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News

6 July, 2003

Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory into formation of the Earth's core indicates the primordial Earth was probably mostly molten when the metallic core formed by gravity settling of metals from the initial silicate/metal melt. This is the theory forwarded by geologists and geophyscists for many years and is the expected result. See the research results here.

Possible Sol Type Planetary System Discovered

5 July, 2003

Astronomers at the Anglo-Australian Observatory have discovered a planetary system similar to ours. The system contains a gas giant similar in size and orbit to Jupiter and a Sun similar to our own. This leads astronomers to theorize that other Terra-type planets may exist. The system is 95 light years away, relatively close compared to other systems. See the BBC news item here.

NASA Launches Spirit Rover to Mars

12 June, 2003

NASA successfully launches the Sprit Rover to Mars. The Spirit Rover will be able to spend months roving the surface of Mars, sampling and analyzing surface rocks and minerals. Where previous rovers were restricted to a small vicinity around the landing site, the Spirit Rover has no such restriction and will be able to freely move around the planets surface, providing the most accurate analysis of the surface to date. Visit NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Official Web Site for more information.

European Space Agency Launches Beagle2 Probe to Mars

8 June, 2003

The ESA Launch of Beagle 2 on 3 June was a success and Beagle 2 is now on its way to Mars. The main objective of Beagle 2 is to determine if life similar to Earth ever existed on Mars. Beagle 2 is part of the ESA Mars Express Program which will also map the surface geology of Mars using high resolution (10m) photogeology and spectrometers at 100m resolution. Visit the Beagle 2 Web Site and Mars Express Web Site for more information.

Geology Map of Mt Everest Published

24 May, 2003

Although Mt. Everest is well explored by mountaineers, the geology was never significantly mapped. A team at Oxford University have compiled a 1:100,000 geology map detailing the rock types and structure of Mt Everest. The BBC news item is here.

New Technique for Analyzing Magnetic Record in Rocks

23 May, 2003

U of California, Davis scientists have developed a new technique for analsing the magnetic particles in rocks. The FORC method involves subjecting materials to a series of switching magnetic fields. How they respond gives information about the size, orientation and behavior of magnetic grains in the material. FORC helps geologists understand how these magnetic signals are recorded in rocks and sediments. See the news item here.

Exhalite Provides Clues to Location of Giant Ore Bodies

15 May, 2003

Research into the formation of giant sulphide ore bodies by the Scotia Bank Marine Geology Lab indicates the presence of a thin layer of sedimentary rock called exhalite can provide clues to the location of giant massive sulphide ore bodies. The exhalite generally extends hundreds of metres, a much larger extent than the ore body itself. See the research results here.

JPL Explores Earth and Planetary Geology Using High Tech Remote Sensing

11 May, 2003

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena reveals Earth and Planetary Geology using high tech remote sensing instruments. Some of their projects include mineral mapping of Mars, topographic mapping of the Earth from the space shuttle, Global geology and structure of Venus. View the web site here

Mars Contains Liquid Core

11 March, 2003

New research results from scientists at JPL indicate Mars contains either a liquid inner core or liquid outer core, as expected. See the news item at the Planetary Society.

New Satellite Image Shows Chicxulub Impact Crater

10 March, 2003

NASA and the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) have produced the first images of Chicxulub impact crater using the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) imaging device. National Geographic reports here

Exploration Under the Arctic Ice Reveals Hidden Secrets

12 Feb, 2003

National Geographic Reports: ...on its inaugural research expedition, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a specially designed icebreaker equipped for science, has returned with highly detailed maps, exotic life forms, and new discoveries of volcanic activity below the ice cap. See the National Geographic news here.

NASA Report: Universe will Expand Forever

12 Feb, 2003

BBC reports: The Universe will expand for ever, at an ever-increasing rate, Nasa scientists are to announce. They base their conclusion on new data obtained by the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (Map) satellite, which has been orbiting the Sun beyond the Moon since shortly after its launch in 2001. See the BBC news item here and the official NASA Map Website here.

Largest Plesiosaur Ever Unearthed in Mexico

31 December, 2002

The most complete skeleton of the the largest plesiosaur that ever existed is uncovered in Mexico. The skeleton of the plesiosaur Liopleurodon ferox, which lived 150 million years ago, was discovered with other marine fossils. The skeleton is to be removed to the Natural History Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany. See the BBC news item here.

Ancient Volcanic Rocks Discovered in Canada

6 December, 2002

The world's oldest volcanic rocks have been discovered near Hudson's Bay, Quebec, Canada. Scientists from the University of Quebec have dated the basaltic rocks at 3.825 billion years old. The rocks are very similar to others found in Greenland, part of the Isua Sequence. See the BBC news report here.

Archean Ophiolite Sequence in China

6 December, 2002

A possible Archean ophiolite sequence has been discovered in China. This new evidence adds to the theory that plate tectonics may have been occurring early in the Earth's history. See the GSA publication here and the BBC news item here

Total Solar Eclipse

5 December, 2002

A total solar eclipse occurred over parts of Southern Africa and Australia on the 4th December. It is the first total solar eclipse seen in Australia for 30 years. Total solar eclipses occur about once a year in different parts of the world. About 30,000 people congregated in Ceduna, South Australia to watch the eclipse. A good view was had by all. See the CNN report here.

Earth Possibly Contains Inner Core

10 November, 2002

Geophyscicists, using data from earthquakes, have determined a type of inner core exists within the Earth's core. See the story here

Fossil Cave Found in Western Australia

10 November, 2002

A new cave found under the Nullarbor PLain in Western Australia contains a wealth of Pleistocene fossil remains. The very well preserved fossils include giant flat-faced kangaroos, marsupial lions, wombats, Tasmanian tigers, and other megafauna that lived in Australia during the Pleistocene era, between 1.75 million and 10,000 years ago. See the story here.

Mt Etna Erupts

30 October, 2002

Mt. Etna, Europe's most studied volcano is again erupting, producing spectacular lava flows and ash plumes. The eruption was preceded by several hundred small earthquakes in eastern Sicily. So far, the lava flows have not been extensive enough to reach nearby villages, although ski resort facilities have been damaged. Recent studies suggest Mt. Etna is changing from a hot spot style volcano to an island ark style volcano, produced by collision of tectonic plates. NASA have taken pictures of the eruption from space using MODIS. See the NASA website here.

Aster Images to Map Global Mineral Deposits from Space

3 October, 2002

The USGS is setting up a team of geologists to map global mineral deposits from space using images from the Aster sensor on the Terra satellite.“For now, ASTER is really the only practical solution. It is the only instrument up there with the combination of spectral capability and geographic coverage to locate potentially mineralized areas on a global or regional scale,” says Rowan. He explains that mapping the world’s minerals could not be accomplished on the ground or by airplane alone. The costs would be enormous. See the NASA Prospecting from Orbit web site for more information.

MODIS Data From NASA

27 August, 2002

NASA have released new land, atmosphere and ocean satellite data from the MODIS sensor on the Terra satellite. The new data is a vast improvement in global land, atmosphere and ocean imaging. The new land cover data displays colour coded maps according to vegetation types at a resolution of 250, 500 or 1km. See the Modis Web Site at MODIS.

100 New Planets Found

27 August, 2002

Over 100 new planets have been found since the first planet was found orbiting another star system several years ago. Most planets are detected using the radial velocity method, whereby a wobble induced by large planets can be detected in neighboring stars. All the detectable planets are giant Jupiter like planets, no earth like planets have been detected so far. See news about extrasolar planets here.

Automated Core Logging System Developed by CSIRO

25 August, 2002

Australian scientists have developed what is believed to be the world's first automatic system for mapping the minerals in drill cores, with potential to save the mining industry millions of dollars. The new rapid core logging system developed by CSIRO in collaboration with the mining industry through AMIRA International, applies satellite-based mineral-mapping knowhow to significantly increase the geological knowledge gained from drill cores, chips and powders. See the news item here.

Ancient Asteroid Impact

25 August, 2002

Researches at Stanford University and Louisiana State University report they have found evidence in rock samples, from Australia and South Africa, of an ancient asteroid hitting Earth 3.5 billion years ago. The asteroid was twice as large as the one responsible for extinction of the dinosaurs. When the asteroid slammed into the early Earth, it threw dust and vaporized rock into the atmosphere and showered the Earth with glass droplets and dust, leaving a layer of iridium.

Asteroid Will Miss Earth

25 August, 2002

Asteroid 2003 NT7 will miss Earth in 2019, according to NASA JPL observations. From the JPL Near Earth Object Program

Asteroid Impact Possible

27 July, 2002

Asteroid 2003 NT7 currently heads the list on our IMPACT RISKS Page because of a low-probability Earth impact prediction for February 1, 2019. While this prediction is of scientific interest, the probability of impact is not large enough to warrant public concern. From the JPL Near Earth Object Program

Tagish Meteorite a Gem

27 July, 2002

British scientists have confirmed that one of the rarest meteorites ever to fall to Earth is from a time when the Solar System was born. It provides a glimpse of a period, 4.5 billion years ago, when the planets were just beginning to form. See the BBC news item here and the Tagish Meteorite website here.

Studying the Cause of Earthquakes

26 July, 2002

USA Geologists are drilling a hole 3-4 km deep to study the cause of earthquakes. The USGS plan to drill a deep hole in order to install instruments directly within the San Andreas Fault Zone near the initiation point of previous magnitude 6 Parkfield earthquakes. These instruments, set 3 to 4 km beneath the Earth's surface, will form a San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD). This project will directly reveal, for the first time, the physical and chemical processes controlling earthquake generation within a seismically active fault. See the web site here.

Ancient Lake Discovered on Mars

23 June, 2002

A large basin covering more than a million square miles is thought to represent an ancient lake that once existed on Mars. Water surging from this lake formed the Ma'adim Vallis valley, one of the largest valleys on Mars. New data from the Mars Global Surveyor revealed the first clues to this ancient lake. Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and the University of Virginia at Charlottesville reported the findings in the journal Science. See the Smithsonian Institute Research Page here.

Giant Dinosaur Uncovered in Australia

31 March, 2002

Scientists from Brisbane revealed they had uncovered fossilized fragments of a large dinosaur which may be unique to Australia. The giant animal -- five cars long and two stories tall --has been named "Elliot" after a family member of the rancher who first discovered its fossil in central Queensland state in 1999. It has been classified as a type of Sauropod. See the news item here and official announcement here

Second Largest Dinosaur Found in Egypt

31 March, 2002

One of the two most massive dinosaurs ever known has been uncovered in a barren stretch of Egypt. The 70-ton plant-eater was discovered in what is now the Sahara Desert. But eons ago the area was filled with mangrove swamps, said University of Pennsylvania researchers, who reported their findings in the May 31 edition of the journal Science. See the news item here

Mars Odyssey Spacecraft Begins Mineral Mapping of Mars

4 March, 2002

Initial science data from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which began its mapping mission last week, portend some tantalizing findings by the newest Martian visitor, including possible identification of significant amounts of frozen water. See the Official Odyssey Site here.

Drilling at Chicxulub Proceeds Succesfully

23 February, 2002

Under the auspices of the International Continental Drilling Program, the first effort to obtain a continuous core of rock from the deeply buried Chicxulub impact crater was initiated in December 2001. Known as the Chicxulub Scientific Drilling Project, the goal is to drill through the 500 to 1000 meter thick sequence of sedimentary rocks that cover the crater to obtain samples of impact breccias and impact melt created within the approximately 180 km diameter crater. See the website here.

Dinosaur Trackway Uncovered in Oxfordshire

4 February, 2002

And 163m years later, quarrymen at Ardley, Oxfordshire, scraped away the rock and clay above and exposed one of the most extensive dinosaur trackways in the world. See the news here

Englands Jurassic Coast gets World Heritage Listing

4 February, 2002

The fossil studded cliffs of Britain's East Devon and Dorset, where 180 million years of geological history is laid out to view like the layers of a sandwich, have been declared a World Heritage Site, of equal importance to the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef. View the news item here.

New Deposit of Fossil Jellyfish found in Wisconsin Quarry

4 February, 2002

Thousands of fossilized impressions of jellyfish, some up to a metre in diameter, have been discovered in a Wisconsin quarry, in what scientists say is one of the largest finds of its kind in the world. See the news item here.

WinRock, XPlotter and PointScan Software Updates

19 October, 2001

WinRock and XPlotter have new Log-Log and Log-Linear Plots, featuring upto 4 cycle plots. Stagescan is now replaced by Pointscan, a dedicated, simple PC point counter.

Worldwide Ore Deposit Library Established at Australian Minerals Foundation

16 September, 2001

AMIRA International and the Australian Mineral Foundation (AMF) have secured the renowned mineral deposit collection of Professor Peter Laznicka and his wife Sarka on behalf of the world-wide minerals industry. It is housed in a custom refurbished wing of AMF headquarters in Adelaide, officially opened as the Data Metallogenica Centre by the Hon Rob Kerin, Deputy Premier of South Australia, on the 15th of December, 1999. See the official website here

New Regional Geology Section on Geologynet

30 July, 2001

There is a new regional geology section on geologynet.com. Links to regional geology and important geological sites are listed in this section. See the regional geology section here

Online Tour of the Bushveld Layered Intrusion

24 July, 2001

Geologists at the University of Witwatersrand take you on a guided tour of the Bushveldt Complex, a major ore deposit location, at this website

Quest Airlock Successfully Deployed on the ISS

23 July, 2001

The Quest airlock was successfully deployed during shuttle mission STS104, which is now returning to Earth. Astronauts on the ISS will now be able to perform spacewalks whenever necessary. Information about the airlock is here.

Great Barrier Reef Corals Reveal Global Warming Patterns

16 July, 2001

Cores from reef corals indicate temperature changes of 0.5 degrees celsius in the past 100 years. Scientists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science have established one of the most extensive collections of marine corals in the world for studying climate change. See their research here.

Cornell University Geoscience Digital Map Server

16 July, 2001

Cornell University's Digital Earth Project makes available global geological/geophysical data instantly over the internet. A valuable resource for all geoscientists. Visit The Digital Earth here.

New Riversleigh Web Site

16 July, 2001

A new web site for the Riversleigh Fossil Centre in Mt Isa, Queensland displays information and finds from the world heritage Riversleigh fossil locality. Visit the site here.

Burgess Shale Virtual Tour

16 July, 2001

The Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology new online exhibition takes you on a tour of the The Burgess Shale, a world heritage fossil locality, located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Take the tour here.

New 3rd Generation Synchrotrons

14 July, 2001

Synchrotron Radiation Facilities operate a powerful source of light called synchrotron radiation, similar to a laser, that can be utilized for advanced experimental research in physics, materials and life sciences as well as improving industrial processes. The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility is the latest 3rd generation synchrotron to employ a powerful source of light in the x-ray range that is pushing experimental discovery to new limits. Recently, the Victorian Government has announced a new 3rd generation synchrotron facility for Monash University, to be used by scientists all over Australia. A complete list of synchrotron facilities is here.

New Aster Remote Sensing Data

4 July, 2001

The new Aster sensor on the Terra Satellite collects global reflection data at 15-30m resolution that can identify alteration patterns in rocks. Aster uses a SWIR sensor, particularly useful for mapping rocks and minerals. A standard image is 60kmx60km. The Level 2 VNIR Data Product and ASTER Level 2 TIR Surface Radiance are new mineral exploration products from the USGS EROS Data Center, complimenting the widely used Landsat 7 products. Visit the Aster Web Site here.

Argentine Dinosaur Expedition

2 July, 2001

Royal Tyrrell Museum researchers, field technicians and colleagues from Argentina are at it again. Thanks to our Argentinean Amigos in the Patagonian Desert, we are working together to find the latest clues about dinosaurs in the vast foothills of the Andes. Visit the El Dinosauria Home Page.

Mastodons Uncovered in New York

2 July, 2001

Since August, 1999, PRI, in conjunction with Cornell University, has been involved with two mastodon excavations, one in Hyde Park, NY and another (Cornell's Gilbert Mastodon) in Chemung County, NY. See the dig websites.

WHOI Website About Expedition to the Indian Ocean Floor

1 July, 2001

WHOI Dive and Discover’s first expedition of 2001 was a 40 day long voyage to explore for hydrothermal vents at the mid-ocean ridge in the central Indian Ocean, one of the most remote places on Earth. See the results here.

New Indian Ocean Floor Research by Southhamptom Oceanography Centre

1 July, 2001

Under the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean lie hidden volcanoes, lavas, huge mountain ranges and fountains of fiery smoke. What are they doing there, how do they form and what can they tell us about our planet? Answers to these questions are being sought by a team of Earth Scientists currently on board the RRS Charles Darwin, a British research ship bound out of Southampton. See their web site here.

Large Lava Flow Discovered on Indian Ocean Floor

1 July, 2001

Marine scientists from Southampton Oceanography Centre report finding an enormous expanse of lava on the seafloor during a research cruise in the Indian Ocean. More here.

Barrick Gold and Homestake Merge

26 June, 2001

Barrick Gold Corp. $2.3 billion all-share takeover of established rival Homestake Mining Co creates the world's second largest gold producer with a value of $9 billion. Here is the story.

Olivene on Mars

21 June, 2001

Recent spectral mapping of Mars by the Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft and subsequent analysis by USGS geologists have revealed substantial surface areas consisting of olivene. Olivine occurs for hundreds of kilometers around the Martian volcanic craters and indicate there has been little chemical weathering during its geologic past. USGS scientists say it is unlikely, therefore, Mars ever had a wet climate. More here at the USGS.

Billiton and BHP Merge

15 June, 2001

The European Commission has granted clearance under the European Union's merger control rules to the proposed merger between BHP Ltd and Billiton Plc, two of the world's biggest mining companies. Although both companies have significant copper mining activities, the transaction does not give rise to any competition concerns in Europe. See the full story here.

Himilayan Glaciers Retreating at a Faster Rate

15 June, 2001

The Himalayan glaciers that feed the Ganges River appear to be retreating at a suprisingly fast rate. In the long run, scientists say, that could imperil water supplies for the 400 million Indians living in the Ganga Basin. Read the news item here from the Wadian Institute of Himilayan Geology.

Simultaneous XRD/XRF Analysis of Rocks and Minerals

11 June, 2001

Researchers at Moxtek and Brigham Young University are developing an instrument for simultaneous XRD/XRF microanalysis of rocks and minerals. A breadboard setup built at MOXTEK, Inc. is capable of capturing XRD and XRF information simultaneously using a charge-coupled device (CCD) as the x-ray detector. Complete story is here.

New Geochemical Earth Reference Model Initiative

26 May, 2001

The Geochemical Earth Reference Model (GERM) initiative has the goal of establishing a community consensus on a chemical characterization of the Earth. A GERM Workshop was held in La Jolla, CA, USA from March 6-9, 2001 to promote such a consensus and to aid in the establishment of a Gechemical Earth Reference Model. A new GERM website is here.

New Indian Ocean Vents Studied by Woods Hole

24 April, 2001

The first ocean floor vents to be discovered in the Indian Ocean are being studied by a team from Woods Hole. See the results of their exploration here.

Digital Geological Mapping Techniques

11 April, 2001

The results of the USGS 2000 Symposium on Digital Geological Mapping Techniques have been published in a USGS open file report. See the full report here.

New Mars Mission Blasts Off

10 April, 2001

A new Mars surveying mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral on 7 April. This mission carries a range of scientific instruments to map the surface mineralogy of Mars and detect any presence of water. Read about the mission at the official NASA Odyssey website.

Mars Meteorite, Bacteria or Not?

25 March, 2001

There is a lot of controversy about whether a meteorite thought to originate from Mars contains bacteria similar to some on Earth. This series of articles from the The Lunar and Planetary Geology Institute explains the pros and cons. For up to date information visit this JPL website.

Space Station Mir Crashes Down to Earth

24 March, 2001

Russian Space Station Mir made a fiery controlled descent today, crashing into the Southern Pacific Ocean. See the full story from CNN.

Latest ISS Mission a Success

24 March, 2001

The latest shuttle mission to the International Space Station has been hailed a success by NASA. Expedition 2 crew members have replaced Expedition 1 as the new residents aboard ISS. A payload of scientific experiments were delivered for the new science laboratory. More about this mission here.

Building Blocks of Life in Space

24 March, 2001

The building blocks of life, amino acids have been found in meteorites originating from asteroids. Now, some amino acids are thought to have come from comets. Read about the the new find by Scripps Institute of Oceanography here.

OPEC Anounces Drop in Oil Production

18 March, 2001

Opec have announced a cut in oil production. This will lead to higher oil and petrol prices in the short term.

Lihir Giant Gold Discovery

11 March, 2001

The giant Lihir Island Gold deposit in PNG is described in this paper by CSIRO.

Sulphide Deposits in Submarine Vents, PNG

11 March, 2001

Submarine vents studied by a team from the Scotia Bank Marine Geology Laboratory, CSIRO and PNG Geological Survey are presently forming large, polymetallic sulphide deposits around the ocean floor vents. Read more here.

Predicted Sea Level Rise for Greenhouse Effect

9 March, 2001

The Australian Antarctic CRC have published a predictive model for sea level changes during the next 2000 years. Sea level is predicted to rise 8m during the next 2000 years, mostly from melting of the Greenland Icesheet. In the short term, sea level is expected to rise 1m in the next 300 years. Read the news here.

New Ocean Bottom Vents Found

8 March, 2001

A new type of ocean floor vent has been found by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute at the Mid Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic. The vent resembles a "lost city" with spires 60m high and 10m across. Unlike previously found vents, the spires are composed of carbonate minerals and sit on old oceanic crust. Normally, vents are found along the young mid oceanic ridge and are rich in sulphur and iron minerals. See the report here.

Giant Iceberg Breaks off Antarctica

14 February, 2001

A Giant Slab of Ice has broken off Antarctice near McMurdo Station. The giant iceberg is more that 100km across and 300m thick. It's position is being monitored but is so remotely located it does not pose any threat.

New Science Module Arrives at International Space Station

14 February, 2001

The next component of the ISS, Destiny Science Lab Module has arrived at the ISS. Full details at the ISS web site.

WinRock, WinRock Wizard and Xplotter Software Upgrades

6 December, 2000

MinServ announce this week two important upgrades to their XPlotter and WinRock Software. Both programs now have support for very large and very small numbers. In addition to the many other types of graphs, they can now plot Log-Log and Log-Linear graphs. WinRock Wizard now with more questions and detail to classify most rock types.

International Space Station First Permanent Crew Arrives

8 November, 2000

The first permanent crew of the International Space Station arrived at their new home on November 2nd and have now completed their first week in Space. View the ISS Web Site for detailed information.

New Standard Symbol and Pattern Set for Geological Map Making

7 November, 2000

The USGS have developed a new standard set of symbols, patterns and fonts for geological map making. The symbol specifications, patterns and fonts can be viewed here.

Tempest Electromagnetic Survey Instrument Developed

15 October 2000

World Geoscience and CRC AMET have put Tempest to the test with several surveys around Australia. Tempest uses modern technology to provide new information that was previously unavailable in Airborne EM. Read more here.

CSIRO/NASA Map Australia Using Airborne Research Laboratory Radar

15 October, 2000

NASA's Airborne Research Laboratory visits Australia and maps 55 sites in every state using airborne SAR. See more here.

Online Geology Databases

27 September, 2000

Online geology databases are under development at geologynet. Six databases covering minerals, rocks, geochemistry and x-ray diffraction will eventually be put online. Currently two databases are online and more will added in the next few weeks. The databases are based on our Geolbases CDROM and are free to use but have a simple search interface and fewer features. See the online databases here.

Geologynet Server Upgrade

6 August, 2000

We have a new web server that will provide additional and improved services. Some of the new services include advanced searching of the web site, secure servers and anonymous ftp. Look out for additional services in the future.

Oil Price Rises to US$32.00 a Barrel

25 June, 2000

The oil price has risen to US$32.00 a barrel from less than US$14.00 a barrel a year ago. Increased exploration and production will result from this price increase.

Fiery Birth of New Pacific Island

26 May, 2000

A new island is emerging in the Solomon Islands as an undersea eruption is witnessed by CSIRO Scientists. The Kavachi Seamount produced explosive eruptions of lava 70m into the air, as this undersea volcano grows larger. CSIRO Scientists were able to collect rock samples from the volcano and measure the chemistry of adjascent ocean. In a seperate study a black smoker pipe was collected for later analysis. See this CSIRO news release.

New Rocks Found Expand Our Knowledge of Mantle Processes

24 May, 2000

New Rocks Found on the island of Malaita, Papua New Guinea have been formed at high pressures found only in the Earth's Mantle, 400-670km down. The rocks have given researchers a new oportunity to study the physical and chemical properties of rocks at this depth. See this news report.

New Impact Structure Found in Western Australia

8 May, 2000

A new meteorite impact structure has been found near Shark Bay, Western Australia. The impact structure was discovered during a gravity survey by oil companies and was later confirmed by geologists at the AGSO and GSWA. The 128km (80 miles) wide crater is estimated to be 250-360 million years old and could be resopnsible for the massive Permian-Triassic extinction. Read more here.

GPS More Accurate

3 May, 2000

From Auslig

US President, Bill Clinton has announced (AEST 10am, 2 May) that the United States will stop the intentional degradation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) signals available to the public. This announcement heralded the removal of a feature called Selective Availability (SA) and will mean that civilian users will be able to pinpoint locations up to 10 times more accurately than they do now. GPS is a dual-use, satellite-based system that provides accurate location and timing data to users worldwide. "The decision to discontinue SA is the latest measure in an on-going effort to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide," said President Clinton. People who own a GPS receiver for a boat or a car, to use in business and in recreation, will find that they are suddenly 10 times more accurate. Tests over the first 24 hours have revealed a far better accuracy than initially anticipated, with the previous positional accuracy of 50 metres now reduced to
5 metres. For the everyday user of a hand-held GPS, this will mean they will be able to measure their location to better than 10 metres. Read the full story from the Interagency GPS Executive Board, established by President Clinton in 1996 to manage the GPS.

Canada's National Lithoprobe Program Develops New Geophysical Instruments

6 April, 2000

Canada's National Lithoprobe Project that is mapping the Canadian lithoshpere developed new seismic and electromagnetic instruments for subsurface mapping and earthquake measurement. The new instruments, which include siesmic reflection and electromagnetic instruments, provide new methods for locating mineral deposits.

QEM/SEM Mineral Analysis Software/Onsite Mineral Analysis

5 April, 2000

CSIRO Australia have developed automated mineral analysis software and acquisition hardware for use with SEM EDX Images. Riotinto, Falconbridge and MinTek are now using this technology for controlling and designing the mineral processing process.
New equipment to analyze minerals onsite, also developed by CSIRO, can provide geologists with a detailed physical/chemical analysis of a rock in under a minute. The new equipment utilises sohisticated software and a portable near infrared spectrometer. See more here.

New CSIRO Research Centre

4 April, 2000

CSIRO is centralising their mining and exploration research into a new research centre to be opened adjascent to Curtin University in Perth, WA. The new research centre, called The Australian Resource Research Centre (National Centre for Petroleum & Mineral Resources Research), will bring together CSIRO Exploration and Mining, CSIRO Petroleum and existing laboratories in Floreat Park and Nedlands in Perth, Western Australia, and Syndal, Melbourne, respectively into a new state of the art centre at Bentley. See this press release.

Removing CO2

3 April, 2000

Los Alamos is a leader in developing methods to control CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use. Global warming is an accepted hazard of the 21st century and research into controling CO2 emissions is being given priority. The major source of CO2 emissions are coal fired power stations, LPG and natural gas heating. By using the natural earth process that converts CO2 into limestone and sand over millions of years and reducing the process to a few hours, researchers at Los Alamos believe they will have an effective way to reduce CO2 emissions from these sources to zero. More information here.

Chemin Mineral/Chem Analyzer

3 April, 2000

A new instrument for simultaneously analyzing the mineralogy and chemistry of rock samples is the product of recent Los Alamos National Laboratory Research. The Chemin instrument simultaneously analyzes a powdered rock sample using x-ray diffraction (XRD)and x-ray fluorescence (XRF). XRD determines the mineral phases present while XRF will determine bulk chemistry of the sample. Los Alamos has a special web site devoted to Chemin.

Anatarctic Meteorites

1 April, 2000

NASA and JSC have been running a research program since 1977 to collect and analyze Meteorites from Antarctica. The results of this research are summarized on the Official Meteorites From Antarctica Web Site. Much information has been learned about the origins of our Solar System and the nature and origin of Meteorites falling to Earth. The majority of meteorites are believed to originate from Asteroids passing near Earth and most are derived from the formation of the Early Solar System. A few meteorites have been found originating from the Moon and Mars.

Small Diameter Drill Holes

29 March 2000

Research by Los Alamos National Laboratory has resulted in the development of small diameter drilling equipment for drilling of exploration holes. The new technology allows for drilling holes up to 500 feet deep with all the equipment carried on a tandem-wheel trailer pulled by a standard pickup truck. When developed for depths to 10,000 feet, the technology will replace traditional deep drilling methods that use massive amounts of costly equipment, material and manpower.More information in this Los Alamos Press Release.

Oil News

8 April. 1999

Huge Oil Reserves Found Under the Caspian Sea

The former USSR province of Azerbaijan has been known to contain significant oil deposits for over 70 years. This country is now the scene of a great oil rush by the world's major oil companies. Huge reserves have been discovered under the Caspian Sea. The size of the deposits are not accurately known but are at least equal to 2-3 Kuwait's. With the influx of the oil companies, major redevelopment of capital Baku is taking place. Formerly a province of the USSR, Baku had a huge industrial base with factories employing over 30,000 people. When the Russians left, Baku was stripped bare, the factories closed and the city left in ruins. Now, the rich oil fields have attracted multinational oil companies and money is flowing in for redeveloping this city.

Price of Oil Drops

The price of oil dropped to around US$10.00 a barrel, the lowest it has been for many years, now crude oil is US$15.00 a barrel. There are now so many huge reserves of oil that many oil fields have been closed down because the oil can't be sold. In the USA, once thriving oil towns in Oklahoma have become like ghost towns with the closure of the oil fields.

Mergers

BP and Amoco have merged and now BP have taken over ARCO to form the largest Oil Conglomeration in the World. With closure of oil fields the industry is ripe for mergers and takeovers. Companies without marketing clout need to form partnerships with major market oil movers in order to sell their crude oil.