TAG – October 1980 – Issue 31

Newsletter Editor D. F . Branagan Dept Geology/Geophysics University of Sydney NSW 2006 Phone :

(02) 692 2358 or 692 2912

Secretary (NEW ADDRESS) Bridget C. Youngs South Australian Oil & Gas Corpn Pty. Ltd P . O. Box 55 GLENS IDE S.A. 5065 Phone :

(08)

79 9251

THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE The 26th International Geological Congress in Paris has come and gone: the next Congress will be in Moscow during 1984, so start saving your roubles now.

Many impressions were gained: the e x cellent meeting facilities at the Palais du Congress which coped easily with the requirements of over 5000 geoscientists; the almost perpetual wet weather; the exciting new information in some contributions; the poor quality of presentation of ma'ny papers; the extensive and high calibre of the Congress publications; the problems created by 5000 people each posting home 20 kg of publications from the one post office; the exquisite evening of chamber music at Royaumont Abbey; the lack of wine at the Wine and Cheese night... ..

However, the predominant memory is of the camaraderie between delegates and the free exchange of. geoscientific information, which must lead both to the advance of our science and to friendly and understanding relationships between people from countries which, on the political level, are antagonistic.

It is hard to judge which national group showed the greatest interest in the Congress, but if the appropriate criterion is represented by the number attending multiplied by the distance travelled to attend; then Australia with about 150 registrants is far in advance of any other group .

Nine Australians attending the Congress were supported b y awards from the 25th International Geological Congress Fund.

The Fund is disbursed by the Australian Academy of Science National Committee for Geology and Geochemistry.

It is gratifying to see that the efforts of those who fought for the Fund to be established have been so amply v indicated.

At a recent meeting of the National Committee the funds available for 1981 were under discussion.

Although the amount for distribution is re asonable it would be larger if the interest-bearing capital was increased.

To this end the Fund may be added to by donations, and y our Executive is considering offering the financial surplus from the 4th Australian Geological Convention to boost the Fund and so benefit Australian geologists.

I woul d be interested to have y our opinion on this proposal.

COLIN D. BRANCH. Cover Photo : Deformation in (non-auriferous) quartz b l ow: Precambrian metamorphics in Georgetown Inlier , North Queensland.

The material consists of quartz with very minor pyrite .

Photo: Colin Bryant , Amax Exploration.

The Australian Geologist

No. 31

NE\·1S1.ETTER OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA HICORPORATED

October 1980

EDITORIAL The Editor's mail bag proves a sensitive index of prosperity in the profession.

Full (& more) employment in the private sector means that geologists have little or no time to voice complaints, set out their ideas on matters of professional concern or even to write up their findings for an eagerly awaiting readership.

It probably also means that there are fewer members of the Society who read this journal while there are more important geological publications demanding study.

However the proposed professional institute, shortly to be incorporated (see elsewhere in this issue) will have its own section of the newsletter, and its messqges will no doubt be read and will, at times, invoke some response.

The va lue of geological publications and particularly those from official sources is certainly not always appreciated by the general public as is exemplified by recent Canadian happenings.

A member of the Canadian Parliament felt that the Government was wasting money publishing such items as 'Taxonomy of Upper Jurassic Lower Cretaceous microplankton from the Richardson Mountains, District of McKenzie, Canada', commenting that only 54 copies had been sold, while 165 were given away!

This story was taken up (refined somewhat) by Readers Digest in its December 1979 issue.

As Graham Williams points out in Geolog this work has been of considerable value to the oil companies and asks 'how many experts does it take to make an oil discovery?'

The companies apparently felt the author had something as he has now left government employ to work in industry.

However the public needs to be made aware of the truth of such matters and only the geological profession can explain to the layman the value of such a publication.

It is specially important that in a boom period geologists do not speak only to each other.

The public still doesn't really know what we do so we need to get our messages into the public sector.

This requires time and effort, but the rewards are probably worth it.

"GREATCOATS OFF - GREATCOATS ON!" Many of us have suffered the changing decisions of bureaucracy - military and otherwise.

We are about to suffer again.

Please cancel part of my notice in the last issue of "The Australian Geologist".

True, we will be publishing the Journal every six months in future, and on the dates stated.

But the powers in Canberra have just relented to the extent that we can now have only one vo lume per year instead of four, and we can divide each volume up into numbers (not parts! Why? I don't know; I just work here).

So our future schedule is: 30 September 1980: Vol. 27, nos. land 2 (all we have time for this year, unfortunately) 31 March, 1981:

Vol. 28, nos. land 2

30 September, 1981: Vol. 28, nos. 3 and 4.

I fervently hope that this will be the last alteration i...u

uuJ..

1--'lau:::,,.

:~on Vernon

Hon Editor.

BOYS OWN GEOLOGY Publication of Tony Eggleton's Geode reminded Ian McLeod of Canberra of A. J. Boyd's Earth History for Boys: or Geology in Verse, published in Brisbane in 1889.

Ian adds: "The stratigraphy and palaeontology is European oriented, except for an occasional recognition of Australian features such as that on p. 29; coal is portrayed as Carboniferous.

The doggerel goes on for 48 pages, of which Recent occupies 6, the Elements (mineralogy) take 5 and Rocks and Rock Structures (including mineral veins) take 8.

There is also a stratigraphic table (European), a glossary and several pages of sketches, of fossils mostly the more spectacular vertebrates.

On reading the preface, I wonder whether the author's hapless pupils had to learn the whole epic off by heart!"

The book is dedicated to 'The Schoolboys of Queensland'.

For your first lesson learn 'Igneous rocks are lowest down Granite, Sy'nite, Porph'ry brown; Gneiss comes next, then Mica-schist, Above these Clay slates,~you wist.'

PRICE-WISE Prize for the neatest, nearest-to-correct answer goes to Geology & Geophysics of North-Eastern Australia available from Hon. Secretary, Qld. Division, ~eological Society of Australia Inc., GPO Box 1820, Brisbane 4001, can probably be yours for $18.50 (soft cover) $26.50 (hard) with postage thrown in.

You might get it cheaper if you go to Brisbane.

This is believed to be the final attempt to establish the price - most variations apparently being affected by postage rates.

Try a little porphyry with your pudding-stone John Cramsie (N.S.W. Dept. of Mineral Resources) is looking forward to culinary delights on future field trips.

The careers guide published by the illustrious Sydney Morning Herald (Aug. 5, 1980) suggests the course of study and minimum period of training for a (real) ' geologist is the Food Technology Course at several technical colleges (4 yrs part-time or 1 year full-time, two years part-time) .

John wonders if thi,s is an attempt to solve the supply/ demand situation for geologists and hopes we will have an influx of French Cooks to fill the gap.

Although they might be able to handle the bread and butter aspects of geology they won't find every problem a piece of cake.

There is however some hope for us.

Applied geologists can be supplied by Uni. of N. S. W. the guide tells us.

AUSTRALIAN IGCP CORRESPONDENT: For project 61, Holocene sea-level changes, E. D. Gill is now replaced by: Professor D. Hopley, Department of Geography, James Cook University of North Queensland P.O. James Cook, Townsville Qld 4811.

4

PROJECT TO COMBAT EARTHQUAKE RISKS IN BALKANS GETS UNDER WAY The recent catastrophic earthquake in the Republic of Montenegra, Yugoslavia, resulted in damage estimated at several billions of U.S. dollars, accompanied by the complete breakdown of most economic This activities for a significant period of time. earthquake has shown that seismic hazard plays one of the of development the in roles the most important countries concerned, and if not appropriately taken account of in the planning, design and construction could create even more serious impacts on the national economy in the future.

In the light of the fact that the many stron~ and destructive earthquakes have taken and will undoubtedly take place in the Balkans, due attention should be paid to research related to seismic zones in which no dramatic events were recorded in the last 30-50 years, but their occurrence in the near future is very probIn these zones particular attention should be able. paid to earthquake risk reduction, especially with regard to existing buildings and constructions.

A $1,500,000, three-year project to reduce loss of life and damage from earthquakes in the Balkan region began in mid-September with the meeting of a five-country co-ordination committee in Istanbul, The countries involved are Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey.

Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia.

The project, financed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), will assist governments in establishing a regional network of seismic observation stations linked by a computerized communication system for rapid In addition, it is data transmission and analysis. designed to encourage regional co-operation in research and training in the fields of seismology and earthquake engineering, and to help develop the basis for physical planning and building in order to reduce damage from future earthquakes.

The new project is designed as a regional project to satisfy simultaneously the long-term needs of the whole region and the immediate needs of the S.R. of Montenegro, whose economic development has been drastically set back by the recent catastrophic earthquake.

In the new project, initial activities will be concentrated in Montenegro during the first year, but Due to the will be largely decentralized afterwards. wide scope of the project, each participating institution will have . the opportunity to take the leadership in a specific field, according to its degree of expertise, for the benefit of the whole network of A coordinating committee, assisted by institutions. a c·hief technical adv iser and international consultants, when required, will ensure the smooth distribution and supervision of the project activities among the participating institutions.

5

Recognizing that achievement of the long-term objectives will require more time and considerably ~ore funds, both national and international, the project seeks to accomplish a number of more limited immediate objectives by the end of 1982.

These concern the evaluation of seismic hazards, assessment of the vulnerability of structures, methodology of applying seismic risk criteria to physical planning and building, earthquake-resistant design methods, education and public information for disaster preparedness, research on earthquake prediction and improvement in equipment for monitoring, recording and processing earthquake data in the participating countries.

Co-operation in the field of seismology in the Balkan region has been promoted by Unesco for a long time.

With UNDP financing, a survey of seismicity in the region was undertaken from 1970 to 1976, involving the same five countries.

Albania also participated in some of the activities.

This project strengthened and improved the existing national networks of seismological stations and prepared seismic hazard maps on a regional scale.

Even before that, however, following the catastrophic earthquake in Skopje in 1963, a UNDP project helped establish the Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering in that city.

Similarly, following the 1977 earthquake in Vrancea, assistance was given to Romania in the form of $800,000 worth of equipment from the National Centre of Earthquake Engineering and the national seismological network.

In 1979, the disastrous earthquake which hit Montenegro led to a demand for immediate aid followed by urgent measures to enable re-building to take place in such a way as to reduce risks from future tremors to a minimum.

Unesco Director-General Amadou Mahtar M'Bow visited the damaged areas and sent three experts to Montenegro to make recommendations for the safe reconstruction of the country.

Later the Unesco Executive Board asked the Director-General to examine, in consultation with the member states concerned, the possibility of creating a regional network of seismic observations stations and the present project is a step forward toward this end.

Unesco points out the national character of the project: 1.

Operational projects, benefiting from Unesco assistance,are national projects and it is up to the beneficiary countries to assume responsibility for directing the project as well as ensuring its proper implementation.

2.

The national authorities will also be responsible for the utilization of equipment including supplies and vehicles, as far as the activities defined in the project document are concerned. (continued on bottom of page 12)

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON LATERITISATIO N PROCESSES This meeting, the first major activity of the IGCP Project 129 Laterites and Lateritisatio n Processes,was held in Trivandrum, in southern India, on Trivandrum is the capital of llth-14th December 1979. the state of Kerala, where laterite was first described The seminar and named by Francis Buchanan in 1800. was attended by some 230 delegates, about 60 being from outside India (including 7 Australians but no U.S. There were 45 papers - with a representativ es!)

Many further 75 papers available as abstracts only. papers dealt with largely descriptive aspects of various lateritic deposits (especially bauxites), with, perhaps, rather too much emphasis and reliance on depth functions, often of only one or two profiles there being a tendency to present these as the goal of geochemical investigation s, rather than just the beginning.

There were a number of most interesting papers on topics as diverse as nomenclature, micromorpholo gy, mineralogy, geochemistry, distribution, genesis, lateritic mineral deposits, analysis, mineral exploraSome partion in lateritic terrain and agriculture. ticularly interesting papers included those by Melfi, Trescases and de Oliveira (Nickeliferou s laterites in Brazil), Schmidt-Loren z (Lateritizatio n alias plinthitizati on, a main process in soil formation), Chukrov (On transformatio n of iron oxides in chemogenic eluvium) and Aleva (Bauxitic and other duricrusts It is hoped to publish the on the Guyana Shield).

Proceedings by the end of 1980.

The thorny topic of nomenclature was largely those who arrived with evaded in the formal sessions; clea-r convictions as to what 'lateri tes' are remained unmoved and the rest became, if anything, more confused.

However, a small working group was formed, led by Dr. w. Schellman (Federal Geosciences Institute, Hanover) in an attempt to propose some acceptable definitions.

Dr. Schellman's own definition is, approximately "Laterites are rocks that are products of intense subaerial weathering, the Fe- and/or Al-contents of which are greater than in merely kaolinized parent rocks.

They consist predominantly of kaolinite, goethite, hematite, gibbsite and quartz : " There were three excursions associated with the All were excellently organized and particiseminar.

The pants found them both enjoyable and interesting. pre-session excursions visited (1) bauxites and nickel laterites on the east coast, including Galiconda and Sukinda, and (2) laterites and bauxites in Tamil Nadu, at altitudes ranging from 30m near Madras to over In the latter, the 2200m in the Western Ghats.

)

bauxite s are preserved as cappings on precipitously sided hills, approached by somewhat nerve-racking roads.

It was demonstrated that Indian drivers, aided by small shrines and incense burning on the d~shboard and a hand constantly on the horn, can j udge distances to the nearest millimetre, even at midnight when confronted by buses or trucks on hairpin bends with torrential rain, l andslips and visibility of less t han l0m adding to the problems!

The post-session excursion ' visited t he l ow- l evel laterites of Kerala, including the type area of Angadipuram.

Here, the Geological Survey o f India have erected a national Geological Monument for Laterite, the opening ceremony of which was attended by participants on the excursion.

It was unfortunate that there could not have been greater Australian participation at the meeting, for on many topics, Australian experience has great relevance to problems caused by laterites in many countries of the Third World.

Australia is, after all, one of the few 'developed' countries where lateritic terrains are extensive.

The next Seminar is to be held i~ Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1981. . C. R. M. Butt Australian Correspondent: IGCP Project 129.

ABSTRACTS OF UNPUBLISHED THESES The Federal Executive has recently deci ded against publishing the propo sed G.S.A. compi l a tion of theses' abstracts.

This service {s covered by the "AESIS Quarterly" published by the Austra l ian Mineral ,Foundation in Adelaide and all Society members are encouraged to make full use of the AESIS facilities.

AESIS (Australian Earth Sciences Information Service) was developed by the A.M.F., with the cooperation of the B.M.R., state Geolo g i cal Surveys and many other organisations, to cover a l l Australian-generated published and unpubl i shed material over the full range of earth sciences.

Earth Science workers and organisations in Australia are encouraged to register all mater i al with AESIS. For unpublished works (such as theses ) this may be done on the "Data Transmission Sheets" a copy of which is enclosed with each quarterly issue.

AESIS is also ·available for retrospective computer searches through the A.M.F. For further information contact: Manager, Information Services, Australian Mineral Foundation, ' P.O. Box 97, GLENSIDE ~ South Australia 5065.

Telephone: Telex:

Adelaide (08) 79 7821 AA82520

PETROLEUM EXPLORATION SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN DISTINGUISHED LECTURER 1980 Dr. Phillip E. Playford, an active member of the Geological Society of Australia, has been appointed the 1980 PESA Australian Distinguished Lecturer.

He will make a tour of all mainland states during October to give his distinguished lecture.

Dr. Playford's lecture title is: "Reefs and reef-building organisms through time" In this two-hour lecture, Dr. Playford will trace the development of reefs and reef-building organisms from Precambrian to Holocene times, with particular reference to the classic ancient reefs in Western Australia, Canada, Michigan, West Texas and New Mexico.

He will compare these ancient reefs with modern coral reefs.

His discussion will include the petroleum and base metal prospects of the Western Australian Devonian barrier-reef complex.

Details of the lecture series are:City

Date

Adelaide

7th October

Time 3.30 p.m.

Venue Australian Mineral Foundation, Conyngham Street, Frewville, S.A. 5063.

Melbourne

8th October *10. 00 a.m.

To be arranged

Sydney

13th October

*4. 00 p.m.

To be arranged

Brisbane

15th October

3.00 p.m.

AAR Board Room, 23rd Floor, AMP Centre, 10 Eagle St., Brisbane 4000.

Perth

23rd October

5.00 p.m.

Miss Maud Reception Centre, 65 Murray Street, Perth 6000.

Note

* tentative

For further details, please contact the local PESA Representative: Adelaide Melbourne Sydney Brisbane Perth

Stephen Keenihan Jenny Taylor Greg Thomas Lester Brown Doug Lyons

(08) 272 63 236 (07) 379 (09) 325 (03) (02)

5544 4535 2911 8426 8600

This is the second in the PESA sponsored distinguished lecture series.

Dr. P. R. Evans, as the PESA 1979 Australian Distinguished Lecturer, spoke on "Australia's geology and petroleum potential in perspective". ~11 GSA members are cordially invited to attend.

CSIRO Division of Mineralogy, North Ryde, N.S.W. A collection of unpublished Investigation Reports by Division of Mineralogy staff is available for general inspection at the North Ryde laboratory of CSIRO Institute of Earth Resources. ·rt consists mainly of progress reports for projects undertaken since 1971 on various exploration methods and mineral deposits in eastern and northern Australia.

These were initially prepared for restricted circulation, but many contain data unlikely to be published elsewhere.

A catalogue may be obtained by writing to the undersigned: R. A. Binns, Assistant Chief, CSIRO Division of Mineralogy, P.O. Box 136, North Ryde, NS~ 2113.

SCHOOL OF APPLIED GEOLOGY - UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES PUBLIC LECTURE The second J. J. Frankel Memorial Lecture will be delivered by KIM WRIGHT, Exploration Manager, Geopeko.

Title:

GEOLOGICAL ORE SEARCH - THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS

Time:

5. 30 p.m.,

Place:

Lecture Theatre Ll, Applied Science Building (Lower Campus), Kensington.

Dinner:

The lecture will be followed by a Smorgasbord Dinner at the Senior Common Room Club.

The cost, exclusive of drinks, will be $10 per person.

Those wishing to attend the dinner should send their names along with the payment to the Administrative Officer, School of Applied Geology, University of New South Wales, Box 1, Kensington 2033,

by Monday, 6th October, 1980.

Thursday,

16th October 1980.

JUNKETS & JELLIES - FORTHCOMING MEETINGS ETC. 1980 November 8-9:

Coal, Tin, Surficial Deposits and Geology of Venue: Launceston, Tasmania.

Northeast Tasmania.

Sponsors:

Geological Society of Australia Inc. , (Tasmania Division) Specialist Group in Economic Geology Coal Geology Group

Mr. C. R. Calver, Geological Survey, .GPO Box 124B, Hobart 7001, Tasmania.

November 12-12:

Stress & Seismicity in Eastern Australia Geological & Engineering Significance.

J. R. L. Reid, c/o M & MBW, Eng. Geol. Section, 331-333 Burke Rd., Gardinar, Victoria 3146.

November 24-28:

Technology for Development.

Institution of Engineers Aust., 11 National Circuit, Barton, ACT 2600.

November 26-30:

Cainozoic Evolution of Continental South-East Australia.

Dr. G. Taylor, School of Applied Science, Canberra College of Advanced Education, P. 0. Box 1, Belconnen, ACT 2616.

10

December 1-2:

Australasian Sedimentologists ' Group.

Dr. M. C . Brown , Canberra CAE (address above) .

December 1-5:

Problems & Practice of Dam Engineering.

Bangkok , Thailand .

Prof . A. S. Bal a subramaniam , Di vision of Geotechnical & Transportation Engineer i ng , Asian Institut e of Technology , P . O. Box 2754 , Bangkok , Thailand .

1981 February 8 - 13 :

Cl imat i c change of Australia and New Zea l a n d Late Quaternary . fa ll s Creek , Victoria .

Sec. Climanz , Dept . Biogeography & Geomorpho l ogy , A.N . U. , Canberra , A.C . T. 2600 .

GEOCHIM 1981.

4th Postgraduate Training Course in Geochemi cal Prospecting.

GEOCHIM CSSR UNESCO 1 981 , Po st Graduate Training Center for Geochemi cal Prospect i ng.

Geological Su rvey Pra gue , Mal o s transke nam. 19 , 118 21 Pr aha 1 , Czechoslovakia.

May 11- 15:

51st ANZMS . ' Energy & Equity ' Secti on 3 Secretary , c/o Dept . Appl ied Geo l ogy, Qld . Institute of Technology , GPO Box 2434 , Brisbane, Qld . 4001.

May - June:

Strip Mi ning - 45 m & beyond. (Aust. I .M.M . ) Rockhampton of Mackay .

T. Kuzman , Thiess Bros . Pty. Ltd ., Private Mai l Bag , Bl ackwater, Ql d . 4728.

June 1981:

Internat. Conference on Appl i ed Mineralogy in the Mineral Industry .

Johannesburg , S . Africa .

Secretary , ICAM , Pr i vate Bag X3015, Randburg 2125, South Afr i ca .

J\lly 6 - 11:

Geocongress .

CSIR Preto r ia, S. Africa.

Geodynami cs Symposi um, P l atinum Symposium.

Secretariat, S . 217 CSIR , P.O . Box 395 , 0001 Pr etoria.

Republic of South Africa .

July 1 9- 24:

Aust. I.M.M. Annua l Conference , Sydney.

Au g ust 1 7- 21 :

5TH AUSTRALIAN GEOLOGICAL CONVENTION SEDI MENTS THROUGH THE AGE S Perth, W.A. Convention Sec.: c/o Woodside Petroleum, Box Dl88 GPO , Perth , W.A . 6001.

August 23 - 29:

13th International Bo tanical Congress, Sydney.

Aust . Acad. of Sc i ence , P.O . Box 783 , Canberra, A.C.T . 2601.

via Robert L . Bates (Geotimes) & P . T . St oker, Mt . Isa from The Australian on s eismic prospecting: then comes the shooter who detonates the charge and the recording vehicle!

11

EDGEWORTH DAVID SOCIETY DISTINGUISHED LECTURE - 1980 On the 18th July Emeritus Professor S. w: Carey initiated the first Edgeworth David Society Distinguished Lecture Series to a responsive audience of some 120 who heard him dwell awhile on the subject The Lecture provided "My life as a geologist". some interesting insights into the upbringing and early training which led to a high degree of selfdiscipline which was to serve him so well in his The Lecture was held academic and wartime careers. in conjunction with the NSW Division of the G~ological Society of Australia.

Afterwards the Edgeworth David Society held its annual dinner at the Union where a gastronomically replete gathering was treated to some of the lesserknown aspects of Professor Carey's life and exploits in an excellent after-dinner speech by Alan Voisey.

The Lecture and Dinner provided an opportunity for a wide cross-section of graduates, staff and The Edgeworth David students to meet together.

Society aims to promote contact between graduates and the undergrailuate body and to assist the students to gain a better knowledge of the in~ustry side of the profession.

For its next activity the Society has arranged a field visit for senior undergraduates to experience Organizations some on-site coal drilling operations. co-operating with the Society are Price Anderson Pty .

Ltd., and The Joint Coal Board.

Balkan Earthquake risk Cont inued from Page 6 .

Consequentl y , the international specialists will 3. carry out their mission under the guidance of the Coordinating Committee.

The specialists are placed under the authority of 4. the Director-General of the Organization, and are responsible to him for the manner in which the y carry out their functions.

A Chief Technical Adviser and Specialist in Engineering Seismology (English speaking) is now being sought, to be located in Titograd, S.R. Monetenegro, Anyon~ interested should Yugoslav ia for 12 months. contact the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, P.O. Box 826, Woden, A.C.T. 2606, telephone Canberra 89 7078.

Azores Islands

Shaken By Violent Protest D elgda , Pont a June 8:

Azo re,

The Portuguese Azores Isla nd s were shaken Tues day by vioknt demo nstration s and a strik e that interrupted int ernal a ,1d int ernat io nal airline link s, says AP. A weok earthquake also oce ured but no damage was repmted

Nepal Times courtesy David Jordan (Cooma).

12

LAMONT

YOUNG

CENTENARY

On October 10th 1880, Lamont Young, a geologist with the N.S.W. Department of Mines, his · field ass i stant Max Schneider and three Bermagui locals, Messrs Casey, Towers and Lloyd, disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

A

small boat in whi ch they were known to be tr11velling was found holed on the beach in a small cove, now known as Mystery Bay, south of Na r o oma.

Despite extensive in-

vestigations their disappearance has never been satisfactorily explained but the evidence would suggest foul play.

To commemorate the disappearance it is proposed to sta ge a "centenary we ekend" on the 11 th and '12th October this ye a r, in the Narooma a rea.

At this late stDge the

"weekend" will be a low key a ff a ir i nvolving a b a rbecue (or cold meat8 if fire ba ns are on) on :::aturday night (11th ) fl t, or neflr, Mystery Bc1 y.

Gilliga n ( N. S .14. Geolo e-ical Survey

Contact Lindsay 240 4196) if anyone

wa nts a plensant weekend a way down the South Coast.

AUSTRALIAN GEOMECHANICS SOCIETY - VICTORIA GROUP GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA - VICTORIA DIVISION/ENG . GEOL . SP . GRP) SEMINAR on STRESS AND SEISMICITY IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA - GEOLOGICAL AND ENGINEERING SIGNIFICANCE. WEDNESDAY, 1 2 NOVEMBER 198 0 , at Clunies Ross House, 191 Royal Pde., Parkville , 10.3- a.m . - 6 . 00 p . m.

COST:

Member of LE.Aust., Aus.I.M.M. , A.G.S., or G. S .A. Non - members (lunch and refreshment are in c luded)

-

$30 $35

The seminar will be divided into 3 sessions to provide an outline of Quaternary and Recent stress and seismicity in Eastern Australia , a rev iew of the effects of stress and seismici ty on engineering structures and a floor discussion on the requirements a nd recommendations.

The seminar will be addressed by a number of eminent speakers in the field and Professor D. Stapledon will prov i d e a c oncluding summary.

Further details may be obtained from the Secretary , Institution of Engineers, Australia, Victoria Division, 191 Roy al Parade, Parkville, Vic tori a 305 2 .

Te lephon e : (0 3 ) 34 7-1088 .

13

OBITUARY - OWEN ARTHUR JONES Owen Arthur Jones, former Reader in Geology at the University of Queensland, died on July 21, 1980.

Owen Jones graduated with Honours in Geology from the His early geological same university in 1926 . interests were in Palaeozoic corals, which he studied In the 1930's he worked on at Cambridge University. his own account as a consultant, mainly on economic in contact with the kept mineral deposits, but University of Queensland, and in the early 1940's he joined the Staff of the Geology Department and for a Shortly before Professor time taught palaeontology .

Richards' death in 1947, Owen Jones took over the teaching of economic geology, which he continued until About the beginning of this his retirement in 1969. period Dr. Jones was awarded the D.Sc. degree for his Queensland. in studies of ore genesis Dr. Jones followed his father's interests in the sea, and in taking an active part in the Great Barrier Reef Committee - he was Treasurer 1942-55 and Chairman During this time he spent much time and 1956-67. effort in furthering the development of the Heron Island Research Station, for which he was instrumental in obtaining a substantial Rockefeller Grant.

Another interest which took up Dr. Jones' time was the University of Queensland Seismologica l Station, of which he was Director for many years, taking over from Professor Bryan in 1953.

During this latter period Dr. Jones took a keen interest in regional and local geology, producing 'The Geological History of Queensland, a Stratigraphical Outline', and a series of papers on Brisbane geology with Professor Bryan.

His interest in the Department of Geology and Mineralogy and in the Great Barrier Reef did not wane after his retirement and he remained a firm friend of He will probably be best both staff and students. known internationa lly for the four volumes on Barrier Reef Biology and Geology which he edited with Robert Endean, during the later years of his retirement.

(N. C. Stevens) OBITUARY - ANNIE VERA MATTERS Mis s Matters will be remembered by many of the more senior members of the geological profession, particularly those from New South Wales.

For thirty years (1929-1959) she served as ClerkLibrarian in the Geological Survey of New South Wales.

In this position, for practically the whole period, she alone performed all the typing, library and clerical duties for the Survey.

As a dedicated public servant she was at all times Her attributes are helpful, gracious and diplomatic. well remembered by those who had the honour of working At the age of eighteen she commenced work with her. in the Department of Public Health on 13th October 1915, and then after two year s she transferred to the Forestry Commission where she spent 12 years· before joining the Geological Survey.

After her retirement in April 1959 she lived a healthy, full and happy life at Avalon where she devoted herself to her garden and its numerous bird population, the Red Cross and her friends and relatives.

She died on 26th August 1980 after a very brief illness.

(C. L. Adamson ) 14

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF GEOSCIENTISTS G. P.O. BOX 4883, SYDNEY 2001

Memorandum and Ar ticles of Association A final draft of the Memorandum and Articles of Association has been received from our solicitor~.

The draft is being examined by members of the Provi After approval it will be sent to sional Committee. the Corporate Affairs Commission with an application for registration.

State Mining Acts and Exploration Because of the importance of mineral exploration and development to our profession and some proposed more restrictive amendments t@ the N. S.W. Mining Act, the Committee decided to conduct a survey among mineral exploration companies to find out what they thought of the various State Mining Acts and the administration of them.

Replies were received from 24 mineral exploration companies employing a total of 300 geoscientists. Nine questions relating to the Mining Act s and their adminiNot all companies had operated stration were asked. in all States in the last five years , but the greatest number of companies operated in New South Wales and Queensland with 19 and 18 companiei operating respecVictoria was the least active state with nine tively.

Queensland rated the highest in companies operating.

New South Wales rated the responses to the questions.

The se results lowest. second Victoria with lowest, For t he other States and the Northern were clear cut.

Territory the results varied from question to question.

Generally the results showed a rating of good to average.

A detailed analysis of the results is available on request and may be published later.

Future activities Initiation of other activities prior to forma l launching of the Institute is under discussion.

c. L. Adamson Chairman - Provisiqnal Committee STATE CONTRACTS CONTROL BOARD TENDER NO. 1181 - CONTRACT FOR INDEXING OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS. Further information may be obtained by contacting Miss H. Basden, Department of Mineral Resource s and Development, 8-18 Bent Street, Syd ney.

240-4337.

Telephone: Tenders close not later than 9.30 a.m. on 14th October, 1980.

WARNING:

No late tenders will be considered.

' Geotimes ' . :.:.ease note The Society ' s office (Business Manager : Laurel Tuckwell) is at: Challi s House ( 10th Floor) 10 Martin Plac e Phone (02) 231 4696 2000 Sydney

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Star Wars geology?

The latest in modern geological symbolism comes to us from Doklady Akad. Nauk SSR , via Warta Geologi (Malaysia) via George Gibbons (N.S.W.I.T.).

Warta Geologi presented it as a puzzle entitled 'Wha~ This?'

WJ1 [wz

8:DJ [Z84 ~5

0[]6 ~7

@@JI ~9

E2Jt0 ~II ~12 ~I.J

[Z:]14

cz:s,,

Q:]16 ~17

[2]•8

From Fig . 1 of Patoka, M. G. & Uspensky , V. S . (1977) "Silicic subalkalic - alkalic rocks of central Kamchatka", Doklady Akad.

Nauk SSR , vol . 233 , 114 - 116.

Caption Fig . 1 reads : Structural geologic sketch map of the Pay al pan volcano- tectonic structure.

Pal volcanoes and their fragments: 1) lower Pleistocene, mostly basalt ; 2) upper MiocenePleistocene, mostly andesite; 3) upper Miocene-middle Pleistocene , mostly basalt; 4) upper Miocene - Pliocene, mostly andesite ; 5) middle Pleistocene-Holocene, Icha volcano; 6) centers of paleovolcanoes , necks.

Extrusive bodies : 7) alkalic rhyoli te and alkalic quartz trachyte ; 8) quartz latite; 9) rhyolite and dacite ; 10) sheet of alkalic quartz trachyte.

Old volcanic complexes: 11) early and middle Miocene; 12) Late Cretaceous ; 13) PaleogeneNeogene marine sediments .

Tectonic boundaries: 14) Payalpan volcano - tectonic structure; 15) volcanotectonic ring basins; 16) individual paleovolcanoes; 17) caldera scarps: 18) other faults.

Now it's time to give the Dinosaurs a spell Below is part of a publicity brochure from a Victorian Display.

It is to be hoped the reconstructions are more accurate than the brochure.

You'll meet huge Brontosauraus nearly 20 metres long.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Ctyrant Lizard, Largest carnivorous animal that ever lived.

Stegosurus, an armour plated dinosaur.

Triceatops, the 'three horns' dinosaur and many more.

FOSSIL 480 YEARS OLD AAP. TOKYO

AN animal plankton fossil, believed to be the oldest fo1md in Japan, has been discovered on the Jfirla Mountain in Central ·Japan.

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