A Call for Rock Specimens!
Curtin University is seeking your assistance to help us assemble 150 rock and mineral specimens for a unique museum display / art installation in the form of a vertical 'rock wall', showcasing in Western Australian geology. This will form a permanent exhibit in a new building currently under construction at Curtin, and will be accompanied by a pamphlet or online resource that will provide some basic details of each unique specimen. The criteria to be included are as follows:
- Must be from WA and all different
- Each ideally 10 to 20 cm (fist to football) in size
- Natural rock/mineral specimens rather than cut and polished slabs preferred
- Aesthetically pleasing, robust and non‐hazardous
- Rock specimens to be representative examples of a particular rock‐type
- Mineral specimens can be single crystals or aggregates
Sources of all donated specimens will be gratefully acknowledged.
If you have anything you’d like to contribute, please contact Pete Kinny: p.kinny@curtin.edu.au or phone 08 92667978.
Talks & Events
Monthly Meeting
Date: First Wednesday of each month (except December and January)
Location: Irish Club of WA (Inc.), 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco, between Hay Street and Churchill Ave
Time: 5.30pm
Info: wittww@iinet.net.au
Upcoming Events
2 September - WA Division Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Sam Spinks, CSIRO Mineral Resources
Topic: The WA Manganese Belt: Debunking the myth of the Proterozoic sedimentary ‘manganese hiatus’, and demonstrating WA’s potential as a battery metals state
Time: Meet for drinks from 5.30 pm. Talk begins at 6 pm
Location: Irish Club, 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco
27 September - WA Division Star Swamp Geotrail Project Field Trip
Details: Friends of Star Swamp, GSA WA Division, Geoparks WA and City of Stirling invite you to assist in researching and presenting the geological heritage of Star Swamp. This information will be interpreted to inform the establishment of a geo-trail within Star Swamp. Alan Briggs and David Pike will be facilitating this fieldtrip and the Friends of Star Swamp have pre-booked the venue.
Time: 9.00 am
Location: Meeting point is car park 50 m south of the Henderson Environment Centre - North end of Groate Street, North Beach, Western Australia 6020
Cost: Free
Program
- Welcome and Introductions
- Walk – David Pike will lead a walk around Star Swamp
- Workshop findings – coordinated by Alan Briggs (GSA WA members are encouraged to research Star Swamp prior to the event)
- Where to from here – Alan Briggs
All attendees will be required to “sign in” for insurance purposes.
Please bring sun protection and water.
All attendees to self-cater. We will finish off with morning tea around 11.30 am
Registration: Click here
7 October - WA Division Annual General Meeting & Monthly Division Talk
The Annual General Meeting will precede the Monthly Talk.
Speaker: Raphael Baumgartner (Research Associate, University of New South Wales)
Topic: Sulfidized stromatolites of the 3.48 billion-year-old Dresser Formation, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia: A “benchmark” for the oldest evidence of life on Earth
Time: Meet for drinks from 5.30 pm. AGM begins at 6 pm
Location: Irish Club, 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco
WA Division Structural Logging of Drillcore Workshop - Postponed due to COVID-19 health concerns. New date to be advised
Details: For early-career geoscientists, this workshop provides hands-on instructions on how to collect and interpret structural data from diamond drillcore.
Presenters: Sarah Jones, Structural Geologist with SJGeology Ltd
Requirements: Participants should bring their own laptops for hands-on case studies. Closed shoes, hand lens, and scribe are also required. Prerequisites for the course are basic familiarity with MS Excel spreadsheets. Access to a freeware Stereoplot program will be provided.
Cost: $30 for students, $60 for GSA members, $160 for non-members (prices are inclusive of GST)
Registration: Click here to register. Places are limited
Contact: Sarah Jones sarah.jones@sjgeology.co.nz
Program:
• Introduction to structural logging (the rationale, methods and outputs)
• Strategies for logging: graphic logs, structural logs, recognizing key data for the characterization of ore bodies
• Geotechnical logging
• Participants will collect structural data from drillholes stored at the Perth Core Library
• Interpretation and presentation of the collected structural data
Catering: Morning tea will be provided – please advise any dietary requirements when registering. Bring your own lunch or walk down the street to the lunch bar for some tasty options (a microwave is available for use)
Location: Perth Core Library, 37 Harris Street, Carlisle, WA
Time: 9.00am-4.00pm
Parking: Free parking is available inside the main gate on Harris Street. Arriving vehicles will be directed to appropriate parking bays by Core Library staff
Previous Division Meetings and Events
May 2020 - WA Division Online Presentation
Presenter: Vitor Barrote (Monash University and Curtin University)
Topic: 4D evolution of replacement-type VHMS ore systems in the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia
Abstract: The discovery of mineral deposits is critical to the long-term sustainability of the Australian mining industry. Innovative approaches to mineral exploration and the application of state-of-the-art research techniques to improve the comprehension and detection of ore bodies is fundamental to address the formidable challenges posed by Australia’s complex geological framework and paucity of outcrops. 4D evolutionary models of ore deposits can be generated by combining geological observations with data from several isotopic systems, in a multi-disciplinary approach, to constrain the timing of major geological processes present in the development of a deposit. These models contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary framework of an ore deposit, the timing of mineralisation, and the processes that drive metal supply and precipitation. This is particular true in Archean replacement-type VHMS deposits, where the syn-volcanic timing of the mineralisation is not always clear. Ultimately the construction of a 4D framework culminates in the development of new or improved exploration tools.
Watch: Click here
4 March 2020 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Jessica Stromberg (CSIRO)
Topic: Sniffs of an Archean Sedimentary Copper System in the World’s Oldest Lake
27th February 2020 - GESSS-WA, Forming the 2020 Organising Committee
Want to be part of organising the next GSA Student Symposium, connect with WA organisations and industries? Come along to the GESSS-WA BBQ where we will begin work on forming the new Organising Committee 2020.
Location: Matilda Bay, BBQ Area, Hackett Drive, Nedlands WA 6009
Website: https://gessswa.wixsite.com/2019
Facebook: GESSS.WA
5 February 2020 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Heidi Allen (Geological Survey of Western Australia)
Topic: Thoracic (Kalbarri National) Park - fresh eyes on an old hunting ground
29 November 2019 - GESSS WA
Description: GESSS WA allows Honours, Masters and PhD students to present their research to the local scientific community, to gain experience in communicating their research findings through oral and poster presentations, to promote their talents to future employers, to discover areas of research at other universities, or departments, and to meet new people in the Earth Sciences field. 2018 held the first of the Western Australian GESSS series with the aim to continue the initiative into 2019 and alternate between the host universities; The University of Western Australia and Curtin University.
Location: Elizabeth Jolley Lecture Theatre, Curtin University
Website: Please click here
25 October 2019 - Geochemical methods of nickel exploration workshop (Joint GSA WA Division & CSIRO)
Description: This workshop provides advanced hands-on instruction on the use of lithogeochemistry of igneous rocks in mineral exploration, with major focus on magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE deposits. The workshop will present general principles of major and trace element geochemistry, specific application to komatiite and mafic-ultramafic intrusion hosted ore systems, discussions of applications to weathered and altered rocks, and a variety of classification/discrimination methods. The workshop will use ioGAS software and will also touch on the use of Python codes for data analysis.
Presenters: Steve Barnes (CSIRO), Morgan Williams (CSIRO), Margaux Le Vaillant (CSIRO)
6 November 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: David Mole (Laurentian University)
Topic: The Metal Earth project: Investigating multi-scale controls on mineral systems
2 October 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Sarah Jones (Gold Fields)
Topic: Early gold deposition in the Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia
Location: Irish Club of WA (Inc.), 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco
Time: 5.30pm
4 September 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Tsing Bohu (CSIRO)
Topic: Microbes and transition metals: insights into manganese and gold biogeochemical cycling
7 August 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Greg Poole (University of Western Australia)
Topic: Hf-O isotopes of Permian intrusions related to porphyry and epithermal mineralisation in the Frontal Cordillera, Argentina
3 July 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Siyu (Shirley) Hu (CSIRO)
Topic: Bugs in hot water - biotic and abiotic minerals in modern seafloor hydrothermal chimneys
12 July 2019 - Pilbara Coastal and Marine Science Symposium
Details: The Geological Society of Australia (WA Division) facilitated a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary day-long symposium on the Pilbara Coast and offshore regions, in collaboration with the Wetlands Research Association Inc. and Geoheritage Australasia. The Symposium was held in association with the AMSA 2019 Marine Science for a Blue Economy Conference (Fremantle) http://amsa19.amsa.asn.au/
The aim of the Symposium was to bring together and collate the up-to-the-present and state-of-the art science of universities, government agencies, researchers, and industry in a symposium to share information and exchange ideas towards the understanding and better management of the Pilbara Coast. The objective also was to produce a quality refereed publication from original work presented at the Symposium
If you are interested in presenting an oral paper or poster at the Symposium or alternately developing a poster paper, please send a 200-500-word abstract and the paper title to: PCMSS@iinet.net.au by April 30
Themes of the Symposium include:
(1) coastal geology and nearshore, geomorphology, and physical features of the Pilbara Coast;
(2) coastal, nearshore, and hinterland ecology (including coastal habitats, mangroves, rocky shore, saltmarsh, seagrass, coral reefs, fish, amongst others);
(3) link between geodiversity and biodiversity along the Pilbara Coast;
(4) Indigenous, archaeological, and rock art aspects:
(5) European colonisation and industry;
(6) conservation and management.
5 June 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Valentina Taranovic (CSIRO)
Topic: Insights into the Nova-Bollinger Ni-Cu depost, Fraser Zone of Western Australia
29 May 2019 - WA Division Awards Night and Annual General Meeting
Speaker: Jim Ross
Topic: Geoscience illuminating archaeology: how mines, metals and money led to Alexander the Great
Details: Awarding of the Gibb Maitland Medal, Ross Medal, Geological Society of Australia (WA Division) Medal and Certificates for Long-Standing Members. The AAP Robert Etheridge Jr Medal will also be presented at the event.
29 May 2019 - Advanced Spectral Data Processing Workshop (GSA-WA, CSIRO, GSWA)
Details: This workshop will provide advanced hands-on instruction on how to extract mineralogical and lithological information from HyLogger-derived hyperspectral data obtained from diamond drillcore
Presenters: Carsten Laukamp (CSIRO), Monica LeGras (CSIRO), and Ian Lau (CSIRO), assisted by GSWA geologists Lena Hancock, Michael Wawryk and Paul Duuring
1 May 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Katarina Miljkovic (Curtin University)
Topic: Studying Martian interior with InSight
7 March 2019 - WA Division Tamala Limestone Fieldtrip - Classic Carbonates & Pleistocene Sea-levels
Details: GSA WA & PESA are offering a short afternoon fieldtrip to the classic Peppermint Grove outcrops along the Swan River, led by Dr. Milo Barham (Curtin University). The Tamala Limestone crops out in a near continuous ribbon for over 1000 km along the southwestern coast of Western Australia. Although dominated by Pleistocene aeolianites, with increasing study and recognition of discrete members, the temporal and environmental complexities of the Tamala Limestone’s deposition are becoming clearer. At Peppermint Grove, several facies are well-exposed in a relatively small area, allowing for easy investigation of classic Western Australian lithofacies, and broader carbonate-dominated sedimentary features from a variety of paralic depositional environments (aeolian to shallow marine). Improved age constraints and investigation of facies-relationships at Peppermint Grove allow for the generation of simple sea-level curves for this section and a broader discussion of Pleistocene glacio-eustatic sea-level curves and their influence on sediment packages.
Location: Scotch College Boat Shed, The Esplanade, Peppermint Grove, Western Australia
6 March 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Cecilio Quesada (Istituto Geológico Minero de España)
Topic: The Iberian pyrite belt: geological constraints in its formation and evolution
6 February 2019 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Prof. J. Brendan Murphy (St. Francis Xavier University, Curtin University)
Topic: Was there a late Neoproterozoic supercontinent? Why does it matter?