TAG – June 1977 – Issue 14

The Austmli nGeologist

Society Office Newsletter Editor:

Assistant Secreta~y:

D. F. Branagan Dept of Geology & Geophysics The University of Sydney NSW 2006

Miss L. Tuckwell Suite 9 , 6th Fl oor Perpetual Trustee Bui l ding 39 Hunter Street SYDNEY NSW 2000

Ph:

Sydney 692 2358 or 692 2912

Ph :

Sydney 231 4696

THE PRESIDENT ' S PAGE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION is the perennial problem of this Society . Compared with almost any other national geological society , the l:ectarcs -·per-·member ratio , or mean ki l ometres from member to executive , are abnormally high . This p l aces a special burden on the federa l officers individua lly to do al l poss i ble to integrate the Soci ety , and strengthen the bonds between the divisions . We share a common journal , we share a news l etter , and our specialist groups link col l eagues between divisions . Council meetings , when they convene , do bring together at least one counc i llor from each division and specialist group.

My impression is that communication within the Society is weakest with our members in the mineral industry. Less of them serve on the divisional committees and on the council , probably because of the frequency and non - p r edictability of their fie l d commitments. Less of their work emerges as papers i n the jou rnal-mainly because much of it is restricted within their o r ganizations .

Yet they make up a vital sector of our membership . What sho u ld the executive be doing to improve this situation?

The administrative threads are also diffuse . Whereas the executive revolves through the capitals , the administrat i ve office and all society records and archives , and the newslette r edi t or are necessarily in Sydney . Our Public Officer is necessari l y in Canberra . We bank in Sydney , but all accounts have to be authorized Our editor is currently i n Canberra , and cheques signed in Hobart. and the journal is printed in ~de l aide and distributed throu gh Sydney . Su ch dispersion throughout Au stralia (although note that Queensland and the west are currently bare ) is an ideal for a national society , but it does demand a conscious effort from a l l I am persona l ly extreme l y grateful for integrati on and coherence . for the efficiency and loyalty of our only full - time staff member , Miss Tuckwell in Sydney , for with a weak link there the Socie t y. would quickly deteriorate .

The executive has sought further avenues to unify the Society , and would welcome suggestions from the membership. The Federa l Secretary has commenced sending to each divisional secretary and specia l ist group secretary a summary of business before the executive , in a form suitable for direct inclusion in the divisional newsletters , because there have been comp l aints that although the minu tes go promptly to the division secretaries , the ordinary members have no idea of what is going on. The executive pleads for positive feedback from the divisions and groups.

I hope to visit each division during my presidency , and during that visit attend a meeting of the divisiona l committee , and to address a general meeting of the division , so that each member attending may have opportunity for direct personal contact to the I hope to do this without cost to the Society Federal Execut i ve . by fitting such visits with other travel.

S. Warren Carey

2

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRAL I A 39 Hunter St ., Sydney, NSW 2 000 COAL GEOLOGY GROUP (C . G. G. ) MEMBERSHIP APPLI CATION FORM

I,

............... ~ ........................................ .

Addr ess , ................................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post Code ....... . *am a member / associate member/student member of the Geological Society of Australia , and would like to become a member of the Coal Geology Group . *am appl y ing to become a member/associate member/student membe r of the Geological Society of Australia , and , if successful, would like to become a member of t h e Coal Ge ology Group (separate Society app l ication for m will be forwarded) .

Please bill me for $5 . 00 , in addition to my ordinary 1978 Society account , for enrolment i n the Coa l Geology Group .

I e nc l ose deta il s , on a separate s heet , of my present . act ivities a nd interests , and am wil ling for t h is i n fo r mat i on to be circul ated .

Signature : Date :

*de l ete whiche v e r not appli cable.

The Australian Geologist

Newsletter No. 14

June 1977

EDITORIAL ----This issue contains an important innovation, the President's page, which it is hoped will impro ve the link between the executive and the widespread membership.

Reports of executive decisions and actions are being transmitted regularly to divisions and specialist groups a nd these are already appearing in the monthly bulletins, in some divisions at least. Members wishing to go further into any matters of interest can obtain the minutes of executive meetings from their divisional secretary.

The executive continues to pursue the topic of geological legislation but movement is slow. The matter is appearing on the agenda of meetings of the Australian Minerals and Energy Council, but no action seems to be forthcoming from that august body.

Another topic of interest to the Society and its members is the proposed review of the activities of the B.M.R. A draft submission prepared on the Society's behalf by the executive received constructive criticism from some members and is being amended.

Divisional secretaries now have copies of this document and y our comments are specially called for.

However time is short and any matters you wish to go through the Society need to be with Secretary Ian Jennings before June 20.

Those who prefer to act individually could go directly to the Minister concerned.

It is interesting that a similar review is taking place at pre sent in the New South Wales Geologica l Survey and some members have been canvassed about this review, which I believe is being undertaken by a committee which does not contain a geologist. One key person in the proceedings is said to have commented that the survey was not now really necessary as the State was already mapped - all the li250,000 sheets having now been published!

Members in other states can no doubt look forward to similar investigat ions in the not-so-distant future.

Geologists have certainl y failed to sell their skills if this attitu~e can prevail in the halls of power.

Society News The Third Convention of the Society is scheduled for Aug ust 1978 at Townsville with the proposed topic 'Geology & Geophysics of No rth Eastern Australia'.

The next Society Council Mee ting will be held in conjunction with the Convention unless urgent matters require an earlier meeting.

Members will have received parts 1 & 2 of Vo lume 24 of the Journal. There will be· 8 parts this yea r. This rearran gement enables the Society to apply for the Commonwealth book bounty and could save the Society $7,000 or more.

The Society's finan cial position is rather better than expected, thanks mainly to earlier payment of subscriptions.

However executive will pro ceed with a review of financial polic ies to see if any changes are necessary or desirable.

Other news items may be found e lsewhere in this issue .

3

IE'ITER 'ID THE EDI'IDR

Sir , Large mining companies are often accused of having little interest in , or time for, academic research.

We would like to acknowledge publicly the assistance of one such company, Utah Development Co .

Ltd., to the Palaeontology Department of the Australian Museum.

In the course of their coal operations at Blackwater, central Queensland, Utah have occasionally uncovered rich fossil deposits.

In 1969 they assisted one of us (A . R.) in the recovery of numerous, well-preserved fossil fish of late Permian age, a period of Australian h istory from which very few fossil vertebrates have bee·n recovered .

The fish were all new to science, they show interesting resemblances to related forms from Africa and Europe and the find was obviously of major scientific importance.

A request w?s made to the company for their staff to keep a watch for other similar finds as the mine operations progressed.

In January 1977 the dragline operations uncovered another layer containing abundant, beautifully preserved fossil fish in the overburden above the coal seam and the firm informed The Museum immediately.

In the absence of A.R . , overseas, R.J. went to the site, assisted considerably by transport and facilities provided by Utah Development Co ., and recovered a considerable quantity of material .

At least five or si x different types of fish appear to be present in the Permian fauna; they are similar to, but in certain respects better preserved than, the earlier finds from the same area .

The material is now safely back in the Museum being prepared and ~tudied and seems certain to yield valuable scientific information about the Permian ve rtebrates of Australia and their links with those of the other Gondwanaland continents.

The Blackwater site seems certain to produce more such material at interv als and perhaps even Permian amphibian or reptile remains, which are v irtually unknown in Australia.

However the recovery of such material depends heavily on the information and co-operation of firms such as Utah.

The fossil material is very delicate and disintegrates rapidl y when e x posed on tip heaps and rapid recovery operations are essential.

We wish to express our thanks to Utah and to draw the attention of other companies involved in mining and quarrying operations that they too have an opportunity - and a responsibility - to help state museums sal v age unique palaeontological material which is vital to a full understanding of Australia's geological and biological history.

A phone call to the nearest museum or university department may well lead to a find of world-significance with considerably public relations v alue .

The pro vi sion of technical and financial assistance for such projects may achieve major advances in scientific knowledge for very little cost to the company involved.

Alex Ritchie Robert K. Jones Australian Museum, Sydney .

Cover Photo: Unnamed fish, probably a new Palaeoniscidgenus related to Cheirodop sis (Upper Carboniferous) . From Blackwater , Qld.

The Hon. Fed. Secretary is I . B. Jenn i ngs , Geological Survey of Tasmania , GPO Box 124B, Hobart, Tas, 70 01.

4

The last Lays of the 25th I.G.C. The Organising Committee had its final meeting on March 16.

Matters discussed included the publication of the General Proceedings which are now being issued and should be soon received by all I.G.C. registrants.

Congress accounts will be closed at the end of June by which time it is hoped Conventions Unlimited (and apparently unpaying) will have paid up for bookings it made on behalf of some American registrants.

Not all the money offered by companies was required and third subventions are to be refunded. Excursion moneys held in Papua-New Guinea ($700) and New Zealand ($2500) will be used to defray expenses incurred there during preparation of the excursions.

The Geological Society has been paid $2000 in respect of the Tectonic map copies provided for I.G.C. members and $3000 to assist with publications, with special consideration to Alcheringa.

The surplus which remains will probably be in the order of $45,000. This sum is essentially the result of much higher occupancy rate on excursions than was budgeted for, plus the unexpected large number of late membership applications.

The committee recommended to Council of the Academy that $35,000 be voted for establishing 'The 25th International Geological Congress Awards for Geological Studies Fund'. This fund is to be used to assist promising geologists from Australia and New Zealand to attend future International Geological Congresses or geologists nominated by the host country of the current International Geological Congress to visit Australia or New Zealand to carry out geological studies.

It was also recommended to the Council that the residue (approx. $10,000) be transferred to the Conference General Reserve Fund for supporting , specially in their early days, Australian scientific conferences, and especially those dealing with the earth sciences.

In reviewing the Congress the committee agreed 1.

that the Sydney University venue had proved excellent for the occasion, because of both suitable facilities and the interest of staff, officials and students.

2.

the quality of papers was variable but possibly a little better than at previous conferences.

3.

public relations were a wash out, and that a P.R. committee should have been established.

4.

the Auld Lang Syne party should have been free (here, here) and not at the same place as the opening reception (here, here, here).

5.

the greatest saving had been in printing costs by not publishing the full text of papers.

6.

the Hospitality Room had been an outstanding success and contributed enormously to the atmosphere of - friendly informality. Such a room is a 'must' for every conference and congress. (continued bottom pg 13)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Sir, The publ ic debate on uranium appears to have degenerated into a reiteration of diametricall y opposed " facts " by the two sides, but one topic which is causing concern to many of those interested in this debate is the storage of nuclear waste.

Since this is in the first instance a technical problem , it is the geological community 's role to enlighten the public about the probability of safe underground The stony silence with which geologists storage of liquid or solid nuclear waste. have treated the debate is surprising in view of ·their usual vociferousness when talking amongst themselves, and more so when one considers the l arge number of potential stab l e repositories which spring to mind after a little thought .

To avoid the charge of vested interest being levelled at any such study , I suggest that, as a matter of urgency, a small group of university-based geologists , including structural, sed imentary and ha~~ock experts, form a study group to pinTheir recommendations could be presented to point the potential burial grounds. government or to the A.A.E.C . with the request for funds to test these sites .

I am not advocating waste burial in Australia as an adjunct to uranium mining , but it would be a change to see the problem tackled and some public assurance given that waste disposal is not an insurmountable obstac l e in the nuclear power program.

B. W. Hawkins, Woollahra , N . S.W.

Sir , I was interested in your Editorial Note in the December issue of " Australian Geologist" regarding geological principles and techniques I thought you might be interested in a case in which I in criminology . was involved in 1952.

An early model safe was stolen from the Royal Canberra Golf It Club and was found later blown open in the bush on Black Mountain. was insulated with diatomite. The A.C.T . police approached the Chief Geologist to see if BMR could help in their investigations. He asked me to undertake the examination of the diatomite. During the war , I had mad e a study of all known depostis of diatomite in Australia and elsewhere (see BMR Bull 7, Miscellaneous Series , 1949).

The police brought along small samples of the material from the safe , from the truck used and from the cuffs of the trousers worn by the suspected culprit , who of course said he had not been out that I recognised that this diatomite in question showed no resemblance night . to any Australian deposit .

The head of the Scientific Squad , Sydney CIB came to discuss the matter with me , and said it would not be necessary for me to appear in court . Unfortunately that was not the case. I had to appear and what an ordeal it was . The defendant ' s solicitor pestered me with questions , such as how did I know it didn ' t come from a deposit at Bunyan, near Cooma. So I decided to let them have all my scientific I was exhausted , I fortunately had knowledge regarding diatomite. pictures of types of diatomite in Australia, and one of that in the safe. The culprit got 3 years.

Irene Crespin Ainslie , ACT

Mr. L . W. Parkin retired on December 31 , 1976 as Director of The Australian Mineral Foundation. Mr . D.S . Crowe has been appointed to this post from January 1, 1977. Mr. Crowe was earlier Manager-Administration of the Foundation .

6

WILFUL DESTRUCTION , A PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD

The last issue of the Australian Geologist (pages 21 & 22) contained a well written, easily understood Code for Geological Field Work.

The introductory statement to this mentioned" . .. destroying th e scientific value of irreplaceable sites . " The Code did not mention work in National Parks where , in New South Wales at least , collection of material on a limited scale f or scientific study only is allowable after application to the appropriate authority and then, should be supervised by a ranger.

The partial destruction of this fossil outcrop took place in a New South Wales National Park, in an area which is one of the best in the state for the study of palaeontology in the field.

The area will not be mentioned but there are many who will recognise the specimen and the locality .

The specimen was a magnificent colony of Stenopora , a Permian bryozoan.

Its large size and excellent preservation are not equalled in the Permian , or for that matter, the Palaeozoic of eastern Australia.

The photograph on the left was taken on Saturday, April 2, 19 77.

The 20 cent coin for scale is 2.9 cm in diameter.

The other pho tograph, of slightly different scale, was taken on Saturday, April 16, 1977 .

The damage is not difficult to discern.

The specimen had remained untouched e xcept for geological processes for some 270 million years , yet in the space of two weeks, approximately one half of it was removed.

I was just as surprised when one of my students asked why I did not remove the remaining portion and place it in our collection.

The Code, Section II , Para 2 states "Keep collecting to a minimum .

Avoid removing in situ fossils, rocks or minerals unless they are genuinely needed for seriousstudy ."

Prior to the area being designated a National Park, I had removed a very small fragment of the colony as exact identification needed thin section study .

I see no reason why the part that remains should not be left for everybody to observe.

For the past ten y ears, students under my supervision have had the chance to observe this uni que specimen.

I hope they will have the chance to observe the remaining portion for many years more.

Robin E. Wass University of Sydney.

NOTES ON THE COAL GEOLOGY GRODP (C.G.G.) In February, 1977, Council authorized the setting up of a Specialist Group in coal geology.

A meetina was held at the Australian Geological Convention, during which; Chairman and variou s State Representati ves were A working coI!lP1ittee was subsequently formed in Queensland, elected.

At the time of writing, a to commence organisation of the Group. draft Constitution is beina forwarded to the Federal Executive for assessment, and it is hoped that, by the time these notes are published, a formal Constitution will be completed.

An extract from the draft Constitution reads as follows:To provide an avenue for liaison between all "Aims - (i) members of the Geological Society of Australia interested or involved in the study of coal geology and its applications , through which information can be obtained and distributed with ease and expedience.

To pro!T'.ote research on Aust ralian brown and black (ii) coals and their invol ver:i.ent with related disciplines (e.g. petro leum geology, sedimentolog y etc.) . " These are intended to be fulfilled by issue of a regular newsletter and by organization of appropriate technical sessions at Suggestions for other actiAustralian Ge ological Conventions. vities are always welcome.

To cover the cost of printing, postage and other expenses, an annual fee of $5-00 is proposed for 1978. Society members (or associate members) interested in joining the Group are asked to complete the attached application form and forward it as soon as possible to: Miss L. c. Tuckwell, Geological Society of Australia, 39 Hunter Street, Sydney, N.S.W. 2000.

Those responding will be billed for Coal Geology Group fees There is no along with their Society dues at the end of the year.

People who are not need to send any money with this application. currently members of the Society may also join the group, provided they also becoJY\e at least Associate Member s of the Society (current dues are $5-00, Society Journal not included).

For further information, please contact your local State Representati ve.

Queensland:

Mr. J. W. Beeston, Geological Survey of Queens land, Mines Department, Redbank, Qld. 4301.

N. S.W .:

Dr. C. R. Ward, Department of Applied Geo lo gy, The N.S.W. Institute of Technoloay, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, N.S:t,J. 2007.

Victoria:

Mr. A. M. George, 15 Kyeamha Grove, Toorak, Vic. 3142.

Tasmania:

Mr. v. M. Threader, Department of Mines, G.P.O. Box 124B, Hoba rt, Tas. 7001.

South Australia:

Mr.

S.

Ash ton, Western Mining Pty. Ltd.,

Western Australia and Commonwealth Territories:

any volunteers?? ?

James W. Beeston Chairman - Coal Geology Group.

8

Review "Natural Histo~y of the Adelaide Region" 1976.

Edited by C.R. Twidale, M.J. Tyler and B.P. Webb.

189 pp.

The Royal Society of South Australia Inc. To commemorate the 1976 centenary year of publication of the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia the Council of the Society has commissioned the preparation of a special publication The dealing with the natural history of the Adelaide region.

Adelaide region is diffusely defined as that area encompassing the highlands of the Mount Lofty Ranges south of the Barossa Valley and the contiguous western plains, the shorelines of the southern coast of Fleurieu Peninsula and the eastern coast of Gulf St. Vincent, and the marine region of the Gulf St . Vincent, Investigator Strait and There can be but few small regions of the order Backstairs Passage. of 15,000 2 in Australia, or indeed the world, where such a wide and complex variety of physical features and biological habitats are disThis publication combines the efforts of some 28 scientists, played. all of whom have a considerable interest in, or have made valuable contributions to a knowledge of the natural history of the Adelaide region.

This brief volume is not a popular account likely to appeal to any but the most enthusiastic naturalists amongst the general public, nor is it an exhaustive ency clopedic work likely to satisfy the requirements of specialists, but it does succeed in presenting in board outline an authoritative and li vely account of the present state of knowledge of the natural history of the Adelaide region.

As an introduction to the Adelaide region scientists and students everywhere will find this volume invaluable and the 400 odd references to published studies on the region will form useful leads to Scientists working in the Adelaide region will further reading. find particular interest in being informed of what their colleagues are up to.

The editors have succeeded in bringing together ideas and results from many diverse disciplines and have produced a very attractive The book is liberally illustrated with both line drawings volume .

However, some locality and selected black and white photographs. maps are inadequate, and the reader not intimately familiar with geographical localities near Adelaide should be prepared to consult more detailed goegraphic maps if some of the finer details are to be The provision of an index, although necessarily appreciated. cumbersome, might have been useful particularly for searching out the overlap of subject matter betwefn chapters.

After an introductory preface the book is divided into 14 Chapter 1 presents an integrated account of the land chapters . geology, which encompasses Lower Precambrian crystalline basement, the Upper Precambrian Adelaidean succession, the Cambrian Normanville and Kanmantoo Groups, a beautifully preserved Early Permian glacial The account is conheritage and extensive Cainozoic successions. cise and generally well illustrated but brevity has perhaps concealed the numerous geological problems which still beg to be investigated There has long been a dual stratigraphic terminology in the region. for the folded rock units of the ranges and it is fortunate that this However, it is has been largely suppressed in this publication. pe~haps worth pointing out to the uninitiated that the 'Inman Hill Formation' of Fig. 2 is supposedly equi v alent to the 'Tapanappa FormaThis divergence in terminology is not helped b y tion' of Table 1. the statement on p. 17 that the sedimentary sulphide beds of the Talisker Cale-siltstone were formerly exploited at Brukings, when these deposits are clearly shown to lie above the Inman Hill FormaThis conflict outlines the need for tion on most published maps. further careful strati gr aphic work in the region north of the type Caution should also be used in the section of the Kanmantoo Group.

Statements that assessment of the accur acy of age determinations. the Sturt Tillite is ' ea 759 m. y.' (p .8 ) and that the Encounter Bay Granites are 'about 506 m.y. old' (p.17) are unfortunate.

9

The geomorphological evolution of the region is described i n The earliest landforms are exhumed Permian glacia l Chapter 2.

A deeply weathered Mesozoic lateritic summit surface features.

More complex and is still well-preserved on parts of the ranges. varied landforms were generated in erosive cycles initiated by intermittent Cainozoic fault block movements and there are numerous problems involving the effects of Quaternary climatic and eustatic sea level changes.

The Adelaide region has provided the impetus for many significant advances in soil science ( Chapter 3) and the continu i ng s t udy of the enormous range of soil types (at least 24 princ i pal prof ile f orms have been recognised) will provide interesting problems for the soil The unique climatic factors of scientist for many y ears to come. the Adelaide region are outlined in Chapter 4 and several sugges tions are made for the improvement of the Adelaide urban environment.

A number of unfavourable climatic factors are indicated for the In Chapter 5 groundwater usage in the region is outMonarto site. lined. · At present about 10% of the total water used is local groundwater, mostly for irrigation, but in dry seasons there has been It is a extens i ve pumping of groundwater into the city mains. little alarming that the withdrawal of groundwater from the Adelaide Plains has exceeded the estimated recharge rate for the past 15 years, and the present rate of withdrawal is about 3 times the estima t ed A reconstruction of the water balance in the -coasta l recharge rate. plains and swamps west of Adelaide, prior to man's interference , is attempted in Chapter 6.

The advent of man has greatly changed the natural vegetation (Chapter 7). There is a need for the careful preservation of nature There are reserves and for records to be made for future access. many problems concerning the prehistory of the Adelaide vegetation data. palaeobotanical the solution to which must await more detailed The aboriginal inhabitants of the area (Chapter 8) are believed to have had a considerable influence in modification of the environment.

A broad introduction to the major components of the terrestria l The fauna l fauna and aquatic vertebrates is given in Chapter 9.

A simple taxonomic key for t he use of listing is not exhaustive. the enthusiastic naturalist interested in freshwater invertebrates is provided in Chapter 10.

Chapters 11-14 are concerned with the Gulf St. Vincent and Recent advances in the understandadjacent straits and shorelines. ing of the physical oceanography of the Gulf are reviewed in Chapter Chapter 12 outlines the nature of the substrate and sediments, 11. and the subtidal ecology in the Gulf, a pre-eminent carbonate provThe last two chapters deal with the intertidal ecology of the ince.

Some 216 species of coastal -zone and marine fishes and mammals.

The Gulf is the type locality fish have been verified in the Gulf.

Few data are for 26 speqies of which 7 are apparently endemic. available concerning the impact on fish stocks of the steadily increasing pressures of the amateur fisherman, or of the env i ronmenta l changes being wrought by man.

Chapters dealing with human geography and the spread of the urban environment, the impact of European culture on the natural environment, the seismicity of the region and natural disasters might well have been included. Nevertheless this volume will provide a logical basis for the future growth and development, and improvement, of the urban environment. It emphasises the need for further careful investigations of the impact of man's activities if those features of the natural environment and biological ecosystems, so unique to the Adelaide region, are to be preserved for the enjoyment and enrichment of future generations.

Volumes may be purchased from the Society's rooms, State Library Building, North Terrace, Adelaide, S.A. 5000. Price approximately $6- 0 0.

K. J . Mi lls 10

BOOK REVIEW

By K.E . Bullen, F . R. S. London : Chapman The Ea rth's Density.

420pp. 1975. and Hall.

The general character o f the Earth 's internal density distribution is now consi d ered to be known. Only local d etail in the radial and more especially lateral direction s remains to be worked out . That thi s is so is due in large measure to the fo ur decades ' labour whi ch Professor Bul l en devoted to d e t ermining a satisfactory model for the Earth . The fascin ation with wh ic h this task engrossed him inevitably emerges in his characteristic style of presentation .

The boo k begins with a historical account of e arly i d eas on the size, mass and density of the Earth . Then f ollows an account of the seismic evidence and a descr i ption an d anal y sis of Bu llen's A- and B- type motlels, add itional e v idence from surface waves and free vibrations is introduced, l e ading to the HB models . The contributions to the sub j ect by such leading American workers as Anderson , Birch , Gilbert and Press , There is an interesting and by others, is referred t o. discus s ion of ' optimum ' and 's tandard ' Earth model s, and a final chapter on the internal properties of the other planets and the Moon .

Some of the mathema tica l details and dis cussi on o f seismic theory in chapters 3 to 9 seems superfluous , being well There is , covered in the author's standard work on seismology. however , little about the origin or formation of the Earth and the geochemical interpretation of the values of density and other properties is given scant treatment indeed. This is not a book for a geologist or geochemi st seeking an authoritative Indeed guide to the probable 'meaning ' o f all the numbers .

Bullen's intellectual di f ficult y with the characteristic geological ~pproach to interpretation is made clear on page 214 , where , having referred briefl y to the extensive work of others on the possibility th at one or more pha s e transformations and compositional changes occur i n the upper mantle, he states : " attempts to work out the fine structur e of the region C (and other parts of the Earth's interior) through arguments based on geochemi s try and results f rom laboratory experiments are currently fashionable, but a tend ency for workers in t h ese f i e lds to be black and white rather than probability minded in the ir arguments makes i t difficult to attach appropria t e d egrees o f precision to their detailed findings."

Bullen is no longer with us but we can be grateful that he ha s l eft us this luci d and absorbing book .

A.A . Da y

FIRST WORLD CONGRE SS ON RESOURCE DEPLETIONS , ENE RGY ALTERN ATI VES , AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE YEAR 2000 Spo ns ore d by : In t e r nati o n a l As socia tion for Adv anceme n t o f Ear th an d Envi r o nmental Sciences and The Univ ersity of Riyadh - Saud i Arabia . To be held on March 26- 30 1978 , Universi t y of Riyadh - Riyadh , Saudi Arabia .

Organizer and Chai rman o f Congress : Dr . Musa Qutub , Dept o f Geography & Environmen t al Studies, Nor theaster n Illinoi s Universi t y , Bryn Mawr at St . Louis Ave ., Chi cago , IL 60625 , USA , Ph . 312 - 583 - 4050 e xt. 789 or 7 35

A limite d numb e r of P ar r arna tta Rive r Bathymetri c Maps ($2 . 00 + postage ) i s a va i lable f rom the De p artment of Geo l ogy & Geophysics , University of Sydney, NSW 2006 .

11

NEW

RELEASE

DUAL STEREOGRAPHIC NET McAulay Enterprises announces th e re lease of a lightweight (470 grams) precision i:nstrument incorporating two stereographic nets, one equal-angle, the other equal-a rea.

The DUAL STEREOGRAPHIC NET which operates by turning a central circular disc on which the nets (15 cm diameter) are printed one on each side, is manufactured from glass-filled nylon - a material selected for its excellent dimensional stability, high rigidity, very high he a t-distortio n temperature and excellent resistance to Four rubber feet each side su rface abr asion . The equal-area side is figured below. of the net provide friction wh en it is operated on a flat surface, and protect the The nets , screen-printed in black- ink dye permanently underside fr o m s c ratching. etched into the white nylon surface, are suitable for use by students and professional The double-sided design makes the s cientis ts in both the laboratory and the fi eld.

DUAL STEREOGRAPHIC NET parti cularly versatile .

•

•

Equal - area side of DUAL STEREOGRAPHIC NET Overall dimensions: 21 . 6x21 . 6xl .5 cm Weight : 470 grams

•

PRICE:

•

Single instrument ..... .. .. .. . ...... ..... . . plus surface po stage within Australia overseas and air- mail postage 20 to 49 instruments (per instrument) plus surface postage or freight 50 to 99 instruments (per ins trument) plus surfa ce po stage or freight More than 100 instruments . ... .... . .. ..... .

$20- 00 (Aus t.)* 1-50 (Aust.) on application. $19 - 50 (Aust.)* on application $19-00 (Aust.)* on application Price quoted on appli cation .

*Pri ce does not include 15% Sales Tax which must be added to orders for which exemption cannot be o b tained. Students, teachers and Government scientists should provide a letter or Sales - Tax exemption form.

Availabl e from : Dr . Ron Vernon , School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde NSW 2113 .

The Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (C . S . P . G. ) International Conference will be held a t Calgary , Alberta, Canada on J une 26-28, 1978.

Theme : "The Facts & Principles of World Oil Occurrence" (invited papers).

Contact: P . A. Batson, Gulf Oi l Canada Ltd . , 707 - 7th Avenue S .W., Calgary , Alberta, Canada T2P 2H7 .

Those interested in Specialty Session No . 3 of the IX ICSMFE (Relation between Design a nd Const ru ction in Soil Engineering) are informed that a volume containing the introductory remarks by the co-organizers and four papers is available for advance sale from Dr. E. D'Appolonia, 10 Duff Rd .

Pittsbur gh, PA 15 235 , USA . Prepaid cost is US$15 . 00 which includes printing expense s and air mail postage.

12

CAREY APPRECIATION Over 180 people enrolled for the Carey Appreciation Symposium held in the Geology Department, Un iversity o f Ta sma nia from February 7 - February 10, 1977.

The Symposium had been arranged to express the appreciation of the geological community for the contributions made to geological science b y S. Warren Carey .

People came from several continents to attend the Symposium and make their contribut i on.

Graduates of the Geology Department, University of Tasmania, came from as far afield as London, Trinidad and Srinagar and assoc iates of Professor Carey such as Pro fe ssors H. Wynne-Edwards, B. C. Burchfield, D. B. Stone and J. Denni s, Dr. Warren Hamilton and others came from the North American continent.

There were of course many participants from other part s of Australia and a strong local contingent.

In all 104 graduates of the Departme nt attended.

The conference opened with an introductory statement b y Ian Jenning s of the Tasmanian Geological Survey followed by a biographic al statement on Dr. Carey from Dr. Alan Voisey , a long~time friend and colleague.

Fifty-two papers were presented, mostly in the field o f tectonics but with significant contributions in the field of petroleum geology and in the area of economic geology.

Subjects varied from micro scale (The Place of Boiling in Ore Deposit ion ) to the mac ro-scale with a paper on "Origin of the Moon - a Problem in Geodynamics".

A collection of papers arising from the Sympos ium will be published as a s pecial issue of Tectonophy sics in early 1978.

On the lighter side it may be recorded that the Symposium opened with a cricket match between the Natives (graduates who are still working in Tasmania) and the Expatriates (those graduates who were working in other places).

The natives not only had a home ground advantage but had y outh on their side and won quite convincingly.

The umpire s we re S. Warren Carey and Al a n Voisey.

A Symposium dinner arranged for the evening of the 10th wa s very well attended and judging from the fa ct that the diner s had to be almost f orcibly ejected at 12.30 a.m. may be regarded as reasonably successful.

Not so successful perhaps were some of the post-dinner parties at the Casino.

One o f the highlights of the Symposium was the rendition by its autho r of a poem composed as he travelled on the ferries to and from the eas te rn shore .

Professor Wynne-Edwards' poem is printe d herewith.

Despite some diff i culties ar isi ng on the fin al day from a putative air controllers' strike the Symposium seems to have been regarded as successful in the social sense and stimulating in the intellectual se nse.

DONATIONS INVITED The W.R. Browne Medal to be awarded annuall y for distinguis hed services to geological sciences in Australia ha s been established by the Society .

The awa rd will not be confined to persons resident in Australia but is to be made in regard to contributions to Australi an geological sciences.

The form of t he contributions may be through publication, through servi c es to industry, education or administration or any comb ination of these . The medal may not be shared.

The design and s ~riking of the medal will cos t some $500.

Thereafter no expens es will be incur red by the Society in regard to the medal. Members are i nvited to dona t e to this fund to establish the award.

Cheques should be sent to the Society made out to 'W.R. Browne fund'.

13

Section 3 :

Geology

48th ANZAAS CO GRESS - MELBOURNE ' 77 Aug 29 - Se p 2 Mining

&

Plane tary Stud ies ; Mi n i ng costs Ve r s us Be nefi t s ; History of th e Aus tralasian P l ate ; Earth Science Ed uca t ion ; Evironmental /Engineering Geology .

Contact: Dr . Lindsay Thomas , Dept of Geology , University of telbourne , Parkville, Victoria , Australia , 3052

PALAEOBOTANY : THE STUDY OF FOSSIL PLANTS Sep 5 - Sep 9 1977 A Residential School at The University of Contact:

ew England , Armi dale

SW 2351

Dr . Rod Gould , Senior Lecturer, Geology Department u.. E .

· I ERAL EXPLORATIO

TECH JIQUES I

TROPICAL RAI

FORESTS

An International Conference and a Field Training Course , o r ganised by the Association of Geoscientists for International Development , in co- operation with : The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Venezuela; The Soci e t y of Venezuelan Geologist s; The Central Un i v ersity of Venezuela; wi ll be held ovember 20 - December 1 2 , 1977 at Caracas , Venezu e la.

Contact: Dr . Alirio Bellizzia, AGID Convener , MMH - Direcci 6n de Minas, Tor re orte , Piso 20 , CBS , Ca ra cas , Vene zuela .

CIRCUM- PACIFIC ENERGY A D MINERAL RESOURCES Edited by 1ichel T . Halbou ty , J o hn C . Maher , and Harold M. Lian ; con ta ins 126 papers f r om the 1974 conference on coal , geothermal energy , hydrocarbon s, hydrogeology , minerals and general subjects .

It is AAPG :-emoir 25 available from : The America n As sociation of Petr oleum Geologists , PO Box 9 79 , Tulsa, Oklahoma 74101 .

MPG

&

SEP I Members $32 . 00 .

I . G. C .

orunembers $ 40 . 00

(continued from pg 5)

Tributes we re pa id to Dr. Fisher f or his Ch airmanship of the committee and Pres i dency of the Congress, and to Sandy Renwick's work as Secretary -General.

In reply they paid tribute to t h e work of the Syd ney Committe e , and o f all who had been in volved i n organising t he Congress.

At thi s point the Commit tee agree d to di so rgan i se.

7he fir st paper s fr om I. G. C. wh i c h I h a ve seen publish e d appea r in the Decembe r 1 97 6 (no. 1 4 ) i ss ue of t he Bulletin of the Inte r national Association o f Engineering Geology.

The y consis t of material from Section 13 and Symposium 113 (geo l o gy a n d th e e nv ironmen t and geological ha z ar d s ) . There are some very intere s ting pape rs.

14

50 YEARS OF BMR Fifty y e ars ago, in 19 2 7 , the e arliest s eed s were sown from wh i ch t h e p r ese nt B.M. R . o rgan i za tion ( f o r med i n 1 946 ) had its root s.

In 1926 the Commonwealth government passed the Petroleum Prospec ting Act, to encourag e the search in oil in Australia . Thi s event was followed in June 1927 of the creation of the Geological Branch, with a palaeontological section, within t he then Dept of Home a nd Territories.

In June 19 27 Dr . W. S . Wo o lnough was appoi nted the first Commo nwealth Geolog ical Advi ser, with P . Ho s sfe l d as h i s as si stant and wi t h he adqu ar t ers in Canberra .

In October 1927 Frederick Chapman wa s appointed fir s t Commonwe a lth Pal a eontologist and in De c ember of that year Irene Crespinbe c ame hi s assistant , with their headqua rters at the Na tional Museum Melbourne . All appointments we re on a t e mporary basi s.

Hoss fe ld r es i g n ed in 1 935 . I n 19 40 H.G. Ragg a tt was appoin t e d assi s t a nt to Dr. Woolnough and when LJoolnough retired in 1941, he was s ucceeded by Raggatt . Chapman retired in December 1935. He was succeeded in Jan 1936 by Irene Crespin who in February 1936 was transferred, with the entire Commonwealth Palaeontological Collection, to Canberra . She retired from B. M.R . in 1961 and still resides in Canbe r ra .

Callin g a ll Cryst allographers Courses, etc . are scheduled as follows : UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (U.S . A. ), July 10- 16 1977 , 3rd International Summer School on Crystal Growth.

Information: Dr . K. Nassau , Bell Labs , MURRAY HILL, N.J. 07974, USA. LONDON ( Imperia l College?) , July 11-1 5 , 1977 , Appl i ed Polarised Light Microscopy .

I nformation : 2 Mccrone Mews, Belsize Lane , LONDON NW3 5BG, U. K. LONDON (Imperial College), July 25 - 29, 1977 , Two courses in Identification of Asbestos .

Information: 2 Mccrone Mews , Belsize Lane , LO DON NW3 5BG, U. K. ERICE (Sicily), Sept . 5 - 16 , 1977 , Teaching Crystallography for today's Sciences.

Information: Pr A. Authier , Lab . Mineralogie Cristallographie , 4 Place Jussieu , tour 16 , 75230 PARIS CEDEX 95 , France .

CORFU (Greece) - Grand Hotel Glufada , Sept . 25-0ctober 8, 1977, Advanced Study Institute (Summer- school) on "High Pressure Chemistry" Information : Pr H. Kelm, Inst . Physical Chemistry

KARLSRUHE , Sept. 26- 0ct . 1 , 1977, Symmetrie - Beziehungen Zwischen Verwandten Kristal l strukturen: Anwendungen der Kristallographischen Gruppentheorie in der Kr i stallo ch e mi e .

In f o r mation : Pr Dr H. Wondratscheck , Inst . f li r Kristallographie und Inst . filr Anorganische Chemie II der Universitat(TH), Kaiserstr . 12 , D 75000 KARLSRUHE (West Germany).

AACHEN, October 3- 10, 1977 . Rontgenographische Untersuchungen ach der Pulvermethode Information: Pr Dr lv. Bronger, Inst . Ano-ganische Chemie und Inst.

Kristallographie der Technischen Hochschule Aachen, Professor Pirletstrasse 1 , 5100 AACHEN (West Germany).

DARMSTADT , October 1977 , Einfuhrung in die Rontgenstrukturanalyse .

Information: Pr Dr Wlilfel , Inst. filr Physikal i sche Chemie Strukturforschung, Technische Hochschule, D 6100, DAru'STADT (West Germany) .

15

BELOW THE OROGENIC BELT "Did my pleas ing construction lead me to subduction? Oh tell me Doctor please, There's a persistent spine down my orocline And I've got the IAT's."

"Tell me the story and try to not worry", The kindly doctor frowned: "Were you ever led to a pillowed bed 'Neath forams floating down?"

"Did turbidites stroke your palaeoslope? ·Do you have a marked sole?

Did a million nights of sheeted dykes Cause yo ur spreading limbs to glow?"

"Did yo u let calc-alks or some plain basalts Intrude your HAB'S? Did you take delight when an ophiolite Rose shining from the seas?"

"Were you overthrust by obducting crust?

Did you cross the suture line?

Was your modesty swayed by blueschist and jade, Or did you stop your drift in time?"

"Well Doctor dear, my Asthenosphere Was in constant agitation, And I got hot spots and mafic clots All up and down my craton."

"But no rigid plate was ever my mate, No island arc accretion; I was never a wench for an ocean trench, In spite of my declination."

"I have to think," said the Doctor's wink, "That your age precludes this mating, Being Proterozoic is quite heroic, But much too old for dating."

"The trouble lay quite another way, Your sialic crust's reworking.

Your spreading girth? Just expanding Earth.

And I find it quite provoking ."

H. R. Wynne-Edwards 10/2/1977 As presented at the Carey Appreciation Symposium

Peter Jell (University of Queensland) comments on the interesting mud island which appeared overnight in Lake Victoria in February .

"I have just noticed a paper by W.G. Woolnough in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria , volume 42 for 1930 (pp.

221-234) describing the occurrence of a similar phonomenon during 1928.

I must say that I find his explanation far more plausible and indeed pleasantly simpler. If I remember correctly the site is a lmost identical with the recent .appearance - off Pe lican Point in Lake Victoria .

I am sure some older Victorian geologists will be aware of the phenomenon and so my revelation may not be news at all."

Woolnough concludes that his island owed its origin to upheaval of the lak e floor, by lateral squeezing of a sub- surface layer of plastic clay from beneath an area overloaded by recent accumulation of sand.

16