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REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST - PUBLICATION No. NBGO872

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Newsletter No. 36

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[ 3cd Octobec, 1981

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Newsletter Editor: D. F. Branagan Dep t Geology/Geop h y sic s University of Sydne y , N.S.W. 2006 p hone : (0 2 ) 69 2 2 3 58 or 69 2 2912

Secre tary : Dr . R . E . Smith CSIRO Divi s ion of Mi n e r alogy Pri v ate Mail Bag P . O. Wemble y W. A. 6014

THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE(S) Another successful Convention has passed and you have a new Ex ecutive.

At such times, Presidents tend to become reflective or prophetic depending on whether the hard work is ending or beginning .

Colin Branch has reason to feel at peace with the world, and it remains for me to attempt to carry on the high standards of serv ice and leadership of pre v ious Presidents.

Before attempting to make my peace, I want to fire a few shots.

Over the last five or so y ears, we have seen new initiativ es that should strengthen and di v ersify our society.

We are now directly involved in a mu l titude of advisory activit i es that l ie out side t he tradi ti onal field of a learned society.

Clearly we are evolving a "geopolitical" role, and all members should recognise and accept this.

The Society would slowly die of the "royal society s y ndrome" if it remained solely occupied with being a classical learned society .

The Society is now o ver 25 y ears old, and what will the ne x t quarter of a century bring?

An appealing scenario is a society that attracts the great majority of geologists in the nation, with a substantial paid secre tariate encompassing e ditors and executive officers, housed in our own buiiding, producing a range of publications that are eagerly read by members and internationa l subscribers, and successfully promoting the earth sciences throughout_ the community .

I believe these goals are attainable in the long term and that steps hav e al r eady been taken that may well lead in that d irection.

There is a feeling howe v er that the Journal, which is central to our whole o r ganisation, has not participated in the e v olutionary process.

To further develop o u r society , it is now time to be introspective , and wo r k on two rel a ted factors, membershi p and the Journal.

I hav e an uncomfortable feeling that onl y about 30 % of geologists in Australia are members of the Soci e ty and onl y about 20 % of members seriously read the Journa l .

The non-participants are mainly from industry who retire if their needs are not serviced.

I know from a long and close liaison with industry geologists that the y ha v e an insatiable appetite f or geological knowledge.

They respond enthusiastically to our conv entions, s ymposia, f ield e x cursion s, and Di vi sional me e tings if the subj e ct is rele v ant to the i r interests, and i f the medium of commun ication is good.

They rep r es en t a huge untapped resour ce which we must attract .

Ov er half o f t he r egistrants f or the Perth Conv ention were not members of th e Society !

If my fears on the readability of the Journal are correct, then it seems that despite the e x c e llence of its scientific and editorial standards, the Journal is our least successful medium of communication and is not an inducement to join the Society .

The Journal needs 2

Conc l uded bottom of page 4

The Australian Geologist Newsletter No. 36.

3rd October 1981 EDITORIAL

Dennis Gee, in his first Presidential Page (opposite) comments on the presence of large numbers of geologists at our very successful convention in Perth who were not members of the Society.

In Tasmania's most recent newsletter Peter Baillie has had occasion to defend the local committee's activities in the past few years from a former West Coast (Tas.) member who resigned recently, accusing the Society (inter alia) of 'only looking after the interests of citybased academics and Geological Survey members.'

Looking through t he records of the Divisions and Specialist Groups this accusation doesn't have a lot of support, but it is clear that there have been ups and downs in the activities of the sub-sections of the Society, depending largely on the enthusiastic efforts of a particular committee, secretary, chairman or whatever.

With the disbanding of the Professional & Legislation committee, Registration and the establishment o f the Austra l ian Institute of Geoscientists, the Society can direct its attention to other areas.

It is ready to play an active role in the Australian Geoscience Council, which may prove influential in the direction which geology takes in this next decade or two.

The Society is already lending support to new moves in geological education, through the Academy of Science Geology te xt book for Secondary Schools, a sample of which was on display at the Perth Convention.

However the need for education on geology extends down into the primary levels at school and outwards into the general community.

We did get some newspaper coverage at the Perth Convention, thanks to local effort, but perhaps we could have made a bit more of some of the economic aspects of geology which were discussed.

Interest in the 'Life on Earth' programme currently being repeated on television, shows that there is a market for well-produced material on geological matters, an idea that was aired about the time of the Sydney I.G.C. but which nose-dived rapidly.

However, from the attendances at Perth it is clear that many geologists feel the need to up-date their knowledge quite frequently.

It seems there is a market for good review articles, booklets and special conference publications.

Although they may be somewhat less academic than our journal, geologists seem to want them and probably need them.

In our review of the Society's publications we need to consider such a series, planned for a reasonable period ahead.

Such publications may well induce the reluctant geologists of Australia to join the Society.

A larger Society would provide us with the financial backing to provide more services.

I can only echo Dennis Gee's words from his article.

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continued P. 4.

Letter to the Editor Sir: We note with interest the item by the editor of the Journal of the Geological Society of Australia (Australian Geologist No. 35, p.6), concerning the abbreviations of periodical titles to be used in the journal.

We vould point out that there are several problems inherent in following the abbreviations in the Bibliography and Index of Geology; this list does not include many Journals with limited circulations, and, of course, omits any journal no longer in publication.

A more sensible course of action would be to use the abbreviations of British Standard Specification 4148 (1975; The abbreviation of titles of periodicals, Part 2: Word-abbreviation list; 71 pp).

This list gives abbreviations for individual words rather than whole titles, so you construct for yourself an abbreviation for any journal title.

However, is it necessary to use abbreviations at all?

It would save endless confusion and hair-pulling to do away with journal abbreviations altogether and give complete journal names in reference lists; Publications of the Geological Survey of Queensland and BMR Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics do this already.

Only a small amount of extra printing is necessary, and the resultant ease of comprehension more than compensates for this.

Foreign journals are often difficult to decipher from their abbreviations whatever system is followed.

The use of complete journal names could easily be introduced in all Austral ian geological journals, and we would urge editors to give serious consideration to this proposal.

John Webb Neil Archbold University of Melbourne Editorial from Page 3

It reraains for me to welcome Dennis, Secretary Ray Smith, Treasurer Kris Sappal and the other members of the Committee.

I am sure the next couple of year s under their leadership will be as stimulating as the past few have been.

Pre sident 's Page from Pa ge 2

readers just as much as it needs writers.

The Executive has been directed to look again at the Journal and the first question we must ask is what are we aiming for - a scientific journal of excellence with international appeal; a repository for individual studies; or a medium to keep Australian geologists informed of current developments in the earth sciences?

I have my doubts whether strength can be built on scientific excellence alone, and suggest we need more •pot-boilers" directed at the hungry masses.

This is the main issue that confronts the new executive, and we want your input as we formulate proposals.

Another issue we need to tackle is how to handle profits (or losses) from conventions and symposia?

Dennis Gee 4.

RELEVANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN GEOLOGY PRESIDENTIAL

ADDRESS

PRESENTED AT THE FIFTH AUSTRALIAN GEOLOGICAL CONVENTlON PERTH, 17TH AUGUST 1981 DR. COLIN D. BRANCH At the start of this, the Fifth Australian Geological Convention, you, like myself, have come to the Convention looking forward to its program as an important stimulus to reassess, renew and increase our enthusiasm and profesA perusal of the program sional abilities as geologists. shows that the Convention organisers arranged around the theme of "Sediments through the Age s" a challenging Within our program of highly relevant geological papers. peer group, we readily understand the relevance of the geological concepts that will be discussed, and intuitively acknowledge the personal sense of responsibility exhibited by each author: but today I wish to expand our conceptual horizons and further examine the themes of relevance and responsibility in geology as they impact on society generally.

Let us first consider "relevance" in geology.

It would appear from the numerous advertisements for geologists currently appearing in the daily press that those controlling the mineral and energy industries are aware that to ensure the ongoing viability of their operations they must recruit the skills unique to those For these chiefs of industry, trained in geology. geology is relevant.

But is the relevance of geology recognised outside our professional sphere; and if it is not recognised, what are the consequences?

I am reminded of some remarks made at the opening of the 25th International Geological Congress in Sydney by the then Governor-General of Australia , Sir John Kerr: "I detect in your program some emphasis on pure science, there does not seem on the face of the program to be a lot of time devoted to the economic, political and social aspects of what your science is This is revealing about the nature of the world. understandable but you are without doubt interested in the economic, political and social matters raised by geology and will discuss them." and later "Geologists live in a real human world ..... it has surprised me a little to see how infrequently the It may word 'resources' is used in your program. be that you have some other more technical words 'resources' means which mean the same as the word to me."

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In many way s these comments reflect the general attitude of the public to many o f our achie v ements.

In the f ace of such an attitude, what do we as geologists e x pect will be the response of the people of Perth to the topics discussed at this Convention? Will they be aware that many of the conclusions reached in the papers will ha v e considerable impact on present and future mineral and energy exploration programs : e x ploration programs that will be needed to discover the resources required by mankind to replace those being consumed now?

May I ask a more personal question : are y ou fully aware of the potential consequences of the inv estigations and research you carry out as professional geologists?

I would venture to say that many of us here today are concerned only with the successful outcome of our current research, without being aware of the broader implications for society.

There is always an ongoing need for pure research .

But it must be recognised that much university and institute research is an outcome of problems perceived by industry , and that the majority of geology graduate s will work in industry .

Hence the emphasis is on applied research, o r as the ASTEC report on the Bureau of Mineral Resources· described it: strategic mission - oriented research.

The importance of all types of research is emphasised by this statement by Parke Dickey, American e x plorationist, author and lecturer: "We usually find oil in places with old ideas.

Sometimes, also, we find oil in an old place with a new idea, but we seldom find much oil in an old place with an old idea.

Several times in the past we have thought that we were running out of oil, whereas actually we were onl y running out of ideas."

In contrast to this approach a phy sics lecturer had a popular e xperiment to show that a piece of toast alway s fell with the buttered side down.

Year after year he flipped his slice o f buttered toast in front of his class and prov ed his hy pothesis.

One day , to his dismay, the toast fell with the buttered side up !

In consternation a committee was formed to examine the matter.

After five months' deliberation the committee announced their conclusion: the toast had been butte r ed on the wrong side!!

We may laugh at this concept of research, but might it not portray the v iew of the general public?

I wonder how much the decision b y the present Commonwealth government to reintroduce some university fees was in response to a general feeling in the voting population that the mone y prov ided by government, and ultimately the tax payer, for tertiary education was, in many cases, wasted: society did not appear to recoup from 6.

the activities of graduates the expenditur e provided for their education.

How accountabl e to society are graduates individua lly and collective ly?

In many cases I think it can be argued successfu lly that society is amply repaid (like the biblical master whose servant invested his talents wisely).

But generally society is unaware of this because graduates such as we, do not express our achieveme nts in a language which is readily understood .

The esoteric language of academia is a reality: moreover, it is often misleading ; like the syllogisti c argument propounded by Eugene Ionesco, in his play Rhinoceros : "There are more dead people than living.

And their numbers are increasing . The living are getting rarer."

This same author also made the delightful statement that: "Only the ephemeral is of lasting value."

He . obviously had never met a down-to-e arth geologist!

The point I wish to make here, is that we owe it to our profession and to society, continuall y to review our profession al objectives ; to examine their relevance; and to redirect our efforts wherever necessary.

Then we must express our concepts and concerns in a language which is of general appeal.

In truth we have been doing this.

We have been changing some of our profession al objectives in response to the needs of society as indicated by the increasing emphasis on the search for energy resources, and on environme ntal geology; but is society as aware of this as we are?

How can we attract the attention and interest of the general public?

First, we must recognise that effective communica tion involves both knowing, and letting others know, what we are doing.

Thus we should seize all opportunities to speak publicly in plain language about those issues of public concern which relate to principles of geology.

Where are our Harry Butler's of geology?

Rocks may not scamper across the landscape, but the story of the earth's evolution can be portrayed in a stimulating way if only we allow our personal enthusiasm to show through.

Second, we must recognise that effective participation involves ensuring that unambiguou s communication can occur.

Thus we must strongly support the Australian Academy of Science in its school geology project designed to produce an Australian High School text.

This project aims to prepare a course, whose first two objectives are: 1. To help individual students develop an understand ing of the materials of the earth and the processes which occur within it and on its surface, and an under standing of the earth's evolution.

Then, most importantly 2. To help all students understand the relevance of geology to man.

When we as a profession clearly demonstrate ttle relevance of geology and accept the responsibility for sharing this with all le v els of society, future generations will be competent to make intelligent social comment on matters related to the development and use of mineral, energy and I am pleased to say that many members of water resources. our Society have been invited to be authors for much of the and that through the activities of school geology tex t; our standing committee on geological education, geological excursion guides to accompany the te x t are being prepared in se v eral states.

Another outcome of the school geology project will be This to encourage more students to enter our profession . in the longer term will help overcome the present worldwide problem of insufficient graduates to meet industry's I for one would not be unhappy to see requirements . again a nominal surplus of geology graduates, because this situation encourages geologists to enter other walks of For life and hence influence those outside our clique. instance, if several geologists pursued political careers they could make a significant contribution to the development of our nation.

Let us now consider "responsibility " in geology.

Perhaps many of us might agree with Ambrose Bierce who, in his Dev il's Dictionary , defined responsibility as : " A detachable burden easil y shifted to the shoulders In of God, fate, f ortune, luck or one's neighbour . the da y s of astrology it was customary to unload it upon a star."

However , for the geological profession the principles of responsibility are enunciated in the code of ethics of the Geological Society of Australia, an d I am well aware that the v ast majority of our profession full y observ e the On tenets e x pressed in the five articles of the code. the other hand, I know that many geologists are also keen cricketers and those who followed the latest test series for the Ashes might be e x cused for thinking that "Ethics Nevertheless, I is a county cricket team in England". prefer to think of ethics in the terms of Immanuel Kant (who in the eighteenth century wrote): "In law a man is guilty when he v iolates the rights In ethics he is guilty i f he onl y of another. thinks of doing it."

A few geologists may wish to try and ignore the You will recall that implications of this definition. because of the unethical behav iour of a v ery small 8

minority of geologists in the late n i n eteen-sixties, it was Dr. Alec Trendall (now Director of the Geological Survey of Western Australia) who strongly lobbied through our Society for the formal registration of geologists.

For a variety of reasons this has never eventuated, but his initiative has led to the recent incorporation of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, which will augment the arrangements already in place between the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the Australian Stock Ex changes, to ensure that the investing public is protected from the effects of unethical behaviour.

But the principles of our ethical code are not restricted to the world of industry.

They reach into all aspects of our profession~l relationships, including academic, government and public circles.

We should always remember the words of Robert R. Gunn who, when he was President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, wrote: " ... ethical standards are crucial to the credibility of a professional, and without credibility the professional ceases to exist in any real sense.

Without credibility, a scientist ceases to be a scientist.

We must be able to believe without question in a scientist's word about his data, his interpretation of those data, and his methodology.

Once that credibility slips, once the public whether the lay man, the scientific community, or his employ er - doubts his professional ethics, his work mi ght just as well ne v er hav e been done.

Ethics and ethical standards are important to each of us in a v er y practical way .

Upholding those standards determines whether or not we can do our jobs, further our science, teach our y outh, and be allowed to lead the nation in critical times.

Ethics are an indi v idual obligation; the y are. also an indi v idual necessity."

As we now formally begin the business sessions of the Con v ention, I invite you to consider seriously how the knowledge y ou gain regarding "Sediments through the Ages" may be applied both in y our work place, and for the benefit of society.

Let us never forget that each one of us has an oblig ation to our profession and to our community to vigorously appl y r e le v ance and responsibility in geology.

9

Anthony M. Evans, 1980. An Introduction to Ore Geology.

(Geoscience texts; Vol. 2), Oxford, Blackwell 231 pp. + vi.

Scientific Publications.

Although of comparatively modest dimensions, this book is an efficiently organised "attempt to provide a textbook in ore geology for second and third year undergraduates which, in these days of inflation, could be retailed at a reaso~As such, it does not able price" (author's preface). essay comprehensive treatment of a complex part of geology and it is not difficult to think of omitted topics or topics that might have been discussed in more detail. One must be mindful, however, of the practical constraints and of the auther's comment that "(any) additions must be There is very little material balanced by subtractions". in this book that could justifiably be omitted.

Part I deals, The book is divided into three major parts. in 69 pages, ' with general principles, including a brief summary of fundamental terminology ("ore", "gangue " etc.) ; very basic economics; morphology of ore deposits; textures and structures; major theories of ore genesis; and concepts of dating; geothermometry, geobarometry; This section rapidly covers a great deal of metallogeny. ground, but it is clearly and concisely written, well illustrated and well (but not excessively) referenced.

Only the section of ore "textures" (microstructures) is references to texts such as those of Vernon or Spry weak; would be preferable to the older concepts of Edwards, but in general the treatment is suitable for its intended readers.

Part II is a review of major ore deposit types (120 pp.), classified on a broadly genetic basis and illustrated with examples that are well chosen, well described and adeThe wood is seldom quately referenced for further study. lost in the trees, and undergraduates should find no difficulty in absorbing a wide range of useful material.

Part III is a very brief (20 pp.) discussion of the distribution of mineralization in space and time, including a section on plate tectonics and the global distribution of This is undoubtedly the section that has ore deposits.

Good suffered most from the demands of condensation. students will be tantalised by brief references, with little or no explanation, to such topics as the confinement of gold-uranium conglomerates to the early Proterozoic, but perhaps they will thus be stimulated to read more widely and not to consider that they have "done" economic geology!

The book is attractively produced, and very reasonably priced (though possibly not as inexpensive as its author had hoped). There are few factual or t y pographical errors.

Despite a somewhat unbalanced emphasis on metalliferous ore deposits it is bound to be widely used - and not only by the 1 undergraduate students for whom it was written.

K. L. Williams 10

SOCIETY NEWS The Council Meeting held just before the Perth Convention must have been the shortest on record - a mere 4 hours.

Some snippets from the meeting follow.

The Australian Geoscience Council (first meeting held 11 Sept.) is looking first at educational requirements of ~ industry v. no. of available graduates, geological research in Australia.

The Society is represented on the Council

by Gerry Govett and Colin Branch.

The President Colin Branch represented the Society on the Committee to select a Director for the Bureau of Mineral Resources.

Membership has increased only slightly in the last three years; the Society needs to make a positive drive for members among young geologists.

The Society's finances are healthy and Treasurer Jim Jago indicated there was no need to increase subscriptions at present.

Capitation fees were increased to $3.50 per head to Divisions.

The Editorial Board nominated by Ron Vernon (editor) and including D. I. Groves, H. J. Harrington, M. H. Johnstone and W. V. Preiss (not previously listed) was approved.

The incoming Executive in conjunction with Hon. Editor and Editorial Board, is to review the publication policy of the Society.

If major changes are recommended a postal vote of Council members will be taken.

The lease of present accommodation (Challis House, Martin Place, Sydney ) is to be renewed till the end of 1984.

The Professional & Legislation Committee was dissolved.

Council carried unanimously a vote of appreciation to Col Adamson for the role he has played over the years as convener of this committee.

Proposed terms of reference of the Education Committee were accepted.

The Geological Monuments Committee is to investigate assisting the Education Committee in the preparation of field guidebooks.

The National Committee for Solid Earth Sciences of the Australian Academy of Science has been formed by the combination of several former committees of the Academy.

The Society is represented by the President.

This Committee controls the 25th International Geological Congress Fund.

It also has an interest in the newly established Mawson Lecture (of which the Inaugural Lecture was given at the Perth Convention by Bruce Runnegar).

The second will be given at the Fourth Antarctic Symposium (Adelaide, 1982).

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The Society, jointly with the Academy, is investigating the restructuring of a new National Committee for the IGCP, the present Committee being affected by cuts in government funding.

The School Geology Project is expected to be completed late in 1982.

The W. R. Browne medal is now to be awarded at each General Meeting of the Society - not yearly as formerly.

(This motion was opposed strongly at the Society's wellattended general meeting, but was ratified by a very small majority).

A motion to form a Standing Committee for Cainozoic Studies was lost in favour of a recommendation that consideration be given to forming a Specialist group.

The W. R. Browne medals for 1980 and 1981 were awarded to Emeritus Professor Dorothy Hill and Dr. Norman Dr. Fisher's medal was presented to him at H. Fisher.

Professor Hill was unable the Society's General meeting. to attend the conference due to illness and the medal was received on her behalf by Dr. Eric Heidecker.

The Stillwell award for 1979 was granted to Dr. P. R. Evans and Assoc. Professor J. Roberts for their paper 'Evolution of Southeastern Australia during the late Professor Roberts Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic'.

Professor accepted the award at the General Meeting.

Vernon commented that the next award would cover papers in the Journal for 1980-81 because of the rearrangements in publication which took place in 1980.

The Officers of the Society voted at the Council meeting were President, Dr. R. D. Gee, Vice-Presidents, Drs. C. D. Branch & M. J. Rickard, Hon. Editor, Prof.

R. H. Vernon, Hon. Secretary, Dr. R. E. Smith, Hon. Treasurer, Dr. K. K. Sappal, Hon. Admin. Officer, W. E. Foskett, Public Officer, Dr . M. J. Rickard, Hon. Editor of the Aust. Geologist, Prof. D. F. Branagan.

The Society is to put forward a proposal to sponsor (or co-sponsor jointly with the Academy) the 1986 International Sedimentological Congress.

Council voted (as did the General meeting) its appreciation of the work achieved on behalf of the Society by the outgoing Executive led by President Colin Branch, Secretary Bridget Youngs and Treasurer Jim Jago.

Abs tra cts f r om the 5 th Co nve nt io n , Perth, 1 98 1, $6 - 00 p oste d.

App l y Sydney Offi ce , Chal l is House , Sydney , 2000 .

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Field Geologist's Guide to Lithostratigraphic Nomenclature in Australia The Second Draft of the Field Geologist's Guide is now available for perusal by members of the Society, through the Convener of yout Divisional Subcommittee on Stratigraphic Nomenclature.

The Field Geologist's Guide has been prepared b y the Stratigraphic Nomenclature Committee to supplement the International Stratigraphic Guide ( I .S.G.), which is now the adopted standard for stratigraphic nomenclature in Australia.

The first is an Introduction.

It has nine chapters .

Chapters two to five are taken verbatim from the I.S.G., b y permission of the publishers John Wiley & Sons, and are entitled "Principles of stratigraphic classification", "Definitions and procedures", "Stratoty pes", and Chapter six "Lithostratigraphic units", res pectively . comprises twenty -one "Notes", which either amplify specific provisions of the I.S.G. or recommend dissent from it, in accordance with established Australian usage . Chapters seven and eight deal with the nomenclature of igneous rock units and metamorphic rock units, respecti v ely - subjects which are gi ven only scant treatment in the I.S.G. Chapter nine describes Australian administrati ve procedures for reser v in g , d efining and publishing stratigraph ic names.

The Second Dr a f t was prepared after consideration o f comments and suggestions received followi n g circulation Further comments are now of the First Draft in 1980.

Please forward y ours to the Con v ener of your invited.

Divisional Subcommittee on Stratigraphic Nomenclature before 30th November .

"Sh all ow Te t hys " - Proposed Confe r ence for J u ne 1 982 A conference is being organised at the Univers i ty of Padua , It seeks to b r ing together Ita l y , on the theme " Sha llow Tethys ". contr i b u tions from a var i ety of d isciplines in geology and bio l ogy which bear on cu r rent hypotheses regarding the nature of Tethys wedge shaped deep ocean wi th borderi ng she l ves or re l at i ve l y sha llow i n t erconti nenta l sea .

Pr o c eedings will be p ub l ished by the I ta l ian Pal aeo nto l ogi ca l Soc i ety which is sponsor ing the c o n f erence .

The co - organ i sers are : Professor G. Piccoli , Univers i ty of Those Padua ; and Dr. Ken McKenzie , River i na C . A . E ., Wagga Wagga . i nterested in presenting papers should contact the organisers as soon as possibl e .

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Australian Continental Re f lection Profiling (ACORP) Program A meeting was held on July 28th to plan a program of deep seismic reflection profiling similar to the successful Twent y geoscientists from'the COCORP program in the US. univer s ities, industry, BMR and CSIRO participated in the discussions, held in the Geo l ogy Building of the ANU. The agenda included a brief description of the US program, the planned Canadian program, BMR proposals and results, the propo s ed nat i onal program from the Centre for Geophysica l Explora t ion Resear c h at Macquarie University, and de s criptions of the field procedures used by COCORP in the US and b y Geophy sical Services Inc. (GSI) in Austr alia.

It was resolved to set up a nationa l commit t ee to se l ect areas for systematic s tudy and to press for funds for additional survey s by the BMR and commercial contractors.

A target of two mont h s per y ear was suggested, which would Results normally y ield about 500 kilometres of survey .

A research would be a v ailable at cost of reproducti on. is part data facility for reprocessing and mod elling these of Macquarie University 's proposal.

An interim steering committee was set up with the goals of invol v ing the geological communities in the project and forming a national committee to select sites.

The committee consists of Mr. John Denham (Hematite Petroleum), Dr. Dennis Gee (Geological Surv ey of Western Austra l ia), Dr. K. McCracken (CSIRO Mineral Physics), Professor R. Rutland (BMR) and Professor K. Vozoff Dr. John Moss (BMR ) is Secretary .

(Macquarie University ).

The first activity is to be a Workshop on Deep · Reflection, to which a COCORP representative will be invited.

K. Vozof f Co- Conve nor

1982 APEA CONFERENCE Thi s c o nfe r enc e will b e h e ld i n Sydney o n May 9 -1 2 , 1982 wi th t h e t heme : " Pe t ro l e um - Oppo r tuni t i es and Un certaint i e s".

Contact :

A. J . And rejewski s, Chairman - Techni cal Pa pe r s Committ ee , c/o A. 0 . G. Ltd ., G. P.O . Bo x 5 0 4 8 , Sydne y , N. S . W. 200 1.

Publ icati on s fr o m the wes t The Depar tment of Geol ogy , Un ive r s i ty of W. A . , produces an i nteresti n g and useful set of occasional p u b l icat i ons , mo s t be i ng re l a t ed to For detai l s wri te to applied geo l ogy (searc h for ore bod i es ) .

Univers i ty Extens i on , University of Western Au stralia , Ned l ands , W. A. 6009 .

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HELP WANTED Help is needed to locate Australian terrestrial Mesozoic and Palaeogene mammals and birds.

The records of these groups do not begin here until about the start of the Miocene when 80 to 90 per cent of their history was over.

By this time, all the principal differentiations and radiations of the major groups in each Class were over and the evolutionary story that it has been possible to document to some extent has been the relatively minor changes within the established families and the Pleistocene extinction.

Of all the continents on earth, only Antarctica has a more depauperate fossil record of birds and mammals.

At the Cainozoic Evolution of Continental Southeast Australia conference last November, it became apparent that many sites are known to geologists where Tertiary basalts overlie fluviatile and lacustrine deposits.

Such sites offer the potential of cracking this OligoMiocene barrier to knowledge of Australian tetrapod history.

Two of the best Pliocene fossil mammal sites in Australia occur where fluviatile and lacustrine deposits were sealed over by basalts and thus preserved until the current cycle of erosion exposed them.

At one of the two, fossil bone has never been found by casual inspection of the outcrop.

Specimens are located there by extended periods of digging.

Therefore, if the reader knows of places where sediments are exposed beneath Tertiary or Mesozoic basalts, even if no fossils have been seen, I would appreciate hearing about them.

Contact:

Dr Thomas H. Rich National Museum of Victoria 285-321 Russell Street Melbourne, Victoria 3000

(03)

669 9959

OLD BOOKS FOR SALE THE GEOLOGY OF SYDNEY AND THE BLUE MOUNTAINS by the Rev. J. Milne Curran, published in 1899 by Angus & Robertson.

THE GEOLOGY OF NEW SOUTH WALES by C. A. Slissmilch , published in 1911 by W. A. Gullick, Government Printer, Sydney.

Interested buyers please contact B. Sahm, c/o Sydney College of the Arts , 44 Smith Street, Balmain , NSW 2041. Phone (02)692 - 0266 or (02)969-7096 (a.h.)

Best offer accepted

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THE EARTH RESOURCES FOUNDATION Research Fellow

in

Geophysics

The research Applications are invited for the above position . fellowship is an annual appointment, renewable up to a max i mum period of three years. Applicants should have research expetience The successful applicant in some field of applied geophysics. will develop and undertake research in the Department of Geology and Geophysics which is well equipped in most branches of applied geophysics.

Salary up to $25,149 p.a. depending on qualifications and experience.

For further information please contact: Professor G. M. Philip Director Earth Resources Foundation Edgeworth David Building UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY NSW 2006

Te l ephone (02)692 2197

Applications including the names of two referees, close with The Registrar, The University of Sydney, on October 30, 1981.

JUNIOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS The Earth Resources Foundation invites applications from suitably qualified resident Australian or New Zealand graduates (or an Australi an citizen currently overseas) for the fol l owing junior research fellowships tenab l e within the Department of Geology and Geophysics, the University of Sydney.

1.

THE EARTH RESOURCES FOUNDATION RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP IN APPLIED GEOSCIENCES

Available on an annual renewal basis for up to three years to enable full - time research towards the degree of Master of Science The or Doctor of Phi l osophy within the University of Sydney . field of research must be in the applied geosciences.

2.

JUNIOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP IN

PALYNOLOGY

Available for a period of one year with extensions up to three y ears to enable a full - time Doctor of Philosophy degree to be undertaken The research undertaken wi ll be into at the University of Sydney. the palynology of an Australian sedimentary basin, with full access to the material arising from several years of petroleum exploration.

This fellowship carried some funding for expenses.

The salary range for both positions is $8,747-$10,034 p . a . depending upon age and experience.

For further details and application forms write to: The Director The Earth Resources Foundation Edgeworth David Building NSW 2006 The University of Sydney or phone (02)692 2038

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AWRC REVIEW OF WATER RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA The Australian Water Resources Council has established a working group to review water research in Australia.

Its terms of reference are to report on: the adequary, effectiveness and overall balance of the national effort in water research; the assessment of gaps and over l aps in water research in Australia; the need for concentrated research efforts in those areas having particular national significance; the means of improving efficiency in the use of resources involved in water research; and development of appropriate institutional arrangements.

The working group is seeking, from interested parties, submissions which should be forwarded to: Ms Penny LeCouteur, Dept of National Development and Energy, PO Box 5, Canberra ACT 2600 (phone 062 458634) by 30 October 1 981. Ms LeCouteur is a l so able to provide further information if required.

AUS TRALIAN MINERAL FOUNDATION presents WORKSHOP COURSE 171/81 "NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN ELECTROMAGNETIC EXPLORATION"

by H. F. Morrison (Berke ley , U. S.A .)

K. Vozoff (Macquarie) A. Raiche (C.S.I.R.O.) G. West (Toronto, Canada) 16th- 27th November 1981 to be held at MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY, NORTH RYDE, N.S.W. Course fee: $1200 -$14 00 For details contact: The Director, A. M. F ., P . O. Box S7 , GLENSIDE , S . A. 5065 .

Going west.

From a Sydney Paper

co~~------------'One farmer here (Bruce Rock is about 250 kilometres west of Perth) who recently bou • the

17

COAL GEOLOGY GROUP Dr. C. Barton Chairman: Dr. C. Mallett Vice Chairman: Mr. w. Peck Treasurer: Mr. N. Archbold Hon. Editor: Mr. J. Preston has agreed to actively assist the committee.

Miss G. Mackay SECV Herman Research Laboratory, Howard Street, Victoria 3121.

RICHMOND.

Secretary:

A number of papers on coal geology were presented at the Geological Convention in Perth; six papers in the Coal Measures Sedimentation Session, two papers on coalification and organic petrology, and two in the Engineering Geology A visit to Collie was part of one of the preSession. convention excursions.

The CGG is planning a symposium for November 1982 in Melbourne called - "Coal Resources - The origin, exploration and utilisation of coal resources in Australasia".

SHORT EXTENSION COURSE IN COAL EXPLORATION MINING AND BENEFICIATION Department of Applied Geology N.S.W. Institute of Technology Broadway, N.S.W. December 7th-llth 1981 This 5-day course is intended to assist geologists who have recently entered, or are seeking to enter the Australian Coal Industry, and require detailed knowledge of the properties of coal or the techniques It is intended primarily of coal exploration, mining and utilization. for graduates in geology, but graduates in other fields, or nongraduates with an appropriate background of work experience may be admitted if space is available.

The course will consist of lectures, laboratory tutorials and discussion qroup sessions Participation is limited to 20 persons, .and a course fee of $275 per registrant is required.

ENGINEERING GEOLOGY IN SLOPE STABILITY INVESTIGATIONS by

Mr David Bell Senior Lecturer in Geology University of Canterbury, New Zealand December 14th - 15th, 1981 at The New South Wales Institute of Technology Broadway, N.S.W. Topics to be covered The seminar is designed for engineers, geologists, town planners and other specialists engaged in all phases of construction and development projects. attendance at the seminar will be limited to 30 people.

The cost of attending the seminar is $100 per registrant. further details are available from: Dr. C. R. Ward, Senior Lecturer, Department of Applied Geology , N.S.W. Institute of Technology , P.O. Box 123, Broadway , N.S.W. 2007 .

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Phone:

(02)218 - 9 6 47 (02) 218-9625

APRIL FOOLS DAY! Well known Victorian drilling contractor and past President of the Victorian Branch of the N.W.W.A., Tony Grande was in his element on the 1st April.

A Melbourne radio station 3XY engaged Tony to strike oil in the Qiddle of Melbourne right outside Myer in Bourke Street.

The action started at 3.30 a.m. and by 8 a.m. when the city workers started to hurry along to their offices, Tony just happened to strike oil.

(Donated by Castrol) The mud pump was circulating (oil) at the appropriate flow rate in the bottom of an (oil) drum.

Tony acting as tool pusher was in full swing estimating to the crowd the anticipated yield in barrels per day etc.

The interesting point was that the T.V. cameras turned up in force with reporters queing up for questions.

The Company was the Acme Explanation Company, and of course had the necessary permits, well at least that was what was told to the Melbourne City Council By-laws Officer who had to return to the office to check, because the Geologist in charge (local radio announcer) had lost it.

The police being the only ones who twigged what was going on gave the thumbs up approval.

More than interested people kept returning to check progress and drill cuttings (from a recently completed water well) were there to be checked, sure enough blue shale (local silaurian mudstone) was certainly close to oil shale.

By 9.30 a.m. the crew, under orders from the Company Geologist, rigged down, produced brooms and bagged the drill cuttings, "barrelled" the oil, plugged the well and drove home.

Needless to say there was no mention of the event on the T.V. news.

The only mention was a short article in the following mornings paper.

Well done Tony's Boring Company.

From the June 1981 issue Jrnl of Nat. Water Well Assocn of Aust.

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Incoming President, Dennis Gee, sizes up the Perth Above: Conference with Phil Playford and Alex Trendall.

Below left: Curt Teichert enjoys his return to W.A. Below right: Roger Walker, Keynote speaker, and wife.