is a clear case for the global mining industry to reverse 

the long-term trend of declining greenfields exploration. The 

case becomes increasingly urgent as we expand production 

from existing mines without a commensurate long-term investment 

in finding new mining districts. One can only hope that 

larger companies might lead the way, especially when faced 

with the limits of brownfields exploration and of merger and 

acquisition-driven growth. 

JMA HRONSKY, BJ SUCHOMEL and JF WELBORN 

TAG March 2009 | 31

ARC 2009 grants for Earth Science research 

Discovery Grants 

PROJECT SUMMARY GRANT 

Geology 

Partial melting in natural metal–silicate 

and silicate systems: rheological and 

geochemical implications for the Earth 

and other planets 

TA Rushmer 

Administering organisation: 

Macquarie University: 

The origin of Australian opal deposits: 

unlocking the secrets of an Australian 

icon 

PF Rey, A Dutkiewicz 


University of Sydney 

Coupled subduction dynamics and 

continent deformations: understanding 

the Asian and Red Sea tectonics 

FA Capitanio, C Faccenna 


Monash University 

The cosmogenic 21Ne exposure dating 

method: calibration for application to 

volcanic chronology, landscape evolution 

and palaeo-climate change 

D Phillips, Dr M Honda 


University of Melbourne 

Building the thermodynamic framework 

for modelling the Earth 

R Powell 



Modelling fluid flow and mineralisation 

at crustal interfaces 

TG Blenkinsop, NH Oliver, DJ Sanderson, JG McLellan 


James Cook University 

Understanding how fluid and melts migrate through the Earth's crust is vital to 

predicting how important minerals, metals and oil can be concentrated. 

Understanding fluid–rock systems therefore contribute to an environmentally 

sustainable Australia (Research Priority 1). Furthering our knowledge of permeable 

networks through the use of dynamic experiments is an innovative way to 

study their development within naturally-evolving crustal systems as they 

respond to changing physical and chemical conditions. Thus, this proposal is 

also directly concerned with the continuing aim of building a sustainable 

Australia through knowledge of deep-Earth resources. 

Opal is the national gemstone of Australia. With over 95% of world's precious 

opal being mined in Australia, this precious mineral is not only one of our major 

export earners but also the life blood of many central Australian townships. 

Despite its economic significance and long history of mining, little is known 

about the formation of opal. Consequently, exploration is still based on oldfashioned 

prospecting methods rather than on genetic exploration models that 

have made base metal exploration so successful. The aim of this project is to 

investigate the processes controlling the formation of Australian opal and to 

use this information to construct an exploration model that will lead to more 

effective and efficient exploration methods. 

Modelling slab pull forces and lithospheric deformation provides a new insight 

in the dynamics of plate tectonics. Unravelling the self consistent formation of 

faults, rifts, shear zones and up to passive margin will further the understanding 

of our planet. Furthermore, the application of these models to specific geological 

contexts will support the exploration and assessment of inaccessible Earth 

resources, such as hydrocarbons pools, located along the deep Australian continent 

margins; and diamonds and ore deposits, associated with continental shear 

zones, whose potential is still to be fully discovered. 

Accurate calibration of the Neon 21 cosmogenic dating method will provide a 

powerful tool for dating young volcanic rocks, eroded or buried surfaces and 

glacier/ice retreat. This research will have considerable social, national and economic 

benefits for volcanic hazard assessment, studies of ore systems buried 

beneath thick soil cover, landscape evolution, soil erosion, and palaeo-climate 

change. In addition, this research will position Australian science at the forefront 

of cosmogenic dating research and provide essential training for the next 

generation of Earth Scientists. 

The Earth holds resources essential for society, such as metals and petroleum, 

but it also presents risks to society, such as earthquakes and volcanoes. To 

understand these, we need to understand how the Earth works, and not just at 

or close to the Earth's surface where these things are found or are felt. This fellowship 

aims to provide the framework and the tools for modelling the processes 

involved in how the Earth works. Such tools will, for example, dramatically 

improve our ability to understand, and therefore to find, ore deposits. 

Several types of mineral resources, including some uranium, iron, and base 

metal ore deposits, may be created by fluid flow through and around interfaces 

in the Earth's crust. By understanding how, where and why such deposits form, 

we will assist exploration for future resources of these metals. Insights will also 

be gained into petroleum resource generation and extraction, the distribution of 

seismicity and volcanoes in time and space, the problems of underground 

nuclear waste disposal and sequestration of CO 2 , and the potential for geothermal 

energy, with benefits in resource identification and/or hazard assessment in 

these areas. 

2009: $70,000 

2010: $55,000 

2011: $60,000 

2009: $80,000 

2010: $75,000 

2011: $70,000 

2009: $95,000 

2010: $80,000 

2011: $80,000 

2009: $75,000 

2010: $60,000 

2011: $60,000 

2009: $79,000 

2010: $80,000 

2011: $83,000 

2012: $79,000 

2013: $79,000 

2009: $100,000 

2010: $100,000 

2011: $85,000 

32 | TAG March 2009


Geochemistry 

Origin of the New England contorted 

mountain belt: implications for plate 

tectonics, magmatism and mineralisation 

G Rosenbaum 


University of Queensland 

Biogeochemical characterisation of 

Archaean microfossils, biomarkers and 

organic matter: probing the nature and 

diversity of early life on Earth 

B Rasmussen, IR Fletcher, A Bekker 


Curtin University of Technology 

The early evolution of the Earth system 

from multiple sulphur isotope records of 

sediments and seafloor mineral systems 

ME Barley, SD Golding, M Fiorentini 


University of Western Australia 

Diamond genesis: cracking the code 

for deep-Earth processes 

WL Griffin, SY O'Reilly, NJ Pearson, T Stachel, 

O Navon, JW Harris 


Macquarie University 

Application of very short-lived uraniumseries 

isotopes to constraining Earth 

system processes 

SP Turner, A Dosseto, M Reagan 



A new paradigm for the geochemistry 

of mineral precipitation and dissolution 

in aquatic systems: polymer-based 

numerical modelling 

AL Rose, JC Rose 


Southern Cross University 

Geophysics 

Three-dimensional evolution of the Banda Arc: 

effects of the collision of the Indo–Australian 

plate with the active Banda volcanic arc 

MS Miller 



The southern New England mountain chain in eastern Australia is characterised 

by a tight curved geometry. This research will reconstruct the formation of 

these, hitherto unexplained, mountain curves, unravelling their driving mechanisms 

and tectonic processes. Results will provide a plate tectonic model for the 

formation of economic resources, thus facilitating future discoveries of ore 

deposits in the New England belt, or energy resources in the associated sedimentary 

basins. The project will foster a pool of highly trained professionals and 

researchers in the fields of structural geology and tectonics, and will enhance 

Australia's scientific reputation, maintaining its leading international standing 

in plate tectonic research. 

Recognising biological signatures in ancient rocks poses the single greatest 

challenge to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life. This project 

will use new, advanced technology to reveal when and where life first appeared 

and assess its impact on the environment, atmosphere and climate. Results are 

essential for understanding the transformation of our planet into a suitable 

habitat for humankind. The work will place Australia among world leaders in 

one of the most exciting topics of current scientific research, raising Australia's 

reputation in this high profile and competitive field. The project tackles profound 

questions and seeks to attract, inspire and train future scientists in an 

ideal location and research environment. 

This project addresses the early evolution of the Earth system that is one of the 

most important questions in Earth Sciences. It will use Australia's unique rock 

record and analytical techniques developed in Australia in collaboration with 

leading international researchers. The National Research Priority area 'An environmentally 

sustainable Australia: developing deep Earth resources' will benefit 

through the development of better exploration models for Archaean submarine 

metal deposits. Students will obtain a high level understanding of the early Earth 

system, ore deposits, stable isotope and transition metal geochemistry, which are 

directly applicable in both pure and applied research and mineral exploration. 

The project will provide new insights into the processes by which diamond 

crystallises in the Earth's mantle, and will deliver information directly relevant 

to interpreting the diamond prospectivity of the Australian continent. The 

development of a new diamond mine in Australia, or by Australian companies 

abroad, would be a major addition to the economy and Australian-based 

industry. Another outcome of this research will be further development of 

methodologies for identification of sources of individual diamonds, relevant to 

the international Kimberley Process for reducing theft and illegal diamond 

trade. The project will be a highly visible Australian contribution to this global 

social and economic problem. 

This proposal is directly concerned with the continuing aim of building a sustainable 

Australia through knowledge of deep Earth resources. Uranium series 

isotopes are relevant to the very recent history of the planet (< 350,000 years) 

— time scales which are often overlooked. The more we know about the rates 

of processes the better we will be able to inform models for volcanic hazard 

mitigation, soil sustainability and resource exploration and safeguarding. It is to 

these techniques we must look if we are to understand the immediate past as a 

clue to the immediate future of our planet. 

The ability to predict the formation and dissolution of solids (minerals and precipitates) 

in aquatic systems is currently constrained by limitations of the traditional 

thermodynamic approach. A new approach based on the kinetics of the 

underlying chemical reactions is expected to overcome these limitations and 

greatly improve the ability to describe these processes. This new fundamental 

knowledge will be useful in many diverse fields including aquatic geochemistry, 

soil chemistry, water engineering, and nanotechnology. The new approach will 

be specifically applied to improve understanding of processes related to the 

globally significant environmental issues of marine iron fertilisation, ocean 

acidification and acid sulphate soils. 

National benefits are associated with the advance of basic science by addressing 

fundamental tectonic problems on the geodynamics of convergent plate 

boundaries. In particular, the specific study area would provide a better understanding 

on the tectonic environment of Australia in the context of the 

Asia–Pacific region. In the future, outcomes of this research could potentially be 

used to reconstruct the tectonic history of Australia using the Banda region as 

a modern analogue. 

2009: $80,000 

2010: $80,000 

2011: $80,000 

2009: $100,000 

2010: $90,000 

2011: $80,000 

2009: $70,000 

2010: $70,000 

2011: $70,000 

2009: $157,000 

2010: $120,000 

2011: $120,000 

2009: $98,000 

2010: $98,000 

2011: $98,000 

2012: $103,000 

2013: $103,000 

2009: $110,000 

2010: $70,000 

2011: $70,000 

2012: $65,000 

2013: $65,000 

2009: 22$80,000 

2010: 22ss$70,000 

2011: 22 $70,000 

2012: 22 $60,000 

TAG March 2009 | 33


Resistivity of typical rocks at crustal 

pressure and temperature conditions from 

combined laboratory and magnetotelluric 

measurements 

K Selway 


University of Adelaide 

Magnetotelluric (MT) surveys are playing an increasing role in Australian geoscience, 

including academic research, data collected by geological surveys (including 

a role in Geoscience Australia's $58.9 million Onshore Energy and Security 

Program), mineral exploration and geothermal exploration. This project will enable 

the results of these surveys to be interpreted more accurately and meaningfully by 

constraining the expected resistivities of crustal rocks at various pressures and 

temperatures. This research is vital if the investment currently being put into MT 

surveys is to be capitalised upon. 

2009: $130,000 

2010: $120,000 

2011: $88,000 

Seismic tomography using signal and 

noise: a new window into deep Earth 

N Rawlinson, H Tkalcic, M Sambridge, RA Glen 


The Australian National University 

This project will combine traditional imaging techniques based on earthquake 

records, and state-of-the-art ambient noise tomography, which exploits oceanic 

and atmospheric disturbances, to construct detailed models of the crust and upper 

mantle beneath south–east Australia. The national benefits of this research 

include: a vastly improved understanding of the deep architecture of the 

Australian Plate, and how it has evolved over time, a paradigm shift in the interpretation 

of seismic data, which will enhance Australia's reputation in the international 

scientific community, and important new constraints on the broad scale 

geology of prospective regions that host world class mineral deposits. 

2009: $130,000 

2010: $85,000 

2011: $85,000 

Resources engineering 

Multi-scale modelling of particle 

breakage in grinding process 

RY Yang 


University of New South Wales 

The minerals industry is the largest exporter in Australia, contributing approximately 

40% of Australia's total exports. Grinding is one of basic operations in 

mineral processing to liberate valuables from the host rock. Grinding process, however, 

has very low efficiency and may account for 50% of the direct operating cost 

of a mineral processing plant. This project is to develop a novel, multi-scale model 

to investigate grinding at both process and individual particle levels and to provide 

a more accurate prediction of grinding performance. This will result in improved 

control and design of grinding process with reduced energy consumption and mineral 

waste, which will be of immense economic and environmental benefit to 

Australia. 

2009: $115,000 

2010: $85,000 

2011: $95,000 

Confined comminution and particle flow: 

a general model for large-scale canonical 

solutions 

I Einav, A Tordesillas 



The influence of particle shape 

fragmentation and compaction on 

3D hopper flow 

HB Muhlhaus, JF Grotowski, GP Chitombo, H Hermann 


University of Queensland 

The project integrates recent advances in continuum mechanics to develop a novel 

theory of comminution for large-scale problems of grain-size reduction, beyond 

the reach of particle-based simulations. We will deliver new knowledge and predictive 

tools by solving fundamental and significant comminution problems. 

Underpinning this development will be a direct link between energy and particle 

kinematics. This unique methodology will enable the prediction of energy flow in 

fault zones, and energy losses from machine to particle and between particles. 

According to world-leading material scientist Patrick Richard, "Granular materials 

are ubiquitous in nature and are the second-most manipulated material in industry 

(the first one is water)". Our research will produce massive three dimensional 

computer simulations predicting and analysing the influence of particle size and 

shape on the morphology of industrial and natural granular flows. The results will 

have directly and immediately relevant applications in a range of Australian industries, 

including mass mining and minerals processing and will further make a 

major contribution to understanding and modelling a variety of geohazards. 

2009: $150,000 

2010: $120,000 

2011: $120,000 

2009: $202,000 

2010: $168,000 

2011: $168,000 

Artificial intelligence and signal and image processing 

Planet-scale reorganisations of the 

plate–mantle system 

D Muller, G Morra 



Vast sedimentary basins, fold belts and associated resources represent the main 

source of Australia's wealth, formed largely as consequences of major global tectonic 

events. We propose to connect two key national simulation and modelling 

infrastructures to a novel geodynamic modelling tool, developed specifically for 

modelling plate tectonics at the global and regional scale and suitable to unravel 

the causes and consequences of sudden global plate tectonic reorganisations. The 

knowledge-base derived from this work will considerably improve our understanding 

of catastrophic tectonic events affecting plate boundaries and plate interiors. 

2009: $110,000 

2010: $95,000 

2011: $95,000 

The Subduction Reference Framework: 

unravelling the causes of long-term 

sea-level change 

D Muller, M Sdrolias, M Gurnis, TH Torsvik 



Long-term global sea level fluctuations have been a driving force of biogeography, 

climate change and organic evolution. We will assimilate images of 

subducted tectonic plates in the Earth's mantle into geodynamic models to 

establish a novel Subduction Reference Frame for the past 200 million years. 

This will form the basis for unravelling the effects of subduction on surface 

topography and sea-level change. The project outcomes will include predictive 

models of sedimentation and erosion in continental interiors, and will transform 

knowledge about the nature and magnitude of natural planetary change. 

2009: $100,000 

2010: $75,000 

2011: $75,000 

2012: $60,000 

34 | TAG March 2009


Linkage Grants for funding commencing in January 2009 

Geology 

Environmental change in northern 

Cenozoic Australia: a multidisciplinary 

approach 

S Hand, M Archer, Mr SA Hocknull, TH Worthy, JD 

Woodhead, DI Cendon, J Zhao, IT Graham, JD Scanlon, 

GJ Price, AR Chivas 



Collaborating/partner organisations: 

Xstrata Copper North Queensland, Queensland Museum, 

Outback at Isa, Mount Isa City Council 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that by 2020 

to 2050, Australia will suffer significant biodiversity loss and water shortages. 

Our research will document and date the evolution of Australia's biota through 

three cycles of climate change over the last 25 million years to quantify and 

thereby better anticipate the nature and dimension of threats facing our natural 

and cultural communities. We will develop innovative techniques to date 

prehistoric biotic and climatic events and, using a range of tracers, characterise 

ancient environments and groundwater. This project will assist rural and 

regional Australia through education and job creation in geotourism and natural 

resource interpretation and provide a mechanism to combat generational 

skill shortage. 

2009: $300,000 

2009: $300,000 

2010: $300,000 

2011: $300,000 

A highly resolved chronostratigraphic 

and palaeo-environmental framework 

for pre-salt Brazilian core basins 

JD Stilwell 




Shell International Exploration and Production Inc 

Hydrocarbon production and exploration today support viable economies. 

The engagement of industry with higher learning institutions will advance and 

enhance the discipline of petroleum geology, with a resultant spectrum from 

new sources of oil and gas, to significantly reducing CO 2 emissions (and 

decreasing the impact of global warming). National and community benefits 

are diverse: training and research support for many graduate students and staff 

in Australia, a better understanding of ancient greenhouse climates, testing and 

refinement of new techniques (eg bio-events, bio-steering) in petroleum studies 

and practical experience of integrating data from frontier exploration wells. 

2009: $220,000 

2010: $150,000 

2011: $100,000 

Metallurgy 

Characterisation of carbonaceous 

materials in production of manganese 

alloys 

O Ostrovski, G Zhang 



Collaborating/Partner organisation(s) 

Tasmanian Electrometallurgical Company 

Optimisation of the carbonaceous materials feedstock in production of manganese 

alloys will increase energy efficiency and decrease environmental 

impact in operation of submerged electric arc furnace. Currently, Australia 

processes domestically only about 25% of produced manganese ore, while 75% 

is sold as raw material. Increase in production of manganese alloys will add 

value to the products and create additional employment opportunities, which 

will be beneficial to the Australian economy. The project will also contribute to 

further understanding of behaviour of coals in pyro-metallurgical processes 

that will be beneficial to coal industry. 

2009: $60,000 

2010: $60,000 

2011: $60,000 

Chemical engineering 

Improving iron ore agglomeration by 

studying underlying mechanisms using 

experimental studies and dimensional 

analysis 

TA Langrish, C Loo, HT See 




BHP-Billiton Technology 

The revenue from Australia's iron ore exports is currently worth over $15 

billion. Over 80% of the shipped ores are fines (ie material smaller than 9mm), 

which have to be sintered to produce a lumpy product prior to reduction and 

smelting in iron making blast furnaces. An understanding of this process at the 

fundamental level is essential for enhancement of the nation's technological 

standing with our key trading partners — that is, to enable Australian iron-ore 

exporters to become 'knowledgable' suppliers. In addition, local iron-making 

industries will gain direct economic benefit from the improved sintering 

processes developed. 

2009: $80,000 

2010: $70,000 

2011: $75,000 

Resources engineering 

Matching flotation concentrate 

composition to downstream processing 

in copper production at the Olympic 

Dam operations of BHP Billiton 

SR Grano, SL Harmer-Bassell, I Ametov 


University of South Australia 


BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Corporation Pty Ltd 

This research is important for the Australian and South Australian economies. 

There are both large capital and operating costs benefits if a successful and 

robust mineral separation can be achieved. Being able to separate different 

copper sulphide minerals in copper concentrates will have global significance. 

In the particular case of Olympic Dam mine, the impact of being able to 

separate the copper sulphide minerals at the mineral processing stage is a 

significant reduction in operating costs, which is a result of reduced ore 

handling, mining and smelting costs. 

2009: $150,000 

2010: $153,000 

2011: $156,000 

TAG March 2009 | 35


Civil engineering 

A novel foundation to extend the 

operation of mobile structures into 

deeper water 

C Gaudin, MJ Cassidy, B Bienen, OA Purwana, M Quah 




Keppel Offshore and Marine Pty Ltd 

Oil and gas is a key industry in Australia, contributing $17 billion to the economy. 

However, with the large accessible reserves in shallower waters becoming 

exhausted, Australian oil and gas companies require new technologies to extend 

their capabilities. The research in this proposal addresses this concern, providing 

an extension of the operational depth range of mobile jack-up platforms from 120 

to 200m. This creates the opportunity to develop the significant number of 

Australia's smaller gas fields that are currently uneconomical to exploit. The proposed 

project will contribute to the future competitiveness of Australia's oil and 

gas industry and ensuring energy supply for the sustained growth of the 

Australian economy. 

2009: $50,000 

2010: $60,000 

2011: $65,000 

Soil and water sciences 

Conversion of lignite to biochars to Lignite, or brown coal, is used in power generation, but it is uneconomic to transport 

2009: $39,000 

enhance soil fertility 

and acts as a significant source of greenhouse gases. The conversion of lignite 2010: $38,000 

PR Munroe, SD Joseph, L Van Zwieten 

to liquid fuel and char provides an economic source of fuel and the generation of 

a char which also lowers the carbon footprint associated with lignite processing. 

2011: $38,000 


Lignite-derived char has potential to act as an agent for both promoting plant 


growth and improving soil health. This project will do much to promote the use of 


chars, from a lignite source, which will increase the economic viability of mining 

Ingite Energy Pty Ltd 

brown coal. 

Atmospheric sciences 

The climate evolution of high latitude 

Melbourne University and the Royal Botanic Gardens will collaborate with three 2009: $80,000 

140 to 90 million year old hydrocarbon 

companies to investigate climate variability in a 140 to 90 million year old greenhouse 

record in southeast Australia. Spore, pollen and algal studies integrated 2011: $70,000 

2010: $70,000 

prospective strata of south–east 

Australia 

with wood and plant analyses and zircon dating will improve age estimates of 

SJ Gallagher, DJ Cantrill, MW Wallace 

hydrocarbon reservoirs in Gippsland where Lakes Oil and Nexus Energy are exploring 

in one of Australia's premier oil and gas producing regions. This work will lead 




to a better understanding of climate change in long-term greenhouse conditions. 

Knowledge of this in the past is critical to prediction of climate change into the 

future. 

Lakes Oil NL, Nexus Energy Limited, Geotrack International P/L 

Environmental sciences 

Ecosystem restoration of bauxiteprocessing 

Alumina production is one of Australia's most important mining activities. Residue 2009: $110,000 

residue sand disposal areas from bauxite processing must be managed appropriately to minimise detrimental 2010: $60,000 

in Western Australia: important biogeochemical 

impacts on the surrounding environment. The location of Alcoa's WA refineries in 2011: $50,000 

processes and effective environmentally- and community- sensitive areas necessitates a detailed under- 

2012: $110,000 

fertilisation strategies 

C Chen, Z Xu, IR Phillips, LM Conon 


Griffith University 


Alcoa World Alumina Australia 

Other physical sciences 

Advanced electromagnetic sensors and 

standing of residue disposal area (RDA) management. Currently, little is known 

about the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in the 

residue sand despite its importance for sustainable rehabilitation practice. Findings 

from this project are critical for developing improved fertilisation strategies and 

protocols for ecosystem restoration of RDAs, which will be applicable both in 

Australia and overseas. 

Australia will benefit from the long-standing, world-class mining exploration 2009: $180,000 

magnetic gradiometers for natural industry. The new magnetic gradiometer system would greatly enhance their 2010: $220,000 

resources exploration and future space 

missions 

arsenal of geophysical exploration tools, especially for the detection of both 

magnetically and/or conductive minerals like nickel sulphide. Due to the inherent 

skin-depth issues of conductive cover, a unique condition in Australia, a 

2011: $200,000 

DG Blair, L Ju, A Veryaskin, P Wolfgram, H Golden low frequency electromagnetic survey system is one of the best methods to 


penetrate the cover and investigate deeper geological structures. The low frequency 

isolation system developed in this project will improve the survey 



instrument performance down to 4Hz, providing capability to explore resources 

Gravitec Instruments (AU) Pty Ltd, 

about 50–100% deeper than existing instrumentation allows. 

Fugro Airborne Surveys Pty Ltd

Book Reviews 

Pegmatites 

David London 

The Canadian Mineralogist Special Publication 10 

Environments and Mineral Exploration 

2008 

347 pages 

This is a wonderful book, full of information and 

thoughts about pegmatites, superbly presented by 

the Mineralogical Association of Canada. David 

London visited a pegmatite on his first undergraduate 

field trip and was “hooked from that point 

on”. This book is a product of a prolific scientific 

career focused largely on the study of these 

intriguing rocks. It is written for a large and 

diverse audience and draws on a large base – for 

example, there are 859 references. There are some 

new topics in this book – the thermal modelling 

and rheological aspects that are discussed are not 

a part of London’s past work and probably have 

not been presented anywhere by anyone. 

The book is presented in two parts. Part 1 deals 

with the geology of pegmatites, the historical 

views, their classification, and mineralogical and 

chemical compositions. This includes many colour 

photographs of pegmatites and their constituent 

minerals, which will be of great interest to collectors. 

It’s also basic to understanding the origins of 

pegmatites, considered in detail in Part 2, where 

advanced laboratory studies relating to these 

rocks are considered. Many of the laboratory 

observations have been contributed over the years 

by London himself. 

The complete book will interest any petrologist 

who has broad interests in the evolution of rocks. 

It is immediately relevant to those who study the 

felsic igneous rocks, for which some pegmatites 

are the ultimate evolutionary product. The mineral 

collector and mineralogist will see that it discusses 

mineral occurrences that are “dramatic, complex 

and beautiful”, and scientifically challenging. 

For the geochemist, it documents the final stages 

in the most extreme enrichments of many elements 

that were once widely dispersed at very low 

abundances in a solar nebula, and then in the 

primitive Earth. Pegmatites are the source of many 

important industrial minerals and rare elements 

with advanced high-technology applications, so 

this book will be of immense interest to many 

economic and industrial geologists. 

Pegmatitic textures can be found in rocks of all 

compositions, but granitic pegmatites are by far 

the most common. These have bulk compositions 

of minimum-temperature melt, and it is fitting 

that this book has been published in the 50thanniversary 

year of the publication (by Tuttle and 

Bowen) of the study that documented the importance 

of such compositions. The common pegmatites 

do not show conspicuous enrichment in 

rare elements, but are important as a source of 

quartz and feldspar for industrial purposes. 

For the rare-element pegmatites, London adopts 

the subdivision of Černý into the LCT and NYF 

groups of pegmatites, named from enrichments in 

Li–Cs–Ta and Nb–Y–F, respectively. The more 

abundant LCT group is strongly peraluminous, and 

we agree with London that these probably arose 

from metasedimentary sources. Are these the 

S-type pegmatites that represent a compositional 

stage beyond that of the sometimes large bodies 

of highly fractionated two-mica granite The LCT 

group is distinguished by high P-contents, and 

London suggests that this initially results from 

high P-contents of the sedimentary protoliths, 

combined with the solubility of P in peraluminous 

melts. From our own studies of highly-evolved, 

S-type granites, we suggest that the second factor 

is dominant. London notes that enrichment in NYF 

elements is characteristic of granites that are normally 

labelled A-type. It is also, in our experience, 

characteristic of very strongly fractionated I-type 

granites. Since A-type granites are compositionally 

a subgroup of the I-type granites, we suggest 

that perhaps the NYF group represents the I-type 

pegmatites. 

Ideas about pegmatite origins have been dominated 

for many years by the Jahns-Burnham Model. 

London pays tribute to that model, stating that 

“there is no equal for a model that has stood for 

half a century with no further explanation, 

inquiry, or alternative needed for most geoscientists”. 

According to that model, the point at which 

granite magma becomes H 2 O-saturated marks the 

transition from granite to pegmatite. Potassium 

(K) partitions into the vapour, from whence K-rich 

silicates precipitate. London considers that, except 

for the very rare occurrence of miarolitic cavities, 

pegmatites do not contain evidence of an aqueous 

vapour phase until they reach the end of their 

crystallisation. Experimental data also show that 

there is little fractionation of alkalis between melt 

and vapour, a fundamental requirement of the 

Jahns–Burnham Model. 

Drawing on diverse lines of evidence, London 

proposes an alternative model based on constitutional 

zone-refining to account for the textural 

features and the distribution of minerals within 

pegmatites. In this process, a flux-rich boundary 

layer of melt moves ahead of the advancing front 

of solid crystals. The fluxes H 2 O, B, P and F facilitate 

the diffusion of Al and Si, which would 

otherwise be very difficult to achieve, and which 

is necessary for the growth of large crystals. 

Crystallisation occurs under conditions of strong 

undercooling relative to the liquidus. In granitic 

pegmatites, the boundary between granitic compositions 

rich in rare minerals marks the transition 

from crystallisation of the bulk melt through the 

flux-rich boundary layer to crystallisation of the 

flux-rich medium itself. 

David London is to be congratulated on producing 

this very fine volume. He emphasises that much 

research remains to be done before we fully 

understand the origin of pegmatites. However, we 

can be certain that the ideas that he presents in 

this volume will feature prominently in any ‘final’ 

resolution of the questions that are posed by 

these fascinating rocks. 

BRUCE CHAPPELL 

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences 

University of Wollongong 

ALLAN WHITE 

School of Earth Sciences 


Engineering 

geomorphology: 

theory and practice 

PG Fookes, EM Lee and JS Griffiths 

Whittles Publishing 

2007 

281 pages 

ISBN: 9781904445388 

This book clearly reflects the long engineering 

experience of the authors, all of whom have 

previously published on the topic. Consisting of 

43 chapters grouped into five parts, it provides 

an overview of the role of geomorphology in 

engineering. The five sections cover the main 

geomorphic systems, and the chapters provide 

TAG March 2009 | 37

ief discussions of the various parts of each system. 

To quote from page one: “This book is concerned 

with how the study of the Earth’s surface 

and the forces of nature that shape it, ie geomorphology 

can help civil engineers develop their 

basis for rational design and technical management.” 

On the whole the book achieves this aim. 

Part one consists of 14 chapters that look at landform 

change, the controls on landform evolution, 

and the implications of landform change for engineering 

works. They use the current jargon of 

“Earth surface systems”. The authors note that 

geomorphology provides a scientific basis for 

understanding landform change, both modern and 

ancient, although ancient tends to mean the 

Quaternary, which even in the northern hemisphere 

is a bit brief. 

Parts two, three and four deal with slopes, rivers 

and coasts respectively. In a series of short chapters, 

topics such as landslides, soil erosion, river 

channels, floods, beaches and deltas are briefly 

discussed. Part five covers techniques of investigation, 

and includes field observations, remote sensing, 

terrain evaluation and geomorphic mapping. 

Chapter 38, ‘Desk study and initial terrain models’, 

includes a series of interesting-coloured terrain 

models for a variety of environments. The last 

chapter is on uncertainty and expert judgement. 

The authors are to be congratulated for providing 

a strong argument for including geomorphology in 

the training and practice of civil engineering. The 

main concepts underpinning geomorphology are 

covered, although the historical element is perhaps 

a bit short – hundreds of thousands of years 

rather than the tens of millions we are used to in 

Australia. Although the table of contents suggests 

a comprehensive coverage, some chapters are very 

brief indeed. It would be a useful adjunct to a 

course in geomorphology for engineers, providing 

as it does an appreciation of functioning geomorphic 

environments and the importance of 

change as a factor significant to engineers as 

well as geomorphologists. It should be read by 

engineers, but will probably not be read by many 

geomorphologists. 

COLIN PAIN 


In the heart of the desert: 

the story of an exploration 

geologist and the search 

for oil in the Middle East 

Michael Quentin Morton 

Green Mountain Press 

2006 

266 pages 

ISBN: 978-0-9552212-0-0. 

In the heart of the desert is a biography of a 

geologist, Mike Morton, written by his son, 

Michael Quentin Morton. The book is a detailed 

and thoroughly researched account of Mike 

Morton’s life, beginning with his career as an oil 

exploration geologist with the Iraq Petroleum 

Company. 

One of the greatest periods of exploration in the 

twentieth century is attributed largely to the 

decision of the British Government to convert its 

naval ships from coal to oil, which began in 1912, 

but was interrupted by World War II. The book is 

set in the Middle East, and starts just after the 

Second World War when oil exploration 

recommenced with a vengeance. 

From the Geological Society of London 

•September 2007 

Online bookshop 

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•Hardback ISBN: 

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•June 2007 

•424 pages 

• DVD ‘Strata’ Smith: His Two Hundred Year Legacy: Digitally Enhanced Maps and Sections by William 

Smith, George Bellas Greenough, John Cary and Richard Thomas 1796–1840 

By P. Wigley, P. Dolan, T. Sharpe and H. S. Torrens 

William Smith has often been declared to be the ‘Father of English Stratigraphy’. Smith conceived stratigraphy in 3D but endeavoured to represent his concept in 2D 

on his remarkable 1815 map, A delineation of the strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland. Almost two hundred years later his original maps and sections 

have been digitized and combined with remote sensing data. For the first time we can see Smith’s maps in 3D, and thereby better appreciate what was going 

through his mind, as well as being able to compare them with Greenough’s subsequent maps. An example of John Cary’s magnificent 1796 base map of England 

and Wales, without which Smith could never have completed his own map, is also included. The maps have been built into a GIS and can be viewed using ESRI’s 

ArcReader software. The maps are accompanied by a report describing sources, notes on the maps of Smith and Greenough and a technical appendix. 

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• The Geology of Series The Geology of Chile 

Edited by T. Moreno and W. Gibbons 

This book is the first comprehensive account in English of the geology of Chile, providing a key reference work that brings together many years of research, and 

written mostly by Chilean authors from various universities and other centres of research excellence. The 13 chapters begin with a general overview, followed by 

detailed accounts of Andean tectonostratigraphy and magmatism, the amazingly active volcanism, the world class ore deposits that have proven to be so critical to 

the welfare of the country, and Chilean water resources. The subject then turns to geophysics with an examination of neotectonics and earthquakes, the hazardous 

frequency of which is a daily fact of life for the Chilean population. There are chapters on the offshore geology and oceanography of the SE Pacific Ocean, subjects 

that continue to attract much research not least from those seeking to understand world climatic variations, and on late Quaternary land environments, concluding 

with an account examining human colonization of southernmost America. 

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38 | TAG March 2009

The book consists of 21 chapters, and makes use 

of Mike Morton’s journals, letters and the writings 

of his contemporaries. Black and white photos are 

distributed throughout the book, as are period 

black and white maps of the areas described. Mike 

Morton was also a respectable cartoonist and 

some of his cartoons, as well as some of his field 

sketches, are also reproduced. The end of the book 

hosts an epilogue, several appendices, abbreviations 

and a number of colour photographs. 

At the end of the book I came away with an 

impression of a man who had accomplished an 

incredible amount under often incredibly adverse 

conditions. Sandstorms, searing heat, scorpion 

bites, sniper fire from tribesmen, malaria, stomach 

upsets from camel-dung-infested water and 

numerous other impediments to the task at hand 

all seem to have been taken in the stride of the 

geologist in those days. In addition, tours of duty 

were often weeks to months in duration and 

based from tents. 

The account gave me a fresh appreciation of what 

it was like to be a geologist in the field in a 

foreign country in the mid-twentieth century. It 

gave rise to some pretty cynical thoughts about 

many of the geologists that have profited from 

technology and the minerals booms in recent 

decades. The conditions endured by the geologists 

in the book would not have been tolerated by 

many of the current generation who demand high 

salaries for week on/week off rosters based in 

well-equipped camps. 

Despite the wealth of anecdotes, the amount of 

cultural information, and the background history 

of oil exploration in the Middle East, the book is 

not easily readable. Text regularly flips back and 

forth between information garnered from research 

and sentences and paragraphs extracted from 

Mike Morton’s diaries. This serves to detract from 

a free-flowing narrative. The result is a disjointed 

biography that is further complicated by an 

abundance of local names that readers unfamiliar 

with the area will struggle to keep track of. 

In summary, the book is a thorough documentation 

of the life of a remarkable man. It captures 

important events in the Middle East that directed 

the progress of oil exploration in the region. 

However, unless the reader is familiar with the 

region they will struggle to read the volume from 

start to end. 

BRETT DAVIS 

Consolidated Minerals 

Deformation of the 

continental crust: the 

legacy of Mike Coward 

AC Ries, RWH Butler and RH Graham (Eds) 

Geological Society Special Publication 272 

595 pages 

This is a well-published book, hard cover, good 

quality paper, several of the 29 papers (chapters) 

sporting colour plates, with its subject matter 

sourced widely across the globe, wherever Mike 

Coward’s influence extended. 

The papers were chosen to build on Coward’s 

legacy and follow, approximately chronologically, 

the research themes that Coward developed 

through his life. The lead editor of the book is his 

wife of more than 25 years and fellow company 

director, Alison Ries. 

The editors started off with a warm and personal 

tribute to Mike Coward (1945–2003), a largerthan-life 

character whose career extended from 

HH Read Professor of Geology at Imperial College, 

London, to running a consulting company. In 

between he worked in and explored South 

America, Africa, Europe, central Asia and, briefly 

early in his career, Australia. Mike was introduced 

to structural geology by John Ramsay. He loved 

field work and learned early the value of combining 

seismic interpretation with geological observations, 

which was unusual for a geologist of his time. His 

forte was understanding medium-to-large-scale 

structural geology, and scaling up the field observations 

to crustal-scale geological evolution. 

It would not be possible to sit down to read this 

book cover to cover. It starts in the outer 

Hebrides, where Coward did the field work for 

his PhD, followed by two useful review papers or 

academic chapters on shear zones then back up to 

the Moine Thrust of western Scotland for another 

two papers. Then the world tour begins in 

Southern Calabria in the Appenines, across to the 

Himalaya in Pakistan and then Northern Oman, 

where the subducted Arabian continental margin 

has conveniently been exhumed (further from 

Australia but perhaps easier to access than the 

Papuan Peninsula). These papers all look at various 

models to explain the observed, highly-complex 

deformation and the role Coward played in laying 

the framework for their interpretations. This 

theme continues in the Greek Cyclades and 

Zambia before turning to a long study of tectonic 

processes in south–east Turkey. The extensivelystudied, 

extremely-arcuate orogenic belt that 

forms the Carpathian Mountains is discussed in 

the next chapter followed by two papers on the 

South American Andes, the first with a focus on 

Colombia, the second looking at deformation of 

the whole Andean chain. 

Coward’s involvement in the petroleum and mineral 

industries is celebrated with papers dealing 

with salt tectonics in Brazil and the North Sea, 

and then a seemingly ‘out of place’ paper on basin 

inversion using laboratory models. Blind thrusts 

are invoked from the seismicity of the Zagros 

fold–thrust belt to elucidate the structure of this 

complex but important area for oil and gas production, 

one of the surprisingly few mentions in 

this volume of the role of earthquakes in the 

deformation cycle. 

A global review of hydrocarbon prospectivity in 

fold and thrust belts is preceded by a short chapter 

on inversion tectonics in Tuscany, which pays 

tribute to the pioneering work of Coward in this 

field. Hydrocarbon prospectivity in Colombia using 

kinematic simulation modelling is the topic of the 

next chapter. 

The last five chapters contain some of the more 

interesting chapters for this reviewer, particularly 

Sibson’s paper on Au–quartz mineralisation in the 

continental crust. He mentions case studies of the 

Victorian gold fields though neither Victoria nor 

Australia was mentioned in the index. This paper 

highlights how useful it would be to be able to 

determine the base of the seismogenic zone more 

accurately than we can in Australia at the 

moment with such a sparse seismograph network. 

Chapters on the nature of fracture swarms in the 

chalk of south–east England and development of 

the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa are followed 

by two papers on fault reactivation in 

Africa and the Western US to complete the volume. 

These chapters should be read by anyone 

who still believes that Australian earthquakes 

should only have thrust mechanisms or that the 

principal stress direction should be horizontal 

throughout the Australian crust. 

There is a lot of interesting material in this book 

on stress, strain and crustal deformation. What 

holds it all together is the strong sense of 

Coward’s involvement in all of the places 

mentioned and in the evolution of ideas that 

developed to explain the observations, as complex 

as they are. The audience is wider than just 

Coward’s former students and co-workers, and 

would include anyone actively working in any of 

the worldwide prospective mineral and petroleum 

fold and thrust belts mentioned. It would have 

TAG March 2009 | 39

appeared more of a book than a series of unconnected 

papers with a concatenated reference list, 

although the index and introductory chapter help 

there. The book is certainly a wonderful tribute to 

an energetic and highly intelligent Earth Scientist 

and an interesting, charismatic human being. 

KEVIN MCCUE 

ASC Canberra 

Statistics in volcanology 

HM Mader, SG Coles, CB Connor and LJ Connor (Eds) 

Geological Society of London; 

Special Publications of IAVCEI, No 1 

2006 

296 pages 

ISBN 10: 1-86239-208-0 

This is the first research-level textbook on 

Statistics in volcanology and the first volume of a 

new IAVCEI book series published in association 

with the Geological Society of London. 

In their preface the editors say: “...in the last 

decade or so, (volcanic) researchers have begun to 

exploit a wide range of analytical and statistical 

methods for dealing with stochastic and distributed 

datasets”. This volume aims to show how the 

statistical analysis of complex volcanological data 

sets (including time series) and numerical models 

of volcanic processes can improve our ability to 

forecast volcanic eruptions. A glossary of both 

volcanological and statistical terminology is provided, 

and suggestions for further reading are a 

feature of each article. 

Large, long-lived stratovolcanoes (sometimes long 

dormant, and potentially highly dangerous explosive 

volcanoes) are the subject of much of the 

book. However, the paper by Weller, Martin, 

Connor, Connor and Karakhanian, ‘Forecasting 

future spatial distribution of volcanoes: an example 

from Armenia’, provides a good model for work 

that could be done on the monogenetic volcanoes 

(one eruptive phase only) of south–eastern 

Australia and in north–eastern Queensland. Just a 

few kilometres from a cluster of 38 young monogenetic 

cinder cones, and near the city of Yerevan, 

is the Armenian nuclear power plant. The authors 

apply the Gaussian kernel function to model the 

volcano distribution and produce probability of 

eruption maps. Few age determinations have been 

made, but the probability of a volcanic event 

within a given time interval is estimated at one 

event every 3,300 years. These two approaches are 

then combined to suggest how the nuclear power 

plant might be affected by future volcanism. 

‘Estimation of volcanic hazards using geostatistical 

models’, by Jaquet and Carniel, discusses the 

Osteifel of Germany, also a young monogenetic volcanic 

area and with a high population density and 

large industrial areas. They assemble radiometric 

and stratigraphic ages, depict past activity on a 

map, and then subject the dating to 

variogram analysis and stochastic forecasting in 

time, allowing the preparation of maps showing 

volcanic hazard from lava flows and the eruption of 

cones and domes over the next 12 ka. 

Following the international workshop on Statistics 

in volcanology, attended by 70 people at the 

University of Bristol in March 2004, and which 

gave rise to this book, it was agreed that there 

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40 | TAG March 2009

should be a new IAVCEI Commission on Statistics 

in Volcanology (COSIV). This was established in 

2007, and held its first meeting in Iceland in 

2008. There have been other recent seminars on 

this topic, including one at the European 

Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna, Austria in 

April 2008, and Volcanic Hazard and risk in the 

Asia-Pacific region at the American Geophysical 

Union Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting in 

Cairns in 2008. We can conclude that there is a 

rapidly growing interest amongst volcanologists in 

applying statistical techniques to dating and 

distribution of volcanoes so that future eruption 

hazard and risk can be evaluated. 

Do you know these geologists 

Hint: Location is Luina Tin Mine, Tasmania, 1965. (See page 45) 

In Victoria, South Australia and northern 

Queensland, young monogenetic volcanoes are 

common. The similarity of the Armenian and 

German volcanic areas to those of Australia’s 

young provinces suggest we should also be studying 

our own volcanic risk and hazard. Detailed 

dating is not complete in Australia, but the techniques 

used in Armenia and Germany provides 

good examples of what can be done. 

With the help of a more mathematically-inclined 

engineering colleague, I'm currently working on a 

statistical study of eruption risk for the young volcanoes 

of Victoria (Zeitschrift fur Geomorphologie 

NF, Supplementary Vol 140, 2005) and beyond 

(‘The risk of volcanic eruption in mainland 

Australia’ AESC 2006 Extended Abstract) and 

I found this book to be a useful starting point for 

further work. Other volcanologists working on 

the nearby large long-lived stratovolcanoes of 

New Guinea and Indonesia should also find this 

book useful. 

EB JOYCE 

Honorary Principal Fellow 

School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne 

Books for reviews 

Please contact the Geological Society of Australia Business 

Office (info@gsa.org.au) if you would like to review any of the 

following publications. 

New for March 2009 

Gold deposits of the CIS 

Gregory Levitan 

www.Xlibris.com 

Mining and the environment; from ore to metal 

K Spitz and J Trudinger 

Taylor & Francis / CRC Press / Balkems 

www.taylorandfrancis.co.uk / www.crcpress.com / 

www.balkema.nl 

Re-advertised 

Putting Queensland on the map — the life of 

Robert Logan Jack, geologist and explorer 

Felicity Jack 

www.unswpress.com.au 

The evolution of clastic sedimentology 

H Okada and AJ Kenyon-Smith 

www.inbooks.com.au 

SP244 – Submarine slope systems: 

processes and products 

DM Hodgson and SS Flint 

SP257 – Geomaterials in cultural heritage 

M Maggetti and B Messiga 

SP263 – Fluid flow and solute movement 

in sandstones 

RD Barker and JH Tellam 

SP264 – Compositional data analysis 

in the geosciences 

A Buccianti, G Mateu-Figueras and V Pawlowsky-Glahn 

SP274 – Coastal and shelf sediment transport 

PS Balsom and MB Collins 

SP276 – Economic and palaeoceanographic 

significance of contourite deposits 

AR Viana and M Rebesco 

SP277 – Seismic geomorphology 

RJ Davies, HW Posamentier, LJ Wood and JA Cartwright 

SP281 – The role of women in the 

history of geology 

CV Burek and B Higgs 

Key issues in petroleum geology: stratigraphy 

P Copestake, J Gregory and JM Pearce 

TAG March 2009 | 41

Letters to the Editor 

On the importance of 

identifying and citing 

original sources of 

scientific ideas 

This is about geomorphology, because that is my 

field. People in other disciplines may find something 

familiar. It is prompted in part by a note in 

Nature Geoscience (2008, Vol 563) reporting that 

online, peer-reviewed journal publication has led 

to increased citing of more recent papers in fewer 

journals (see also Science, 2008, Vol 321, p 

395–399). (The difficulty of online access to 

expensive “mainstream” journals has also resulted 

in a “parallel” body of free online science – but 

I’ll leave that for another time.) 

Scientists should remember Isaac Newton’s words 

to Hooke (1676): “If I have seen further it is by 

standing on the shoulders of giants.” If they don’t, 

their scientific horizons may become mundane 

and of little consequence. 

The credit for the status of geomorphology as a 

science belongs to those early pioneers 

(1890s–1960s) who laid its foundations, such as 

(to name some of the most illustrious) Gilbert, 

Davis, Penck, Savigear, King, Baulig, Wooldridge, 

Wolman, Schumm, Chorley, Pitty, Tricart, Cailleux, 

Dury, Carson, Kirkby, Thomas, Young, Baker, and 

in Australasia, Griffith Taylor, Craft, Cotton, 

Jennings, Mabbutt, Ollier, and Twidale, and to 

others who have followed in their footsteps during 

the latter half of the 20th century. If you don’t 

recognise their names, and are not familiar with 

their contributions, you don’t know the science of 

geomorphology. If you don’t acknowledge the lasting 

relevance of these contributions you don’t 

appreciate the power of relatively simple observations, 

experiments and ideas to capture essential 

elements of the complex world around us. Another 

reason for reading the early work, in the original, 

is to make sure they really said what you have 

been told they said by later workers. And this 

should extend to citing the original work in your 

papers, rather than the latest or most accessible 

paper on the subject. 

The alternative that dominates much research 

today is describing the complexity of landscapes 

at a level of detail allowed by remotely-sensed 

images by means of increasingly complex 

computerised models. People think this brings us 

closer to reality, but instead it is an over-reliance 

on the computer at the expense of simple but 

rigorous reasoning, focusing on minutiae at the 

expense of scientific depth, insight, and the 

ability to generalise. We also show a cavalier 

disregard for the simple but fundamental science 

handed to us by our predecessors, on which rests 

much of what we presently know and do. 

In 2007, I attended the EGU General Assembly in 

Vienna, and went to as many of the 11,000 talks 

and posters as I could. One in particular stood out 

for me. It was about water movement on a small 

hillslope in Switzerland, in particular the rates 

and locations of routes of subsurface water following 

rainfall events. It was a fine paper, well 

presented, and obviously represented a great deal 

of effort. Trouble is, the same conclusions had 

been reached in the 1960s and 70s by, among 

others, Mike Kirkby in his book, Hillslope hydrology. 

And Mike Kirkby was in the audience! This 

is representative of many papers presented at 

conferences I have attended over the years. Peerreviewed 

journals are not immune to this kind of 

reinvention of the wheel. 

Another current fad in papers, particularly 

obvious at EGU 2008, is to present a description, 

with measurement and reporting of various 

aspects of interest. This is fine, and as it should 

be. But then the whole effect is ruined by the 

construction of a mathematical model that gives 

the illusion of rigour, but in fact adds nothing to 

the argument. All the model does is to provide 

great, and misleading, precision while doing nothing 

to enhance the original data or descriptions, 

let alone any interpretations that might arise. In 

this context the model is a waste of time and 

space. 

Our predecessors didn’t have all the fancy tools 

and data that we have now, but they still managed 

to produce great results and lasting work. 

We must recognise that, without the scientific 

depth, insight, and the ability to generalise, the 

tools remain expensive doorstops, and the data 

pretty pictures that Jackson Pollock might have 

been proud of. 

If you ignore the early work the chances are you 

will repeat it, and produce papers and reports that 

will end up in the dustbin of history. 

COLIN PAIN 

Can scientific consensus 

really be science 

People believe scientists. When the IPCC’s third 

assessment report was presented in January 2001, 

Sir John Houghton stood before a blow-up of figure 

1(b) “the past 1000 years” from its Working 

Group I (scientific) Summary for Policymakers. 

This “Mann hockey-stick” showed, in the Northern 

Hemisphere, nine centuries of gentle cooling (the 

“handle”) followed by one of abrupt warming (the 

“blade”). The Mediaeval Warm Period, and subsequent 

series of Little Ice Age cold periods, had 

vanished. 

A further stain on IPCC’s credibility was the 

“Simulated annual global mean surface temperatures”. 

Figure 4(a) “natural” showed that, without 

the “anthropogenic” warming from Fig 4(b), Earth 

would have been cooler in the latter decades of the 

20th Century, than in 1860–1880. The warming 

trend, between Maunder Minimum quiet Sun 

(1645–1715) and Modern Era hyperactive Sun (last 

half of 20th Century), had also vanished. But there 

was no outcry from the international scientific 

community. 

President of the Royal Society, Sir Robert May – 

from Sydney, now the Lord Mayor of Oxford – 

organised a statement by 17 learned academies 

including Australian academies (‘The science of 

climate change’ Science 18, May 2001, 292 

p1261). It began: The work of the Intergovernmental 

Panel on Climate Change represents 

the consensus of the international scientific 

community on climate change science. We 

recognise the IPCC as the world’s most reliable 

source of information on climate change and its 

causes; and we endorse its method of achieving 

this consensus. Despite increasing consensus on 

the science underpinning predictions of global 

climate change, doubts have been expressed 

recently about the need to mitigate the risks posed 

by global climate change. We do not consider 

those doubts justified. 

42 | TAG March 2009

I complained to Sir Robert about over-hyping 

“consensus”. The reply (14 June 2001) was a revelation: 

As I hope my editorial made clear, I think 

new and different and questioning ideas are 

always to be welcomed, particularly in the earlier 

stages of a science when many possible avenues 

lead forward in different directions. Obviously, 

the landscape changes over time, as people learn 

more and more; this certainly is the case in many 

aspects of climate change. As they do so, provocative 

ideas that initially fully merited exploration 

become less supported by the growing body of 

knowledge and evidence. 

Consensus rules! 

David H Green FRS, Director of ANU’s Research 

School of Earth Sciences in Canberra, sent me on 

3 April 2001 a copy of the RSES submission to an 

inquiry into the Kyoto Protocol by Parliament’s 

Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (dated 

1 September 2000). It was by Professor Green, 

Dr M Bird, Prof JMA Chappell, Dr M Gagan, 

Prof R Grūn and Prof K Lambeck; and it began 

convincingly indeed: The statements to the JSCT 

inquiry which follow are ‘authoritative’ in the 

sense that they are made by well-established scientists 

active in leading edge research on the natural 

variability of climate… 

But it ended rather less so: From the ‘authority’ of 

our published and unpublished research at RSES 

… we are of the firm view that 20th Century global 

warming and sea-level rise are observed and, 

on scientific grounds, attributable to changes in 

the Earth’s atmospheric composition caused by 

human activities. 

A separate submission, from Prof Green as 

Chairman of the Greenhouse Science Advisory 

Committee to the Australian Government, went a 

giant step further: In preparation of advice to 

Government, GSAC is concerned to maintain the 

ethical principles for the scientific method and 

scientific community, recognising that ‘greenhouse’ 

issues have attracted sensationalist media 

attention, marginal science and pseudo science 

and special interest groups… 

Powerful support for the RSES position came in 

IPCC’s fourth assessment report. The WG I 

Summary for Policymakers of February 2007 presented, 

in figure SPM-2, a table of “Radiative 

Forcing Components”. Since 1750, the only “natural” 

forcing was a minuscule 0.12 W/m 2 from 

increased “solar irradiance”. In contrast, there 

was 1.66 W/m 2 of forcing by “anthropogenic” 

CO 2 . Hence, human-caused CO 2 emissions 

provide x 14 as much warming as that from the 

greatly-heightened solar activity since 1750. 

Climatically, the Sun is now irrelevant; and the 

consensus reigns supreme. 

One example ‘Adapting to a hotter future’ 

(Winestate Vol 31 No 7, p 9), begins: Winemakers 

in Victoria’s north–east are preparing for a long, 

hot future with predictions of average annual temperatures 

rising by 9°C by 2030. …The projections, 

based on a medium emissions scenario 

assessment by the CSIRO and Australian Bureau 

of Meteorology, were recently tabled at a 

Rutherglen Winemakers seminar on climate 

change. 

Varieties “suited to a warmer, drier future” include 

primitivo – aka zinfandel – and fiano (Italy), 

albarino (Spain), carignan (France) and asyrtico 

(Greece). 

But, consensus cannot evade the test of time. 

Anthropogenic CO 2 emissions continue apace — 

while the solar-warming trend may be reversing. 

The Sun’s irregular orbit about the barycentre of 

the solar system is driven by the ever-changing 

collective angular momentum of the giant outer 

planets. The variable torque thus applied to the 

Sun modulates its widely-varying ejection of 

magnetised plasma into the heliosphere — a major 

influence on inner planets (which orbit the Sun), 

such as Earth. Crucially, if the Sun keeps playing 

by the rules, another Little Ice Age cold period 

should be discernible within a decade. 

Alternatively, people-driven warming should track 

IPCC’s (and CSIRO’s) projections. Therefore, we 

will soon know whether humanity, or the Sun, is 

the dominant driver of Earthly climate. 

The warmest year in the Modern Era was 1998, 

and the slight subsequent cooling is accelerating. 

Interestingly, the WG I volume of IPCC’s fifth 

assessment report is due in 2013. Would continued 

cooling until 2013 falsify IPCC’s people-driven 

warming hypotheses Might the integrity of 

IPCC – and indeed, of the international scientific 

community – be then in question Time reveals 

truth, remember. 

Were I a winegrower, I wouldn’t grub-out my 

cool-climate varieties just yet. 

BOB FOSTER 

Geoscience promotion 

Jim Ross in “A rallying cry for geoscience in 

Australia: part 1” (TAG 149, p31) summarised some 

of the previous assessments of the decline of geoscience. 

He pulled out four “practical responses” for 

listing. 

The first included “to address insufficient public 

awareness of geoscience by consistent branding 

within our secondary schools, tertiary institutions, 

and at public interfaces”. The second and third 

responses were aimed at schools and tertiary 

GEOQuiz BY TOR MENTOR Answers on page 44 

A few more teasers to exercise the brain in 2009 

1. Karoo, Deccan and Belt are all names associated with well-known stratigraphic units. 

In which countries do they occur 

2. For what is the Burgess Shale famous, what is its age and where does it occur 

3. Who introduced the terms Eocene, Miocene, Pliocene as subdivisions of the Tertiary 

4. A monadnock is an isolated hill, also known as an inselberg. But where did the name 

monadnock come from 

5. An erg is a unit of energy in the CGS system of units and equals 10–7 joules. What is an 

erg geologically speaking 

6. What do the following abbreviations stand for: AHD, LGM, MORB, LILE 

7. ‘Good men resist war’ is a mnemonic for the alpine glacial stages. What are the stages, 

who named them and where do the names come from 

8. Ladinian, Lochkovian, Ludfordian and Lutetian are International Stage names in which 

Periods 

9. What do pelecypods, bivalves and lamellibranchs have in common 

10. Winds are often given names in different parts of the world. Where would you encounter 

these winds: Brickfielder, Chinook, Harmattan, Mistral and Sirocco 

TAG March 2009 | 43

institutions. The fourth seemed to be to rearrange 

or take national control of the multiple organisations 

involved with or representing geoscience. 

The rest of Jim Ross’ Special Report was about 

Earth Science in secondary schools. Possibly part 2 

to appear in TAG late March 2009 will be about 

tertiary institutions. (Spot on – see page 25 for the 

full report, Ed.) The part that is seriously missing is 

public awareness of geoscience at public interfaces. 

I remember discussions with my then boss in 1982. 

It seemed that a significant lobby in the P&C of his 

daughter’s secondary school wanted to remove science 

from the curriculum. Then, in 1986, I had 

almost weekly discussions with a secondary science 

teacher, who lamented the declining number of 

students taking science. The problem of lack of 

public awareness and understanding of science 

(and geoscience) has been with us for more than 25 

years. We are still not effectively tackling this 

problem! 

Having done 3rd year physics and electronics at 

university decades ago, it is not surprising that 

I dabble in radio electronics. There are some 14,000 

qualified practitioners in the hobby, and about 

4,000 members in the organisation representing us 

nationally (approximately the same size as the 

Geological Society of Australia). 

The national organisation spent 2000 to 2004 reorganising 

itself. Also from 2003 to 2007 it changed 

its qualification procedures to an “outcome based 

education” system (the WA education department 

have, at least for now, rejected an “outcome based 

education” system for science). Finally, in 2008 the 

organisation formally recognised that more effort 

to promote the hobby and raise public awareness is 

urgently required. Personally I think they wasted 

eight years. 

In TAG, the ex-GSA presidents endorsed the GSA 

policy on “intelligent design”. We need to push this 

in the public arena. The Geological Society of 

Australia should not be certifying industry employees 

and arranging jobs. We need to be proud of 

pursuing the science of geoscience! And we need 

to be “loud” and “in the public’s face”! 

DOUGAL JOHNSTON 

Hampton 

Response to Colin Branch 

In TAG 149 (Letters, p 42), Colin Branch provided 

an interesting and informative commentary about 

his involvement as a member of the Bureau of 

Mineral Resources (now Geoscience Australia) in 

separating zircons from granites of the Northern 

Territory, for a form of age determination known 

as the lead–alpha (Pb–) method. This work was 

undertaken within the Research School of Physical 

Sciences’ (RSPhysS) department of radiochemistry 

at the Australian National University (ANU), and 

was based mainly upon the methods developed by 

Larsen et al (1952). Colin was involved in the zircon 

separation from January 1957, indicating that 

BMR was associated with ANU in attempts at age 

determination of rocks earlier than about 1960, 

mentioned by myself as the start of the long association 

between BMR and the ANU in this field 

(McDougall, 2008, AJES Vol 55, p 728). In a sense, 

Colin is perfectly correct, but my paper was specifically 

dealing with isotope geology in the ANU, and 

the Pb–α method is in fact 

not an isotopic technique, so 

it was excluded from my 

review. 

Although I was aware of this 

earlier collaboration, there 

were several other reasons for 

omitting mention of this 

approach, which I shall briefly 

discuss below. 

First, as far as I’m aware the 

efforts made in the department 

of radio-chemistry did 

not produce any significant 

outcomes, such as publication 

of actual results. However, at 

a later time, Richards et al (1966) published some 

revised Pb-α results that were based upon the earlier 

unpublished measurements. Second, the technique 

involved measuring by counting the alpha 

particles emitted by U and Th in the sample of zircon, 

from which an estimate of the total U+Th was 

made, sometimes with separate fluorimetric (for U) 

or X-ray fluorescence measurements for U and Th, 

with the total Pb measured by some chemical, 

emission spectroscopic, or spectrophotometric 

method. By assuming that all the lead was radiogenic, 

an approximate age could be calculated. As 

previously mentioned, the approach did not 

involve isotopic measurements. My review focused 

on the development of actual isotopic dating methods 

in what was originally the department of geophysics 

in RSPhysS in the ANU, later to become 

the Research School of Earth Sciences. 

It was generally agreed at the time that the Pb–α 

technique gave only approximate numerical ages, 

regarded by many as ± 10% in the best case (cf. 

Larsen et al, 1952). This was so even if the underlying 

assumptions were met: especially that all the 

lead was radiogenic and was produced from the 

decay of U and Th, that Pb loss was negligible, and 

that the approximations often made in regard to 

the proportions of parent radioactive elements U 

and Th were more or less correct. 

Thus, although Colin Branch’s statement, that the 

BMR became involved with the ANU at least as 

early as 1957 in programs to numerically date 

rocks, is not disputed, the real beginning 

of isotopic age determinations in the ANU was in 

1960 within the department of geophysics through 

the vision and foresight of the professor, JC Jaeger. 

IAN MCDOUGALL 

Research School of Earth Sciences 

Australian National University, Canberra 

REFERENCES 

Larsen, ES, Jr, Keevil, NB and Harrison, HC, 1952, ‘Method 

for determining the age of igneous rocks, using the accessory 

minerals’ Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 

Vol 63, p 1045–1062 

McDougall, I, 2008, ‘Brief history of isotope geology at the 

Australian National University’ AJES Vol 55, p 727–736 

Richards, JR, Berry, H and Rhodes, JM, 1966, ‘Isotopic and 

lead-alpha ages of some Australian zircons’ Journal of the 

Geological Society of Australia Vol 13, p 69–96 

44 | TAG March 2009

Know your Geologist . . . 

Did you know them 

(From page 41) 

This photo was taken at the then operating Luina Tin 

Mine, near Waratah, Tasmania in December 1965. 

From left to right: Dave Falvey (sitting on wheel on 

bonnet), Dave Ransom (standing behind man with 

dog), Ed Eshuys (standing against door) and Chris 

Herbert (squatting, second from right). All of those in 

the photograph were aged about 21 or 22 at the time. 

Harry Parker (not in photo) was the mine manager. 

Ed Eshuys was the assistant mine geologist, Roy Cox 

(not in photo) was the mine geologist, Ransom and 

Herbert (just finished Honors at Sydney Uni) were 

employed as exploration geologists and Falvey and 

Moeskops (just finished third year at Sydney Uni) 

were employed as geophysicists. Ken Glasson – much 

loved – arranged it all. Photographer was GSA member 

Pieter Moeskops (now 64). 

Photo courtesy of Pieter Moeskops 

Please send your ‘Know your Geologist’ to 

tag@gsa.org.au for the June issue. 

GEOQuiz ANSWERS (From page 43) 

1. South Africa, India and USA. 

2. The superbly preserved soft-bodied animals, many of which 

have proved difficult to assign to extant phyla. It is of Middle 

Cambrian age and occurs in the Yoho National Park, British 

Columbia, Canada. 

3. Charles Lyell, who based the subdivisions on the percentage of 

modern mollusc species in the rocks in the Paris Basin, Eocene 

~3%, Miocene 18% and Pliocene >50%. 

4. Mt Monadnock in New Hampshire, USA. 

5. Sand seas formed by the accumulation of dunes in a desert. 

6. Australian height datum, Last Glacial Maximum, mid-ocean 

ridge basalt, large-ion lithophile elements. 

7. Gunz, Mindel, Riss and Wurm, were named by Penck and 

Bruckner in 1909 after tributaries of the Danube in Germany. 

8. Triassic, Devonian, Silurian and Eocene. 

9. All are names given to the molluscan class now known as 

Bivalvia. 

10. Southern Australian, Rocky Mountains, Sahara Desert across 

the Gulf of Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands, northern 

Mediterranean, southern Mediterranean. 

TAG 

apologises... 

TAG 149, page 30: The ‘Intelligent design policy: science education 

and creationism’ omitted Professor John Lovering, AO to the ID policy. 

John was President of the Geological Society of Australia for the 

period 1978–1980. TAG apologises for the omission. 

TAG March 2009 | 45

Calendar 

2009 

13–21 April 

The Macquarie Arc Conference 

Orange, NSW 

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/news/events 

/minerals 

15–18 April 

GEOFLUIDS VI conference 

University of Adelaide, SA 

www.adelaide.edu.au/geofluids/ 

geofluids@adelaide.edu.au 

21–22 April 

Project Evaluation 2009 — 

Moving Forward 

in Challenging Times 

www.ausimm.com.au/project_evaluation2 

009/ 

6–7 May 

First International Seminar on 

Safe and Rapid Development 

Mining 

ACG Australian Centre for Geomechanics 

Perth, WA 

www.srdm.com.au/ 

1–4 June 

Association of Applied 

Geochemistry’s 24th 

International Applied 

Geochemistry Symposium 2009 

New Brunswick, Canada 

www.unb.ca/conferences/IAGS2009/ 

www.appliedgeochemists.org/ 

4–6 June 

North Queensland Exploration 

Conference NQEM 2009 

Townsville, QLD 

lantana@beyond.net.au 

6–8 June 

GSAQ – AIG Field Conference 

Charters Towers District 

Charters Towers, Mt Coolon site visits 

d.young@findex.net.au 

22–26 June 

Goldschmidt 2009 

Challenges to our Volatile Planet 

Davos, Switzerland 

www.goldschmidt2009.org 

info@goldschmidt2009.org 

6–11 July 

7th International Conference 

on Geomorphology (ANZIAG) 

Melbourne, Victoria 

www.geomorphology2009.com/ 

geomorphology2009@tourhosts.com.au 

18–21 October 

Geological Society of America 

Annual Meeting 

Portland, Oregon USA 

meetings@geosociety.org 

8–13 November 

SGGMP – Kangaroo Island 2009 

2010 

5 February 

6th International Brachiopod 

Congress 

Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC 

www.deakin.edu.au/conferences/ibc/ 

6–9 April 

13th Quadrennial Iagod 

Symposium 

Giant Ore Deposits down-under 

Adelaide, SA 

www.geology.cz/iagod/activities/symposia 

/adelaide-2010 

20–22 April 

Caving 2010: Second 

International Symposiym on 

Block and Sublevel Caving 


Perth, WA 

www.caving2010.com/ 

17–20 August 

Society for Geology Applied to 

Mineral Deposits (SGA 2009) 

Townsville, QLD 

http://sga2009.jcu.edu.au/ 

sga2009@jcu.edu.au 

9–11 September 

Fourth International 

Conference on Mine Closure 


Perth, WA 

www.mineclosure2009.com/ 

4–8 July 

Australian Earth Scienes 

Convention 2010 

Canberra Convention Centre, ACT 

5–9 September 

5th International Archean 

Symposium 

Perth, WA 

www.5ias.org/ 

6–8 October 

The Bowen Basin Symposium 

Yeppoon, QLD 

46 | TAG March 2009

Geological Society of Australia Inc. Office Bearers 2009 

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL 

AND EXECUTIVE 

President 

Peter Cawood 


Vice President 

Brad Pillans 

Australian National University 

Secretary 

Myra Keep 

School of Earth & Geographical Sciences 

Treasurer 


GeoScience Victoria 

Past President 

Andy Gleadow 


Hon Editor 

Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 

Tony Cockbain 

COUNCILLORS OF THE 

EXECUTIVE DIVISION 

Administration Officer 

Dr Simon Turner 

GEMOC 

Co-opted Members 

Jenny Bevan 

E de C Clarke Earth Science Museum 

Allan Collins 

University of Adelaide 

Jon Hronsky 

Western Mining Services, LLC 

Russell Korsch 


Marc Norman 


Jim Ross 

Ian Scrimgeour 

NT Geological Survey 

Gregg Webb 

Qld University of Technology 

Chris Yeats 

CSIRO Australia 

STANDING COMMITTEES 

Geological Heritage 

National Convenor 

Susan White 

Australian Stratigraphy 

Commission 

National Convenor and 

External Territories Convenor 

Cathy Brown 


STATE CONVENORS 

ACT 

Cathy Brown 



Lawrence Sherwin 

Geological Survey of New South Wales 

Northern Territory 

Pierre Kruse 

Northern Territory Geological Survey 

Queensland 

Ian Withnall 

Geological Survey of Queensland 

South Australia 

Wayne Cowley 

Primary Industries & Resources 


Tasmania 

Stephen Forsyth 

Mineral Resources Tasmania 

Victoria 



Western Australia 

Roger Hocking 

Geological Survey of Western Australia 

DIVISIONS AND 

BRANCHES 

Australian Capital Territory 

Chair: Brad Pillans 


Secretary: Michelle Cooper 


www.nsw.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Ron Vernon 


Secretary: Craig O’Neill 

Dept of Earth & Planetary Science, 


Northern Territory 

Chair: Christine Edgoose 


Secretary: Julie Hollis 


Queensland 

www.qld.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Gregg Webb 

Queensland University of Technology 


www.sa.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Ian Clark 


Secretary: Jim Jago 


Tasmania 

Chair: Nick Direen 

FrOG Tech 

Secretary: Andrew McNeill 

CODES 

Victoria 

www.vic.gsa.org.au 

Chair: David Cantrill 

National Herbarium of Victoria 

Secretary: Adele Seymon 


Western Australia 

www.wa.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Chris Yeats 

CSIRO Exploration & Mining 

Secretary: Catherine Spaggiari 

Geological Survey of Western Australia 

Broken Hill Branch 

Chair: Barney Stevens 


Secretary: Kingsley Mills 

Hunter Valley Branch 

Chair: John Greenfield 


Secretary: Phil Gilmore 


SPECIALIST GROUPS 

Applied Geochemistry Specialist 

Group (SGAG) 

www.sgag.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Louisa Lawrance 

Secretary: Craig Rugless 

Association of Australasian 

Palaeontologists (AAP) 

www.es.mq.edu.au/mucep/aap/index 

Chair: Glenn Brock 

Department of Earth and Planetary 

Sciences 

Secretary: John Paterson 

University of New England 

Australasian Sedimentologists Group 

(ASG) 

Chair: Bradley Opdyke 


Secretary: Sarah Tynan 


Coal Geology (CGG) 

www.cgg.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Wes Nichols 

Secretary: Mark Biggs 

Earth Sciences History Group (ESHG) 

www.vic.gsa.org.au/eshg.htm 

Chair: Peter Dunn 

Secretary: John Blockley 

Economic Geology Specialist Group 

sgeg.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Frank Bierlein 


Secretary: Oliver Kreuzer 


Environmental Engineering & 

Hydrogeology Specialist Group 

(EEHSG) 

Chair: Ken Lawrie 


Secretary: Vanessa Wong 

Geochemistry, Mineralogy & 

Petrology Specialist Group 

(SGGMP) 

www.gsa.org.au/specialgroups/ 

sggmp.html 

Chair: Chris Clark 

Curtin University 

Secretary: Nick Timms 

Curtin University 

Geological Education (SGE) 

Chair: Greg McNamara 

Geoscience Education & Outreach 

Services 

Planetary Geoscience Specialist 

Group (SGPG) 

Chair: Graziella Caprarelli 

University of Technology 

Solid Earth Geophysics Specialist 

Group (SGSEG) 

www.gsa.org.au/specialgroups/sgseg. 

html 

Chair: Brian Kennett 


Secretary: Bruce Goleby 


Tectonics & Structural Geology 

Specialist Group (SGTSG) 

www.sgtsg.gsa.org.au 

Chair: Nathan Daczko 


Secretary: Cameron Quinn 

Geological Survey of NSW 

Volcanology (LAVA) 

www.es.mq.edu.au/geology/volcan/ 

hmpg.htm 

Chair: Rick Squire 


Secretary: Karin Orth 


TAG March 2009 | 47

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48 | TAG March 2009 Background Information 

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