SMEDG – Notice of Meeting

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