Rugby Club Location Map - Click to Enlarge
DATE: Thursday 20th June, 2002. 5.30pm for 6pm
VENUE: Rugby Club, Rugby Place, Circular Quay
SPEAKER: Tim McConachy
TOPIC: "SUBMARINE HYDROTHERMAL PROCESSES IN VOLCANIC ARCS, BACK ARCS AND CONTINENTAL SHELF SETTINGS IN THE SW PACIFIC"
In the past two years CSIRO scientists have led 6 cruises, totaling 160 days
at sea, to investigate hydrothermal ore forming processes in volcanic arcs,
fore-arc and triple-junction related submarine volcanoes, and back arc
basins associated with convergent plate margins in the SW Pacific region.
Additionally, conceptual Mississippi-Valley-type targets associated with
possible warm seeps at passive margins have been investigated in the Great
Australian Bight. These investigations have resulted in a number of new
discoveries of seabed hydrothermal deposits in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands,
Papua New Guinea and Indonesia; and an unprecedented opportunity to witness
and document the earliest stages of ore forming activity and island arc
building on the sea floor over a wide range of geographic and geologic
settings. Our studies of modern seafloor ore-forming systems provide
concepts that lead to improved methods of exploring for ancient mineral
deposits on land that originally formed by similar processes.
(Acknowledgements to CSIRO colleagues: Ray Binns, Chris Yeats, Joanna
Parr and Brent McInnes)
Extended Abstract .pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
Dr Timothy F McConachy
Principal Research Scientist
Division of Exploration and Mining
CSIRO
PO Box 136, North Ryde NSW 1670
Australia
Tel: +61 2 9490 8813
Fax:+61 2 9490 8921
Email: Tim.McConachy@csiro.au
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rugby Club Location Map - Click to Enlarge