February 2014 - Australian Institute of Geoscientists

Transcription

AIG NEWS
Quarterly Newsletter • No 115 • February 2014
What Reporting Portable XRF Data to 2012
JORC Code Guidelines Means
By Dr Dennis Arne1, Graham Jeffress2, Nikita Sergeev2 and Andrew Margereson2
1
CSA Global–Vancouver, 2 CSA Global–Perth
INSIDE THIS AIG NEWS:
JORC and XRF Reporting
1
From Your President
3
Geophysics holding Geology to
Account – Chris Wijns
9
Letters11
The use of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) equipment is now relatively
commonplace within the mining and exploration industry.
Some companies consider field pXRF results to be sufficiently material to their project to
require public release prior to confirmation by laboratory analyses.
Yasur Volcano – Vanuatu
– Still very Active – Mike Erceg 12
Editor's Desk
18
Usually it is better to wait for laboratory results before public reporting, given the better
representativeness of the sample analysed by the lab and the improved analytical and QA/QC
methods available compared to field instruments.
Obituary – Bill Lacy
19
WA Branch AIG-GSA Christmas
Cruise Snaps – Staff
21
The inherent technical limitations of pXRF and the lack of internal QA/QC means that raw
pXRF data should be generally treated as semi-quantitative and preliminary.
Porphyry Field Mapping Course
– Greg Corbett
23
Impressions of the Porphyry
Field Mapping Course
– Cameron Perks
25
Reporting of stand-alone pXRF data requires rigorous validation of the results including
checks on detection limits and matrix effects, review of procedures and QA/QC analysis. The
most critical issues using pXRF data are discussed below.
Accredited commercial laboratories rely on QA/QC protocols to
manage their outputs and users of pXRF need to do the same if
they wish to report their data. Portable XRF data should
therefore be treated with the same caution as preliminary
laboratory results unless ‘lab-standard’ rigour has been applied
to the collection of pXRF data.
When a company wants to release pXRF results there are a
number of issues to consider.
“The best way to
verify pXRF data
is commercial
laboratory
analysis of the
most exciting
pXRF results.”
Firstly, before reporting any analytical results from a pXRF the
Competent Person needs to ensure that they have a good
understanding of what elements can actually be reliably measured by this method and at what
levels. In particular, they need to be aware of common peak overlaps that could cause false
readings for some elements (e.g. Fe-Co and As-Pb).
Though manufacturers continue to improve instrument software, it is still common to see on
the pXRF screen a broad range of elements, regardless of whether the data are meaningful, in
particular if the material being analysed contains elements at abundance levels close to the
lower limits of detection (LOD).
These include a wide variety of trace elements, but a prime example is gold – many portable
XRF instruments report numbers for gold but in most circumstances (aside from directly
analysing visible gold) these numbers are below the lower limits of detection for most
instruments and are often wildly inaccurate.
What’s more, generally expected limits of detection can actually vary widely depending on
sample matrix (rock type/mineralogy) and concentration levels of particular elements. A
common example is elevated LODs for copper, cobalt and manganese in ferruginous rocks.
Cont. Overleaf
Tertiary Geoscience Education at
Cross Roads – Dr. Trevor Powell 27
Uncover Initiative
30
Education33
Honours Abstract – Genesis of
the Central Zone of the Nolans
Nore REE Deposit, NT
34
RPGeo Approvals and
Applications35
AIG Secretariat
Contact: Ron Adams
Ph: (08) 9427 0820
Fax: (08) 9427 0821
Email: aig@aig.org.au
c/- Centre for Association Management
36 Brisbane Street, Perth WA 6000
PO Box 8463, Perth Business Centre,
Perth WA 6849
2
Reporting pXRF Results
AIG NEWS No 115, February 2014
What Reporting Portable XRF Data to 2012 JORC Code Guidelines Means
Furthermore, measurements by pXRF can give very different results
from the same sample depending on a complex range of interacting
factors. Key factors include:
• how the sample is prepared;
• the individual instrument used;
• how the instrument is used – position of samples, duration and
number of readings taken;
• what measurement mode (e.g. soil vs mining) it is used in;
• what temperature (internal & external) the readings are taken at;
• how the readings are taken (for how long, at how many points of
the sample);
• if, how and when the machine is calibrated;
• whether the results are “corrected” based on a calibration; and,
• how much moisture is present in the sample.
The 2012 JORC Code (as explained in Section 2 of JORC Table 1,
effective December 1, 2013) provides guidelines on reporting of
portable XRF results.
“For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments
etc., the parameters used in determining the analysis including
instrument make and model, reading times, calibration factors
applied and their derivation, etc.”
These points should be provided in any public reporting of pXRF
results. To this list should be added the analytical mode used (e.g. soil
vs. mining), since this will dictate the
internal calibration method used by the
instrument (i.e. Compton normalisation
vs fundamental parameters), and the
software version used by the instrument,
since updated software on some pXRF
models can significantly enhance their
performance.
Cont. from Page 1
“The QA/QC
programme
must be designed
to deliver data
quality that is
“fit for purpose.”
Additionally, and critically, quality
assurance must be considered when reporting pXRF results. The
2012 JORC Code discusses this aspect at length in various sections
of Table 1, e.g.:
“Nature of quality control procedures adopted (standards, blanks,
duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels
of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established.”
The responsibility falls to the Competent Person releasing the data to
satisfy the above requirements. This requires them to:
• be formally trained in pXRF operation;
• to have practical and relevant experience in their use;
• understand the collection; and monitoring and interpretation of
quality control data.
Unless specifically calibrated for the target elements, all pXRF
equipment will have analytical biases when using “out-of-the-box”
Cont. on Page 4
From your president
From Your President - Kaylene Camuti
A Happy New Year to all members. This year is shaping
up to be a busy and productive year for the AIG. Over the
last few years AIG Council has been working towards
streamlining our administration procedures, and in the next
few months there will be much effort directed towards
substantially advancing projects started last year.
A major focus has been the development of an integrated
management system for processing membership applications,
renewals, accounts and events, with the aim of more efficient
service delivery, improving communication with members, and
reducing the workload on councillors and committee members
as the Institute continues to grow. With these objectives in mind,
in the next few months we will be:
accounts management system,
and the ongoing collation of the
AIG procedures manual. Her
contribution has significantly
helped with progress on the
program of improving our
administration procedures.
Planning is also underway for the
AGM, where half of the current AIG Councillors will step down
and nominations for the positions will be put to a vote. The
AGM will be organised in collaboration with the Queensland
state branch committee and is scheduled for April in Brisbane.
Organisation of the 2014 Strategic Planning meeting is also in
progress, and this year it will be held in Victoria. Each year,
around the middle of the year, members of AIG Council get
together for a face-to-face strategic planning meeting. The
- Initiating an online events management system, to streamline
meeting is held over a weekend and gives councillors the
registration and payment processing for AIG events.
opportunity to discuss issues related to the operation and future
- Integrating mailing lists to facilitate the
directions of the AIG in more depth and detail
updating of member contact details - so that we
than is possible during the regular teleconference
“During
a
downturn
in
don’t lost contact with you. This has been a
employment, such as the council meetings held throughout the year. The
growing problem in the last year as members
meeting also provides an opportunity for AIG
work conditions change and email addresses
one we’re experiencing
councillors to meet with local AIG members and
become defunct. (You can help by providing a
now, it’s important to
the state branch committee.
personal email address for AIG communications
- Launching a new web site with an online facility for
membership applications and improved processing of online
membership renewals.
and by contacting the AIG secretariat when
you change address.)
- Updating the AIG News, with a subcommittee
currently reviewing the options for style,
content, and delivery. By the time you receive
this issue you should also have had the
opportunity to take part in a survey asking
about your preferences for the newsletter.
maintain connections
with your colleagues
and to take advantage
of opportunities for
continuing professional
development. ”
- Introducing a new AIG logo, as you will see on the front page
of this issue. There has been wide-spread discussion about
the AIG logo for some time and, with the new web site
and upcoming makeover of AIG News, the time seemed
appropriate to also update the logo. This process has been
greatly assisted by Peter Lewis from the NSW state branch
committee, along with Ian Neuss, Michael Edwards and other
NSW AIG members.
In the last few months the AIG has also benefitted from the
support of the new AIG Executive Officer, Lynn Vigar. Lynn is
highly skilled in database and accounts management, has
experience in the resources industry, and has worked with teams
of geoscientists. She is assisting AIG Council and the Registration
Board on a part-time basis, and also helping out with some state
branch activities. Lynn’s many tasks to date have included a
major review and update of the membership database, assisting
with development of the new web site and an update of the
While AIG Council has been working on
improving our procedures to ensure the smooth
running of the Institute, there has also been
progress with other initiatives that came out of
the 2013 Strategic Planning Meeting. At this
meeting Council agreed to the formation of a
National Graduate Committee of early career
geoscientists to focus on the issues and concerns
relevant to AIG Graduate Members. While the development of
this initiative has been slow, due to other demands on councillors,
it is underway and developing momentum with the assistance of
the state branches.
The state branch committees around Australia have also been
busy planning an extensive program of technical events for this
year – talks, symposia, workshops, and student nights are all on
the list. During a downturn in employment, such as the one
we’re experiencing now, it’s important to maintain connections
with your colleagues and to take advantage of opportunities for
continuing professional development. I would urge you to keep
in contact with your local branch, subscribe to the branch
e-updates if you haven’t already done so, and come along to the
technical and social events your branch is organising. If you
have time, perhaps consider joining your state branch committee
or assisting with an occasional event.
3
4
Cont. from Page 2
factory calibrations and will suffer from poor precision for trace
elements near the lower limits of detection. These biases and
precisions should be documented and reported in much the same way
that laboratory data are assessed.
It is important to recognise that there is no “boiler plate” solution to
the implementation of QA/QC programmes, although various
industry-standard approaches exist.
In the case of pXRF results for public dissemination, this should
involve the use of matrix-suitable standards (based either on certified
reference materials or CRMs or project specific standard reference
materials or SRMs) for which total analytical results – for the
elements of interest – are available (Figure 1).
Standards should cover the broad range of expected values and be
analysed at a suitable frequency throughout the day.
Figure 1. Analyses for arsenic using CRM OREAS 42P generated over a two
month period
When calibration of the instrument is undertaken, it should be clearly
stated whether the reported data are raw or corrected values. Care
should be taken to minimize the attenuating effects of various films
used in the preparation of sample mounts on x-ray fluorescence from
light elements.
Counting time should be optimised to provide suitable analytical
precision for the elements of interest for the shortest period required
to produce acceptable data. This count time must not be changed
once the project is underway.
The X-ray beam resolution should be recorded daily as this is a good
indication of tube performance and the instrument should be allowed
to warm up adequately prior to the start of any analyses.
Duplicate analyses of the sample material should be undertaken at
sufficient frequency to provide enough data to allow estimation of
analytical variance over a range of element concentrations (Figure 2).
A silica blank sample should also be analysed periodically to monitor
dust contamination of the detector window.
Where samples are to be analysed while still in the sample bags,
analysis of standards through the same thickness of bag material
OREAS
Certified Reference Materials
for Mining and Exploration
Raising Standards Since 1988
www ore com au
Figure 2. Duplicate analyses for zinc of dry unsieved soil samples analysed
through the sample bag
should be undertaken in order to understand the attenuation of X-rays
(Figure 3). This attenuation effect may be significant for the light
elements.
5
Figure 3. Comparison of pXRF data for CRM OREAS 45c obtained testing
directly rock (Cu_ppm) and through plastic sample bag material (Cu_plastic)
demonstrating the attenuation of X rays caused by analysing samples through
sample bags
More significantly, the sampling methodology should also be
described as this is essential information to accompany the reporting
of results. Sampling variance is likely to be the major source of error
in many applications.
Even a well calibrated pXRF device will fail to match laboratory
results if the sampling methodology varies significantly from that
used to prepare laboratory samples.
For instance, it will be very difficult to obtain a representative analysis
of copper in a grab sample containing coarsely disseminated
chalcopyrite. While it is unlikely that even a laboratory analysis of a
grab sample of coarsely mineralised material will be representative of
overall copper grades, the potential to obtain an even less representative
result is compounded if single spot analyses from a pXRF are used.
In the worst case scenario, the data may be deliberately misleading.
For fine-grained rock samples in which the minerals of interest are
relatively homogeneously distributed, we would recommend taking
multiple readings to calculate an average and coefficient of variation
(CoV).
The desired coefficient of variation will dictate the number of
readings required or indeed the ability of the pXRF to produce
sufficiently repeatable results at all.
If the latter is in question, then public reporting of the results is not
advisable.
Figure 4: Comparison of pXRF data for arsenic with aqua regia digestion for
arsenic on sieved soil material followed by ICP-MS analysis. The data show a
negative bias in the pXRF data.
The same approach could be applied to analysis of trench walls or
underground workings, the difference being that the readings would
be taken in a linear profile over a set distance. Whether the pXRF
data are representative or not will depend on the homogeneity of the
mineralised rock.
A similar approach using multiple readings will apply to the analysis
of drill cuttings, with allowance for attenuation of X-rays if they are
analysed through sample bags.
The use of sieved fines may be appropriate in some circumstances,
but this needs to be established by validation against laboratory data.
Additional complexity is introduced if the samples are moist at the
time of reading – this will significantly reduce the measured
concentrations by pXRF.
If damp samples are analysed without correction for moisture
content, then the data should be treated as semi-quantitative only. If
the data are adjusted for moisture content, then this information
forms part of the calibration information to be reported.
If the samples are all dry at the time of analysis, then it should be
clearly stated how this has been achieved.
Moisture considerations and data corrections for attenuation by
sample bag material also apply to pXRF analyses of soil samples. In
Cont. Overleaf
6
addition, any preparation applied to the sample material prior to
analysis should be described.
Laboratory check samples should be routinely undertaken and a
resulting correlation with pXRF data established (Figure 4).
Cont. from Page 5
A more representative approach would be to trap the saw cuttings
from the core interval, dry them and analyse them in a sample cup,
or to obtain a continuous saw sample using specialised equipment.
Again, care must be taken regarding what film is used for mounting
purposes if light elements are of interest.
In general, it is the relative abundances of various target elements that
What is important is that whatever sampling approach is adopted, it
are important in soil surveys, in which case the reporting of absolute
must be validated against laboratory analyses for that specific
numbers may not be relevant. However, where absolute values are
project, so that the Competent Person has confidence
reported, then the implementation of appropriate QA/
“Effective sampling in the data.
QC protocols is necessary.
strategies by pXRF There is no reason why pXRF data cannot be reported
Representative pXRF analysis of diamond drill core
in public releases provided the necessary sampling
presents the greatest challenge to the reporting of
require orientation
and QA/QC protocols have been put in place.
pXRF results. If fine-grained mineralisation is
homogenously distributed over the interval of core to
be sampled, then spot pXRF analysis may be adequate
to obtain a representative estimate of grade, with the
number of analyses being dictated by the required
precision of the data (using CoV as a guide).
work to validate the
pXRF results
against laboratory
data.”
If the mineralisation varies along the length of the core interval to be
sampled or is coarse-grained, then testing the entire core length is
required.
This may take the form of a careful drag analysis of the sawn core
surface along the chosen interval while ensuring that only the
relevant X-ray beam is activated on the instrument.
These Standard Operating Procedures need to
generate data that are reasonable estimates of
laboratory results.
However, this is not a trivial endeavour and should be
approached with the same rigour as the reporting of
laboratory assays (i.e. with appropriate sampling methodologies and
QA/QC protocols).
It is our opinion that the appropriate use of cautionary language, along
the lines that the reported pXRF data are preliminary or semiquantitative in nature, does not preclude the Competent Person from
meeting the reporting requirements under the 2012 JORC Code.
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8
Geoscience Services
Density Estimation
9
Geophysics: Holding the Geology to Account
Part 1: Resource Density Modelling
Chris Wijns - MAIG , Minerals co-chair, ASEG-PESA 2015
Conference and Exhibition
A resource density model is a vital part of any mine
plan and mining operation. It underpins ore tonnage estimates,
which in turn quantify expected mill throughput versus extracted
metal, and these have direct consequences for the financial
outcome of an operation.
In a generalisation of industry practice, a mineral resource model is
based on many more assay measurements than density measurements.
The same is true throughout the life of the mine – assays for grade
control usually far outweigh density measurements in number and
spatial distribution. So is there a way to make up for this, or at least
to know where to take more density measurements?
Gravity data are a direct reflection of the true distribution of
subsurface density, and can be used to improve the resource model.
The example in Figure 1 is from the Ravensthorpe nickel laterite
project in Western Australia, where surface gravity data were
collected on a 20 x 20 m grid in order to have a spatial resolution that
Above: Figure 1: Gravity response calculated from the resource density model
(left) versus actual measured gravity data filtered for the very near surface
(centre). Separate colour scales have been used to enhance differences. Big
discrepancies highlight areas where the resource density model requires
attention. With the same colour scale, the resource model gravity response
(right) illustrates the very low range of model density compared to what really
exists in the measured data (centre).
Figure 2: Oblique view over nickel laterite resource, showing the
correspondence between saprolite highs in the wireframe and high gravity
(light grey or white), and limonite troughs and low gravity (dark grey or black).
would be useful for resource-related work. The resource in question
is from surface to approximately 40 m depth. In this case the gravity
data are the most useful possible, without signal attenuation at depth
decreasing the resolution. Comparing the theoretical gravity signal of
the resource density model with the actual measured gravity on the
surface, it is immediately obvious what parts of the resource density
model are deficient. In the present example (with a resource model
dating from three years ago), this reflects a lack of data at the time to
constrain the modelling. The caveat with this approach is that the
gravity data need to be processed to represent the same depth at
which the resource is located, or else the theoretical response of the
resource model needs to include the overlying rock. In either case,
this carries its own assumptions and errors. With the shallow laterite
resource in this example, the easier challenge is to remove any signal
from the bedrock below the resource.
The measured gravity data can be used to improve the resource
model. Areas of significant difference between the measured and
modelled gravity, such as in Figure 1, can direct the collection of new
data to update the density model, via drilling or more density
measurements on existing holes. Knowing the areas of greatest
discrepancy translates to the ability to
target drilling in areas where it will make
the greatest difference to the confidence of
the resource model. In a more quantitative
way, the measured surface gravity can be
inverted for a subsurface density
distribution that respects the resource
model where it is based on logged data,
but modifies the model as needed away
from drill holes.
This gravity dataset is also useful for
qualitative regolith type prediction. The
mining program at Ravensthorpe needs to
remove an upper limonite layer separately
from a lower saprolite layer, as these two
material types are treated in separate
processing circuits, and mixing leads to metallurgical problems. The
interface between the two has a highly variable geometry that requires
close-spaced drilling for resource modelling and grade control. In
particular, greater limonite resources are often present as limonite
troughs, associated with deeper weathering along contacts or fault
structures. The limonite is less dense than the saprolite, and thus
gravity measurements can pick out limonite troughs, or conversely,
saprolite highs. Figure 2 compares the surface gravity with the
independently modelled base of limonite. There is good correspondence
between low gravity anomalies (equivalent to low density) and deep
limonite. Equivalently, high gravity anomalies correspond to saprolite
nearer the surface. This information can again be used as a check
against an existing resource model, as well as a tool for planning
wider-spaced resource drill programs (well ahead of grade control) to
confirm areas of deep versus shallow limonite. Since both saprolite
and limonite are required at constant rates in order for one circuit not
to be idle or underused, it is sensible to understand their gross
distribution in advance of mine planning, i.e., the resource model, and
gravity data can play a large role. The cost of gravity surveying
Cont. on Page 11
10
ASEG-PESA 2015
Letters to the Editor
Geophysics: Holding the Geology
Cont. from Page 9
to Account
Letters to the Editor
is a very small fraction of the cost of drilling, and the ultimate success
would be to use gravity data to widen the drill spacing and fill in
confidently between holes.
Dear Editor,
Geological modelling requires a lot of interpretation, from logging to
deciding how to interpolate data between drill holes. Geophysics data
collected over the surface, assuming no instrument problems, don’t
lie about what is beneath. In terms of physical properties attributed to
the resource model, the geophysical dataset can be used to hold the
geological modelling to account and make sure it can reproduce the
geophysical data. From February 14-19, 2015, the Australian Society
of Exploration Geophysicists, in partnership with the Petroleum
Exploration Society of Australia, is hosting the ASEG-PESA 2015
Conference and Exhibition in Perth, plus associated workshops
before and after. I encourage geologists to think of case studies where
the geophysics was held to account by geological observations, and
submit working titles for their presentations starting March 1 at
http://www.conference.aseg.org.au, followed by full abstracts from
June 1, for an opportunity to show the geophysicists what reality
turned out to be.
For the latest in Geoscientist news, views, codes, events,
employment and education visit the AIG website:
11
I have been reading the AIG newsletter with interest and generally
found the articles well balanced and of technical merit. I am
hydrogeologist and AIG member who has been researching the
Great Artesian Basin (GAB) for the last five years and would like
to comment that the historical comments quoted on page 5 of Issue
114 are purely speculative and represent a minority view of GAB
researchers.
Professor Gregory advocated the plutonic origin of Great Artesian
Basin groundwater. Many researchers, from academia, government
and private companies, have collected data in the last 50 years that
suggest dominantly meteoric origin of GAB waters. To say in the
AIG newsletter that “his (Professor Gregory) research has not
been equaled in 100 years” is incorrect and misleading (at least in
the way the sentence was originally intended). I would be happy to
provide a list of GAB publications on request.
I also note that the source of the article is a website of a GAB
Protection Council whose listings of scientific publications include
only those supporting the plutonic (or not renewable) origin of
water. For a more balanced view, I would direct readers to the
GABCC website http://www.gabcc.org.au/index.aspx.
Gabor Bekesi, Principal Hydrogeologist
Australian Water Environments
www.aig.org.au
Dear Editor,
It is a fact that the proportion of exploration budgets of local
companies dedicated to WA has declined significantly
during the past decade, and we all know how this adversely
affects employment and exploration activity in the short
term, and the economic strength of the state in the longer
term.
Many in the industry would agree that part of the reason for
the declining expenditure is that the two major political
parties in WA do not have optimum policies to promote
exploration and development in the state. What many may
be surprised to know is that the formulation of policies can
be influenced by individuals or small groups who are
prepared to make the effort to participate directly in the
political process by becoming members of one or other of
the major parties, and contributing to policy discussions and
development.
The typical electoral cycle in WA tells us that the ALP will
be eventually be voted back into office, so it is essential that
we participate in policy development in both the Liberal and
Labor parties.
We are establishing a group to promote direct participation
in the political process by resources industry people to
ensure that our voice and views are heard by policy makers,
and hopefully, reflected in the policies of the major parties.
Interested members could contact the undersigned for
further information.
Mike Fewster
Energy and Minerals Australia Limited
12
geotourism
Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu, Australia’s Nearest Continuously
Active Volcano
Mike Erceg MAIG RPGeo
Every now and then in one’s travels one experiences
something truly awesome in a geological sense. I had been
working on the central islands of Vanuatu and had the
opportunity to do the tourist thing by visiting the nearby Yasur
volcano on Tanna Island.
Vanuatu is about 2.5 hours by aircraft east of Brisbane and Tanna
Island is a further short 40 minute flight south of the capital Port Vila.
Yasur volcano, in southern Tanna, is Australia’s closest continuously
active volcano. Continuously active in the sense that eruptions have
been occurring on a daily basis since Captain Cook first recorded
activity in 1774. Local folk law certainly pushes that date back
perhaps many hundreds of years. Dating suggests it has been active
for many thousands of years.
The volcano can be experienced by joining any of the volcano safaris
that operate out of the resorts located on the truly spectacular coral
coastline on Tanna Island. I stayed at the well-appointed, terrifically
friendly Whitegrass Resort on the west coast near the airport. The
resort runs daily 4WD volcano safaris which includes a 1.5 hour drive
across the island through villages, village gardens and rain forest, an
hour stop at the “moonscape”, a region devastated by continuous ash
and acid rain northeast of the volcano and a final 4WD experience
around the southern ash plain to within 150m of the crater.
From the “moonscape” one appreciates the awesome nature of the
volcano. The black ash cone rises 300m above the plain. Ash and
smoke is continuously pumping out, but thankfully due to a
northeaster that day, away from us. About every 15 minutes or so an
eruption is marked by a billowing cloud of brown ash and black fly
rock is observed rising 100s of metres into the air closely followed by
a deep throaty roar, and all this from a safe distance of about 1.5km.
The safari is timed to experience the volcano and its eruptions at dusk.
One does not appreciate the lava display until the sun goes down.
Tanna Island
Tanna Island, some 100km long and 40km wide, is a remarkable
place. Steeped in history, the locals are a truly friendly and immensely
proud people. They generally speak 4 languages fluently – place talk,
Bislama (local Pidgin English), French and English. They live in
villages dotted around the island and the interior. Mainly subsistence
farmers, they grow local crops of taro, sweet potato and coffee. The
deep blue tropical waters surrounding the island provide a limitless
supply of pelagic fish, tuna, wahoo and sailfin. The island is also
famous for its exported Tanna Coffee.
The following extract from Air Vanuatu’s July-September Island
Spirit inflight magazine eloquently describes Tanna as only the
French can do and is worth reproducing here. (Air Vanuatu operates
daily flights from the capital Port Vila to Tanna on a modern 69 seat
ATR-72 aircraft.)
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geotourism
13
L’Ile de Tanna
Tanna reste l’île mystérieuse del’archipel. Son volcan, le puissant
Yasur, offer un spectacle à vous couper le soufflé. A 360 mètres
au-dessus du niveau de la mer, celui-ci dimine la region entourée
d’une large étendue de cendres sont éjectés hors du cratère. A
chaque instant la nature vous saisit. Les natives croient fermement
que l’espirit des morts reste vivant dans le Mt Yasur. Les habitants de
tanna sont étoitement lies à la coutome: selon eux.,’il faut évoluer
avec les traditions’. Le “Nekowiar”, ou dannse du “Toka”, témoigne
de cette volonté de vouloir preserver ces coutomes. Etant une des
fêtes les plus spectaculaires de l’archipel, cette cérémonie qui
imageait autrefois les guerres tribales représente aujourd’hui un
signe d’alliance d’unité et d’amitié entre les divers groups ethniques.
Le “John Frum” a Sulphur Bay, ou culte du cargo, est celebre au
mois du Fevrier, où chaque année beaucoup d’adèpte se réunissent
autour de la croix rouge. Au son des chants et danses, chacun espère
un jour l’arrivée du Cargo blanc chargé de richesse.
Figure 1: (a) Location of the Vanuatu (New Hebrides) arc and New Hebrides
Trench in the south western Pacific (b) location of active volcanos along the
Vanuatu (New Hebrides) arc.
Pour the plaisir des plongeurs, l’épage du figjian, qui a coulé en
1916, repose à 20 mètres de profondeur. Les chevaux sauvages des
plateaux de “White Grass” captent l’attention des visit eurs. Plages,
sources d’eau, chaude, et cascades sont de nouveauy au rendez vous.
Port-Résolution offer quelques unities d’hébergement au bord de
som magnifique lagon.
The island chain is divided into three main zones based on age and
composition of magmatic and tectonic activity; the western belt, the
eastern belt and the central chain (figure 1) with the oldest rocks
being submarine lavas and volcanoclastics of the western belt of
Oligocene-Early Miocene age.
Geological Setting
The New Hebrides Island Arc is a 1400km long intra-oceanic island
chain situated in the southwest Pacific approximately 1800km
northeast of Australia. Volcanism in the arc is largely subaerial and
predominantly basaltic in composition. A central chain of active
volcanoes occur approximately 150km above a steeply east dipping
Benioff Zone with convergence rates varying from 103-118mm/yr. In
the centre of the arc convergence velocity slows to 42mm/y in the
D’Entrecasteaux collision zone where an aseismic ridge of a former
island arc is being subducted and accreted, resulting in the shallowing
of the trench and an uplift rate of 5.5mm/yr in the Holocene. A
number of submarine volcanic edifices occur at the southern end of
the island chain, and have been the subject of a recent (2011) QUT
thesis by Kelly Thomas “Volcanology and Petrology of Submarine
Volcanoes of the New Hebrides Island Arc” (pdf available online for
further reading). The following description of the geological setting
of the Arc is summarised from Kelly Thomas’s thesis.
While the oldest rocks are late Oligocene, the New Hebrides Island
Arc is thought to have originated during the Eocene as a result of
subduction of the Pacific plate along the Vitiaz Trench. From
25-14Ma the islands of Espiritu Santo, Malekula and Torres Islands
formed (known as western belt) due to westward subduction of the
Pacific Plate. Two major collisions along the Vitiaz Trench occurred
in the middle Miocene; the Ontong Java Plateau collided with the
Solomon Islands to the northwest of the New Hebrides island chain,
followed by the Melanesian Border Plateau with the proto-New
Hebrides Island Arc. It is thought the latter collision of the Melanesian
Border Plateau caused reversal in the arc polarity with the initiation
of subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate beneath the Pacific Plate
and the termination of subduction at the Vitiaz Trench.
Spreading in the North Fiji back-arc basin initiated approximately
12Ma and accommodated migration and south-westwards rotation of
the arc-trench. Volcanism in the eastern belt (Maewo and Pentecost)
in the early Pliocene (7-4Ma) took place due to the now east-dipping
Cont. on Page 15
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14
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Technical Workshops
January – June 2014, Brisbane
AMC Consultants Pty Ltd (AMC) is a leading independent mining consultancy, providing services exclusively to the minerals
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workshops in the same week (March and June).
JORC 2012–Complying with the Code in the Reporting Environment (half day)
20 January, 20 February, 28 March, 11 April, 16 May, 20, June
Presenters: Peter Stoker and Mark Berry
This workshop will present the fundamental requirements of the JORC Code, including new and changed provisions adopted in
2012. Examples of compliant and non-compliant reports will be reviewed, including case studies. This workshop is designed for
existing and intending Competent Persons and management staff at all levels.
Assessment of Geological Uncertainty in Mining and Management of Risk (one day)
26 March, 18 June
Presenter: Mark Berry
This workshop will identify and assess the sources of geological uncertainty that feed into ore reserve estimates, with
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Lessons Learnt from Auditing Mineral Resource Estimates (one day)
27 March, 19 June
Presenters: Peter Stoker, Mark Berry, and Mark Sweeney
This workshop will present key learnings from AMC’s extensive international audits of mineral resource estimates. It is
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Practical Application of Isatis for Resource Estimation (two days)
24–25 March, 16–17 June
Presenter: Mark Sweeney
This workshop will demonstrate Isatis functionality for geostatistical and resource estimation applications, and is based on
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Excellence in Mineral Resources Estimation (five days)
7–11 April
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geotourism
Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu, Australia’s Nearest Continuously Active Volcano
subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate, while deposition of pelagic
material and subsidence occurred within the western belt. Present
day volcanism occurs in the Central Chain (initiated 6Ma) particularly
at Yasur volcano.
The Yasur volcanic complex
(extract from A. Peltier, A Finizola, G.A. Doulillet, E. Brothelande, E.
Garaebiti “Structure of an active volcano associated with a resurgent
block inferred from thermal mapping: The Yasur Yenkahe volcanic
complex (Vanuatu). Journal of Volcanology and geothermal Research
243-244 (2012) 59-68)
The Yasur (-Yenkahe) volcanic complex is hosted within the Siwi
cauldera in the south-eastern part of the island of Tanna, which is part
of the central chain of the New Hebrides Island Arc.
The Siwi cauldera (9km x 4km) hosting the complex is delimited by
the Siwi Ring Fracture on land and extends offshore between Sulphur
Bay and Port Resolution. The Yenkahe block (6 x 3km) is a resurgent
block elongated N65 in the axis of the Siwi cauldera. It is interpreted
to have formed by massive magmatic intrusions within the Siwi
cauldera (< 20,000y). Coral reef terraces dated at 1000 years BP are
found at more than 150m elevation, thus implying a mean uplift rate
of 156mm/y over the last millennium. This uplift is at partially
controlled by local catastrophic phenomena such as earthquakes (e.g.
the ones reported in 1878 and 1888 and responsible for a raise of
shoreline of about 20m).
15
Cont. from Page 13
The 1878 eruption was witnessed by Capt. Jennings in the sailing
vessel Luengone (information from Katherine Stirling Kerr Cawsey’s
book “The Making of a Rebel: Captain Donald Macleod of the New
Hebrides” University of the South Pacific 1998). During the
hurricane of early January (1878), Yasur, after throwing up large
showers of dust and stones and immense clouds of smoke, “caught
fire”. This was followed by a tremendous earthquake and three tidal
waves, witnessed by Capt. Jennings who on 9 January 1878,
sheltered in Port Resolution with Luengone. Another earthquake
soon followed. Lt Horne of HMS Sandfly, sent to investigate and
resurvey the area, found Port Resolution so altered that he placed a
“Notice to Mariners” in the newspapers. A small bay to the north had
been completely filled in “by the falling forward into the sea of
upwards of 150 acres of earth and rock…. For 3 square miles to the
northward of Port Resolution it is one mass of loose earth and rock
with numerous hot springs. When the second shock took place, there
was surf from 20 to 30 feet high, raised by the land falling into the
sea”. Port Resolution became so shallow that only small vessels
could use it.
Cont. on Page 16
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Figure 2: (A) Map of the Vanuatu Archipelago and associated tectonic regime
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Island (C) Structural map of south-eastern Tanna including the Yasur-Yenkahe
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16
geotourism
Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu, Australia’s Nearest Continuously Active Volcano
Cont. from Page 13
Geology of Yasur Volcano
(extract from N. Métrich, P. Allard, A. Aiuppa, P. Bani, A. bertagnini,
H. Shinohara, F. Parello, A. Di Muro, E. Garaebiti, O. Belhadj and
D. Massare 2011 “Volcanism and Block Resurgence in Siwi cauldera
(Tanna Island, Vanuatu Arc)” Journal of Petrology Vol 52 Issue 6
pp1077-1105)
Siwi caldera, in the Vanuatu arc (Tanna island), is a rare volcanic
complex where both persistent eruptive activity (Yasur volcano)
and rapid block resurgence (Yenkahe horst) can be investigated
simultaneously during a post-caldera stage. Major and trace
element analyses of Yasur–Siwi volcanic rocks point to a single
magmatic series and possibly long-lived feeding of Tanna volcanism
by an homogeneous arc basalt. Olivine-hosted melt inclusions
show that the parental basaltic magma, which produces basaltictrachyandesites to trachyandesites by ~50–70% crystal fractionation,
is moderately enriched in volatiles (~1 wt % H2O, 0•1 wt % S and
0•055 wt % Cl). The basaltic-trachyandesite magma, emplaced at
between 4–5 km depth and the surface, preserves a high temperature
(1107 ± 15°C) and constant H2O content (~1 wt %) until very
shallow depths, where it degasses extensively and crystallizes.
These conditions, maintained over the past 1400 years of Yasur
activity, require early water loss during basalt differentiation,
prevalent open-system degassing, and a relatively high heat
flow (~109 W).
Figure 3. Yasur volcano from the northeast looking over the “moonscape”
area, the predominant drop zone for ash and acid rain.
Yasur volcano releases on average ≥ 13•4 × 103 tons/day of H2O and
680 tons/day of SO2, but moderate amounts of CO2 (840 tons/day),
HCl (165 tons/day), and HF (23 tons/day). Combined with melt
inclusion data, these gas outputs constrain a bulk magma degassing
rate of ~5 × 107 m3/yr, about a half of which is due to degassing of
the basaltic-trachyandesite.
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geotourism
17
Volcanic activity observed
Mt. Yasur volcano has been increasingly recognized for its highfrequency Strombolian eruptions for the last 300 years. Currently,
this activity takes place at three vents with highly varying
recurrence rates, denoted as A, B and C from south to north,
respectively. The three active craters showed very different styles
of activity. Crater A had an eruption recurrence of 4-6 eruptions/hr
and was the most violent with occasional lava bombs landing
outside the crater rim. Crater B showed continuous ash-venting.
Crater C was producing the most frequent eruptions approximately
10-20 eruption2/hr.
Eruptions were preceded by a pressure wave readily observed as it
passed up through the ash and gas cloud, closely followed by a blast
and molten magma discharge from the vent to heights of several
hundreds of metres. Most of the molten lava fell back into the
crater. The eruptions are violent. Gas and ash rained over the
observation post intermittently with wind changes. The gas was
blue-white, an intensely acrid, and had a habit of slowly creeping
over the edge of the crater rim and enveloping the observation post.
Safety
The local guides are very experienced at observing the volcano and
do a risk assessment at the first observation post about 50m from the
crater edge. They check the wind direction, intensity of blasts and
location of recent lava-bomb falls before permitting closer approaches
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Figure 4. A 'selfie' of the author beside a lava-bomb that landed outside the
Yasur crater within 20m of the observing party
to the crater. They also give instruction on how to avoid impact from
lava bombs that threaten the observation area.
However Yasur is an active volcano and approaching the crater is
dangerous at any time. Observers are at risk from projectiles, toxic
gas and lava avalanches.
In the 2 hours we sat on the crater rim observing the eruptions we
only experienced one eruption where ejecta landed outside the crater
wall. A lava-bomb landed 20m behind our group causing much
excitement. It rolled about 50m down the outer slope of the crater
before coming to rest. It measured about 1m in length, more than
0.5m in diameter and probably weight upwards of 1 tonne. We
departed soon after!
Geotourism articles: AIG encourages members to submit articles on
geologically interesting places they have experienced, that may be of
interest to people with a passion for earth science.
Figure 5. Observation post on the crater of Yasur volcano watching eruptions
at sunset
www.aig.org.au
18
editor's desk
From The Editor
Louis Hissink
AIG News 115 has started with a visual makeover using the new AIG
Logo and colour scheme - we hope you'll like it. It's part of the
transition to electronic publishing scheduled for later this year, and
will enable AIG News to be read on mobile devices as well as your
PC or Mac.
AIG News 114 raised some interesting feedback, including a letter
pointing to further information on the Great Artesian Basin. Some
cognitive dissonance also occurred over "dowsing" but as one Mario
Varvoglis, Ph.D. noted, dowsing, like it or not, is actually used in
industry. For example, Ontario Hydro, the world's third largest water
company, disclosed that they regularly employ dowsers in conjunction with their engineering techniques. Often huge problems arise
from uncharted cables or pipelines, as during the construction of the
Pickering nuclear power plant in Ontario, when Caterpillar operators
were almost electrocuted by striking 4,000-volt power lines which
they were unable to locate precisely. After delays entailing considerable
costs, the chief engineer at Hydro called in a dowser who traced out
the cable path with a rod, enabling them to excavate it.
Dowsing or remote viewing might be dismissed as crank science but
one suspects that view has more to do with an inability to explain it
than anything else; happens when a science becomes too specialised
and is limited by the number of ideas it uses
Finally AIG News 116 will be focussing on Impediments to
exploration as flagged by Mike Fewster in the letters page. Members
are urged to forward their ideas on how exploration can be untied
from the regulatory tape that seems to have strangled it.
AIG MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
Snowden offer 10% discount off
professional development courses for
Australian Institute of Geoscientists members
To encourage new membership and in recognition of the services
offered by the associations and societies that uphold the
professionalism within our global mining industry – Snowden
will be offering the individual members of these associations a
10% discount off our public training course registration fees
during 2014.
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obituary
19
Obituary - BILL LACY
Bill Lacy passed away in Tuscon, Arizona in early December. He
had not been in ill health and died peacefully, after a full and very
productive life, at age 95. He will be remembered in particular
as a bridge-builder between academic geology and industry,
through his foundation work in the 1970’s in framing and
teaching post-graduate geology programs tailored to the needs of
industry professionals.
Bill was the foundation Professor of Geology at James Cook
University, appointed in 1972. Geology had been unsuccessfully
attempting to find a discipline leader for some time and had been
through two rounds of advertisement, short listing and interviews
without an outcome. Bill had just spent a sabbatical leave from
the University of Arizona at the University of Queensland and
had become attracted to the opportunities offered in his discipline
in Australia. What a fortunate coincidence. On the third round of
advertisement, Bill entered the lists, and JCU was indeed
fortunate to take the opportunity offered.
As the inaugural Professor of Geology at JCU, Bill brought many
attributes. Firstly, he brought his reputation as a world class
economic geologist, with particular expertise in porphyry mineral
systems resulting from his seminal research in ore deposits in the
Andes. This reputation, cemented by his previous sabbatical
period in Australia, immediately put economic geology "on the
map" at James Cook University. Within two years of appointment,
Bill's expertise and profile with the minerals industry, translated
into the first coursework/research MSc in Economic Geology
offered by an Australian institution. The success of this enterprise
can be measured by the many JCU graduates spread across the
minerals industry in Australia and worldwide, collectively with a
massive contribution to the discovery of new resources and the
effective development of those to hand. In due course this
initiative was expanded by collaborative participation of the
University of Tasmania and the University of Western Australia,
morphing into the Minerals Geoscience Masters coordinated by
the Australian Minerals Council which continues to this day. This
program, and Bill's standing with the minerals industry, laid the
foundation for the later establishment of the Economic Geology
Research Unit at James Cook University shortly after his
retirement in 1979. EGRU's establishment, and subsequent
contribution in fostering an academic-industry engagement in
economic geology at James Cook University, rests firmly on
Bill's shoulders.
Bill's contribution did not stop
there. At his appointment, the
then department was at a
fledgling stage. It was still
located on the original Pimlico
campus. Bill oversaw the
planning for the geology
component of the then geologymaths-physics building on the
Douglas campus, home to the
Geology Department and the
School of Earth Science for
many years. Not a simple task
with
Basil
Rennie
(Mathematics - famously oblique) and Jim Ward (Physics opposed to air conditioning) as collaborators. Work pressures
contributed to a heart attack in 1975 - typical of Bill, recuperation
involved regular running of the university ring road, summer
included. Another challenge squarely met.
Most importantly, Bill made several astute academic appointments
at James Cook University and in particular fostered a nurturing
environment for School staff, with encouragement to build quality
in both the teaching and research spheres. He was tireless in
fostered links with industry through targeted education and
applied research. These settings continue: ethos is hard to build
but it is long-lasting.
Shortly after retirement in 1979 Bill and his wife Jo returned to
Arizona. Bill maintained his links to Australia mainly through
interaction with former students and academic and industry
colleagues, reinforced by occasional visits including ongoing
support for the exploration and mining MSc. He was a valued
speaker at several conferences in Australia and beyond,
contributed to the management training of senior geologists
through the Australian Minerals Foundation, and was the driving
force and editor of books on exploration and mining geology
published in the early 1980’s. He also framed and presented a
successful television series “Out of the Fiery Furnace” which
covered the history of mining and metallurgy. In 1998 his
contribution to economic geology was celebrated by the W.C.
Lacy symposium, a centre-piece of the 14th Australian Geological
Convention held in Townsville.
Professor Bob Henderson, Adjunct Professorial Fellow, JCU
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• Extensive exposure to Carpentarian Sedex lead-zinc
• Copper and gold experience throughout Australia
• 30 years in the resource sector, Australia and Argentina
P.O. Box 1277
Coorparoo DC Qld 4151
Phone +61 7 3891 7075
Email: rsquared@bigpond.com
www.users.bigpond.com/rsquared
20
Volcano,
White Island,
New Zealand
CONTACT
Julian Vearncombe
Mobile +61 437 477 220
Phone +61-8 9364 7098
PO Box 1093
Canning Bridge 6153
Western Australia
Unit 1, 11 Ogilvie Rd,
(above Clancy’s Fish Pub)
Mount Pleasant 6153
julian@sjsresource.com.au
www.sjsresource.com.au
events
21
WA AIG Christmas Cruise - Dec 2013
Another successful AIG-GSA Christmas cruise in Perth sponsored by Southern Geoscience. New faces and some old including Simon Attwell
featuring in the top left-hand photo (without identification!), Anne Tomlinson of AIG Council and Richard Mazzuchelli, Richard Haines of WA
Committee and Steve Sugden, AIG Treasurer in the bottom right-hand photo.
QLD AIG Christmas Party, Brisbane - Dec 2013
Friedrich von Gnielinski (GSA Queensland Division Committee), Luke Sorby, Rob Murdoch, Darcy Milburn and Bill Hayes, Angus McIntyre,
Robin Chant and Faye Jones, Ralph McIver and AIG Queensland Branch Secretary Christine Brown who organised this highly successful event
again this year, David Splatt, Rick Nelson and Doug Brewster, Andrew Gilles and John Horton, Neil McLean, John Cameron and Mark
Dugmore and Tim Millis and Doug Corley.
22
Gold14@Kalgoorlie
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
Wed 8th to Fri 10th October 2014
WMC Conference Centre
Curtin University, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Symposium Themes
Past, present and future of gold exploration and mining
New gold provinces and opportunities
The timing of gold mineralisation
Gold exploration methods and technologies
Programme
Keynote Speakers:
Bob Foster
(Stratex International PLC, London)
Science and the City - the status
of our gold industry
David Groves
(Consultant, Western Australia)
Province-scale Commonalities
and Contrasts Between Orogenic,
Intrusion-related, Carlin-type and
Iron Oxide Systems
Richard Sillitoe
(Consultant, UK)
Gold Exploration Opportunities
Pre-symposium mine visits: 4th to 6th October 2014
(Start and finish Kalgoorlie)
The pre-conference field trip and mine visits will focus around and to the south
of Kalgoorlie and will examine Eastern Goldfields outcrop lithostratigraphy and
gold mineralisation. Leader: Stephen Wyche and GSWA colleagues.
Short course: 7th October 2014 (Kalgoorlie)
Orogenic gold deposits: nature and geological targeting by David Groves.
Symposium: 8th to 10th October 2014 (Kalgoorlie)
Technical sessions, keynote speakers, poster session and networking events,
including sundowner and symposium dinner.
Post symposium mine visits: 11th to 13th October 2014
(Start and finish Kalgoorlie)
The post-symposium trip will focus on the north Kalgoorlie and Leonora areas. The
excursion will visit several mines and focus on mine- to regional-scale structural
controls on gold mineralisation. Leader: Stephen Wyche and GSWA colleagues.
Short course: 14th October 2014 (Perth)
For Further Information:
Julian: +61 437477220
julian@sjsresource.com.au
Porphyry copper-gold and related epithermal deposits by Richard Sillitoe.
Visit: aig.org.au or geosymposia.com.au
Email: training@geosymposia.com.au
23
Porphyry Field Mapping Course – Orange, NSW November 2013
Greg Corbett
This course was intended to aid in the development of
young geologist’s careers, perhaps even to help gain that
difficult first job, by the provision of the necessary field
mapping and core logging skills to begin porphyry exploration.
The model here is that training should be a more cost effective
manner and friendly to the unemployed than the courses run by
now defunct AMF. The inaugural porphyry field mapping course
run by Doug Menzies with help from Greg Corbett was held in the
Orange district 15-21 November 2013. This course was oversubscribed and required a bigger bus and additional helpers to
accommodate the 26 participants.
Day 1: We assembled about mid-day and collected equipment
including the short-course manual, mapping jacket, aluminium clip
board, colour pencils etc. Doug gave a lecture on his porphyry
mapping technique using different colour pencils as a simplified
and more user-friendly version of the old Anaconda mapping
method. Greg gave an explanation of porphyry geology focusing on
the staged model for alteration and mineralisation using rock
photos from the deposits we were about to visit, already reviewed
by Doug and Greg. Next time we hope to have actual rocks related
to poster scale copies of the Corbett and Leach geological models.
Copper Hill core inspection
Day 2: We learned to compass and tape map studying porphyry
rock types, alteration and vein styles at the Cargo road side quarry.
Some rain did not dampen enthusiasm, but rather improved the
quality of the exposures. That night John Holliday, one of the most
experienced practitioners in the art, provided a talk on ‘Geophysics
in porphyry exploration’.
Days 3 and 4 were spent at the Golden Cross Coppervale operation
where we mapped the old open pit and leached cap environs and
logged drill core from Copper Hill and Cargo, including material in
the wall rocks to understand the use of alteration and vein types as
vectors towards porphyry mineralisation. On those evenings Mark
Arundell talked on the Goonumbla (North Parks) porphyry Cu-Au
deposits and Doug Menzies on footprints of porphyry Cu-Mo-Au
systems including the Wafi, Golpu case study.
Day 5 was devoted to logging an impressive array of Cadia Valley
drill core provided by Newcrest including the Ridgeway discovery
hole, still with lumps of excitement lying in the bottoms of some
trays, and also Cadia East, Big Cadia etc. That night Mel Quigley,
ex-CSIRO, provided a talk on infrared mineral spectroscopy related
to porphyry deposits. Mel also brought a portable spectrometer
along and demonstrated its use during day time drill core inspections.
Day 6: At Goonumbla (North Parks) several geologists talked the
group through a selection of drill core focusing on types of veins,
Mapping Cargo quarry
Ridgeway core
Cont. Overleaf
Copper Hill hyperspectral core logging measurements collected with a
oreXpress spectrometer.
24
Porphyry Field Mapping Course – Orange, NSW November 2013
intrusions and alteration, to show a relationship to
mineralisation and mineral paragenesis. That evening a wrap
up session focused upon ‘what have we learned’ and
commented on how the next field course might differ.
The interesting mix of new graduates and older geoscientists
who wanted to learn about porphyry exploration, and
including those with none or reasonable porphyry exploration
experience, contributed towards a great outcome and positive
interaction. The favourable feedback has prompted a future
provision of an updated porphyry field course.
This course could not have been possible without the help
and moral support from the management of Golden Cross
who also provided access to exposures and drill core for
Cargo and Copper Hill; Newcrest Limited for drill core from
a variety of Cadia Valley ore systems, North Parks Limited for
facilitation of the core Goonumbla core inspection, while Strength
Mining aided with equipment, and John Holliday, Mark Arundell
and Mel Quigley gave talks.
Doug and I will run this course again in late 2014. Anyone may
register an interest at www.cmcgeos.com to be sent the details
when they become available.
Cameron's attendance at the course was supported by an
AIG NSW branch award for early career geoscientists
attending field-based training courses.
Cont. from Page 23
Left: Copper
Hill pit
mapping
Below: New
graduate
Cameron Perks
at Copper Hill
(closest to
camera) with
other attendees
25
AIG Funds Young Geoscientist to Attend Field Trip
Cameron Perks
I recently had the opportunity to attend ‘an introduction to porphyry
Cu-Au exploration’ field training course with Corbett and Menzies
Consulting thanks to the AIG’s field trip grant for young geoscientists.
Having only just graduated (with honours) I have had very little time
and opportunity to gain practical field experience. This six day short
course, ran from the 15th-21st of November and held in Orange,
provided me with an intensive field-based learning experience
focusing on porphyry Cu-Au exploration techniques and procedures.
Theory and lectures were provided throughout the first day and every
night into the trip. The days were spent in the field with Greg Corbett
and Doug Menzies identifying porphyry related minerals, veins and
alteration zones as well as logging core, mapping, and learning
efficient surveying skills.
Mapping was conducted at the Cargo Cu prospect at a scale of 1:500
on the second day of the trip, followed by logging Cargo core on the
third day. The third day also served as an opportunity for participants
to see the Copper Hill core before mapping Copper Hill prospect on
day four. Day four was a combination of Copper Hill core logging
and mapping at a scale of around 1:500 depending on how good you
were at fitting all the survey points on an A4 mapping sheet.
On day five we arrived at the Newcrest core sheds to log Ridgeway
and Cadia porphyry Cu-Au deposit core. By now the techniques and
theory were coming together and we were all almost able to
successfully identify minerals, exploration vectors and alteration. By
the sixth day (a trip to North Parkes to log a mystery hole) we were
Above: Cameron Perks and Claire
Hardgrove (another attendee).
Right: Logging
Cadia core.
well and truly masters of
porphyry Cu-Au exploration.
Well, not quite. One important
thing that was taken away on
this field trip was that
porphyry Cu-Au exploration
takes a long time to become
acquainted with. A lot of
research and fieldwork has
gone into preparing this field
trip and I believe it did a
fantastic job of covering such a huge topic in such a small amount of
days.
Without this trip my knowledge of porphyrys would, in hindsight, be
quite limited. In addition to this; as a fledgling geologist this trip has
not only improved my knowledge of porphyrys but has also taught
me field mapping skills, core-logging skills, and surveying techniques.
Finally, the trip has given me an opportunity to make contacts and
friends that I will keep throughout my career; geologists who have
come from across the world to learn as I did but also ended up
imparting a bit of their knowledge onto me.
Logging Copper Hill and Cargo core
For all of this I would like to thank the AIG for giving me this
opportunity; without the generous grant I would not have had the
opportunity to attend the trip.
26
education
27
Tertiary Geoscience Education at the Crossroads?
Dr Trevor Powell FTSE, STIR Sciences Services – former
President Australian Geoscience Council
Introduction
With its latest survey (Powell, 2013), the Australian Geoscience
Council has accumulated 10 years worth of data to the end of 2012
on teaching, enrolment and staffing levels in geoscience at Australian
universities.
The status of geoscience and geoscience education in universities has
continued the improvement recorded in 2010 with further growth in
enrolled students, reversing the decade-long decline prior to 2007.
However, the minerals industry downturn represents a potential
cloud on the horizon for Tertiary geoscience education.
Results
Eighteen universities (Table 1) have the capacity to teach geoscience
as a major in their undergraduate programs, with an additional
university offering an earth science major as part of an environment
degree. Of these, six maintain distinct geoscience schools, but one
of these is about to undergo a merger with non-geoscience schools.
In the remainder, the geoscience discipline is variously amalgamated
into schools of ‘earth, geography, environmental and biological
science’ or schools of ‘physical sciences’. The consequence for the
structure of the undergraduate majors on offer varies. Some schools
have created ‘geoscience degrees’ from a blend of physical geography
or environment courses and traditional ‘solid earth science’ courses.
Others have maintained a clear distinction between degree types.
These changes in university structures and degrees started a decade
ago at a time of static or declining enrolments in geoscience and
reflect the economic realities of current university funding.
Government funds for teaching are provided on a per-student basis
with additional funds being paid by full fee paying students, with the
salaries of staff (academic, support and administrative), infrastructure
and expendables (including field teaching) being paid from those
funds. There has therefore been enormous pressure to improve the
economics of teaching.
Fortunately and in contrast to the period prior to 2005, the resources
boom has progressively attracted additional numbers of students into
geoscience, improving the economics of geoscience teaching and
easing the concerns expressed prior to 2007 as to the viability of
geoscience in universities. Nationally student enrolments, as
measured by Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL), have
increased 14% since 2010 continuing the growth recorded in the
2010 survey (Fig 1). This growth is not universal with six universities
static or showing declines.
Contrary to the growth in the period 2007-2010, Honours enrolments
have stabilized or declined slightly in most universities, although a
few are still growing. This has led to an overall slight decline in total
Honours enrolments from 2010.
The data show that universities vary widely in their viability as
geoscience teaching institutions. There has been a general
strengthening of ‘geoscience schools’ as student numbers have
increased and courses re-organised to improve the efficiency of
teaching. From 2007, there has been a systematic increase in the
EFTSL per teaching staff member with now 6 universities above 20,
5 between 15 and 20 and only 1 below 10 – in 2007 there was only
3 universities above 15. This indicates improving financial viability
for many schools. The growth in Masters degrees involving significant
coursework also impacts on teaching loads and contributes to
financial viability for those departments where this is occurring. Two
universities (Adelaide and Curtin) account for 27 percent of the
national student load with EFTSL values of 300 or more. Four
universities have values between 200 and 250. The balance have
values below 180, of which six are below 100 (Table 1).
The output of Bachelor (BSc) degrees with a major in geoscience has
continued to grow to approximately 690 in 2012 (Fig 2), but Honours
enrolments and the output of BSc Honours degrees have declined
slightly from around 251 in 2010 to around 241 in 2012.
The output of Masters (MSc) degrees by coursework and dissertation,
have continued to grow strongly reflecting the change in emphasis to
postgraduate coursework at several universities and accounts in part
for the leveling off in Honours enrolments and degrees awarded.
These coursework degrees are often specifically aimed at training
candidates in the knowledge and techniques required for employment
in industry, but are also offered as pre-research training. Three
universities (James Cook, Tasmania and Western Australia)
co-operate in the Minerals Tertiary Education Council (MTEC)
Mineral Masters program. Melbourne and Macquarie universities
now offer a 2-year Masters by coursework and dissertation in lieu of
an Honours Degree, with Adelaide introducing this option in 2014.
Western Australia has this option predominantly for overseas
students and retains the Honours and 1-year Masters courses for
domestic students.
Cont. Overleaf
Vector Research Pty Ltd
ABN 80 086 727 273
Stephen T. Mudge
BSc (Hons), Dip Comp Sc, FAusIMM, FAIG
Consulting Geophysicist
•
•
•
•
•
Magnetics,gravity,radiometrics,EM,resistivity,IP
Surveydesign,projectmanagement,datainterpretation
Geophysicaldataprocessingforexplorationtargeting
TM
TargetMap targetslinears,patternsandtextures
TM
TargetTEM targetsconductorsinairborneTEMdata
POBox1133,NedlandsWA6909,Australia
Web:www.vecresearch.com.au
Phone/Fax:+61(0)893868894
Email:smudge@vecresearch.com.au
28
Education
Tertiary Geoscience Education at the Crossroads?
Cont. from Page 27
In addition to normal curriculum reviews, several universities
continue to take specific steps to meet the needs of potential employers
by addressing the core skills requirements of graduates:
for the petroleum industry through its School of Petroleum, whilst
Curtin University provides specifically for geophysics through its
Department of Exploration Geophysics.
• nine universities participate in the MTEC Honours Minerals Short
course Program.
The decline in output of Masters degrees through research has
continued and is now only about 10 per annum compared output of
Masters degrees based on coursework and a dissertation which is now
around 100. The latter has more than doubled since 2010 following an
increase by 250 percent in 2010 compared with 2007 (Fig 2). The
output of PhD degrees recorded a drop of 20 percent to about 66 in
2011 before rebounding to 95 in 2012 (Fig 2).
• they have made (or are in the process of making) specific teaching
appointments in resource geoscience.
• they have remodeled courses to meet core skills requirements and
strengthened some disciplines including geophysics, field geology,
digital geology, minerals geoscience and petroleum geoscience.
• some have placements in industry as part of a course of study.
• some provide specific options and specializations in majors and
MSc degrees.
Universities in Victoria and Sydney cooperate in the delivery of
electives in the Honours year in their respective locations.
The National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training is based
at Flinders University with eleven university partners. It seeks ‘to
improve our understanding of Australia’s Groundwater Systems, and
by training the next generation of expert researchers and groundwater
professionals. It does not produce graduates in its own right but
strengthens the capacity of the university partners in this regard.
Similarly the ARC Centres of Excellence in ‘Ore Deposits’ and ‘Core
to Crust Fluid Systems’ centred at the Universities of Tasmania and
Macquarie respectively strengthens their capacity and of that of their
university partners. The University of Adelaide provides specifically
Figure 1 National trends in undergraduate enrollment in the geosciences
expressed in Equivalent Full Time Student Load.
A. All Levels; B. National Totals by Level.
In 2012, 200 academic staff were engaged in some level of teaching of
geoscience in Australian universities whilst there are a further 270 staff
engaged in research with no formal teaching commitments. Nationally
since 2010 the number of teaching position has declined slightly whilst
the number of research positions has increased by 35 - 22 % compared
with 13% between 2007 and 2010. The combination of teaching and
research positions shows a wide range in capability between the
‘geoscience’ universities (Table 1) with a variation in the size and
profile of schools with differing levels of undergraduate and postgraduate
output and differing emphasis on teaching versus research.
It is now clear that the resources boom attracted large numbers of
students into geoscience. With the current drawback from the very
high levels of activity in the exploration and development industry
and the increasing uncertainty as to geoscience employment levels
Figure 2. National trends in geoscience degrees awarded:
A. Bachelor Degrees; B. Higher Degrees.
Note data on BSc degrees is only available from 2007
Education
(Australian Institute of Geoscientists, 2013) it becomes a question as
to whether current levels of enrolment will be sustained. Indeed,
could we be about to repeat the boom–bust cycle that led to concerns
about geoscience education at the turn of the 21st century? If student
enrolments fall it is conceivable that some schools could become
financially unviable again.
The question asked at the time of the 2007 survey remains highly
pertinent: “What is the minimum economic department size that is
sustainable in the longer run?” This has to have consideration of
government funded student load, fee paying students, academic staff
numbers, service teaching to other degrees, external funding for
teaching and research funding. As this survey once again demonstrates,
these considerations vary from institution to institution and are not
29
easily compared. However, the current survey has shown again that
some larger schools with wide capability are growing from strength to
strength, whilst others with lesser capability are static or reducing.
In general the position has improved again since 2010, but it remains clear
that a critical mass of teaching and research capability that creates a
vibrant and attractive educational experience is fundamental to sustaining
Tertiary geoscience educational opportunities in Australia.
References
Australian Institute of Geoscientists (2013) Australian Institute of Geoscientists
Employment Survey http://www.aig.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view
=article&id=312&Itemid=339
Powell T G, 2013. Australian Geoscience Tertiary Education Profile 2012, Australian
Geoscience Council Report, 64p <http://www.agc.org.au/reports> .
Table 1. Universities offering Earth Science Degrees in 2012 showing total geoscience staffing, Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL) and degrees awarded in 2012
University – School or Structural Unit
Geoscience
Staff Total
EFTSL
Total
BSc
Major
BSc
Hons
MSc
PhD
33
533
76
43
7
5
Australian National - Research School of Earth Sciences
69
81
4
18
2
16
Ballarat - Science, Information Technology & Engineering
5.5
78
14
3
-
-
Canberra - Education, Science Technology & Mathematics
3
65
6
2
-
-
Adelaide - Earth & Environmental Science - Petroleum
Curtin - Applied Geology - Exploration Geophysics
50
300
94
15
16
2
Flinders* - Environment
22
99
9
9
2
4
James Cook - Earth & Environmental Sciences
17
159
24
10
11
3
Macquarie - Earth & Planetary Sciences
23
227
22
10
17
3
Melbourne - Earth Sciences (includes ocean, atmospheric sciences)
20
115
32
9
13
6
21.4
238
115
27
1
5
Monash - Geoscience
New England** - Rural & Environmental Science
3.5
77
11
3
-
-
Newcastle* - Environmental & Life Sciences
8.6
155
27
3
-
2
New South Wales - Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences
22
209
18
16
2
6
27.2
228
52
8
5
11
17
93
22
3
2
2
Queensland - Earth Sciences
Queensland University of Technology - Earth, Environmental & Biological
Sciences
Sydney* - Geosciences (includes geography, environmental sciences)
19
137
14
8
2
3
31.3
81
53
19
5
6
Western Australia - Earth & Environment
33
161
55
22
19
6
Wollongong - Earth & Environmental Sciences
19
181
36
10
6
7
Tasmania - Earth Sciences
Notes: Flinders offers geoscience major in BSc Environment Degree; * denotes enrollments and degrees are from 2010 survey; ** denotes degrees estimated by
author from enrolment data
30
exploration
UNCOVER Initiative
- Ushering in a New Era of Exploration in Australia
Dean Collett and Phil McFadden
On behalf of the UNCOVER Executive Committee,
Australian Academy of Science, Canberra.
The UNCOVER initiative is now moving into an implementation
phase. The upcoming open Summit in Adelaide will begin to chart the
necessary journey for exploration geoscience in Australia. This is an
initiative owned by industry, geological surveys and researchers alike.
Introduction to UNCOVER
It is well-recognised that Australia has benefited enormously from its
rich endowment of mineral resources. It is also widely believed that
most of Australia’s easily-found economically viable mineral deposits
have already been discovered and, to a large extent, exploited.
Most of our future mineral discoveries will have to occur in the
approximately 80% of Australia that is covered by regolith.
While there is every reason to believe that the prospectivity of these
covered areas is similar to that of those areas where Australia has
already proven to be richly endowed, exploring undercover presents
a new set of difficult challenges and so the success rate of mineral
exploration has dropped dramatically. Simply put – our traditional
approaches are falling way short of being as effective as they were in
the outcrop. This is a global problem, but affects Australia more than
most due to the amount of and in parts, the depth of cover.
CSA Global
Resource Industry Consultants
AIG_News_Jan_2014.indd 1
What we need in reality is a technical and economically attractive
value proposition for mining companies so that they are compelled to
invest a greater proportion of their exploration and mining
development budgets in Australia compared to the alternatives.
Real investment levels, especially in the non-ferrous metals arena,
have failed to significantly improve despite efforts by industry, state
and federal surveys and researchers to provide the technical solutions.
There is little doubt that Australia possesses the intellectual capability
to meet these challenges and to develop the knowledge necessary to
usher in a new era of successful exploration in covered areas.
UNCOVER was developed from the recognition of the real issue
being the development of an effective national collaboration to bring
together players from industry, government and academia to define
the important questions and then work together to answer those
questions in an effective manner.
The goal of the UNCOVER initiative is to develop that collaboration
and, through consultation across the sector, identify and define the
important questions and datasets. This will then inform a strategic
approach that will identify, develop, and deliver the science to create
the knowledge and technologies that will improve the success rate of
mineral exploration in the covered areas of Australia.
A strategic focus on the questions that are important to industry will
facilitate the development by geoscience researchers, leveraging off
the work done by geological surveys and industry, of knowledge that
will have a much greater direct impact than is currently the case.
For expertise and services from project
generation through to mine production,
CSA Global cover all stages of the
exploration and mining cycle.
Our broad experience and integrated approach result in high quality
solutions for our clients in areas such as:
• Exploration & Evaluation
• Data Management & Mapping
• Resources & Mine Geology
• Mining & Projects
Perth • Brisbane • Darwin • Adelaide • Horsham • Jakarta • Johannesburg • Vancouver • Moscow
Head Office
Level 2, 3 Ord Street, West Perth
Western Australia 6005
T +61 8 9355 1677
E csaaus@csaglobal.com
12/02/2014 3:52:48 PM
Exploration
Between the industry ($500M), the geological surveys ($150M) and
R&D ($200M) there is close to $1 billion a year in funding on an
infrastructure base of around $3 billion. The issue for UNCOVER is
to make more effective use of that investment in order to unlock the
future mineral potential before the current mining industry exhausts
the known reserves base.
It should be noted here that the initiative is not, in and of itself, about
science and scientific research. It is, instead, fundamentally about
resources for the nation; science is the tool.
It should also be noted that there is no suggestion here of a quick-fix
solution. This is a strategic approach intended to position Australia
well for the future when it becomes apparent to international mining
companies that most of the world’s easily-found economically viable
mineral deposits have already been discovered and that Australia is
providing the technical and economically attractive solutions to attract
exploration investment.
UNCOVER History, Success so Far and Immediate
Future
The Australian Academy of Science (the Academy) dedicated its
2010 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank to the important national
issue of the decline in exploration success. Participants proposed an
ambitious and integrated research programme to enable Australia to
uncover more of its mineral wealth.
A group of science leaders convened under the aegis of the Academy
All Your
GEOPHYSICAL
Needs
31
to address, through implementation of the think tank’s
recommendations, this decline in the success of Australian mineral
exploration. This has now become the UNCOVER Initiative.
After broad consultation, UNCOVER released the document Searching
The Deep Earth: A vision for exploration geoscience in Australia.
That vision has now been broadly accepted and forms the core of the
National Mineral Exploration Strategy recently released by the
Government’s Standing Council on Energy and Resources.
For the first time, each of the state geological surveys, Geoscience
Australia, CSIRO geoscience programs and State and Commonwealth
governments are working to the same vision and strategic plan.
UNCOVER was used to frame the arguments leading to Geoscience
Australia receiving $11 million per annum (from 2013-14 onwards)
for onshore pre-competitive data acquisition. This funding was
announced on 11 November 2012. The work, which will be
undertaken in collaboration with state and territory geological surveys
and the research community, will involve a systematic drilling
program to test geological models and to identify key indicators that
point to mineral resource potential in the subsurface.
Each of the state geological surveys now has regional drilling
initiatives firmly in their sights and, as noted above, Geoscience
Australia has been funded for a systematic drilling program. These
drilling initiatives will feed into many of the UNCOVER programs.
Companies are well-aware of these initiatives and may participate via
co-funding. The Deep Exploration Technologies CRC is undertaking
research and development to deliver the technology to enable these
programs (drilling through the cover and real-time sampling analysis).
Important ARC geoscience Centres of Excellence (such as the Core
to Crust Fluid Systems centre) have aligned their goals to the
UNCOVER vision.
UNCOVER members, the CSIRO, the Centre for Exploration
Targeting (the University of Western Australia and Curtin University)
and the Geological Survey of Western Australia, have recently been
awarded a 4-year $4 million grant “The Distal Footprints of Giant
Ore Systems: UNCOVER Australia” as a specific UNCOVER
research program.
Geophysical Instrumentation
Manufacturer & Distributor
Total Field Magnetics
Time Domain Electro-magnetics
Magnetic Susceptibility Meter
Borehole Logging
Radiometrics
Seismic Refraction / Reflection
Ground Penetrating Radar
Resistivity Imaging
Ground Conductivity Mapping
Geophysical Interpretation Software
Critical to the success of UNCOVER is that it is, and has been seen to
be, neutral and independent; it is not controlled by any of the big
players such as the geological surveys, the CSIRO, a university
consortium, or an industry consortium. Likewise, it is important that
the UNCOVER initiative is not a funding provider.
UNCOVER has a clear and simple agenda: to identify, develop, and
deliver the science necessary to improve the success rate of mineral
exploration in Australia under covered areas and influence the
effectiveness of that science investment to industry.
Rental Instrumentation
Equipment Repairs
Ground Geophysical Surveying
(large and small projects)
Mineral Exploration
Mine Development
Environmental
Civil Engineering
Archaeological Surveys
As an initial step in the implementation phase, UNCOVER has
recently undertaken a comprehensive face-to-face and web-based
survey of industry, the geological surveys and academia. One of the
strong messages from this survey is that there is a strong appetite for
greater collaboration in order to strengthen the outcomes as envisaged
by UNCOVER.
Geophysical Consulting
Data Interpretation
Reporting
The UNCOVER Summit
Phone: 02 9584 7500
E-mail: info@alpha-geo.com
Web: www.alpha-geo.com
As a vital step in this implementation we will be holding an
UNCOVER Summit in Adelaide from 31 March through to
Cont. Overleaf
32
Exploration
SPONSORS of the
AIG GEOSCIENCE BURSARIES
The AIG wishes to thank the following individuals
and organisations for their support of the
Geoscience Student Bursary
Program
Diamond Sponsors
Chris Bonwick
sponsoring the
Bonwick–AIG Geoscience Student Bursaries
Geoff Davis
sponsoring the
Davis–AIG Geoscience Student Bursaries
Platinum Sponsors
AIG STATE BRANCHES
ALEXANDER RESEARCH – JONATHAN BELL
sponsoring the
Alexander Research-AIG Geoscience
Student Bursary
GEOCONFERENCES (WA) INC
sponsoring the
Geoconferences–AIG Geoscience Student
Bursary
Macquarie Arc Conference – GSNSW
sponsoring the
Macquarie Arc Conference–AIG Geoscience
Student Bursary
SA Department for Manufacturing,
Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy
sponsoring the
DMITRE–AIG Geoscience Student Bursary
(formerly PIRSA – AIG bursary)
SYMPOSIUM
sponsoring the
Symposium–AIG Geoscience Student Bursary
TERRA SEARCH PTY LTD
sponsoring the
Terra Search-AIG Geoscience Student Bursary
Gold Sponsors
Cryptodome Pty Ltd
GNOMIC EXPLORATION SERVICES PTY LTD
UNCOVER Initiative - Ushering in a New
Era of Exploration in Australia Cont. from Page 31
2 April, 2014. This Summit will bring together key members of the
exploration industry, academia, and government agencies such as
Geoscience Australia, the state geological surveys and the CSIRO.
It is the intent of the UNCOVER Executive that this Summit will
inform a significant report identifying the important scientific
questions that need to be answered and the critical datasets that need
to be gathered in order to improve the success rate of mineral
exploration in the covered areas of Australia. Reflecting the views of
the Summit, the report will also identify an appropriate strategy to
achieve a national focus on addressing these important questions and
acquiring the critical data.
The report will be provided to the relevant Federal, State and Territory
Ministers, the Chief Scientist’s office, the Australian Research
Council, the state geological surveys, Geoscience Australia,
universities, relevant scientific agencies such as the CSIRO, and
geoscience societies.
This is not a conference – the UNCOVER summit is a facilitated cross
sector collaboration meeting, driven by industry’s need to do things
differently. Come prepared to work and participate in discussions
about the future of exploration geoscience in Australia.
Each of the four UNCOVER themes will be discussed around
the table:
- The Cover: Characterising Australia’s cover - new knowledge to
confidently explore beneath it. Depth, definition, and how we see
through it and sample it for maximum benefit.
-The Lithosphere: Investigating Australia’s lithospheric
architecture – a whole lithosphere architectural framework for
mineral systems exploration. Expanding knowledge to
understand continental assembly and evolution of the deep crust
and its influence on the cover.
- 4D metallogenesis: Resolving the 4D geodynamic and metallogenic
evolution of Australia – understanding ore deposit origins for
better prediction.
- Footprints (& fingerprints): Characterising and detecting distal
footprints of ore deposits – towards a toolkit for minerals exploration.
Determining camp to regional to continental scale background and
signatures of deposits to improve vectoring to ore bodies.
At the summit we will also be identifying appropriate individuals to
populate the UNCOVER action committees: science and network/
communications.
Immediately following the 2½ day Summit, Richard Blewitt of
Geoscience Australia will be hosting an UNCOVER technical
workshop to examine possible improvements to the many geophysical
tools for use in determining depth of cover in Australian terrains.
As many have done already during the vision roadshows and the
engagement surveys, members are encouraged to have their say on the
UNCOVER vision and influence it’s future direction at the Summit.
If members are not able to attend the summit, you should bring up the
topic of UNCOVER as opportunity arises in conversation with
surveys and researchers about what you see as vitally important
science to exploration in Australia.
Further information
Further information on UNCOVER and a link to the Summit
registration can be found at http://science.org.au/policy/uncover.html
Education
33
Education Report
Kaylene Camuti (Chair, AIG Education Committee)
Bursary Program
Last year the response to the AIG Bursary Program was excellent
and 18 AIG bursaries were awarded to third year, honours and
postgraduate geoscience students. In this issue of AIG News we
include an abstract from LOUISE SCHONEVELD from JCU, who
was awarded an AIG Honours Bursary in 2013.
Bursary presentations have been held in Brisbane and Townsville
for Queensland students, and other state branches are organising
presentations for early this year.
This year’s AIG Bursary Program will soon be underway and the
2014 application form will be sent to students and geoscience
academics. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of the
Bursary Program please contact us - we would be very happy to
hear from you.
2013 AIG Bursary winners from JCU, Caitlin Morris (left) and Louise
Schoneveld (right), with AIG president Kaylene Camuti.
Photo courtesy of Judy Botting, EGRU - JCU
Interesting Publications
primarily for geologists. Further information is available from the
ASEG web site at https://aseg.org.au/aseg-books.
Our colleagues at the Australian Society of Exploration
Geophysicists (ASEG) recently released a new publication that
may be of interest to some AIG members. The e-book, Geological
Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Data by Dave Isles and Leigh
Rankin, is designed to be a practical manual and has been written
The Geology of Queensland, a major publication compiled and
released by the Geological Survey of Queensland last year, is now
available as a pdf file. The hard copy and digital versions of the
book can be ordered from the Queensland Department of Natural
Resources and Mines.
34
education
Genesis of the Central Zone of the Nolans Bore
Rare Earth Element Deposit, Northern Territory
Honours Abstract:
Louise Schoneveld, James Cook University
2013 AIG Honours Bursary Winner
Nolans Bore is a rare-earth-element (REE) deposit
located 135 km northwest of Alice Springs and has an identified
mineral resource of 1.2 Mt rare-earth-oxide (REO). The deposit
can be segmented into three sections; northern, central and
southeast zones. The northern zone has been extensively drilled
and mapped. It is hosted in orthogneiss and the mineralisation is
constrained to north-east trending, steeply dipping fluorapatite
veins. The central zone was defined in 2011 and is the focus of this
thesis as it is markedly different from the remainder of the deposit.
It is a highly brecciated zone with a high allanite content,
enveloped by epidote dominated alteration. This study involved
detailed logging of seven drill holes that intersect the central zone
along with microscale observations and geochemical analysis to
determine paragenesis.
The central zone is hosted in schistose metasediments that lies below
the gneiss that hosts the northern zone. The apatite breccias were
categorised into four types; type BX1 is similar to the fluorapatite veins
found in the northern zone, while BX2-4 are almost exclusive to the
central zone and are distinguished by obvious brecciation and some
amount of allanite. The textures in the BX2-BX4 type breccias include
large (up to 2mm) allanite inclusions within apatite clasts.
Geochemical analysis reveals that the apatite in the central zone has
been re-crystallised from the BX1 type apatite breccia with the REE
partitioned into allanite and REE-poor apatite. The evidence to support
this includes no europium anomaly
within the BX1 type apatite and a
large negative europium anomaly in
the apatite and allanite in the BX2
and BX3 types. This deficit is taken
up as a large positive europium
anomaly in the epidote alteration
zones. Where allanite and apatite are
both present, the apatite shows a
relative depletion in LREE while
allanite is relatively LREE enriched,
suggesting
co-crystallisation.
Furthermore, the phosphorus to REE
ratio does not change between breccia types which suggests that the
REEs and phosphorus are locally recycled and distributed into the
newly forming minerals.
U-Pb dating of thorianite (ThO2) in the BX1 type apatite yields an
estimated age of ~1450 Ma and titanite yields an age of ~450 Ma. This
supports the alteration and recrystallization of the central zone at a much
later time than the deposition of the original fluorapatite veins.
Furthermore, these dates correlate with shear activation events of the
Redbank Shear Zone (1500-1400 Ma) and the Alice Springs Orogeny
(450-300 Ma). The dissolution of apatite suggests that the fluids were
highly acidic. Geochemical analysis of the alteration minerals suggests
that the alteration fluid was OH rich and reducing, with a probable
formation temperature between 450-800°C, which correlates to the
Alice Springs Orogeny formation temperature of 525°C.
Membership news
35
Registered Professional Geoscientist
Approvals and Applications
Queensland Branch Bursary Presentation:
Sarah McGill and Sarah Gallagher from QUT
with Mark Berry, AIG Queensland Branch Chairman.
Photo courtesy of Judy Botting, EGRU - JCU
CANDIDATES APPROVED BY AIG COUNCIL IN
NOVEMBER 2013
Mr. Andrew Barclay of Ainslie, ACT, in Geotech and Engineering
Mr. Scott Bilben of Bull Creek, WA, in Mineral Exploration
Dr. Peter Crowhurst of Corinda, Qld, in Mineral Exploration
Dr. Bert de Waele of West Perth, WA, in Regional Geology and in
Mineral Exploration
NEW CANDIDATES PUBLISHED FOR PEER REVIEW BY
THE MEMBERS OF THE AIG
Mr Adrian Jesus Diaz Petit of North Lakes QLD is seeking
registration in Coal and Mineral Exploration
Mr Mark George of West Chatswood NSW is seeking registration in
Geotechnical and Engineering
Mr Joel Georgiou of Kent Town, SA, is seeking registration in
Hydrogeology.
Mr Leigh Rankin of Porepunkah, Victoria, is seeking registration in
Mineral Exploration, Regional Geology and Geophysics
Mr Simon McCracken of Swindon, United Kingdom, is seeking
registration in Mining.
www.aig.org.au
Membership Update
Fellows
TURNERGreg
WILLS
KevinJohn
BOXER
GrantLeslie
Members
ANDERSENHans
BAKHSHI
MohammadReza
BOYSTOVAlexander
CONOR
ColinHugh
DUBIENIECKIClinton
FARMER
ChristopherBen
FORGAN
HamishHenderson
GAMONDaniel
HIBBIRD
ShaneAndrew
HYDERichard
IVANOVIlya
KUSNANDARKusnandar
LEIGHTONMelanie
MARRIOTSusan
MATURANA
FranciscoJose
MCDWYER DanielJoseph
MCLATCHIEGrant
OCCHIPINTI SandraAnne
RITCHIE
MeghanAlaina
ROSKOWSKI
Jennifer Ann
SHARP
BenjaminAlfred
THOMASGrant
THOMSON
AmandaBeverley
TYRRELL
JamesAndrew
UZAKBAYEVYerzhan
VERMAAKJan Johannes
WILLIAMSBen
WILLIAMSJodiElizabeth
Graduates
BROWNING Frank
Mclean
CHANMALAJack
GOODWINStacey
LANGBEIN CraigAndrew
LEEMelanie
PERKSCameron
SHARPJenna
SOULMATIS Byron
TRESTRAIL JoshuaLeigh
New Members and Upgrades at the
November Council Meeting 2013
EVANS Lee
David
GILMORE SeanKevin
GODFREYData
HUSODO
Danny JONES
SandyTodd
KANEAlysia
LIEW
TienRui
LINKERTAmy
NEVILL
Nicole PHOON JaiWei
REICHELT LeviSebastian
ROBERT
AnneteDenise
SHINKAWANobuta
WILKINSONBrett Martin
WOOD
RachaelLouise
YONG
TeryneSuk
YUANBenjamin
Students
ALLPIKE Richard
BOYCE
GlennAnthony
CHAMBERLAINSarah Jean
CHIA
AaronBenjamin
COMBS
MatthewScott
DAVIES
MelissaCharlotte
DESAIAniket
DUIC
ChristinaLouise
EADESNicholas
We welcome all new
members to the AIG.
36
AIG
AIG FEDERAL COUNCIL FOR 2013 – 14
President
Kaylene Camuti (QLD, Education)
Vice president
Wayne Spilsbury (WA)
(07) 4772 5296
president@aig.org.au
0418 957 089 wayne.spilsbury@gmail.com
Past president
Andrew Waltho (QLD, External Relations) 0412 426 764 aawaltho@tpg.com.au
Treasurer
Steve Sugden (WA)
0419 490 527
steve.sugden@yahoo.com.au
Secretary
Ron Adams
(08) 9427 0820
Executive assistant
Lynn Vigar (QLD)
COrrespondent
Grace Cumming (TAS)
0417 143 369
COUNCILLORS
Jon Bell (WA)
Heather Carey (WA)
Mike Erceg (QLD, Publicity, External Relations) Mike Edwards (NSW) Ian Neuss (NSW) Martin Robinson (VIC)
Graham Teale (SA) Anne Tomlinson (WA, Membership) Doug Young (QLD) Contribution deadlines
exec@aig.org.au
grace.cumming@gmail.com
0427 621 322
jbell@alexanderresearch.com.au
0400 576 563
carey.heather@bigpond.com
0458 051 400
michael.erceg1@bigpond.com
0419 997 778 michael@ebgroup.com.au
(02) 9660 5849
ian.neuss@bigpond.com
(03) 9248 3365 Mrobinson@skmglobal.com
(08) 8269 7188 geologists@tealeassociates.com.au
(08) 6254-5000Anne@sgc.com.au
(07) 3236 4188 d.young@findex.net.au
AIG NEWS
AIG News is published ISSUE DATE
Contribution deadline
quarterly as per the February
January 31st
following table.
May
April 30th
Avoid disappointment by August
July 31st
contacting the Editor November
October 31st
at least several days
beforehand to advise submission of items for the newsletter.
AIG News is published by the Australian Institute of Geoscientists to
provide information for its members and a forum for the expression of
their professional interests and opinions. Observations, interpretations
and opinions published in AIG News are the responsibility of the
contributors and are not necessarily supported by the Australian
Institute of Geoscientists or the Editor of AIG News.
While the Editor and the Australian Institute of Geoscientists have
taken all reasonable precautions and made all reasonable effort to
ensure the accuracy of material contained in this newsletter, they make
no warranties, express or implied, with respect to any of the material
published in AIG News.
The business address of AIG News is:
PO Box 8463, Perth Business Centre, Perth WA 6849
Tel: (08) 9427 0820 Fax: (08) 9427 0821
Email: aig@aig.org.au Web: http://www.aig.org.au
Please use these contacts for all matters relating to advertising
accounts, changes of address, AIG News distribution, or membership.
The editorial address is:
Editor: Louis Hissink
Email: lhissink1947@icloud.com
Tel: (08) 9427 0820
Please submit all articles, letters and
advertisements to the above email address.
aig@aig.org.au
SUBMISSION FORMATS
Text: Word Files (Please DO NOT EMBED pictures in Word,
supply as separate files.)
Pictures, Logos, Maps, Diagrams: Resolution 300dpi. Photoshop
EPS, Tiff, Jpeg or press-optimized PDF files in Grayscale/Bitmap.
Please provide images of all pictures separate to text. Please
EMBED ALL FONTS in EPS and PDF files.
ADVERTISEMENTS
AIG News provides an ideal opportunity to advertise your company
and services to the AIG membership throughout Australia (and
some overseas). There are over 2,800 members who receive the
newsletter four times per year. Please contact the Editor for further
details or to book advertising.
Note: All advertisements are mono, no bleed or trim marks.
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February 2014 - Australian Institute of Geoscientists

Transcription

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