TAG – March 1983 – Issue 43

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Newsletter Editor

Business Office

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

Laurel Tuckwell 10th Floor Challis House, Martin Place, SYDNEY. (02) 231 4696

PRESIDENTS

PAGE

.Canberra has now become the seat of the Ex ecutive Committee for the next eighteen months.

It is appropriate to begin my term as President by . reporting on the Council Meeting and AGM held last week during the 6th Geological Convention.

These act as a 'state of the Union' message clearly demonstrating that the Society is in good health both financially and · scientifically.

Perhaps the most important decision was the overwhelming vote to continue our Journal on a quarterly basis, and we are actively seeking a new Editor and an assistant. Excecutive will continue discussions on the possibility of a merger with other institutions to form a national Earth Science Journal and report any viable propositions to Council.

Profits from s ymposia and conventions and interest have contributed greatly to Society finances, and Council has agreed to a profit-sharing scheme between organizing bodies and the Society. These funds are to be used to support initiatives

by Divisions and Specialist Groups in running symposia and meetings and in preparing Special Publications. Although they continue to sell well, Special Publications are costly and Council has decided against free issue to members, instead members would be offered copies at a reduced price based on cost of production.

The lastest offerings are a new series of Palaeontology Monographs by the A.A.P. Council argued that funds accumulated from Symposia should not be spent on day-to-day running costs, and the AGM voted an increase in Subscriptions and Capitation fees effective for 1984. The new subscriptions ($35 member, $10 Associate) will cover the cost of loss of book bounty, editorial assistance, increases in providing four issues of the Journal, and increasing postage. Capitation payments to Divisions will be increased to $5. Student and Retired Member subscriptions will not be increased and unemployed geologists will be allowed to remain unfinancial for two years without losing membership.

They will continue to receive Monthly Notes and the Australian Geologist but not the Journal.

The highlight of the AGM was the presentation of Awards. Professor S.W. Carey received the W.R. Browne Medal, and the F.L. Stillwell Award for the best paper in the Journal was presented to G. Singh, N.D. Opdyke, and J.M. Bowler for their paper on the Late Cainozoic history of Lake George, N.S.W. Professor B. Nashar and Professor D.A. Brown were elected as Honorary Members of the Society .

(Continued on bottom page 3) 2

Newsletter No. 43

The Australian Geologist

25 March, 1983.

EDITORIAL Another Convention has come and g one, and with it the e x ecutive reins have been passed from Western Australia to the Territories Division. No doubt Dennis Gee, Ray Smith, Kris Sappal and their cohorts breathed a sigh of relief as they rode into the setting sun free from the burdens of office , but as they went they must have been aware that they took with t hem the thanks of the Society as a whole for a job well done.

The concentrati on of the e x ecutive on a clarificati on of the publication s policy coupled with a strong membership drive in W.A. has been appropriate at th is time in the Society's history, and Council has supported their efforts by moving to upgrade the journal;s effectivene ss by promoting more rapid publication .

Incoming President, Mike Rickard has more to say on these matters in his President 's page.

During the past year the Aus tralian Geoscience Council has been established and although it has not been welcomed in some circles it seems destined to play a significan t part in the 'political' life of geologists . In this issue there is mention of a survey it is undertaking to find out how many geo l ogists there really are in Australia - something that the Society can't really t e ll them unfortunate l y, because we haven't sold the Society as well as we might.

Perhaps that is the major task of the incoming e x ecutive which is listed elsewhere in this issue and who are welcomed to office.

The next eighteen months will be a busy time for these office bearers.

President's page cont'd The enth~siasti c ac~ivity of the Specialist Groups was evident at the S~xth Geologic~l Convention in Canberra last week; never~heless it was the quiet and effective work of the local Division ~hat unde 7pinned ~h 7 success of t he Convention. Sandy Renwick and his Organising Committee of seven, and Keith crook and the 34 Conveners of Seminars and 8 leaders o f Field Excursions a 7e to be congratulat ed on their splendid effort in running a fine sc~ent~fic. meeting. Mrs. E . Young and her helpers also did ~ ~terling Job in operati~g the Conv7ntion Office and in organizing the valuable and enJoyable social sessions.

The only disappointm ent of the Convention was the poor support for the field e x cursions. Was this due to the p oor state of the economy or the difficulty in spending an e x tra week away from normal duties? I hope that those that went wil l tell those that didn't how much they missed.

The SGTSG published the f irst in a planned series of Field Guides to cover the Structural excur sion to the South Coast of N.S.W. In closing I must pay tribute to the effective and efficient stewardship of the Society' s affairs by the past President, Dr. Dennis Gee, and the Executive Committee in Western Australia.

M.J. Rickard .

3

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

NOI~S FROM CANBERRA COUNCIL AND GENERAL MEETINGS Subscriptions First the bad news ........... .

Subscriptions for Ordinary and Associate Members will be increased from January 1984 to $35.00 for Ordinary and Associate Members receiving the Society's Journal and $10.00 for Associate Members who elect not to receive the Journal.

And now the gocd news ........... .

Subscription rates for student and retired members will remain at present levels.

Members who find themselves relegated to the dole queue as a result of the present recession, may apply to their Divisional Committee for their subscription payments to be waived for a period of up to two years or until employment can be found whichever happens first! Such unemployed members will continue to receive 'The AustraliQfl Geologist' and Divisional Newsletters, but forgo their right to receive the Journal and other Society publications without payment.

Publication Policy Council generally favoured the concept of establishing an Australian journal of earth science produced in conjunction with other interested organisations, but considered that a much more detailed investigation is necessary. Accordingly, Council rejected a motion that the Society"s Journal be discontinued at this time in favour of GSA support for a national earth science journal, but approved a motion that the Executive Committee be authorised to continue discussions with other interested parties in this regard and report to Council.

Council agreed that (a)

The Journal of the Geological Society of Australia continue as the main publication vehicle of the Society,

(b)

Provision in the budget be made to allow the hiring of a full -time professional Managing Editor,

(c)

The Honorary Editor remain responsible for policy matters, publication standards and the Editorial Board.

Council endorsed the suggestion that future Convention Organising Committees should include a publications officer to be responsible for promoting GSA publications arising from symposia and conventions.

Procedural Guide for Conventions Council approved amendments extending the Guide to include national and international symposia, and formalising financial arrangements including division of profits between the initiating body and the Society's central funds. Moneys remitted to the Society's central funds from Convention/Symposia surpluses will be available to organising committees, on application to Executive Committee, for purposes which include underwriting future meetings, . assistance for invited speakers, scientific lecture tours, special geclcgical publications, or any other purposes that serve to further the earthsciences, as approved by Executive Committee.

12th International Sedimentological Conference - Canberra, 1986 Council re-affi~med GSA sponsorship of the Conference.

7th Australian Geological Convention Council agreed that the NSW Division be invited to host the Seventh Convention in August 1984.

4

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INCOAPOAATEO

AAP Monograph Series Council approved the planned introduction of a Memoir Series cy the Associati on of Australasian Palaeontologists, and authorised the Executive Committee to make available a loan of up to $5,000 to AAP to cover the difference between production costs and donations in hand for the Dorothy Hill Jubilee Memoir of the Association.

Australian Geoscience Council Council confirmed the Executive Committee's appointment of Dr. R. Wass as one ·GsA representative on the Australian Geoscience Council, together with the Society's senior Vice-President. 'Ihe vacancy enabling Dr. Wass's appointment had ocen created when the Society's previous representative, Prof. Gavett, was elected Vice-President of A<:r,.

Society Finances Council agreed that the Society's reserve funds are n?t excessive, and should not be used to pay normal operating costs. Accumulated reserve funds at the end of 1982 consisted of $130,000 in short term deposits (of which $25,000-$30,000 may be needed to cover puclication costs during 1983) and $22,000 in long term investments.

Capitation Fees Council agreed that Capitation fees payable to Divisions and Specialist Groups be increased from $3.50 to $5.00 per financial member, commencing January 1984.

Honorary Members

en the recommendation of Council, the General Meeting elected to Honorary Membership of the Society Professor Beryl Nashar and Professor D.A. Brown.

New Executive Committee

President

Dr M.J. Rickard

v. President

Dr R.D. Gee (Proxy B. Murrell)

v. President

Prof. J.B. Waterhouse (Proxy Dr P.J. Jones)

Secretary

P.A. Smith

Treasurer

Dr P. Wellman

Hon. Editor

Dr R.H. Vernon (Proxy Dr J.F. Truswell)

Hon. Adim. Officer

W.E. Foskett (Proxy?)

C~T. Councillor

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Incoming Secretary Still Smith but P.A. this time and at Bureau of Mineral REsources, Geology and Geophysics, P.O. Box 378, Canberra 2601. 49 9111 telex: 62109.

5

Letter to the Editor Sir: The response of the Australian Institute of Geologists to the news of the possible closure of the Geology and Mining Museum As a geologist who has spent most of her in Sydney is laudable. professional and a lot of her spare time in museums I was horrified that a government, particularly a Labour one, should try and A museum is a place for the devastate such a fine institution. people and posterity as well as for science and natural resource Mr. Wran would, to my mind, be conservation in the best sense. perpetrating the equivalent of the Nazi burning of the books.

Now, I suggest, is the time for all geologists to do someWe all benefit frornsuch an organisation as the ·thing practical.

And the Museum at Geology Museum either directly or indirectly. the Rocks is one of the best museums of its size that I have seen, and it should not be too difficult to devise ways to promote it to However, it is virtually impossible for any museum make money.

Therefore, perhaps it would be good to become self-supporting.

If every geologist, professional, if a fighting fund was set up. amateur, unemployed or not, gave at least $1 to the fund, that Hopewould be a good basis for a campaign to help the museum.

If the museum personnel cannot fully industries could give more. participate then perhaps the newly founded AIG committee could Mining journals, gemmologists' newsletters, administer the fund. rock and mineral clubs etc. throughout Australia should be If every concerned geologist and museum-user within informed.

New South Wales and elsewhere wrote and told Mr. Wran what they thought of his plan he might get the idea that forcing the closure of a good and useful public institution was not the way to please I intend to write to the Geological Curators Group of people.

The threat to this museum is a Britain and set out the problem.

If others have matter for the worldwide geological community.

There are overseas contacts I suggest they also inform them. less than 2 years left.

Susan Turner, Bardon, Qd.

[The Museum itself is in process of establishing a long-needed Friends of the Mining Museum Society. Contact Brian Garner at the Museum for details (02 _241 3662) - Ed.]

It seemed appropriate to terminate the development/anti debate in the last issue. However a late letter from Brian Hawkins, Grand Junction, Colorado contains an important last sentence 'there is much to be gained by the profession by a greater interchange of geological staff between industry and the academic sphere', a point of view echoed by Alan Voisey at the N.S.W. Divisions November meeting.

Cover Photo: Weathering in Permian Sandstones, Mt. Wellington, Tas. 6

GEOSCIENTISTS IN AUSTRALIA How many geoscientists are there in Australia? What are they doing and who employs them? How were they trained, and how do they keep up-to-date? What do they think about their careers? What is the balance of supply and demand now? ... and in the foreseeable future?

The Australian Geoscience Council has initiated a study of these and many other questions about the training, employment and careers of geoscientists. The study is being carried out by Dr Morgan Sant, a geographer at the University of New South Wales.

Most of the data-gathering is being done by a series of postal surveys. Employers were the first to receive questionnaires, early in December . Every private and government organization known to employ geoscientists was contacted and asked a set of questions about its geoscience personnel, recruitment, training programmes, and so on. The first round of responses accounted for about 2,500 geos c ientists working for private companies and in Commonwealth and State government. No one knows exactly how many there should be, but the 1976 census reported only about 1,600 qualified geologists and earth scientists in these sectors, so the last few years appear to have shown quite rapid growth before the present difficult economic climate began.

Valuable as census data are, there is no substitute for specially designed surveys of geoscientists. Hence the Council's survey also includes a survey of individua l scientists. This will take us below the bare statistics of a census and will inquire about training (and retraining), employment histories, unemployment, and career attitudes.

Analysis of this information will give a good picture of the professional development and needs of geoscientists. This survey also includes questions on the issue of professional registration (supplied by the Australian Institute of Geoscientists) and on the relationships between careers and family life.

Why go to all the trouble of large surveys and complicated analyses? The answer lies in the objectives and responsibilities of the Australian Geoscience Council, which is a forum of representatives of Australian geoscientific organizations co-operatively working together to encourag e th~ development of the earth sciences in the best interests of the nation and of the members of the geoscientific profession. Amongst the objectives are: the promotion of earth science education and manpower planning; the provision of informed comment on matters of public interest; and assisting Government in the development of sound policies in the earth sciences. None of these can be done effectively without a thorough survey of human resources in the earth sciences.

So, if you receive a questionnaire asking for information about yourself or your organization, please regard it as your contribution to a better understanding of the opportunities and needs of earth scientists.

7

AN AUSTRALASIAN REGIONAL REFERENCE CENTRE ESTABLISHED FOR DEEP SEA DRILLING PROJECT SEDIMENTS AND MICROFOSSILS AT THE NZ GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, LOWER HUTT, NEW ZEALAND. For more than a decade the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) has been sampling the world's ocean floors and publishing the immediate results as "Initial Reports".

The Project has also provided samples to numerous investigators on the understanding that the results of their studies will be published. But until now there has been no easy means of access to DSDP materials for workers whose primary aim is simply to compare their samples with those obtained by the Project.

To remedy this situation the Project is now setting up seven regional repositories with identical sample splits representative of every major fossiliferous lithology and age encountered in the majority of the more than 550 sites, drilled to date. These materials will be available for study in the form of lithologic smear slides, foraminiferal residues and calcareous nannofossil, diatom and radiolarian strewn slides, amounting eventually to several thousand preparations.

The Australasian Reference Centre, the only such repository proposed for the southern hemisphere, has just been established at the NZ Geological Survey, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand (TeTephone Wellington 699 059; telex GEOSURV NZ 31348; telegrams Geological Lower Hutt).

It is housed in the NZGS's Micropaleontology Section which is situated on the 3rd floor of the State Insurance Building, Andrews Avenue in central Lower Hutt.

The Curator is Mr. A.R. Edwards.

To date only lithologic and nannofossil smears from drillhole sites 1 to 12, 62 to 84 and 155 to 167 are available for study, but sufficient foraminiferal and other preparations should be accessible by February 1983 to form a body of materials useful to visiting researchers. Preparations of opaline microfossils will follow later.

The obligations of the Curator include making the collection available for examination under supervision. No lending is permitted - researchers may only examine the slides at the institution housing the collection. Each Centre will have a complete set of the DSDP Initial Report volumes.

The S.E.P.M. Special Publication no. 32 The Deep Sea Drilling Project - a Decade of Progress summarises an important era of geological exploration. U.S. $28 ($22 to SEPM members). P.O. Box 4756, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104 U.S.A.

A survey of major Library Collections in the Geosciences in Victoria by Rosalind Walcott contains tables, information about the libraries and recommendations. Excellent value at $3.00 from Secretary A.A. Cobs, C/- National Library of Australia, Canberra ACT 2600.

8

PATRIARCH OF THE EXPANDING EARTH. AWARD OF THE FOURTH W.R. BROWNE MEDAL TO PROFESSOR EMERITUS SAMUEL WARREN CAREY .

The W.R. Browne Medal was inaugurated in 1979 and is presented by the Geological Society to persons distinguished for their contributions to the geological sciences in Australia. It is the highest and most prestigous award the Society can make, and has previously gone to Professor E.S. Hills, Professor Dorothy Hill and Dr. N.H. Fisher. The fourth award of the Medal to Professor Carey will certainly enrich the traditions of the Geological Society.

Samuel Warren Carey was born on November 1, 1911, at Campbelltown, on the outskirts of Sydney. After secondary education at Canterbury Boys' High School he entered the Faculty of Science at the University o f Sydney in 1929, where the staff of the Department of Geology at that time included W.R. Browne. He graduated with first class honours in 1932, winning the Deas Thomson Scholarship for Mineralogy, which made it possible for him to go on to a M.Sc. This . was awarded in March 1934 for a thesis on the stratigraphy and structure of the Werrie basin in northern N.S.W. On graduation Carey joined Oil Search Limited in Papua and New Guinea and later was senior geologist with the Australasian Petroleum Company there from 1938 to 1942.

The period in New Guinea fostered an interest in the tectonics of the region, and even more importantly, in the little-accepted hypothesis of continental drift. This interest bore fruit initially in the award of a D.Sc. in 1939, for a thesis entitled "Tectonic Evolution of New Guinea and Melanesia".

Following a distinguished war record Dr. Carey took up appointment as Government Geologist of Tasmania. Within a ye ar Dr. Carey had absorbed the Tasmanian geological literature, examined the known critical exposures, added new information. He then wrote a unifying account of the geology and mineralisation of Tasmania. Many of the concepts put forward in that 1945 account have stood the test of time and it remains today as a model of clear, perceptive geological analysis.

Dr. Carey was awarded the Chair of the newly created Department of Geology at the University of Tasmania in 1946, which he held until his so-called retirement at the end of 1976. During t hat 30 years he built a vigorous teaching and research school in geology and geophysics while making important creative and influential scientific contributions.

Professor Carey's most influential contribution has been his advocacy of continental drift based on a masterly geological synthesis, in which he domonstrated re-assemblies of continental fragments.

This remains today as pertinent and stimulating as when first proposed. Those scientists who have been fortunate enough to have a copy of the record of the 1956 "Continental Drift - a Symposium" (1958) on their shelves will have appreciated the very great influence of Carey in the "Revolution in the Earth Sciences" of the early 1960s.

9

Carey foresaw the importance of the ocean basins as preserving a record of continental displacement, particularly emphasizing their rift character and the importance of "hot spot" traces in reassembling continents. His papers, and his major book in 1977, remain outstanding affirmations of the contribution of geological knowledge gained by mapping and interpretation of the emergent land surface, to the total picture of the present and past In seeking the cause of continental behaviour of the earth. drift, he has moved beyond plate tectonics, subduction and convection, to advocate an expanding earth . The willingness to challenge orthodox views, to question accepted limitations and • to stimulate the vigour of debate and enquiry, remain characteristics of S. Warren Carey and were taken as the theme for a Symposium "Orthodoxy and Creativity at the Frontiers of Earth Science", held in his honour in Hobart in 1977.

He is an Honorary Life Member of the Royal Society of New South Wales and an Honoroary Foreign Life Member of the Geological Society of London. A long interest in the Australian and New Zealand Association of the Advancement of Science was climaxed in 1970 when he was President of the Association for the Port Moresby meeting.

The Christien Mica "Gondwanaland Gold Medal" was awarded to Professor Carey for contributions to the study of Gondwanaland (1957-59) and the Alberta Society of Petroleum Geologists invited him to deliver the Fourth Annual Honorary Address in May, 1960.

He has been Visiting Professor at both Yale University (1959 - 60) and at the University of Western Ontario (1967-68).

In 1977 Professor Carey was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "distinguished academic service of a high degree in the field of Geology".

He was elected President of this Society in February 1977 and held the post till August 1978. His period in office is best summed up by his successor who said "Our immediate past President The stimulus and Sam Carey, is indeed a hard act to follow. sense of purpose he gave our Society is a legacy which must not be allowed to dissipate".

LAMINGTONS

GALORE

Sandy Renwick notes with reference to Mr. C.R. Clark's search for a copy of BMR Bulletin 38, the 1951 eruption _of Mount Lamington, Papua, it may be of interest to other readers also to know that we shall be Readers producing a second edition of the Bulletin this financial year. who do not already receive our quarterly list of publications should ask to be put on the distribution list.

Write to: Publication & Information Section Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology & Geophysics P.O. Box 378, Canberra City , ACT 2601

10

NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR SOLID EARTH SCIENCES AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 1982

Annual Report

Two meetings of the NCSES were held during 1982 - a full meeting on 6 August 1982 and a limited meeting on 3 May 1982 - and other matters were handled by the Chairman after consultation with Committee members by mail. Support was given to the President's negotiation to government over the Russian visa affair.

The following recommendations were made to Council of the Academy 1. Grants from 25th IGC Fund A grant of $1420 to Dr. G. Winterer and a further (i) grant of $2080 to help named overseas contributors attend the 6th Australian Geological Convention in Canberra during February 1983.

A block grant of $2000 towards the costs of attend(ii) ance of four of the invited speakers to the Symposium on Evolution and Biogeography of Early Vertebrates. (iii)

A grant of $1000 towards the expenses of three eminent overseas speakers in attending the Third Biennial Conference of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

2. Mawson Lecture The NCSES recommended that Dr. M.W. McElhinny deliver the Mawson Lecture for 1982 at the 6th Australian Geological Convention in Canberra in February 1983.

During 1982, the NCSES continued close co-operation with the Australian Geoscience Council (AGC), the Geological Society of Australia (GSA) and the Australian National Committee for the IGCP (ANCIGCP). Future activities to be undertaken with these bodies include a Symposium on the Geological Aspects of Radioactive Waste Disposal (with AGC), the 12th International Sedimentological Congress (with GSA) and a Workshop on the Role of Australia in strengthening the Geosciences in Developing Countries (with ANCIGCP).

The NCSES recommended to Council that approval in principle be given for ari enquiry into a National Seismological Network and that Council support Australian participation in the Advanced Ocean Drilling Program.

The Committee continues to give strong support to its subcommittee for the International Lithosphere Program (ILP).

The NCSES plans to examine the need for national laboratories to support research in the geosciences using items of expensive equipment and the role of Australia in participating in international co-operative geoscientific research programmes.

Membership of the Committee in 1983 was discussed at the meeting on 6 August 1982 and the following recommendations were made to Council: Dr. Denham and Dr. McElhinny should be appointed 1) for a further term 11

2)

Professor G.H. Packham (Department of Geology and Geophysics, The University of Sydney) to replace Professor Veevers

3)

Dr. A. Ewart (Department of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Queensland) to replace Professor Stacey

4)

Dr. M.J. Richard, (Department of Geology, Australian National University and President Elect of the Geological Society of Australia) to replace ex officio the retiring President (Dr. Gee).

J.F. Lovering Chairman.

Geological Conservation A Workshop on Geological Conservation in Australia was held Notes by Bernie in Canberra on 17th and 18th November 1982.

Joyce (University of Melbourne).

We began, with I believe we had a most successful meeting. some surprise, to realize the differences in approach of each Division, and also the differences in their expectations and Among the interesting administrative points raised results. were the different ways in which grants have been paid out, and the legality (or illegality) of the contracts we have made with consultants.

A draft of a detailed report is in preparation and will be forwarded to each Division for comment, and it has been discussed at the 6th Geological Convention.

I We have turned up quite a few ideas for the future. think we can now look forward to work on what we called at the Workshop an "Interim Analysis" on geological conservation in Australia, in which we will attempt a formal listing of sites or features of International and National significance, and perhaps A further workshop to begin their comparative documentation. consider this document could be held in, say, two years time.

We understand that such documentation and the subsequent discussion meeting would have the support of, and perhaps funding from, the Australian Heritage Commission.

We owe a debt of thanks to the staff of the Australian Heritage Commission, and I would like to thank Max Bourke, the Director, and Mike O'Brien and Peter Matthews, for the great help they gave in making the two days of the Workshop so productWe can also thank the local ACT Subcommittee members, ive. especially Mac Dickins and Mike Owen, for the help in local, travel, and the visit to the State Circle site.

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Proposed History of Earth Sciences

Specialist Group

During the past decade there has been increasing interest in the history of earth sciences in Australia. Old photographs and well researched books are now being published in a field once limited to obituaries and reminiscences. My own employer, the South Australian Department of Mines and Energy, has recently published three history books during its centenary year.

As a consequence of these trends, I believe that there may be sufticient interest in the Society to form a specialist group that deals with the history of our profession. This letter seeks to canvass interest in the proposal.

In addition to gathering together interested parties, the proposed group could also act as a source of information on items of historical interest per taining to the earth sciences, i.e. photographs, books, archives etcetera.

The subject matter considered by such a group could be very broad. There is the history of organizations ranging from mining companies, geological surveys to teaching institutions. Biographical studies of prominent geologists are also important. With a different perspective, local and international influences on . the profession may be examined.

The formation of such a group seems to be appropriate in so much as it could foster a sense of tradition within our profession at a time when national bicentenaries and state sesquicentenar ies are fast approaching.

Please fill in and return the enclosed form if you have any interest in this proposal. An indication of interest is critical at this early stage if a specialist group is to be formed.

Dr. B. J. Cooper S.A. Department of Mine s and Energy P.O. Box 151 EASTWOOD S.A. 5063

Barry Cooper (08) 272 5711

I am intere sted in the proposal to form a Specialist Group within the Geological Society of Australia whi c h deals with History of Earth Sciences.

NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ADDRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SIGNED ......... ..... .......... ... .

ANY COMMENTS?

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INAUGURAL PRIDER LECTURE The W.A. Division of the Society has established a "youth lecture" in geology, to be presented annually to an invited audience of 500 senior high school students and their teachers.

The lecture has been named in honour of Rex T. Prider, emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Western Australia.

The objective of the Prider Lecture is to provide a stimulating and entertaining address on aspects of the geosciences.

Each lecture topic will be chosen to emphasise the close interrelationship between geology and the science subjects taught in the schools.

The lecture will not be specifically addressed to an aspect of the school curriculum, nor will it be solely for students taking geology.

As the years pass, the Prider Lectures wiil impart an awareness in students and their teachers of the scope and opportunities offered by the geosciences and demonstrate to bright young people the challenge of such careers.

The inaugural Prider Lecture will be presented on 19th April 1983, by Dr. Russell Hudson, Principal Research Scientist, Mineralogy Division, CSIRO, Perth.

He will speak on the topic "Chemical and physical processes in ore formation".

The Rex Prider medal - one of geology's richest student awards is solid gold! It is awarded (usually annually) to the University of Western Australia's outstanding student.

Don't forget Association of Exploration Geochemists meeting Perth 23-26 May 1983. Geochemical Exploration in Arid and Deeply Weathered Environments.

Contact R.A. Young, P.O. Box 91, Belmont W.A. 6104.

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Geological Society of Australia Inc.

SPECIALIST GROUP in TECTONICS and STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY Or C.McA. POWELL CHAIRMAN : VICE-CHAIRMA N: Dr R.H. VE RNON School of Ea rth Sc iences Macquar ie Un iversity NORTH RYDE, NSW 21 13 (02) 88 9498 (POWELL ) TELEPHONE : (02) 88 9503 (VERNON) MACOUNI AA22377 TELEX :

T E R

SECRETAR Y :

TELEPHONE :

C0

ATIONAL

F E R E

Or R.A . GL EN N.S.W. Geological Survey Box 5288, G.P.O. SY D N EY, NSW 200 1 (021 240 4679

C E

on MULTIPLE DEFORMATION and FOLIATION DEVELOPME T 4 February - 10 February 1984

B E R MA G U I . S . W.

SOUTH COAST

First Circular Febr uary

1983

A field-oriented conference over six working days (Sunday 5 February to Fri day 10 February) will be held at Bermagui on the . S . W. South Coast .

Papers wil l be i nterspersed with discussions on outcrops, many of which ar e within walking or short-driving distance of the conference hall . The outcrops lend themselves to practi ca l demonstration of the problems of unravelling multiply - deformed terrains and the mechanisms of foliation development . A full - day field trip during the conference will include spec t acula r en - echel on vei ni ng and quartz fibres i n Upper Devonian redbeds as well as other aspects of mildly deformed rocks and i ncipient cleavage . After the conference there will be an optional two-day ex cursion to the Cooma Metamorphic Complex (11 and 12 February) led by Ron Vernon and Bruce Hobbs .

A CALL FOR PAPERS IS

OW BEING ISSUED

Papers dea l ing with any aspect of multiple deformation and foliation development will be conside r ed, but papers re l evant to the keynote themes (below) are especially welcome .

Keynot e themes:

Cleavages and fractures in moderately and weakly deformed rocks En-echelon veins Structures in accre t ionary prisms Th e nature of bedding-parallel foli ations Origin of crenulation cleavage Transected folds and the XY plane Experimental deformation of analogous materials Problems of correlation in mul t ipl y- deformed ter r ains

15

Several of these themes will be reviewed in keynote addresses to be given by international visitors. Papers offered may be of two types: (1) normal spoken presentations of 20 minutes' duration with 10 minutes' discussion; and (2) poster/practical demonstrations, during which thinsections and small hand-specimens can be projected with TV video equipment.

The organizers hope to provide as much opportunity for discussion as possible, so that brief, to-the-point presentations will be solicited.

An edited volume of selected papers will be published in the Journal of Structural Geology in early 1985. It will be essential for the papers to be submitted at the conference to meet publication deadlines.

CONTRIBUTORS SHOULD SEND THE TITLE OF THEIR PROPOSED PAPER AND A SYNOPSIS TO Dr C. McA. Powell School of Earth Sciences Macquarie University NORTH RYDE NSW 2113 Australia BY 31 JULY 1983.

ABSTRACTS of accepted papers will be requested by 30 SEPTEMBER 1983 in a camera-ready format to be advised.

ACCOMMODATION will be of three types: (1) (2) (3)

regular motel; holiday cottage (one week's rental); camping.

A limited number of holiday cottages have been reserved and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Most cottages house from three to five persons, and are suited to family groups. Some on-site caravans are available in the camping area, as is tent space.

People wanting to occupy holiday cottages should contact Dr Powell with their requirements as soon as possible. A 25% deposit on rental charge will be required by 30 June 1983.

SECOND CIRCULAR: A second circular will be sent later in 1983 to all people replying to this circular.

1983 ASEG Biennial Conference From 31st October - 4th November 1983, geophysicists, geologists, and people generally interested in geophysical exp loration will gather in Brisbane for the Third Biennial Conference of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

The theme is RESOLUTION and ACCURACY. For further details contact:

Rob Murdoch , Publicity Officer Phone : (071) 433922 or 433178.

16

13th GENERAL MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL MINERALOGICAL ASSOCIATION The 13th general meeting of the IMA was held in Druzhba, a Black Sea resort , 10km north of the city of Varna, Bulgaria, Between 400 and 500 delegates between 19-25 September, 1982. from 32 countries attended , with 8 Australians present.

The Conference itself was reasonably wel l organized, but With only technical sessions were, on the whole, disappointing. a few exceptions, the standard of presentation, particularl y the The use of slides and other visual aids, was poor to mediocre. programme was thrown into chaos by the non-arrival of many deleNo translation gates from the U.S.S.R. who were listed to speak. facilities were available, even though English is supposedly the (One speaker announced to a grateful official IMA language. audience that because her English was not so good, she would deliver her address in Russian!)

Like most conferences however, the technical sessions were secondary to the informal discussions and socializing with old In that respect at least, this IMA was friends and colleagues. no different from previous meetings.

At the main business meetings, the new IMA Council was elected by the voting delegates (63 in all - 3 from Australia).

It is a tribute to Dr . Ralph Segnit's international reputation that he topped the poll for the five councillor positions and became the first Australian elected to the IMA Council since The new Council consists of: Australia affiliated in 1 970 .

President: Adademician Prof. Ivan Kostov (Bulgaria) Prof. P. J. Wyllie (U.S . A.) First Vice-President: Second Vice-President: Prof. D. C. Coombs (N.Z.) Secretary: Prof. S. Hafner (West Germany) Treasurer: Dr. P. C. Zwaan (Netherlands) Councillors: Dr. E. R. Segnit (Australia) Prof. G. Gottardi (Italy) Prof. N. V. Sobolev (U.S.S.R.) Prof. D. G. W. Smith (Canada) Prof. R . Vochten (Belgium) Commission and Working Group officers for the nex t four years were Some of the main points of interest to come from also elected . the Commission and Working Groups reports were: An author may have two years in which to publish his or her 1. description of a new mineral after the date of approval by the New After that, the priority Minerals & Mineral Names Commission . will be regarded as lost.

In 1981, 66 new mineral names were approved, compared to 2.

103 in 1980 .

Classification and nomenclature of micas and sulphosalts were 3. being reviewed .

It was recommended that type specimens should be lodged in 4. national museum collections.

17

5.

A monograph of structura l classific ation of minerals should be completed by the end of 1982.

6.

An 8th Dana edition is planned.

The IMA Council has decided that there will be no formal general meeting in 1984, when the IGC will be held in Moscow.

The next full meeting will be at Stanford Universit y, Californi a, from July 13-18, 1986.

A copy of the first circular may be obtained by writing to IMA 1986, P.O. Box 183, Stony Brook, New York 11790, U.S.A. Following the general meeting, several excursion s were held, mainly in the Rhodoppe Mountains close to the Bulgarian -Greek border.

While these did not provide exciting collectin g or mindboggling geology, the four days were enjoyable in scenic surroundings and magnifice nt weather.

Further informati on on the IMA meeting and excursion s may be obtained from Dr. Ralph Segnit (CSIRO, Division of Mineral Chemistry , P.O. Box 124, Port Melbourne , Victoria 3207; or Dr. Bill Birch, National Museum of Victoria, 285 Russell Street, Melbourne , 3000).

Bill Birch.

Water-fre shening in progress An Australia n Quaternar y Associati on has been formed.

Its initial role will be to provide a successor to the Australia n Quaternar y ewsletter .

The Associati on and Newslette r are intended to cover a broad geographi c area, encompass ing New Zealand, New Guinea and the Pacific as well as Australia .

An interim committee has been formed to set up the Associati on.

It is anticipat ed that a conferenc e, possibly run as a field workshop, will be held within the next 18 months to formalise the Associati on and to elect office-be arers.

Until then, a new newslette r, Quaternar y Australas ia, will be published from the School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie Universit y.

Membersh ip of the Associati on will entitle you to receive two issues of the Newslette r each year.

The first issue of Quaternar y Australas ia is expected to appear in May 1983.

Research reports, news items, and short notes and articles are invited.

These should be forwarded to the editor, Assoc. Prof. M.A. J. Williams, School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie Universit y, North Ryde, NSW 2113.

Quaternar y Australas ia represent s a fresh start.

It will only be sent to paid up members of AQUA. Send your money, $15 (individu al) $20 (institut ional), to Dr. S. J. Riley, Business Manager, Quaternar y Australas ia, School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie Universit y, North Ryde, SW 2113.

The Interim President of AQUA is Dr. Jeannette Hope, Dept of Prehistor y, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australia n National Universit y, Canberra, ACT 2600.

18

JENNINGS TRAVEL AWARD When Dr. J. H. Jennings retired from his position as Professo rial Fellow in the Departmen t of Biobeogra phy and Geomorphology at the Australia n National Universit y, Martin Williams and Jack Davies edited a volume of contribut ed papers, Landform Evolution in Australas ia, to honour the occasion.

The editors and contribut ors agreed that all royalties from the book should be paid into a Trust Fund and used for the furtheran ce of geomorpho logy in this part of the world.

The Jennings Travel Award has now been institute d with the intention to make the first such award in 1983.

The first award will be to the value of at least $200 but probably not much more.

It is a modest amount which in relative terms will depreciat e over the year s to come.

It is hoped that potential applicant s will value the honour associate d with the award as well as the money, but it would clearly be preferabl e to be able to offer a larger sum.

With this in mind anyone who would like to do so is invited to contribut e large or small amounts, all of which will be gratefull y received, acknowled ged and used to increase the capital invested.

Cheques should be made payable to "Jennings Trust Fund" and sent to Professor J. L. Davies, School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie Universit y, North Ryde, 2113.

Even if you feel unable to unwilling to contribut e directly , you could help by asking your local public library to put a copy of Davies and Williams (eds) Landform evolution in Australas ia, ANU Press 1978 on their shelves.

So far there have not been enough copies to obtain Public Lending Right payments and these could represent a useful annual contribut ion.

The Jennings Travel Award is to be made annually to the value of at least $200.

Rules of the Award are as follows: 1.

Application s must be made by 31 March in the year in which the award is offered.

2.

Applicants must be students of geomorpholo gy residing in Australia who have completed a Bachelors Honours programme or its equivalent in the year previous to application .

3.

The award is to be used for travel relevant to the applicant's studies or for the furtherance of a research project.

4.

Applicants will need to: (a) detail their experi8nce and achievemen ts and to ask at least one referee to provide a confidentia l report. Preferably this should be a member of staff familiar with the work of the applicant. (b) put forward a viable and appropriate proposal for the use of the award.

It may incorporate a small research project but this is not necessary.

5.

The Trustees shall appoint a selection committee annually for the purpose of making the award and no Trustee shall be on the selection committee.

6.

If in the opinion of the selection committee there is no sufficientl y worthy applicant in a given year, the award shall not be given.

19

Symposium of the 6th International Association of Genesis of Ore Deposits, Tbilisi, Georgia U.S.S.R .

I would like to draw attention to I.A . G.O.D, which is very active in providing an international forum for the discussion of the genesis of ore deposits.

I.A . G.O . D. arranges symposia once every two years, one meeting at each International Geological Conferences, (next in Moscow, 4-14th August, 1984) and the other in some significant metal district .

I . A.G.O . D. Symposia usually have a series of pre- and postconference excursions which provide an e x cellent and efficient opportunity to observe and discuss metal deposits in the region of the symposium . Previous symposia have been held in Japan, Bulgaria and Utah.

The 6th I.A.G.O.D. Symposium was held in September 1982 in Tbilisi in Georgia, U.S.S.R, with excursions organised to Cu, Pb-Zn. W deposits in the Caucasian Mountains of Georgia and to Samakand and Tashkent regions of Uzbekstan (southern U.S.S.R.) .

This symposium was a good fore runner of the likely degree of organisation for the International Geological Congress in the U.S . S . R. in 1984 .

I attended the A2 e x cursion (Caucasian Volcanogenic Cu, Pb, Zn, Ba, deposits) and C2 e x cursion Cu, Pb-Zn and W deposits of Uzbekstan, and both of these trips were well worthwhile . Vistis to individual mines were very well organised and geologists of each mine site gave us a very professional presentation of the geology of the deposits (within the framework allowed) . The organisers of the conference ,went to considerable trouble to provide translators (both efficient and charming) on the e x cursion, and during the sympsoium in Tbilisi.

However as a general comment for those planning to visit the U. S.S.R . at the I.G.C . in 1984 I would offer the following advice: 1) 2)

be prepared to be patient and persistent when dealing with the bureaucracry . adopt an attitude of stoicism and "when in Rome etc . " when things turn out not e x actly as you had anticipated .

As a general comment, we found that Russians on an individual level were e x tremel y friendl y and hospitable , that the country is remarkably diverse culturally , and certainly the visit we had there , we well worth some of the difficulties encountered .

The International Association of Genesis of Ore Deposits is only a relatively small group (582 members world- wide) but is very active, and a good way to meet various specialists in Ore Genesis .

The 7th Sy mposium for I . A . G. O.D. is planned for Sweden in August 1986 . For anyone interested in details please contact me at the address below (I . A. G. O. D. membership cost %5.00 p . a . ) Tim Hopwood (Australian Representative I . A . G. O. D. ) PO Box 158 , NORTH ADELAIDE , SA 5006.

20

Letter to the Editor Sir: Parts of the GSA Review on Publicatio n Policy (Newsl. 41) have given this old member quite a bit of mental indigestio n.

I find it downright scandalou s that out of 7000 or so geologica l scientist s in Australia only 40% actively support our national society and its journals by contribut ing what still is, for what you get, probably the lowest members' fee in the world.

I had always assumed that for every graduate it would be a matter of course and of pride to belong and pay full fee to the Society the moment he gets a job.

After all, particula rly salaries for beginners are - over and above all inflation incompara bly higher than when we old hacks started our careers.

Yet I suspect the supportin g percentag e in the mid-1950s was probably nearer to 80% - or the GSA would never have been born!

What's gone wrong?

Is it the curse of specializ ation?

Or just plain greed?

Or both?

The three main factors given for the deplorabl e situation are to my mind lame excuses, and I regard the mentioned attitudes of that 60% of the "fraterni ty" as ridiculou s.

1. Competiti on from other organisat ions (Australia n?).

What have we?

And what does it all cost?

Journal GSA, Alchering a GSA, Proc.Aus.I MM, Bull.Aus.I MM, Journal APEA/PESA , SEARCH, Journal BMR - the lot costs no more per annum than what you pay through the year for a daily newspaper at 35~!

In fact, for the price of your second daily you can throw in all the Royalsocs and the Linnean!

Competiti on?

Ridiculou s.

2. The "transien t" nature of the geologica l professio n.

That is a particula rly lame excuse.

Since the great majority of local graduates anyway (I suspect) spend most of their working lives in Australia and/or nearby, everythin g geologica l, geophysi~al, geochemic al, mineral-e xploratio nal published in and about Australia ought to interest them~ priori.

Moreover, precisely because of the transient employmen t circumsta nces, geoscien tists should always endeavour to build up their very own private library which can be brought along to wherever the working place is.

Except in unusual situation s it is also unjust to expect the employers to provide such a personali zed literatur e backup simply to keep people abreast of their science.

That is and should remain the duty of the individua l, all the more as I am confident that no decent employer will refuse to ship an employee' s library to whatever location he is likely to need it.

Employers should be happy and proud to have the services of such keen and well read personnel .

3. Lack of inducemen t - Journal uninteres ting.

Well, let's face it.

There is no journal in the world, even the most specialize d one, which is so superior as to contain exclusive ly "interesti ng" papers - not even Penthouse manages that feat.

In my book our GSA Journal is of rather more general 21

interest than e.g. The Bull. and the Proc. of the Aus.IMM, or GEOLOGY and Bull.G.S. Amer., the Bull.AAPetrol.Geol., and a.o. the Bull.Swiss Petrol.Geol. Eng. In terms of general interest our GSA Journal ranges with the J.GeoLSocLondon, the Eclogae Geol.Helv., the French Comptes Rendus, and the Geol . Rundschau, all of which have a balanced melange of more and or less specialized papers.

After going through all abstracts I find, on the average over the last ten volumes, that in the Journal and its kindred publications some 50% of the contributions are worth reading in full.

In the other mentioned publications my interest is aroused by only 10-20% of the contents.

This is, incidentally, not seldom the fault of authors who fail to, or don't know how, to present their work in the light of and as a contribution to a subject of more general interest.

Geological work always means discoveries of one sort or another.

All these have their place in a wider context which the author mu s t - to some extent already in the abstract - highlight in order to stir the interest of us lesser mortals.

Provided one keeps the authors on their toes in that sense and our editors have been pretty good at this, I claim our Journal is as good and as informative as the best among them, and it deserves the full support of ALL Australian geoscientists.

Not of only 40% of them!

Is it re a lly that difficult to get the measly 359/day out of the pockets of the other 60%?

What about a sharp poster campaign in every relevant university department and in every exploration and exploitation company's office?

Something like the famous "Uncle Sam needs you!" - pointed index finger displayed straight over the receptionists' desk - so that those greedy 60% get a naggy bad conscience!

Rudi 0. Brunnschweiler Canberra - Deakin 2600 [Apropos Rudi's comments on a Campaign for membership, The Geological Society of New Zealand mounted a very good (transportable) display at the Pacific Science Conference in Dunedin setting out the history, activities and publications of the Society and inviting membership. We could do something similar here with some success I believe. Ed.]

International Symposium on Recent Crustal Movements of the Pacific Region.

February 9-14, 1984.

Wellington, N.Z. Contact Dr. H.M. Bibby, Geophysics Division, D.S.I.R. P . O. Box 1320, Wellington, N.Z.

Geostatistics for Natural Resources Characterization, September 4-17, 1983 Stanford, Sierra Lodge, Fallen Leaf Lake California.

Contact Applied Earth Sciences Department, Stanford, California 94305 U.S.A. 22

Letter to the Editor Sir Dr Wo lfgang Preiss (Austra lian Geolog ist, 20/12/8 2) has introdu ced a welcome note of rationa lity into what promise s to be yet another round of debate on the subdivi sion and nomenc lature of Precam brian time and rocks, occasio ned by the current proposa ls of the Interna tional Subcom mission on Precam brian Stratig raphy (Austra lian Geolog ist, 18/6/82 ). As Preiss points out with exempla ry restrai nt, these legisla tively decreed "bourtd aries" are not particu larly suitabl e for Austra lia.

I agree with Preiss that a nationa l solutio n for Austra lia would be prefera ble. Howeve r, I have an alterna tive suggest ion to a separat e Precam brian chrono stratigr aphy for the Austral ian contine nt based on classic al Phanero zoic procedu res. The suggest ion would at the same time involve less work, be more in keeping with nationa l traditio ns, and improve the financi al positio n of our Society .

The Geolog ical Society should run a sweepst ake and associa ted lottery to establi sh a subdivi sion for the Austral ian Precam brian. Twenty- seven numbers , from 800 to 3 400 m.y. at interva ls of 100 m.y., would represe nt the horses, and prizes would be given to the holders of the three winning numbers selecte d by compute r. Separat e lotteri es could then be held, with each winner having the right to name one of the four consequ ent section s of Precam brian time.

As the history of Precam brian stratigr aphy is strewn with the debris of discard ed names (Algonk ian, Dimetia n, Lauren tian, Nullagi nian, Pebidia n, to cite a handful ) such events could be repeate d at interva ls of, say, four years. This would give harmles s pleasur e to a greater number of fortuna te winners , and would impede researc h on the Precam brian no more than the present arid debate on its formal stratig raphic subdivi sion.

A.F. Trenda ll Perth.

Interna tional Associa tion of Enginee ring Geology

IAEG

The name and address of the Editor of the Bulletin of I.A.E . G. - who is at the same time Secretar y General of the Associat ion have changed to: Dr. Louis PRIMEL Secretar y General of I.A.E.G. Laborato ire Central des Ponts et Chaussee s 58, boulevar d Lefebvre 75732 PARIS CEDEX 15 -

FRANCE.

23

Letter to the Edito r Sir , I am one of the 50 % who read y our editorials .

I am also one of the staunchest supporters of "The Australian Geologist", even though I live in Canada and have never visited y our co u ntry.

Th e mai n reason I e n joy y our Soci ety 's newsletter is b ecause of the humour .

Does this impl y that I too am childish or paroch ial? I tr u st (hope is out since I read Strunk) this is not the case , although many of my friends would d ispute my r eason i ng .

That pales into insignificance, however , wh en comp ared with the possibility of h umourless issues of " The Austr alian Geologist" .

That would reall y be a down Down Under (or whatever the correct phase is in relatio n to Canada) .

Grah am L . Williams Head , Eastern Petroleum Geology Geol . Surv. Canada , Dartmouth .

No v a Scotia.

PROCEEDINGS of Coal Group Symposium: COAL RESOURCES - Or igin Exploration and Utilization in Australia Melbourne , November 1982 Price :

$30.00 (postage included)

Price:

$7 .50 each (postage included)

The above are all available from the Sydney office .

ABSTRACTS No. 5

-

The Eromanga Basin Symposium , Adelaide, November 1982.

No . 7

-

Symposium, Volcanism in Eastern Australia with cas e histories from New Sou th Wales , Sydney , November 1982.

S p eci al Pub lication

No. 9

S .W . Paci fic Bas in Correl a t io n may al so sti l l be a v a i lable.

Try y our l uc k.

WANTED TO PURCHASE ...... .

One copy of the Society "s Journal , Vol.29 Pts. 1/2. sell this now out of print issue please contact Mr. N.C. Brown, 8 Evans Avenue , Mitcham, S.A.

24

5062.

Any member wishing to

NEW FIELD-GUIDE SERIES The Specialist Group in Tectonics and Structural Geology of the Geological Society of Australia has initiated a field-guide series of which the first volume was published in January 1983. The policy of the Group is to encourage the preparation of guides, either specialized or broad-ranging, falling within the general field of structural geology and tectonics.

Field-guides published by the Group will have as their primary role the location, description and interpretation of outcrops. Although it is hoped that they will present the field evidence on which new and controversial concepts are based, the guides are not regarded as a suitable medium for the detailed presentation and discussion of such concepts. They may be initially prepared for a conference or workshop but must be sufficiently informative to allow independent use by professional geologists, including overseas visitors. There is no impediment to guides including information for several field excursions linked geographically or by related themes, nor to guides prepared jointly with specialists in other fields of geology and geophysics, provided there is a substantial content of structural geology or tectonics.

The cost of prin~ing guides cannot be covered by the recurrent funds of the Group, and pr0spective contributors should discuss the financing of publication with the committee of the Group at an early stage.

Detailed editorial advice should also be sought before production of maps, figures, etc.

All prospective guides will be independently refereed, and the referees will be acknowledged in the field-guide.

The first field-guide is: GEOLOGY OF THE N.S.W. SOUTH COAST AND ADJACENT VICTORIA, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE PRE-PERMIAN STRUCTURAL HISTORY,

by C. McA. POWELL, and the 118-page A4-format book may be obtained from : Laurel Tuckwell Business Manager Geological Society of Australia Room 1001, Challis House 10 Martin Place SYDNEY NSW 2000 at a cost of $10.00, which price includes surface postage.

A review of this guide will appear in the next issue of the Australian Geologist.

You're too late for the Bureau Min's Petroleum & Minerals Review Conference 1983 - Canberra 23-24 March. The programme looked good but nobody told us early enough. How did it go?

25

Book Review:

Where are you Ernie, Bill, Lar r y, Harold, Paul?

The Field Descripti on of Sedimenta ry Rocks Price t4.95 Maurice E Tucker Geologica l Society of London & Open Universit y I once had the temerity to call the eminent trio, Dapples, Krumbein and Sloss, the Marx Brothers of geology; a tribute not to their humour, although they were personall y not short of that, but to their close associati on, which brought together so many facets of the newly-eme rging field of sedimenta ry geology in the 1950s.

Twenhofe l, Kuenen, Wanless and Weller were others who contribut ed mightily in this area, too.

It is a natural tribute to change and, in many senses, progress too, that these pioneers receive no mention in Maurice Tucker's very useful little book, the second in the rejuvenat ed Geologica l Society of London's Handbook Series (not forgettin g the participa tion of the Open Universit y).

This book of 112 pages contains eight chapters devoted essential ly to field technique s, sedimenta ry rock types, texture, structure s and geometry, fossils in the field, palaeocur rent analysis and facies identific ation and analysis. Although designed essential ly as an aide -m emoire for the developin g student of sedimenta ry rocks, it is, in a sense, a succinct statement of the state of the art of sedimenta ry geology.

Because of this attempt of Tucker's to combine two aspects of the whole matter of sedimenta ry rocks, it probably goes just a little far in the sub-divis ion in the field of limestone s, and ideas on sedimenta ry structure s, palaeocur rent analysis and facies identific ation analyses may prove somewhat too sophistic ated for many undergrad uate students.

On the positive side for these students there are some very useful tables and if students can be encourage d to use these and become systemati c in their approach to the examinati on of outcrops they will be well on the way to becoming very competent f ield geologist s. However, they should try notebooks with water-pro of paper and graph paper (great for graphic logs).

The illustrati ons are generally well chosen, but I can't be convinced that Fig.4.4 shows clear evidence of the direction of transport ation as the caption claims.

This h andbook no . 2 maintains the h igh standard set by no.1 and I feel will be wide ly used. Poor students will find it essential and good students probably even more so.

David Branagan 26

BOOK REVIEW Mining in South Australia: A Pictorial History Compiled by John F. Drexel South Australian Dept of Mines & Energy, Adelaide, A$19-95.

This is an outstanding "first" in publication by a State Mines and Geological Survey.

South Australia's vibrant mining history is recapitulated in nostalgic sequences of photographs that show the pervasive influence of prospecting and mining in moulding the State's progress.

The Glen Osmond silver-lead mines, almost within the suburbs of Adelaide, we are reminded, were the very cradle of Australian mining.

The discovery of rich copper at Burra soon after, in 1845, virtually rescued the State from bankruptcy and quickly trebled the State's population.

By 1860, Burra was the world's largest producer of copper, only to be eclipsed soon after by Wallaroo-Moonta, and now by the potentially enormous copper-golduranium deposits of Roxby Downs.

John Drexel's skilful selection and annotation of archival photographs has graphically recaptured the spirit of the times, the hardship and hopes of the early pioneers, and the outstanding contribution that mining has made to the State's progress, education and export earnings.

Patterns of early immigration were grossly influenced in the process, and much of the early sociological development related back to the stabilising influence of Cornish and Welsh miners.

The reader-viewer is led in turn through the boom-and-bust gold rushes and a range of less spectacular metallic mineral mining to the establishment of the Port Pirie "silver-lead-zinc" smelters.

These continue to handle much of the wealth of Broken Hill to this day.

The rather unspectacular beginnings of iron-ore mining in the Middleback Ranges contrasts with the subsequent virtual removal of whole mountains and the establishment of an important steel industry and finally ship construction yards.

Opal fields, the world's largest and richest, have brought new immigration to the desert outback and bred a new race of rugged individualists complete with "dug-out" living and the development of radically new "gouging" technology.

The newly discovered Cowell jade deposits offer new entry to the South East Asian gemcutting industry at a time when jade supply from other world sources is steeply declining.

The struggle to establish an indigenous coal mining industry based on low grade material is brught out clearly.

To a State historically deficient in "energy" minerals, that is except for uranium, the more recent (1960's) discovery of the continent's largest onshore oil and gas fields is a major achievement.

The Album has made a range of almost forgotten photographs openly available to laymen and historians alike.

Each photo is worth more than pages of words, and each is a study it itself.

The highest commendation must go to all behind the presentation.

One can only hope that other States follow suit.

Reg Sprigg.

27

Book Review The Poetry of Geology edited by Robert M Hazen George Allen & Unwin, London, 1982 Hardback rec. price $13.95 As the pages of the Australian Geologist, Geotimes Geolog and other similar journals show, present day geologists are not averse to trying their hand at prosody (thank you G.S.!), generally in a rather light-hearted vein. The Americans seem to be less shy in this respect than others as witness an American ex-serviceman who did Geology I with me. Hank constructed and learnt verses designed to help him memorize the names of the numerous fossils we had to study. He spent so much time on his verses he didn't have time to learn the geology so failed the course . We were thus robbed of the anticipated pleasure of seeing how he dealt with optical crystallography. Last year we were reminded (Australian Geologist ) of some 19th century Australian verses designed to help Australian schoolboys understand the mysteries of geology and student year books abound with samples of bad verse at various levels.

This well-produced book reminds us that there has been a long tradition of geological poetry in the English language and Robert Hazen is to be commended for gathering together this material unearthed during his researches in the hi story of geology.

I must confess to enjoying most John Scarfe's unpretentious granitogony, geological cookery and a poetical geognosy of 1820. These poems reveal a sense of humour and a timelessness which makes them well worth reading and even quoting at appropriate functions. Dorothea Hemans' offering, 'Epitaph on a mineralogist', is in similar vein and well removed from her usual style.

The more serious efforts are less successful, are usually somewhat pretentious and have rarely worn well.

A little Tennyson or GM Hopkins shows what can be done in this regard.

However, all in all this book is a pleasure to read and perhaps it will prove a precursor of a series. My only regret is that its relatively high price (for only 98 pages) will prevent its becoming a best-seller within the profession. Ask for it as a present, and make sure it gets into your local library.

D.F. Branagan.

12th World Mining Congress, November 19-23, 1984 New Delhi, India.

Contact organizing secretary, C/- Institution of Engineers (India), 8 Gokhale Road, Calcutta 700 020 India.

Telex: 21 7885 IEIC IN. 28

Book Review Computer Applications in the Earth Sciences - an update of the 70s.

Edited by Daniel F. Merriam; Plenum Press, New York, 1981, 385 pp. $45.00.

This book summarises the contributions to the 8th Geochautauqua held at Syracuse University in October, 1979 {allowing interesting comparison with a similar meeting held ten years earlier and reported in an earlier volume in the same series). A distinguished group of 18 contributors reported on computer applications in fields ranging from biostratigraphy and palaeoecology through structural geology, photo-interpretation, and petrology to various facets of resource exploration and appraisal. From relatively rudimentary beginnings, mostly concerned with comparatively simple problems of statistical analysis, computer applications in earth sciences have mushroomed to a point where very few geologists and probably no geophysicists now work in fields where computers have not made some significant impact, and this remarkable transition is well documented in this volume.

However, the greatest problem with summaries of this type is the question of their practical value. With an average length of about 20 pages to each review article, it is clear such a book is unlikely to serve as a practical handbook for dedicated practitioners on the one hand, or as a textbook for novices on the other. Trend surface analysis, for example, is treated in two paragraphs in one article and one paragraph in another; the problem of analysis if irregularly distributed {as opposed to regularly gridded) data is mentioned only as a problem with interesting possibilities. G.S. Koch's 18-page review of "Computer Applications in Exploration and Mining Geology: Ten Years of Progress" could spare only one page for the combined efforts of the Matheron school and of Krige and co-workers.

These comments are not intended to be critical of the individual reviews, but only to emphasise the problems inherent in review compilations of this type. How could Matheron's work over 10 years be effectively summarised in 18 pages or less? One concludes that the book will find its audience either in diligent students willing to work assiduously through the useful bibliographies {while recognising that even these can hardly pretend to be comprehensive), or in geoscientists seeking a cursory overview of the subject as a secondary interest.

In the latter context, I for one found it to be interesting and {mostly) reasonably easy reading.

Projections for the next decade or two stress not only expected improvements in hardware, but also more subtle shifts in orientation. We may expect less of a tendency for earth scientists to "borrow" computer techniques from other disciplines {sometimes disastrously), and more of the d~velopment of v.alid approaches by earth scientists who are computer-literate. The early stages of development of a computer language that can express geological concepts in a computer-recognisable notation are already with us, and we may expect advances in simulation techniques, complex modelling, and iterative methods which can do much to help with the problem of geological time. It will be interesting to read update for the 80s - if it can be fitted into three volumes or less!

Ken Williams.

29

Book Review MARINE GEOLOGY

by James P. Kennett.

Prentice Hall Inc. US price $24.95 Aust " $51.00

"Marine Geology" is the first comprehensive survey of the youngest of the fields of geology, a field which has had much impact on geological thought through the development of the concept of plate tectonics. Few other texts in science draw the bulk of their data from original publications of the past decade.

The 800 page book, well illustrated by numerous diagrams, is divided into four parts. Firstly the structure and oceanographic setting covering the geophysics and morphology of the oceans, ocean stratigraphy and correlation methods such as tephrochronology, biostratigraphy, magnetistratigraphy, geochronological methods in the marine environment.

These introductory chapters lead up to the development of the concept of plate tectonics. The final chapter of the first section provides basic data on ocean circulation and water characteristics.

The second section of the book provides a comprehensive outline of continental margins from shoreline processes to the continental slope. The continental margins are discussed in relationship to their tectonic origin; divergent, convergent and translational.

This section stresses the evolutionary processes of continental margins and provides a wealth of world wide data.

Section three deals with ocean sedimentation processes, sediment mineralogy and biogenic and authigenic sediments of the ocean basins. Chapter fifteen in particular will dispose of any concepts of the ocean bottom being devoid of significant currents or sediment transport processes as it provides information on deep sea bedforms and sediment transports. No coverage of deep sea sediments would be complete without reference to microfossils and an e x cellent well-illustrated summary of the ocean sediment microfossils is given in Chapter 17.

The final section of the book, Ocean History - Palaeoceanography, inlcudes "studies of the development of the surface circulation, history and effects of bottom-water circulation patterns, planktonic and benthonic biogeographic development and rates o f organic evolution.

The history of biogenic productivity and its effects on sediment-distribution and the history of calcium carbonate and silica deposition and dissolution". The history of each ocean is described in these terms with a final chapter providing an overview of critical events in ocean history.

Marine Geology provides a student in this field with an excellent survey of a diverse subject with a comprehensive list of references for further study.

C.V.G. Phipps University of Sydney.

Geological Features of the National Estate in Victoria advertised in the December issue.

If you want it y ou must pay the postage ($1.50-$1.80 approx.) as well as $10 charge. Dept. of Minerals & Energy, Sale of Publications, 140 Bourke Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000.

30

VICI'ORIAN DIVISION 140 Bourke Street GPO Box 1683P MELBOL'RNE VIC 3001 Phone: 665 0555 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES AND APPLICATIONS IN THE BROKEN HILL DISTRICT This is a field oriented course intended for thosE who want to upgrade their knowledge of the princip les of modem structu ral analysi s . Lecture s will cover recogni tion of superim posed deforma tions, interpr etation of geanetr ical analysi s of geologi cal structu res . These will be augmentdata and the three- dir-1ensior.al ed by extensiv e field exercis es using structu ral techniqu es with stratigr aphic and metamor phic studies in order to interpr et structu ral evolutio n in crustal regions .

Particu lar attentio n will be paid to the techniqu es used to interpr et the structu re of the Broken Hill region .

COURSE LEADERS Profess or Bruce Hobbs (Monash Univers ity) Dr Chris Wilson (Melbourne Univers ity).

DATES 1 - 7 May , 1983 VENUE

Broken Hill. Accanmodation has been arrange d at the Silverto n Youth Camp.

ELIGIBILITY

The course will be aimed primari ly at field geologi sts from the explora tion industry and government surveys .

A few places will be reserved for postgra duate stedent s.

Numbers will l::e restrict ed to 35 people.

COST

$325 include s accarmo dation, food and transpo rt in the Broken i-iill region (reduced rate for student s ) .

REGISTRATION FORM NAME : ADDRESS : ....... ....... ....... . . ........ ........ .... . ..... . .. . .. . .. . . . . .. .. (Private ) ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .... . ........ .... . ... . ........ .. .. (Work) COMPANY/ INSTITUTICN : . . ........ ........ ..... . .. . ........ ..... . . . ........ .. .. .... . .. .

PHONE : ........ ........ ....... (day ) . . . . ........ ........ . . (night) PREVIOUS STRUCTURAL EXPERIENCE ... . .... . ....... . .. . limited , .. . ... .. ... .. .. moderat e , ....... ....... ...... extensiv e DEADLINES : Registr ation plus deposit $120 MARCH 18th RETURN TO: Final payment $205 APRIL 15th Dr WR H Ramsay (Person al) (Hon Sec) 140 Bourke Street PO Box 1683P MELBOURNE VIC 3001 31

Donald Thomas CURREY , Supervisi ng Geologist of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commissio n of Victoria , died suddenly on 9th January , 1983 , at his home .

Don graduated from the Universit y of Melbourne in 1961, having spent the previous 17 years as a field survey assistant involved in topograph ic and geologica l surveys . He spent his entire career with the State Rivers and Water Supply Commissio n, Victoria . He was engaged in geologica l investiga tions for engineeri ng projects , geomorpho logy, groundwa ter and salinity control , and the applicatio n of remote sensing technique s .

He worked on overseas projects in Ethiopia and Thailand .

Don is survived by his widow, Janetta.

He made many friends throughou t Australia and abroad and will be sadly missed .

DUAL STEREOGRAPHIC NET - NEW ~JODEL

•

•

•

A new model of the Dual Stereographic Net i s being manufactured and will be available by the end of April , 1983 . The Dual Stereograph i c Net is a light - we i ght (470 g) instrument with 15 cm diameter equal-angle and eq ual-area n ets on opposing sides. A central c ir c ul ar disc turns, thereby keeping the plotting paper in a constant o r ientation. Plotting is faster and simple r than trad i tional methods . The instrument is manufactured in glass-fi ll ed pylon for dimensional stability and rigidit y , and the new model has improved nets screen printed from computer - drawn originals.

PRICE : $30.00 p l us postage (cal\:ulate yo urself and add to the chequ e) . Lower r at es for l arger orders.

As a special offer to members of the Geological Society of

Au s tralia , all orders placed, and paid for , by June 30, 1983 , wi ZZ be at 10% discount.

McAulay Enterprises 6 Elizabeth St. , Ryde , N. S.\v., Australia 2112 32

GEOPHYSICAL BOREHOLE LOGGING HAND BOOK FOR COAL EXPLORATION

The Coal Mining Research Centre in Alberta, Canada and Norwest Resource Consultants Ltd. have written the first handbook on geophysical borehole logging specifically for coal exploration to meet the growing demand for state-of-the-art, easily accessible information on this rapidly developing aspect of coal exploration technology. The handbook is intended to present the information in a form that is understandable to those who are not geophysicists, because geophysical log interpretation responsibilities are often shared by geologists, mining and coal preparation engineers. 'Ihus, this handbook is not designed as a theoretical textbook, but to explain the basic theory and practical application of geophysical logging for coal exploration. It can assist the coal explorationist to reduce exploration costs by obtaining the maximum possible information from modern geophysical logs.

PART 1 - BACKGROUND PART 2 - LOGGING EQUIPMENT PART 3 - QUANTITATIVE INTERPRETATION PART 4 - PLANNING and IMPLE;MENTING a successful program Actual geophysical logs produced during coal exploration programs are used to illustrate the response of each type of logging tool.

Price :

$US 70.00

(including handling and shipping charges)

Further Details and Orders: Norwest Resource Consultants Ltd 600, 610 8 Avenue SW Calgary Alta T2P 1G5 CANADA

A discount of 10% is applicable to orders of 5 or more copies from one purchaser.

~~~~

Re sou rce Consultants Lid.

© COAL MINING RESEARCH CENTRE

33

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF GEOSCIENTISTS G.P. o. a ox 4883 , SYO~EY 2001

lELEPHONE , (02) 92-1788

The Annual General Meeting of A.I.G. will be held at the Rugby Club in Crane Place, Sydney , on Wednesday, 20th April, 1983, at 5. 00 p.m.

Following the Annual General Meeting a talk will be given by the Hon. Minister Mr. K.J. Stewart, Minister for Mineral Resources (N.S.W.) on the "Cycli1=al Nature of the Mineral Industry". Light refreshments will be available at the conclusion of the Meeting.

All geoscientists are cordially invited to attend. A seminar on "the Legal and Professional Aspects of Geosci ence"· was held on the 9th February, 1983, at the Science Centre and was a great success.

The proceedings including questions and answers will be published and will be available at no cost to those who attended the seminar and at a cost of $30.00 to others interested in obtaining a copy .

Council wishes to thank and congratulate the speakers and participants and convey its appreciation to Professor Don Emerson for his role in organising the seminar.

CODE OF ETHICS -------------Some comments on the draft Code of Ethics circulated to members have been received. Any further comments should be forwarded promptly to Science Centre so that they can be considered before finalising the Code.

REGISTRATION OF GEOSCIENTISTS As many of you are aware, at the request of the Geoscience Council the A.I.G. prepared a questionnaire on Registration of Geoscientists which was issued as a separate sheet with the Resource Study .

Council of A.I.G . cannot stress strongly enough that A.I .G. is not promoting registration, but is merely seeking Geoscientists' attitudes in the event that registration may become a future requirement by Government.

34

Council of A.I.G. decided that the time had certainly arrived when Geoscientists should try and establish a dialogue with the Management of Mining and Exploration Companies, on the problems of cyclical unemployment and its results both on personal hardships for geoscientists and the possible long term effects it has on turning potential high quality graduates away from the Mineral Industry.

Accordingly, A.I.G. sent a circular letter to Managing Directors and Exploration Managers of Mining and Exploration Companies setting out a number of conclusions the A.I.G. believes to be valid on cyclical unemployment to seek company viewpoint on these c·onclusions.

Council is very gratified at the response from the many companies for their considered replies to these questions and their indications that these matters should be perhaps followed up. Council will analyse these replies and report back to the companies hoping for ·a closer lia~on and development of new terms of reference for future employment of geoscientists.

Book review C. E. B. Conybeare, 1980, Oil Search in Australia.

Australian National University Press.

Avowedly written for the layman, this paperback begins with a chronological account of oil exploration in Australia from 1892 to 1979, outlining both onshore and offshore discoveries.

While no claim is made for completeness of coverage it is nevertheless surprising that an oil discovery such as the Union/Kern Cabawin well, albeit non-commercial, should find no mention in this account, coming as it did ahead of the Moonie discovery and ending a seven year drought after Rough Range 1.

The second chapter concerns the origin and movement of petroleum in the subsurface and provides a scholarly summary account of our present understanding of these subjects, supported by numerous references to the recent literature.

One wonders what the putative layman will make of montmorillonite/ illite transformations in connection with primary migration of petroleum, or, say, solubilization by micellar solutions; but a useful index is provided to dispel any passing fog he may experience.

Onshore and offshore prospects occupy thirty pages, the four illustrations being all from a common company source.

Again we have a useful summary which falls some way short of what one would wish in a text for students but which provides far more information than one would suppose any but the most dedicated laymen to be capable of absorbing.

Similarly with the remaining chapters on offshore e x ploration, reserves and resources, technology and economic factors, and the outlook for the world and Australia - the text is informative, and clearly written.

This little book is well worth its shelf space for those with a continuing interest in petroleum exploration in Australia.

It is not, however, for those with an interest in the personal aspects of oil exploration, for I recall mention by name o f only one oil explorer: Dr. L. G. Weeks.

T. B. H.J. 35

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