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geoz 118 October 2015

NEWSBREAKERS

Biogenic carbon greater than 4.1 billion years old?

Researchers have identified a 4.1 billion year old detrital zircon from the Jack Hills Formation in Western Australia that contains carbon inclusions with a carbon isotope ratio usually considered characteristic of photosynthesis. This raises the fascinating possibility that photosynthetic life emerged even earlier than 4.1 billion years ago on Earth. This implies life may have begun shortly after the planet formed 4.54 billion years ago, over 300 million years earlier than previously thought. The question now being asked is: Can this be something other than biogenic carbon?
UCLA news report: http://tinyurl.com/qc9yqn8
News report: http://tinyurl.com/o2h7887
Research abstract: http://tinyurl.com/pfpj5hv

FROM THE DIVISIONStop

Divisional information is regularly updated at http://gsa.junctionworld.com/events/divisionmeetings.html
Check this site for more recent information on the following events:

Australian Capital Territory

Regular meetings 2015: Third Tuesday of each month (Except January)
Jaeger Lecture Theatre, Jaeger Building (Building 61), Australian National University. 5.00pm for 5.30pm start.
For more information: emma.mathews@ga.gov.au

New South Wales

Thursday 12th November 2015: Haddon Forrester King Lecture
Prof. Neil Williams
Is There a Future for Mineral Exploration in Australia?
The evening will also include student talks and prize presentations.
Rugby Club, 31 Pitt St, Circular Quay, Sydney, NSW. 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm

Queensland

Wednesday 28th October 2015
Dr Graham Carr, President Geological Society of Australia
GSA Queensland Division Technical Talk
The Theodore Club, Level 1, 333 Adelaide St, Brisbane. 5.15 pm for 6.00 pm

Every Wednesday evening: GeoPub
Weekly Informal get-together for Explorers, Miners & other Geoscientists
O'Malleys Irish Pub - Basement Level, Wintergarden in the Queen Street Mall, Brisbane. 5.30 pm

South Australia

Friday 11th December 2015
12th SA Exploration and Mining Conference
Adelaide Convention Centre
For further details: http://tinyurl.com/q58ykqj

Tasmania

2015 meeting dates to be advised
For more information: taryn.noble@utas.edu.au

Victoria

Thursday 29th October 2015
Rebekah Kurpiel
Using geochemistry to trace silcrete sources for stone tool manufacture in the Lake Mungo region
Fritz Loewe Theatre, Earth Sciences Building, University of Melbourne. 5.30 pm for 6.15 pm

Wednesday 4th November 2015
Victorian Universities Earth and Environmental Sciences Conference
http://tinyurl.com/q2dy63m

Thursday 26th November 2015
Helen Green
Dating Aboriginal Rock Art
Fritz Loewe Theatre, Earth Sciences Building, University of Melbourne. 5.30 pm for 6.15 pm

Geological Society of Australia, Victoria Division, Student Research Scholarships
The scholarship is valued at up to $500 for travel within Australia and $700 for travel outside of Australia. The number of and value of the scholarships awarded each year is made at the discretion of the GSA (Vic) committee. Funding will not be granted retrospectively and applicants are asked to submit forms no later than 6 weeks prior to their trip to give the committee time to consider the application.
Follow this link for more information and the application form.

Western Australia

Regular meetings: First Wednesday of each month (except December and January)
Irish Club of WA, 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco, 5.30pm
For more information: info@wa.gsa.org.au

GSA EVENTStop

GSA membership renewals for 2016

2016 Member renewals will shortly be posted to all members. Keep an eye out for them in the mail.

Membership is based on a calendar year: 1st January - 31st December 2016.

Want to know more about GSA membership? Contact us!

Working reduced hours or retrenched during the downturn?
If you are a GSA member of five years of more and have been retrenched in the downturn please contact the GSA as you will be eligible for membership assistance Membership fees for unemployed members receiving AJES (online or hardcopy) are reduced to $25.00 for 2016 and will be waived for these unemployed members not receiving AJES.

You can contact us and we can assist you with your GSA membership, by email info@gsa.org.au or phone (02) 9290 2194. GSA Membership is from the 1st January to the 31st December.

AESC 2016: time to start planning

The AESC 2016 offers six themes. Within each theme there will be dedicated sessions. Here is a snapshot of all the sessions identified to date:

•  Earth's Environment - Past to Present

Theme coordinator: John Tibby

Scientific Results of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) as the Australasian program intensifies
Convenor: Neville Exon [ANU]

Biogeochemical cycling in the marine biosphere
Convenors: Toni Cox [UoM], Nicole Webster [AIMS]

Biogeochemistry of Earth's Critical Zone
Convenors: Matthias Leopold [UWA], Mathew Watts [UoM]

Sedimentary biosignatures and biomarkers: keys to unlocking the co-evolution of Earth and life through geologic time
Convenors: Marco Coolen, Kliti Grice [Curtin]

Holocene-Pleistocene evolution, dynamics and geomorphology of Australian dune systems and barriers
Convenor: Patrick Hesp [Flinders]

Late-Quaternary coastal landscape evolution and human interaction in Australia
Convenors: Craig Sloss, [QUT], Sean Ulm [JCU], Patrick Moss [UQ]

Southern Hemisphere Quaternary palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and chronologies
Convenors: Lee Arnold, John Tibby [Adelaide]

Groundwater and Environment- past and future

•  Tectonics of the Planet: Craton and Continental Formation and Evolution, Ocean Plate Tectonics, Plate Margin and Plate Interior Tectonism

Theme coordinator: Stijn Glorie

Session/s yet to be finalised

•  Deep Earth Geodynamics: Core, Asthenosphere and Lithosphere Dynamics, Coupling the Dynamic Deep Earth with Surface Tectonics

Theme coordinator: Dietmar Muller

AuScope 10 Year Anniversary
Convenor: Helen Keogh [AuScope, Melbourne]

From resistivity to geology: What can MT tell us about the Earth?
Convenor: Graham Heinson [Adelaide], Stephan Thiel [DSD SA] and Janelle Simpson [GSQ]

Superswells, Superplumes and Their Control on Tectonics
Convenors: Derrick Hasterok [Adelaide], Rhodri Davies [ANU], Juan Carlos Afonso [Macquarie]

Linking plate tectonics and mantle convection
Convenors: Joanne Whittaker [UTAS], Louis Moresi [Melbourne] and Juan Carlos Afonso [Macquarie]

Linking mantle convection and tectonics to surface processes
Convenors: Nicolas Flament [Sydney] and Karol Czarnota [GA]

•  Mineral Endowment: Formation and Exploration of Mineral Deposits; Their Tectonic and Geochemical Environment and Significance

Theme coordinator: Richard Lilly

The Australian 1.5-1.6 Ga tectonic environment: origin and timing of world class ore systems
Convenor: Justin Payne [UniSA], Pete Betts [Monash]

Hyperspectral applications in economic geology
Convenors: Belinda Smith [NTGS], Alan Mauger [GSSA]

Non-traditional isotopes in high- and low-temperature environments
Convenors: Juraj Farkas, John Foden [Adelaide]

Exposing the Nullarbor basement: Interpretation of the Eucla-Gawler deep crustal reflection seismic line 13GA-EG1
Convenors: Catherine Spaggiari [GSWA], Rian Dutch [GSSA], Michael Doublier [GA]

Mining with microbes: harnessing microbial machinery to solve challenges in minerals and energy industries
Convenors: Talitha Santini [UQ], John Moreau [UoM]

Exploration Through Cover: Recent advances in geochemical and biogeochemical exploration techniques
Convenor: Richard Lilly [MIM, Adelaide]

New technologies in mineral exploration
Convenors: Caroline Forbes, Dave Giles [DET CRC, Adelaide], Yulia Uvarova [CSIRO]

Industry Focus: The Next Generation of Economic Geologists
Convenor: Richard Lilly [MIM, Adelaide]

Critical Metals and Future Resources
Convenor: Richard Lilly [MIM, Adelaide]

Deposit to Camp Scale Ore Systems: Zonation in space and time
Convenor: Zhaoshan Chang [JCU]

Groundwater in mineral exploration and mining
Convenors: Ken Lawrie, Ross Brodie, Steven Lewis [GA], Dioni Cendon [ANTSO]

Integrating structure and geochemistry: Impact on ore fluids
Convenor: Steve Micklethwaite [Monash]

•  Geoscience and Society: Education, Integration and Translation of Earth Sciences for Societal Benefit

Theme coordinator: Ian Clark

Session/s yet to be finalised

•  Earth Science for Energy: From Hydrocarbons to Renewables

Theme coordinator: Peter McCabe

Session/s yet to be finalised


The AESC thanks our sponsors and supporters Geoscience Australia and the Department of State Development.

The Call for Abstracts is nearly upon us, the Melbourne Cup won't be the only thing racing on the 3rd of November.

Call for AJES Special Issue Papers
Oct 30th 2015 deadline

Papers are invited for a special issue of AJES, to be published at the AESC next June, devoted to the outputs and findings of the AuScope National Virtual Core Library (NVCL). The publicly-funded National Virtual Core Library project has imaged and hyperspectrally scanned the mineralogy of more than 750,000 metres of publicly accessible drill core from diverse geological environments from across all seven State and Territory Geological Survey jurisdictions. All these data are openly available for research via the freely accessible NVCL database or from each Survey. Scientific Papers or short Technical Notes are invited that address research and results derived from the NVCL databases.

Expressions of interest, with an abstract, should be sent to the Editorial Panel via Guest Editor jon.huntington@csiro.au by Oct 30th 2015.

Finalised manuscripts will be required by December 31st and will follow the normal AJES publishing guidelines.

Specialist Group in Tectonics and Structural Geology.

Riding the Wave: A conference to showcase current research and ideas in Structural Geology and Tectonics 22-27 November 2015

Pre-conference field trip: 14-21 November 2015
New Caledonia: ophiolite obduction, accretion and high-pressure metamorphism
Field trip convener: Geoffrey Clark

Post-conference field trip: 28-29 November 2015
Gympie Block/D'Aguilar Ranges: Oscillating deformation and the birth and death of the final orogeny on onshore Australia - core complex, ophiolitic blueschist, rift systems and terrane accretion.
Field trip convener: Rod Holcombe

Download the third circular here.
Visit the SGTSG web site here.

For queries and expressions of interest contact:
Gideon Rosenbaum,
Email: g.rosenbaum@uq.edu.au
Phone: 07 3346 9798

GSA responds to the Hornsby Quarry Project EIS

The Geological Heritage Subcommittee of the GSA NSW Division recently made a submission to the NSW Department of Planning & Environment concerning one important aspect of the 2015 EIS Hornsby Quarry Road Construction Spoil Management project which does not appear to have been investigated to the same level of thoroughness as is evident throughout the remainder of the EIS. Concerns were expressed in the submission that the GSA, despite having commissioned the initial report into the Geological Heritage of New South Wales in which the geoheritage aspects of the Hornsby Diatreme at the Hornsby Quarry site were first documented, was not regarded as a stakeholder during the preparation of the EIS and therefore was not previously consulted. As a result, the significance of the geological phenomenon uniquely exposed in the quarry wall at the eastern end of the site has been overlooked and disregarded, leading to formulation of a plan for infilling the quarry which will largely obliterate this feature of State, National and arguably Global significance. Click here to read the submission in full.

IN THE NEWStop

Roy Woodall - inaugural National Geoscience Champion

In recognition of his contribution to geoscience in Australia, Roy Woodall AO FAusIMM has been unanimously elected as the inaugural National Geoscience Champion by the Australian Geoscience Council (AGC).

The award presentation will be made to Mr Woodall at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC 2015) in Melbourne during the AusIMM Explorers Forum - Challenges and Opportunities which is also known as The Woodall Symposium. Mr Woodall will provide the keynote address on Science, Trust, Persistence and Discoveries.

You are invited to attend the complimentary forum and join the AGC and member organisations in congratulating Mr Woodall on this extraordinary achievement. Hear him speak first hand and gain further insights from other leading geoscience industry experts. The session is complimentary to attend and is on Tuesday 10 November 2015, 9.00 am - 11.00 am at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
AGC press release: http://tinyurl.com/nl82zt4
Register: here
About IMARC: http://tinyurl.com/pfy4lv8

Hamersley Gorge wins the day

Geoscience Australia's 2015 Top Geoshot photo competition has been won by ACT resident Craig Burns with his photo of Hamersley Gorge in Western Australia. Chosen from an outstanding field of 315 entries from across Australia, Craig Burns' photo highlighted this year's theme, Rock Stars, by capturing the folding and rock strata in Hamersley Gorge.

Sanden Cook from Tasmania took out the Junior category, for ages 12 years and under, with his photo Sculptured by Ice, an artistic view of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania taken through a shard of ice.

The Intermediate category, for ages 13-17 years, was won by Sanden's older sister Sienna Cook, with her photo Dark side of the Mountain, also taken at Cradle Mountain.

The People's Choice was won by Junnel Alegado with a photo titled Whale Rock and Friends, taken in Wilsons Promontory National Park.
http://tinyurl.com/qgn7zon

ON THE WEBtop

Bhutan dreaming?

Ever dreamed of working in Bhutan? Make your dream come true: Bhutan is looking for a VOLUNTEER Executive Geologist and a VOLUNTEER Executive Mining Engineer. Work under State Mining Corporation (SMC) of Bhutan (based in Samtse) for 6 months to a year and you can improve your own domestic happiness while contributing to the Gross Domestic Happiness! Living quarters, subsistence living expenses and travel expenses will be provided. Visa formalities will be carried out by SMCB. If interested to find out more, please contact Monica Yeung - myeung@gondwana-dreaming.com - in the first instance.
http://tinyurl.com/p67dmn9

When too much fossil information is never enough

A 125 million years old rat-like mammal fossil from Spain, known as Spinolestes xenarthrosus, is remarkable for its preserved skin, liver and lung tissue along with hair and fur. Features observed in the dermal tissues have even led to the conclusion that this animal suffered from ringworm! While not perfectly preserved the new fossil demonstrates mammals had evolved many mammalian traits some 60 million years earlier than previously demonstrated.
News report: http://tinyurl.com/ndouqvm
Research abstract: http://tinyurl.com/nsvu8kt

Dinosaurs lukewarm?

Research into the ectothermy or endothermy of dinosaurs using eggshells found no strong evidence for end-member ectothermy or endothermy. Body temperatures for the two species investigated suggests that variable thermoregulation existed among the non-avian dinosaurs and that not all dinosaurs had body temperatures in the range of that seen in modern birds.
News report: http://tinyurl.com/q989hw4
Research abstract: http://tinyurl.com/omc9qsg

IN THE MEDIA top

Blue Marble now EPIC

Blue Marble with Australia

NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) is a 10-channel spectroradiometer onboard NOAA's DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) spacecraft. EPIC provides 10 narrow band spectral images of the entire sunlit face of Earth from the vantage point of Earth-Sun Lagrange-1 which gives EPIC a unique angular perspective that will be used in applications to measure ozone, aerosols, cloud reflectivity, cloud height, vegetation properties, and UV radiation estimates at Earth's surface.
Image courtesy of NASA
http://tinyurl.com/pqrn3an

Shortwave infrared (SWIR) seen clearly

Geoimage is launching a spatial intelligence series that will provide customised data samples, case studies and real world applications of SWIR technology. You can sign up to get their free weekly article on these topics by following the link.
http://tinyurl.com/nlugvvh

Mars: The field trip continued ...

Curiosity at Big Sky

Selfie at Big Sky
The rock drilled at this Big Sky site is a sandstone in the Stimson geological unit inside Gale Crater. The location is on cross-bedded sandstone in which the cross bedding is more evident in views from when the rover was approaching the area. See http://tinyurl.com/plul9he.
Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
http://tinyurl.com/p7ulmt3

Drilling at Greenhorn
http://tinyurl.com/q4w769l

Alteration zone a target
http://tinyurl.com/qxn68wa

Award goes to landing site expert
http://tinyurl.com/o4au4cl

More news from the solar system ...

The great pumpkin cometh
http://tinyurl.com/nf2pspj

Red spot shrinking slower
http://tinyurl.com/p673yxv

Comets or asteroids could have created Europa's chaos terrain
http://tinyurl.com/otxuxqs

... and elsewhere ...

20 years and counting (lots of exoplanets)
http://tinyurl.com/q4hvoob

Zombie planet killer spotted
http://tinyurl.com/olxvbe4

Long live the Milky Way and all that evolves in it
http://tinyurl.com/nb6gqda

What's in AJES top

The Australian Journal of Earth Sciences online is available through the Taylor & Francis website. It is very easy to navigate and use.

AJES is available to financial members of the GSA. Don't miss the next issue because your membership has lapsed!

Volume 62 No.6 - online

R. I. Acworth, W. A. Timms, B. F. J. Kelly, D. E. McGeeney, T. J. Ralph, Z. T. Larkin and G. C. Rau
Late Cenozoic paleovalley fill sequence from the Southern Liverpool Plains, New South Wales - implications for groundwater resource evaluation.

A. D. Albani, P. C. Rickwood, P. G. Quilty and J. W. Tayton
The morphology and late Quaternary paleogeomorphology of the continental shelf off Sydney, NSW.

G. R. Holdgate, M. W. Wallace and S. Forbes
New insights from petroleum exploration into the pre-Cenozoic geology of the Latrobe Valley Area - Gippsland Basin, S.E. Australia.

D. Briguglio, M. Hall and J. Keetley
Structural Evolution of the Early Cretaceous Depocentres, Otway Basin, Victoria.

N. Mortimer, R. Turnbull, M. Palin, A. Tulloch, N. Rollet and T. Hashimoto
Triassic-Jurassic granites on the Lord Howe Rise, northern Zealandia.

S. J. Tickell, P. D. Kruse and T. J. Munson
Daly Basin, Northern Territory: lithostratigraphic revision resolves context of incongruous Ordovician fossils.

F. L. Sutherland, P. C. Piilonen, Khin Zaw, S. Meffre and J. Thompson
Sapphire within zircon-rich gem deposits, Bo Loei, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia: Trace elements, inclusions, U-Pb dating and genesis.


Follow this link to see the most recent papers published on-line.

Coming up in TAGtop

TAG for December 2015

The September issue has been posted. If you didn't receive your copy, please contact the GSA.

The December TAG is with the editor, if you missed sending your contribution for the December issue, please consider contributing early for the March issue. If you are submitting a Feature or Special Report please send your article in as soon as possible and if you need information about word lengths and submitting contact: tag@gsa.org.au.

JOB VACANCIEStop

Employment opportunities with the GSA

Book-keeper
Do you know a skilled Book-keeper wanting to work full-time? If so, please send them a link to the Position Description for this role with the GSA. Book-keeper position description.

Membership Development Officer
The GSA is looking to appoint a Membership Development Officer. This full-time position is based in Hornsby. If you know someone suitable or you think you have the skills please respond to the Position Description for this role with the GSA. Membership Development Officer position description.

WHAT'S ONtop


DEADLINES:

Call for Papers - Abstract deadline October 30 2015

AJES special issue devoted to the outputs and findings of the AuScope National Virtual Core Library:
to be published at the AESC: Adelaide 26-30 June 2016

Uncover Earth's past to discover our future
Email expressions of interest to: jon.huntington@csiro.au

Call for Papers - Abstract deadline extended to November 13 2015

10th International Symposium on Environmental Geochemistry
Perth, 19 – 21 January 2016

http://tinyurl.com/psfwxra

Call for Papers - Abstract deadline December 22 2015

5th Australasian University Geoscience Educators Network (AUGEN) conference
Canberra, 28 – 29 January 2016

http://tinyurl.com/q9w66wq

Call for Papers - Abstract deadline January 31 2016

35th International Geological Congress:
Cape Town South Africa 24 August-4 September 2016

Geoscience for Society, Fundamental Geoscience and Geoscience in the Economy
http://tinyurl.com/q2nwlh8

Call for Papers open November 3 2015 - Abstract deadline February 15 2016

Australian Earth Sciences Convention:
Adelaide 26-30 June 2016

Uncover Earth's past to discover our future
http://aesc2016.gsa.org.au/

Early bird registration open November 3 2015 - closes April 15 2016

Australian Earth Sciences Convention:
Adelaide 26-30 June 2016

Uncover Earth's past to discover our future
http://aesc2016.gsa.org.au/




EVENTS:

Geoscience Australia's role in the Australian Government's Crisis Coordination Centre, Canberra, 28 October 2015

http://tinyurl.com/qdrgs8j.

Australian Groundwater Conference 2015, Canberra, 3 – 5 November 2015

http://tinyurl.com/on5sw7z.

Victorian Universities Earth and Environmental Sciences Conference, Melbourne, 4 November 2015

http://tinyurl.com/q2dy63m.

Third International Future Mining Conference, Sydney, 4 – 6 November 2015

http://tinyurl.com/q8wajvw.

International Mining and Resources Conference, Melbourne, 9 – 13 November 2015

http://tinyurl.com/na78dxy.

Introduction to ArcGIS, Sydney, 17 – 19 November 2015

http://tinyurl.com/o7qxyco.

International Seminar on Design Methods in Underground Mining, Perth, 17 – 19 November 2015

http://tinyurl.com/og4nkbs.

Field Methods School, Perth, 23 – 25 November 2015

http://tinyurl.com/oxzvjuw.

GSA Specialist Group in Tectonics & Structural Geology Conference, Caloundra Qld, 22 – 27 November 2015

Download circular here.
Visit the SGTSG web site here.

Webinar: Improving Adelaide's Groundwater Management for Managers & Decision Makers, on-line, 2 December 2015

http://tinyurl.com/ntf4yej.

Introduction to Coal Seam Gas, Mining and Groundwater, Melbourne, 2 – 4 December 2015

http://tinyurl.com/p9p9seg.

Australian Groundwater School, Perth, 7 – 10 December 2015

http://tinyurl.com/p4ph2ow

What lies beneath the western Gawler Craton?, Adelaide, 10 December 2015

A free workshop of the latest insights from deep seismic and magnetotelluric profiling
http://tinyurl.com/q9texwr

6th Annual Earth System Governance Conference, Canberra, 9 – 12 December 2015

http://tinyurl.com/qxlx89u.

SMEDG Christmas Harbour Cruise, Sydney, 18 December 2015

http://tinyurl.com/o3kweeu.

10th International Symposium on Environmental Geochemistry, Perth, 19 – 21 January 2016

http://tinyurl.com/psfwxra.

5th Australasian University Geoscience Educators Network (AUGEN) conference, Canberra, 28 – 29 January 2016

http://tinyurl.com/q9w66wq.

35th International Geological Congress, Cape Town South Africa, 24 August – 4 September 2016

http://tinyurl.com/qgztfk5.

CONTACTStop

Head Office

info@gsa.org.au

Suite 8, Level 2,
141 Peats Ferry Road
Hornsby NSW 2077
ph 02-9290 2194
fax 02-9290 2198

www.gsa.org.au
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