Monthly Archives: May 2023

Geoscience

Samples from the 20km2 Hills Intrusive Centre

Leave a comment

Samples taken on a regular 500m by 250 m grid at the 20km2 Hills Intrusive Centre – in the last three days. A High-Sulphidation alteration ecosystem. It is one of the 6 or so intrusive canters within the ~200km2 Khvav intrusive cluster all of which shows strong to advanced argillic alteration and vuggy silica.

This large alteration system is coincident with a large gravity anomaly which lies with a large 3,000 km2 gravity low which we interpret to be a large batholith in the mid crust. These gravity features are evident in a 48,000km2 airborne gravity data set and less evident in the 2.5 million km2 satellite gravity data collation we have acquired and reprocessed.

SWIR has detected alunite, pyrophyllite, diaspore, white mica, dickite and minor topaz in rocks from this area, indicative of hydrothermal fluids with temperature locally >300 °C. Alunite in this area is sodic rich.

Adventures

The Jungle in the Summer

Leave a comment

It hardly gets more challenging than SE Asian jungles at the height of summer. What’s important:

  • Water and electrolytes are very important and at the height of summer needs to have added electrolytes
  • Take more water than you need and drink early
  • We always keep ice and abundant water in the vehicle – ready to be dropped into a back-pack
  • Everyone is responsible for their own water
  • Coconuts are a fantastic source of potassium (1,200 mg /coconut!)
  • Sports drinks are NOT electrolyte replacements as they contain a poor electrolyte balance and way too much glucose.
  • Hats, long sleeve shirts, trousers, boots (and gaiters) are essential.
  • Gloves are great, they protect from the sun and against the inevitable ants and vines and trees with spikes and spines.
  • Do not push yourself, take it easy as it is all too easy to have little capacity left for the unexpected (bushfire, snake bite, injury etc.)
  • Wildlife is for observing (see the caption below)
Only another 50 metres to the target outcrop! Cambodian jungle. Slow going but its the guy are the front that does all the hard yards! There was cobra seen in this area earlier in the year. When striking it stood >1.5 metres high. The gent who was holding its’ tail was dead within 20 minutes!