geoz 46 April 2012

NEWSBREAKERS

Big shake but little tsunami damage

April 11 was shaken up by M8.6 and M8.2 earthquakes off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, with the main shake the 11th largest recorded since 1900. The earthquakes are the result of strike-slip faulting within the Indo-Australia plate near the plate boundary but fortunately, with little vertical displacement, no damaging tsunami resulted although tsunami were recorded.

USGS summary: http://on.doi.gov/IqF0YD
USGS list of big earthquakes: http://on.doi.gov/7pXaYK
Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre: http://bit.ly/g0cXS3
Tsunami data summary: http://bit.ly/HKo4eZ
Australian Tsunami Warning System: http://bit.ly/cupi8
ABC media report: http://bit.ly/HriDCl

Image courtesy of NOAA

CNN media report: http://bit.ly/IxolRk

FROM THE DIVISIONS

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: Third Tuesday of each month (Except January)
Jaeger Lecture Theatre, Jaeger Building (Building 61), Australian National University For more information: diane.jorgensen@ga.gov.au

New South Wales

2012 meeting dates to be advised
For more information: meetings@nsw.gsa.org.au

Queensland

2012 meeting dates to be advised
For more information: info@qld.gsa.org.au

Tuesday 17th April 2012
Mary Anne Barclay, Research Fellow, Sustainable minerals Institute, UQ
AIG Cocktail Function and Talk (including Federal and Queensland Branch AGMs): Fly-in-fly-out: Challenges for the Exploration and Mining Industries
Hilton Hotel, 190 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane. 6pm for 6.15 pm

Wednesday 18th April 2012
Professor Ken Collerson, UQ
Carbonate resources of the Jombo-Mirima Intrusion
Room 232, Steele Building (#3), UQ. 5.00 pm

Tuesday 24th April 2012
Dr Andrew White, Non-executive Director, Carbine Tungsten Limited
GSAQ Presentation (A.K Denmead annual lecture): Re-awakening the Mt Carbide Tungsten Mine
The Theodore Club, Level 1, 333 Adelaide St, Brisbane. 5.15 pm for 6.00 pm

Friday 18th May 2012
AIG members, friends and family social event: A Fossil Frenzy
122 Gerler Road Hendra (contact Lloyd Hamilton for more details l.h.hamilton@bigpond.com)

South Australia

Thursday 19th April 2012
Len Altman Year 12 Geology, Vocational Geoscience and Vocational Geophysics Teacher, Marden Senior College
The decline of Geology in SA schools and the planned emergence of Earth and Environmental Science as an integral component of the national curriculum.
Mawson Theatre, University of Adelaide. 5.30 pm for 6.15 pm

Regular meetings: Third Thursday of each month (except January)
The Mawson Theatre, Mawson Laboratories, Adelaide University, 5.15 pm for 6.15 pm
For more information: jim.jago@unisa.edu.au

Tasmania

2012 meeting dates to be advised
For more information: mduffett@mrt.tas.gov.au

Thursday 26th April 2012
Dr Rebecca Cary
Title to be advised, but something to do with active volcanism
School of Earth Sciences Lecture Theatre,University of Tasmania. Drinks and savouries will be served before the meeting in the CODES tea-room at 5.30 pm

Thursday 24th May 2012
Annual General Meeting & Chairman's Lecture Dr Garry Davidson
Andean lakes, stalactites, champagne, and Western Australian gold: you'll see the link by the end
School of Earth Sciences Lecture Theatre,University of Tasmania. Drinks and savouries will be served before the meeting in the CODES tea-room at 5.30 pm

December 2012
Tasmanian Geoscience Forum (jointly with Aus.IMM)
Strahan Village, More info TBA

Victoria

2012 meeting dates to be advised
For more information: secretary@vic.gsa.org.au

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

Wednesday 2nd May 2012
Annual General Meeting for the Geological Society of Australia, Western Australia Division
Irish Club of WA (Inc), 61 Townshend Rd, Subiaco, 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm

GSA EVENTS

GSA membership

Have you renewed for 2012? Membership started on the 1/1/12, make sure you do not miss any GSA news or issues of AJES by paying late. Pay your membership here using your member number and password (on your renewal notice). If in doubt, please contact the GSA office: info@gsa.org.au.

National Rock Garden newsletter now available

The National Rock Garden, launched at the 2010 Australian Earth Sciences Convention in Canberra, will have up to 100 large specimens of the country's most iconic rocks, each weighing approximately 10–15 tonnes. To find out how you can contribute follow this link:
NationalRockGarden.pdf

Building stone - geology that we all often take for granted There would not be a town or city in Australia that does not use stone from around the country in its buildings and infrastructure. The National Rock Garden will include examples of building stones. Indigenous and later communities around Australia have all used locally available rock outcrops as shelters and quarried stone for building blocks, brick making, landscaping, concrete making, road making, sculptures and monuments

To download the latest National Rock Garden newsletter just click this link.

If you would like to join the Friends of the National Rock Garden and receive newsletters and information directly by email please send a request to rockgarden@gsa.org.au

Image courtesy of Doug Finlayson

ESWA — A Field Guide to Perth and Surrounds available now

Earth Science Western Australia — A Field Guide to Perth and Surrounds
Edited by John A Bunting
Available now from the GSA bookshop
http://gsa.junctionworld.com/publications/index.html

IN THE NEWS

Geothermal power by proxy

Iceland has five geothermal plants, supplying power, heating and hot water to buildings throughout much of the country while the United Kingdom relies heavily on fossil fuels for power and heating. In planning for a low-carbon future the United Kingdom is in discussions with Iceland, looking at the possibility of importing geothermal power via undersea cable.
http://bbc.in/IMfG1b

Satellites spot sleeping giants

Many so called "dormant" volcanoes are merely resting and new Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) satellite observations have revealed that many are more restive than we would like to believe. The same techniques are also proving invaluable when it comes to monitoring many active volcanoes, including the 65 that pose the greatest risk to human populations.
http://bit.ly/HdJLqi

SKA delayed

A decision on which country, South Africa or Australia, would win the opportunity to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope has been delayed, sparking speculation a joint programme is being examined.
http://bit.ly/HeTklP

ON THE WEB

Small mammoth on view

A juvenile mammoth, found preserved in Siberian permafrost in 2007, has gone on display in Hong Kong. The baby apparently died after falling into river-side mud about 40,000 years ago.
http://bbc.in/IGoZwF

Eureka prize for science photography closes soon

The entry period for the Eureka prize for science photography closes May 6. Entries are invited from both amateur and professional photographers and working scientists, postgraduates and undergraduate students are encouraged to apply.
http://bit.ly/wvnA0r

IN THE MEDIA

Tyrannosauroids in a flap

Three newly discovered early Tyrannosauroid fossils from China exhibit beautifully preserved filament-like feathers indicating these dinosaurs carried extensive plumage. While not flight feathers they could have been used for insulation and display.
http://bbc.in/HrONLC

Rare-Earth-free motor sets industry in a spin

Hitachi claims to have developed an industrial motor that does not use rare earth metals. They claim it uses common non-crystalline metals that have high conductivity while achieving the same efficiency as motors using rare earth magnets.
http://bit.ly/Iynh3R

What's in AJES

The Australian Journal of Earth Sciences online is available through the Taylor & Francis' website: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/taje20. It is very easy to navigate and use.

Volume 59 Issue No.3 - Coming to you soon

L. T. White, T. Ahmad, G. S. Lister, T. R. Ireland & M. A. Forster
Is the switch from I- to S-type magmatism in the Himalayan Orogen indicative of the collision of India and Eurasia?

F. S. Genske, R. H. Flood & M. A. Lackie
Geophysical characterisation of a blind I–type pluton emplaced within the Bundarra Suite S–type granites of the New England Batholith.

J. R. Hunt & G. C. Young
Depositional environment, stratigraphy, structure and paleobiology of the Hatchery Creek Group (Early–?Middle Devonian) near Wee Jasper, New South Wales.

R. C. Dart, K. M. Barovich, S. M. Hill & D. J. Chittleborough
Sr-isotopes as a tracer of Ca sources and mobility in profiles hosting regolith carbonates from southern Australia.

A. Lambeck, K. Barovich, A. D. George, A. Cross, D. Huston & T. Meixner
Proterozoic turbiditic depositional system (Tanami Group) in the Tanami region, northern Australia, and implications for gold mineralisation.

G. L. Fraser, L. Bagas & D. L. Huston
40Ar/39Ar evidence for the timing of Paleoproterozoic gold mineralisation at the Sandpiper Deposit, Tanami region, northern Australia.

R. C. Morris
Microplaty hematite — its varied nature and genesis.

DISCUSSION AND REPLY
Morris & Kneeshaw 2011. Genesis modelling for the Hamersley BIF-hosted iron ores of Western Australia: a critical review. AJES 58, 417–451.

Discussion
A. D. T. Goode

Reply
R. C. Morris & M. Kneeshaw

Coming up in TAG

Deadline for June 2012 submissions: 30 April 2012

Follow the TAG link to submit material for 2012 editions or to find out more: http://gsa.junctionworld.com/publications/tag.html or email tag@gsa.org.au

WHAT'S ON

34th IGC Early-bird registration still open

Early bird registration fees, together with accommodation options and social events, have now been released.
This offer enables delegates to register for the 34th IGC at a reduced rate.
http://bit.ly/mRHsZ0

SMEDG meeting, Sydney, 26 April 2012

Dr Phil Blevin, Geological Survey, NSW
http://bit.ly/HZ3AOK

Groundwater Essentials, Perth, 11 May 2012

Storage and Movement of Groundwater
http://bit.ly/JoSe6U

Petascale Computational Geoscience, Mandurah 13-16 May 2012

CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering
http://bit.ly/Iflf7k

2012 APPEA Conference and Exhibition, Adelaide, 13-16 May 2012

Oil and Gas Conference Australia
http://www.appeaconference.com.au/

Seventh International Symposium on Ground Support in Mining and Underground Construction, Perth, 14-16 May 2012

http://www.acg.uwa.edu.au/

Advanced Application of Seismology in Mines, Perth, 15-18 May 2012

http://www.acg.uwa.edu.au/