For questions regarding the WA Division please email [email protected] Read July 2021 WA Division Newsletter
Download 2020 GSA WA Division Annual Report
Date: First Wednesday of each month (except December and January) Location: Spacecubed, 45 St George’s Terrace Perth WA 6000. https://spacecubed.com/space/riff/ Time: Drinks start 5.30pm, talks start at 6.00pm Info: [email protected]u
Upcoming Events
1 September 2021 - WA Division Meeting Speaker: Mike Freeman (GSWA) Topic: Ellendale's Fancy Yellows Time: Drinks start 5.30 pm, talks start at 6.00 pm Location: Spacecubed at 45 St George's Terrace, Perth WA 6000, Australia 8 September 2021 - New frontiers in geochronology and geochemical fingerprinting of WA mineral deposits Workshop (WA Division & John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University) Speakers: Neal McNaughton, Hugo Olierook, Fred Jourdan, Svetlana Tessalina, Janne Liebmann, Jennifer Porter, Alexander Prent and Martin Wells (John de Laeter Centre, Curtin) Topic: This free workshop provides a hands-on overview of the existing and emerging geochemical techniques for geochronology and geochemical fingerprinting of mineral deposits using WA examples. The workshop will present general principles of isotopic techniques, specific applications to VHMS systems, gold and lithium deposits, and iron ores. Ore deposit models for exploration and targeting will be discussed, as well as the understanding of how/where/when known deposits form Time: 9.00am-4.30pm Location: Building 211.230, Curtin University. Curtin car park PI1 and PI2 in the blue bays, parking fees apply. See campus map for location of buildings and parking Catering: Morning tea will be provided by the workshop sponsor, IMDEX. Bring your own lunch or purchase from a variety of campus outlets Contact: Svetlana Tessalina at [email protected] Programme: Click here Registration: Click here 6 October 2021 - WA Division Meeting Speaker: Darren Holden (Geospy) Topic: Maralinga by the Sea: Using History and Geo-historiography to address a sense of place for the British atomic weapon test sites in South Australia Time: Drinks start 5.30 pm, talks start at 6.00 pm Location: Spacecubed at 45 St George's Terrace, Perth WA 6000, Australia
Previous Division Meetings and Events
4 August 2021 - WA Division Meeting Speaker: Aaron Cavosie, Curtin University Topic: Impact geochronometers- the accessory mineral revolution 7 July 2021 - GSA WA Division Monthly Talk Speaker: Laura Petrella, CET, University of Western Australia Topic: Colloidal metals provide a new understanding of high-grade orogenic gold mineralisation 2 June 2021 - GSA WA Division Monthly Talk Speaker: Jacob Van Zoelen, PhD student in Palaeontology, Flinders University Topic: Reassessing the taxonomy of giant marsupials, a case study in 3D scanning practices Biography: For my Honours project in 2016 I digitally reconstructed the skull of the strange Pleistocene diprotodontid Nototherium, and ever since I have been hooked on using digital technology to elucidate this poorly understood family of extinct beasts. For my PhD project, I am re-assessing the systematics and evolution of diprotodontids across the past 8 million years. I have been privileged to be a part of initiatives such as the Virtual Australian Museum of Palaeontology (VAMP) which aims to create a digital repository for all digital fossil material in Australian institutes and work with museums in the process.
21 May 2021 – CSIRO, Geological Survey of WA and GSA WA Division Advanced Spectral Data Processing Workshop This workshop will provide advanced hands-on instruction on how to extract mineralogical and lithological information from HyLogger-derived hyperspectral data obtained from diamond drillcore. Presenters: Carsten Laukamp and Jessica Stromberg (CSIRO), assisted by GSWA geologists Lena Hancock, Michael Wawryk and Paul Duuring. Requirements: Participants must bring their own PC laptop for hands-on case studies using The Spectral Geologist (TSG) software package. One-day TSG licences will be installed on laptops at the beginning of the workshop. Closed shoes, hand lens, and scribe are also required.
5 May 2021 – GSA WA Division Annual General Meeting Speaker: Aaron Davis (CSIRO) Topic: The use of airborne electromagnetics for near-surface groundwater investigations Abstract: Airborne electromagnetics (AEM) is an established discipline of geophysics for subsurface investigations. From its inception for improving the search for base metals in Shield environments, AEM is now routinely used for mineral exploration, geotechnical assessment, and groundwater investigations. In this presentation, he will discuss the use of AEM for groundwater exploration and hydrogeophysical and geological investigation. Focussing on surveys flown in Western Australia, he will demonstrate how AEM can be used to improve our understanding of the subsurface for groundwater extraction and resource estimation. He will also demonstrate how AEM has been used to improve the success rate of targeting aquifers along the Gascoyne River, map palaeovalleys in the Murchison, improve geological maps in the Perth Basin, and improve our understanding of a fan system north of Newman.
7 April 2021 – GSA WA Division Annual General Meeting Speaker: Tim Munday (CSIRO) Topic: To strip or not to strip – dealing with a regolith response causing IP and SPM effects in AEM data 3 March 2021 – WA Division Meeting Speakers: Dr Vladimir Puzyrev and Dr Mario Zelic (Rio Tinto Group) Topic: Analysis of geochemical datasets with deep learning: an application to WACHEM database4 November 2020 - WA Division Meeting
Speaker: Bill Power (Power Geoscience) Topic: Fluid Flow and Faults – new constraints from outcrop and fault seal studies
7 October 2020 - WA Division Annual General Meeting & Monthly Division Talk The Annual General Meeting will precede the Monthly Talk. Speaker: Raphael Baumgartner (Research Associate, University of New South Wales) Topic: Sulfidized stromatolites of the 3.48 billion-year-old Dresser Formation, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia: A “benchmark” for the oldest evidence of life on Earth
27 September 2020 - WA Division Star Swamp Geotrail Project Field Trip Details: Friends of Star Swamp, GSA WA Division, Geoparks WA and City of Stirling invite you to assist in researching and presenting the geological heritage of Star Swamp. This information will be interpreted to inform the establishment of a geo-trail within Star Swamp. Alan Briggs and David Pike will be facilitating this fieldtrip and the Friends of Star Swamp have pre-booked the venue. Time: 9.00 am Location: Meeting point is car park 50 m south of the Henderson Environment Centre - North end of Groate Street, North Beach, Western Australia 6020 Cost: Free Program
2 September 2020 - WA Division Monthly Meeting Speaker: Sam Spinks, CSIRO Mineral Resources Topic: The WA Manganese Belt: Debunking the myth of the Proterozoic sedimentary ‘manganese hiatus’, and demonstrating WA’s potential as a battery metals state
May 2020 - WA Division Online Presentation Presenter: Vitor Barrote (Monash University and Curtin University) Topic: 4D evolution of replacement-type VHMS ore systems in the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia Abstract: The discovery of mineral deposits is critical to the long-term sustainability of the Australian mining industry. Innovative approaches to mineral exploration and the application of state-of-the-art research techniques to improve the comprehension and detection of ore bodies is fundamental to address the formidable challenges posed by Australia’s complex geological framework and paucity of outcrops. 4D evolutionary models of ore deposits can be generated by combining geological observations with data from several isotopic systems, in a multi-disciplinary approach, to constrain the timing of major geological processes present in the development of a deposit. These models contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary framework of an ore deposit, the timing of mineralisation, and the processes that drive metal supply and precipitation. This is particular true in Archean replacement-type VHMS deposits, where the syn-volcanic timing of the mineralisation is not always clear. Ultimately the construction of a 4D framework culminates in the development of new or improved exploration tools.
Watch: Click here
4 March 2020 - WA Division Meeting Speaker: Jessica Stromberg (CSIRO) Topic: Sniffs of an Archean Sedimentary Copper System in the World’s Oldest Lake
27th February 2020 - GESSS-WA, Forming the 2020 Organising Committee Want to be part of organising the next GSA Student Symposium, connect with WA organisations and industries? Come along to the GESSS-WA BBQ where we will begin work on forming the new Organising Committee 2020. Location: Matilda Bay, BBQ Area, Hackett Drive, Nedlands WA 6009 Website: https://gessswa.wixsite.com/2019 Facebook: GESSS.WA
5 February 2020 - WA Division Meeting Speaker: Heidi Allen (Geological Survey of Western Australia) Topic: Thoracic (Kalbarri National) Park - fresh eyes on an old hunting ground
Chair: Vacant E: TBA Vice Chair: Vacant E: TBA Secretary: Walter Witt (Consultant) E: [email protected] Treasurer: Vacant E: TBA
General Committee Members: Paul Duuring (GSWA) Stephen Barnes (CSIRO) Svetlana Tessalini (Curtin) Trevor Beardsmore (GSWA) Kailah Thorn (UWA Museum) Mario Zelic (Rio Tinto) Victoria Cousins (student rep UWA) Raiza Mendez-Quintero (student rep Curtin)
Convenor (Awards Subcommittee): Pete Kinny (Curtin University) E: [email protected]
Convenor (Geoeducation Subcommittee): TBA E: TBA
Convenor (Geoheritage Subcommittee): Margaret Brocx Convenor (Stratigraphic Nomenclature Subcommittee): Peter Haines (Geological Survey of WA)
Field Trips Coordinator Martin Nguyen (Rio Tinto)
WA Division Diversity & Inclusion Champion Kailah Thorn
WA Division Instagram Champion Raiza Quintero-Mendez
WA Division Instagram Coordinator Morgan Cox
WA Division Facebook Champion Cat Gill (UWA)
WA Division LinkedIn Champion Mario Zelic
List of prospective sponsors for GSA-WA membership applications BHP Matthew Crowe E: [email protected] Roger McNaughton E: [email protected] CSIRO Charles Butt E: [email protected] Ignacio Gonzalez-Alvarez E: [email protected] Bruce Hobbs E: [email protected] Sandra Occhipinti E: [email protected]
Erick Ramanaidou E: [email protected] Curtin University Milo Rory Barham E: [email protected] Edith Cowan University Ross Dowling E: [email protected] Earth Science WA Joanne Watkins E: [email protected] FMG Stuart Robinson E: [email protected] Geological Survey of Western Australia Heidi Allen E: [email protected] Trevor Beardsmore E: [email protected] Peter Haines E: [email protected] Simon Johnson E: [email protected] Michael Wingate E: [email protected] Private Walter Witt E: [email protected] Rio Tinto Bryan Bowden E: [email protected] University of Western Australia Alison Ord E: [email protected]