The Tarong coal deposit The Tarong high-grade thermal coal deposit, in the South Burnett area of Queensland 180km NW of the State Capital Brisbane, was discovered in 1968 by a geological team from Conzinc Rio Tinto of Australia (CRA). In the remainder of this essay, I will refer […]
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Benford’s Law (1) In any given set of large (i.e. spanning several orders of magnitude) random numbers, one might expect that all the digits from 1 to 9 should appear, statistically, at each position in the number sequence around 11% (100/9) of the time[1]. In 1881 Canadian […]
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How odd it is that anyone should not see that all observations must be for or against some view if it is to be of any service.” - Charles Darwin, 1861. Experimental science is focused observation guided by emergent theory. Geologists exploring for minerals are experimental scientists. They study […]
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This is fantastic and gripping story about the biggest mining scandal in history. It is told through the testimony of eyewitnesses linked by an intelligent and clear narrator. Aspects of the story are so bizarre that you might think it fiction, but it is all true. Presented […]
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To stumble upon in the field and recognise it for what it is – outcropping mineralisation with the grade and size potential to become an orebody. A long-anticipated moment of fierce joy and satisfaction for the lone prospector or exploration geologist. I does not happen very often […]
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“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge in the field of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods.” Albert Einstein, 1953 Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of uncertainty – some most unsure, some nearly sure, none […]
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“How odd it is that anyone should not see that all observations must be for or against some view if it is to be of any service.” - Charles Darwin. Speak to exploration geologists and you will find two opposing views about what a geologist should do when […]
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Look after your drill core: it’s a resource that keeps on giving Diamond drilling is always undertaken for the needs of the moment. But fresh-cut rock, in most cases, will last hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Drill core is a resource which can keep on giving […]
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How to Salt a Gold Claim: Part 2 – Karpa Springs and Busang In my previous post I described my encounter in 1984 with claim salting (or at least, alleged salting). These were early days, the late 20th Century gold boom was still young, and claim salting […]
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Six rules for alpha beta measurements in drill core It is always better to know the orientation of planar structures at the time of logging rather than at some later date when the structure that was measured is long forgotten and the core returned to its stack in […]
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