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geoz 54 September 2012

NEWSBREAKERS

Fossil DNA reveals a third modern human

Genome sequencing of DNA from fossil bones reveals they belonged to a young female human who was neither a Neanderthal nor a modern human but a member of a third group of ancient humans known as Denisovans.
Journal abstract: http://bit.ly/Rx0F8D
News report: http://bbc.in/NFOJfI

Eureka Awards see Peak Phosphorus research recognised and oil more effectively extracted

Dr Dana Cordell and Professor Stuart White from the University of Technology, Sydney predict that without action and at current rates the world will have consumed its best supplies of phosphorus within 20 years and may exhaust them by 2050. For their work they have been awarded the 2012 NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.

Building on a decade of fundamental research at the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales, Canberra-based company Digitalcore is using supercomputing combined with high-resolution 3D scanning of oil-bearing rocks to enable more effective extraction of hydrocarbons such as oil and natural gas. For their work, the team behind Digitalcore has won the 2012 Rio Tinto Eureka Prize for Commercialisation of Innovation.

Eureka Prize for Environmental Research: http://bit.ly/MasyDs
Eureka Prize for Commercialisation of Innovation: http://bit.ly/P4zspX
Details of all Eureka prize finalists and winners: http://bit.ly/OuyV3z

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: 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

Wednesday 5th September 2012
Dr Gary Nichols, University of London NCGRT
Stratigraphic analysis in continental basins, where sequence stratigraphy does not work
Biomedical Theatre D, upper campus UNSW, 12 noon

Wednesday 12th September 2012
ALGA Student Night
$11 to attend. Free beer!
Newcastle

Wednesday 10th October 2012
Peter A. Arditto, Director, SEDSTRAT Pty Ltd
A sequence stratigraphic model for the Middle Triassic Bald Hill Claystone and Newport Formation, Sydney Basin, New South Wales
Biomedical Theatre B, upper campus UNSW, 6 pm

November 2012
Honours Student Night
Biomedical Theatres, upper campus UNSW, 6 pm

Queensland

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

South Australia

GeoNight at the Pub
First Thursday of every month- starting 6th September 2012
Nibbles provided, drink specials on the night
The Griffith's Head, Grenfell Street, Adelaide (Front Bar), 5.30 pm to 7.30pm
apetts@flindersmines.com for more information

Thursday 20th September 2012
Kathryn Amos
Rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin- why these rivers are such an interesting analogue for ancient continental successions around the world
Mawson Theatre, University of Adelaide. 5.30 pm for 6.15 pm

Sunday 14th October 2012
SA Division Field Trip
Please see Newsletter for more details and preliminary itinerary

Thursday 18th October 2012
Myles Davies, DMITRE
The PACE drilling scheme with particular reference to holes with research potential
Mawson Theatre, University of Adelaide. 5.30 pm for 6.15 pm

Tasmania

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

6-7 December 2012
Tasmanian Geoscience Forum (jointly with Aus.IMM)
Strahan Village. For more information contact andrew.mcneill@utas.edu.au

Victoria

27 September 2012
Selwyn Symposium: GAGA 2012
The Great East-Australian Geology Armwave of 2012: Tectonics, modern analogues/events, mineralisation
Fritz Loewe Theatre, School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne. Download brochure here.

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

The National Rock Garden - make it happen!

Rock garden example


The National Rock Garden (NRG) now qualifies for Deductible Gift Recipient status (DGR). In other words, donations to the NRG are now tax deductible so now donating to the NRG can be a win-win!






The National Rock Garden will have up to 100 large specimens of the country's most iconic rocks. Each specimen will weigh approximately 10–15 tonnes. To find out how you can contribute follow this link to the NRG web site: http://www.nationalrockgarden.org.au/

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 Brad Pillans


AAP Memoir 43 now available

Cover of AAP Memoir 43


The new AAP Memoir: Revision of New Zealand Cenozoic fossil Mollusca described by Zittel (1865) based on Hochstetter's collections from the Novara Expedition Editors: Beu, A.G., Nolden, S., Darragh, T.A., 2012 is now available. Domestic price $50.00, Overseas price $61.50. Click here to order.








IN THE NEWStop

Cretaceous 'chicken' was on the menu

Fossil stomach contents found amongst the bones of compsognathid dinosaurs in China reveal feathered dinosaurs and primitive birds were part of the diet.
Journal abstract: http://bit.ly/Oyxhhe
News report: http://bbc.in/QXSwoY

Victoria goes for gold

The Victorian parliament is set to adopt gold as the mineral emblem of the State at the regional sitting of Parliament when the Legislative Assembly sits in Ballarat and the Legislative Council sits in Bendigo on 6 September. Once parliament has approved the adoption of the mineral emblem a recommendation will be made to the Governor to formally declare it.
http://bit.ly/Q6pWp4

ON THE WEBtop

Microbial methane found under Antarctic ice

Ancient deposits of organic matter, perhaps as much as ten times the amount sequestered in Arctic permafrost, are trapped under the Antarctic ice sheet in the form of microbial methane. If released by melting a positive feedback loop could see a further enhancement of global warming as a result.
http://bbc.in/PudsDN

A solar system just for Luke

Researchers have discovered a solar system consisting of two planets orbiting around a pair of stars that orbit each other, much like the system that hosted Luke Skywalker's fictional home planet Tatooine in Star Wars. The binary star system, Kepler-47, has at least two planets. Although the outer planet is not Earth-like, it orbits within the zone where liquid water could exist on an Earth-like planet indicating habitable planets are possible in binary star systems.
Journal abstract: http://bit.ly/PBOmIP
News report: http://bit.ly/Rr5bVT

IN THE MEDIAtop

Hazard forecasting dangerous business

Earthquake hazard maps have been identified as a major problem when it comes to the business of communicating risk to the public. Researchers have noted that earthquake hazard maps tend to underestimate the likelihood of quakes in areas where they haven't occurred previously and this, combined with a poor public understanding of the science of uncertainty, means new strategies for communicating the risk to the public must be developed.
http://bit.ly/S6pScu

Mars: the field trip (continued)

Stratigraphy on Mars

The landing site of NASA's Mars rover has now been fully imaged from orbit. Along with the rover, it also shows a lot of 'litter' scattered across the Martian landscape as a result of the landing process!
http://1.usa.gov/NH3FtT

Curiosity has begun its journey to Mount Sharp, creating a new 'road' on Mars as it goes.
http://1.usa.gov/OHp76j

The Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on Curiosity has tested its laser to examine side-by-side points in a target patch of soil leaving very distinct marks visible in the Martian surface.
http://1.usa.gov/Q5h0jG

Curiosity reports minor damage to one of its wind measuring instruments - part of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) package. The damage was probably inflicted by flying rock debris during landing. The Spanish team looking after this instrumentation are confident the rest of REMS is working fine and that they can find a way to use the remaining wind sensors to get good wind speed and direction data.
News report: http://bit.ly/NUvPYe
REMS weather reports from Mars http://bit.ly/skKZTX

Photography of the Martian landscape has begun to reveal stratigraphy and what some speculate might be an unconformity.
NASA report: http://1.usa.gov/RSXUk5
News report: http://bbc.in/PLiYGt

Next stop: Glenelg. Glenelg Mars that is! Like it Scottish namesake it has some interesting stories to tell. Images suggest the location exposes the contacts between three different terrain types.
http://bbc.in/Nnd0qB

Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

What's in AJEStop

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.6
Thematic issue: The evolution and geodynamics of the Indo-Australian Plate

Guest editors: Myra Keep and Wouter Schellart

M. Keep and W. Schellart
Introduction to the thematic issue on the evolution and dynamics of the Indo-Australian plate.

S. Fishwick, and N. Rawlinson
3-D structure of the Australian lithosphere from evolving seismic datasets.

R. Hall and I. Sevastjanova
Australian crust in Indonesia.

A. Replumaz, V. Vignon, V. Regard, J. Martinod and N. Guerrero
East-West shortening in a North-South convergence, example of the NW Himalayan syntaxis.

A. Benincasa, M. Keep and D. Haig
A restraining bend in a young collisional margin: Mount Mundo Perdido, East Timor.

J. Bourget, R. B. Ainsworth, G. Backé and M. Keep
Tectonic evolution of the northern Bonaparte Basin: impact on continental shelf architecture and sediment distribution during the Pleistocene.

G. Lister, L. White, S. Hart and M. Forster
Ripping and tearing the rolling-back New Hebrides slab.

R P. Durance, M. A. Jandamec, T.J. Falloon and I. A. Nicholls
Magmagenesis within the Hunter Ridge Rift Zone resolved from olivine-hosted melt inclusion and geochemical modelling with insights from geodynamic models.

W.P. Schellart and W. Spakman
Mantle constraints on the plate tectonic evolution of the Tonga-Kermadec-Hikurangi subduction zone and the South Fiji Basin region.

N. Mortimer, P. Gans, F. Hauff and D.H.N. Barker
Paleocene MORB and OIB from the Resolution Ridge, Tasman Sea.

P. Li, G. Rosenbaum, and D. Rubatto
Triassic asymmetric subduction rollback in the southern New England Orogen (eastern Australia): the end of the Hunter-Bowen orogeny.

Coming up in TAGtop

September TAG

Not only is the September issue bursting with features and special reports it also showcases the GSA Awards. TAG #164, the September issue is coming soon. Keep an eye on your mailbox!

TAG publishes member contributions, it is never too early to send in your articles for the December issue:
http://gsa.junctionworld.com/publications/tag.html or email tag@gsa.org.au

WHAT'S ONtop


DEADLINES:

Top GeoShot 2012
Geoscience Australia's photo competition

Entries close 22 September 2012
http://bit.ly/L1Savk

The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Education Endowment Fund
Bicentennial Gold 88 Endowment 2013

Applications close Friday 28 September 2012
http://bit.ly/nxYtm2

Earth Science Week 2012

What are you doing for Earth Science Week? 14-20 October 2012
http://bit.ly/NN3qPn




EVENTS:

AMEC summit, Perth, 4–6 September 2012

http://www.amecconvention.com.au/

NT Minerals summit, Darwin, 11 – 13 September 2012

The Last Frontier – Capitalising on Mining, Exploration and Career Opportunities in the Northern Territory
http://bit.ly/IlGCIo

Australian National Conference on Resources and Energy 2012, Canberra, 18 – 19 September 2012

http://bit.ly/SuzEDX

Hydraulics and Hydrology for Non-Engineers, Melbourne, 20 – 21 September 2012

Download brochure here.

The seventh conference on Mine Closure, Brisbane, 25 – 27 September 2012

http://bit.ly/LucOYr

The RIU Melbourne Resources Round-up, Melbourne, 26 – 27 September 2012

An Australian Mining and Exploration Investment Conference
http://bit.ly/Tbsnrv

Water Essentials, Brisbane, 28 September 2012

http://bit.ly/p2VikV

Earth Science Week, 14 – 20 October 2012

http://bit.ly/NN3qPn

Mines and Money Australia, Sydney, 15 – 17 October 2012

http://bit.ly/nbKBHy

Pichi 50, Flinders Ranges, 20 October 2012

Download brochure here.

Coal Seam Gas and Water, Sydney, 31 October - Fri 2 November 2012

http://bit.ly/p2VikV

The Mining 2012 Resources Convention , Brisbane, 31 October - Fri 2 November 2012

http://bit.ly/Um1zEA

Australian Resources Conference & Trade Show, Perth, 12 – 14 November 2012

http://bit.ly/NBUk7E

Groundwater Esssentials, Adelaide, 19 November 2012

http://bit.ly/p2VikV

Geosciences 2012 Conference, Hamilton New Zealand, 25 – 28 November 2012

http://bit.ly/OK93gz

Water in Coal Mines, Newcastle NSW, 28 – 30 November 2012

http://bit.ly/p2VikV

Joint SSA and NZSSS Soil Science Conference, Hobart, 2 – 7 December 2012

http://www.soilscience2012.com/

9th SA Exploration and Mining Conference, Adelaide, 7 December 2012

Contact caroline.forbes@adelaide.edu.au for more information

CONTACTStop

Head Office

info@gsa.org.au

Suite 61, 104 Bathurst Street
Sydney NSW 2000
ph 02-9290 2194
fax 02-9290 2198

www.gsa.org.au
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