A passing conversation with local artist, Carol Phayer, saw me head down to the beach at Doctor’s Gully one day in mid June. Carol had shown me some chunks of black “rock” she sometimes picked up at the beach and makes into jewellery, rings mainly. I had exclaimed “OMG, that’s coal, what the hell is that doing on the beach here?” So, I just had to investigate it for myself… Unfortunately, I didn’t find much coal, only small bits lying around the place, presumably from historic coal unloading facilities in the area. Apparently one such wharf was bombed by the Japanese during WWII. What I did find, however, was a rainbow beach of porcellanite boulders – SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL. Porcellanite is a siliceous duricrust which has developed within altered Cretaceous mudrocks in the Darwin city area and is well exposed in coastal cliffs to the north. Its distinctive geotechnical properties include…
Author: Marianne Harvey
Opinion piece on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/green-leaders-needed-increase-exploration-investment-marianne-harvey?trk=v-feed&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_recent_activity_details_all%3BVmbo5VnzGVbmM0uuTsfx0w%3D%3D
A snippet of Kakadu NP geology
The areas of Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock I visited in May 2017 are dominated by the fluvial Kombolgie Formation sandstones and conglomerates. This sequence of sediments was deposited approximately 1.7 billion years ago by a braided river system flooding across a wide flat plain that had formed after a long period (~100 My) of erosion of even older rocks. The conglomerates seen at Nourlangie are the basal units of the Formation and the size of the quartzite pebbles indicates deposition by a high-energy river system. As the energy of the system decreased over time and with the increasing thickness of material deposited, the sediment able to be carried by the river became finer resulting in the upper units grading to sands. Flash-floods would have occurred from time to time depositing thick layers of coarser sand, and cross-bedding is evident in places where river banks may have been over-topped. Ripple marks…
A visit to Ranger Uranium Mine
I visited the Ranger Uranium Mine on Saturday 27th May as Energy Resources Australia (ERA) were holding a public Open Day. Anti-uranium mining sentiment remains strong in the Territory to this day but the mini-buses for tours to the mine were full. The Australian Federal Government legislated for the development of the Ranger Mine in 1976 and, interestingly, the first stage of the Kakadu National Park (KNP) was declared in 1979. So perhaps without the mine, there would be no KNP – a political compromise, perhaps? Traditional owners of the land on which the mine operates have been paid substantial mining royalties over the years. The town of Jabiru was originally built to accommodate the mine’s workforce in 1982 but also now acts as the service centre for tourism within KNP. A 2007 study[1] estimated $15 million per year in tourism revenue was being contributed directly to the Top End…
The finished product – my article in GSA’s TAG March 2017
There was only one error that I could find – the caption of ‘Adelie penguins’ which clearly were not!
NSW Department of Industry Gender Equality Forum
A video I have put together as part of my presentation at this forum. It’s not a ‘bold’ video for International Women’s Day… just a glimpse of HB16 for the audience. Scenic Sailing and Serenity
Hunter Valley Geo keen to involve more women in science
Just in time for International Women’s Day. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-08/hunter-valley-geologist-keen-to-involved-more-women-in-science/8336358
International Women’s Day, March 8th 2017.
Rocks, rocks, rocks
This is Chapter 3 of my HB16 film, which I can post here as there are no ‘people permissions’ I need to get. Interestingly, as I was putting this chapter together, I realised I had no actual movie footage of rocks from the trip. I guess because they don’t move it never occurred to me to film them! Enjoy! https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz-picDNk4ZDLTN4bFAtNS1ScEE/view?usp=sharing
Engage and Change the Game – Commitment to a kinder world
I acknowledge that as the world moves further into the 21st century, many people are left behind and excluded, while others feel apprehensive about a future marked by global warming and rapid social and political changes. We must listen to all perspectives. Furthermore, events over the past year, most recently in the US, have caused shock waves throughout the world, on issues that touch all of us. These actions are designed to divide us and will harm many people as well as our planet. As a woman, a geoscientist, and a Homeward Bound participant, I state my support for the vital role of women, science and leadership in society. In December, I completed the first Homeward Bound expedition, a 20-day journey with 76 women in science to Antarctica, designed to equip 1,000 women to lead, influence and contribute to policy and decision-making as it informs the future of our planet…