August 2006
31 August 2006
Temora zircon gains increased scientific interestThe value of zircon from the NSW town of Temora is once again being reflected within the international scientific community. The Temora zircon, which are considered to be among the finest in the world for deriving the age of rocks, are being used as a benchmark in a study to evaluate analytical methods used by different dating laboratories in North America and Europe. Geoscience Australia has been behind the discovery, identification and documentation of Temora zircon as well as distribution of the internationally recognised Temora Zircon standard. Zircon is a common mineral in igneous rocks, which, when formed, contain tiny traces of radioactive uranium locked inside its zircon crystals. This uranium then begins to decay in a process which produces small amounts of lead inside the zircon. This process occurs at a fixed rate which allows scientists to calculate the age of the rock by measuring the amount of lead inside the zircon crystals. A world leader in geochronological investigations, Sandra Kamo, from the Jack Satterly Geochronology Laboratory at the University of Toronto, said Temora zircon was chosen for the project because of its consistency which resulted from its formation and relatively limited exposure to weathering. The zircon's uncontaminated parent igneous rock has been exposed above ground for only about 20 years, resulting in very limited leaching of lead from the zircon within the rock. Ms Kamo, who is part of the team evaluating the analytical methods, says the results from dating Temora zircon are so reproducible that the Temora standard helps determine whether individual laboratories are obtaining the right ages of rocks. She says Temora zircon, along with the United States Geological Survey material, R33, is being used to evaluate both the methodology and the equipment used by different laboratories to establish why there are variations between results. Ms Kamo is scheduled to visit Temora on Monday 4 September 2006 with a fellow scientist and colleague Dr. Lance Black from Geoscience Australia. 16 August 2006
Tropical coastal studies move forwardGeoscience Australia will be a major contributing partner in a newly formed national project on Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRACK), funded through the Commonwealth Environmental Research Fund and the Tropical Rivers Program. The TRACK project has been formed to address environmental problems which are encroaching on northern Australia's rivers, estuaries and coastal environments, due largely to intensified land use changes. Geoscience Australia will contribute to two different studies within the TRACK project.
"I am very excited and pleased with our successful proposal and Geoscience Australia's role in TRACK. It is an opportunity to provide proactively relevant information for a project which has its eye on sustainable management for the future", he said. TRACK is a collaborative project which involves over 50 Australian research organisations, pulling together valuable knowledge and skill sets to combat environmental degradation, and protect northern Australia's valuable waterways. 16 August 2006
Australia from Space exhibitAwe-inspiring images of Australia from Space are on display in the foyer of Geoscience Australia throughout August. Australia from Space is an exhibition travelling to a number of sites around Australia. The images offer the opportunity to experience the intersection of the arts and sciences. Creator of this exhibition is Stephen S Young (Salem State College, USA) who alters satellite imagery to reveal the beauty of the Earth, while also telling a scientific story. The exhibition is open to the public Monday - Friday between 8am and 6pm in the foyer of Geoscience Australia, located on the corner of Jerrabomberra Ave & Hindmarsh Drive, Symonston, ACT. For more information phone Kate List on +61 2 6249 9571 (email kate.list@ga.gov.au) 14 August 2006
Government invests in future energy securityWelcoming the announcement by the Prime Minister of $134 million new program funding into Geoscience Australia, Chief Executive Officer Dr Neil Williams said Geoscience Australia was delighted and proud to have been given the opportunity to play a significant and important role in the Government's new energy security initiative. "As the Prime Minister has noted, Australia remains relatively unexplored, particularly for petroleum in frontier offshore areas, and encouraging further exploration must be a high priority. "This is not just in Australia's interests, it will also contribute to global economic welfare as well," said Dr Williams. "Geoscience Australia already plays a major role in developing and encouraging access to geoscientific and geospatial data in support of energy exploration, and this new program funding over five years will allow us to do so much more in these endeavours. "With a view to providing new energy opportunities, the investment of an additional $59 million in our agency's onshore activities will allow Geoscience Australia to pioneer the application of innovative, integrated geoscientific research designed to better understand the geological potential of onshore Australia. This will be done through the application of the latest geophysical imaging and mapping technologies. "For example, the major uranium deposits mined to date in Australia occur within geological terrains of a restricted age range in a variety of settings. It is proposed to acquire and integrate diverse datasets across the terrains within this age range in order to highlight new areas of uranium potential. Similar approaches in other aged terrains will reveal which of those have uranium potential and potentially lead industry to new provinces," said Dr Williams. "The data gathered will include seismic, airborne electromagnetics and radiometrics. These data will assist in defining the potential for uranium and thorium deposits, and will also highlight the potential for geothermal energy from high heat producing terrains under blankets of sedimentary cover. "The seismic data will also assist in identifying potential opportunities for exploration of onshore petroleum. "The Government's injection of over $75 million into Geoscience Australia's offshore activities will allow us to build on the "Big New Oil" program, but at a much accelerated pace. "There is an urgency to acquire new information and make regional pre-competitive data available for evaluation and acreage uptake because on average it takes six years from discovery to production in an offshore area. This means new teams will work concurrently with the existing program. "As recognised by the Prime Minister, there remain many prospective but lightly or unexplored areas. Over the next five years, data will be acquired from offshore areas that span up to two million square kilometres, more than three times the area covered by the last program. Also in contrast to the last program, we anticipate up to four times the amount of commercially acquired 2D seismic data to evaluate deep water and shallow water opportunities. "Access to information in formats used by industry will see innovation in online and near online delivery of seismic and other data. "A prime key in attracting investment in offshore permits is demonstrating a working petroleum system. Geoscience Australia will continue to apply a range of techniques, from satellite remote sensing to sea-bed coring to provide that evidence. "These are exciting times, and we are proud as a government agency to have been given the opportunity to contribute significantly to Australia's economic and societal wellbeing," concluded Dr Williams. The Hon Minister Macfarlane, MP - media releases 14 August 2006
The Hon John Howard, MP - speech 14 August 2006
10 August 2006
A new frontier of possibilityMining companies interested in broadening their horizons now have a map to point them to a whole new frontier. It's the Australian Offshore Mineral Locations map which was launched today by the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, the Hon Ian Macfarlane, MP, and the Minister for Science, Education and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop, MP. The new map is the result of an intensive process of data acquisition, compilation and analysis by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship and division of Exploration and Mining, with contributions from state and territory agencies. It shows where minerals are forming within Australia's 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone and extended continental shelf. The map also provides information on the locations of manganese nodules and crusts, shellsand, construction aggregate, heavy mineral sand, phosphorites, diamonds, tin, copper, gold and coal.
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