The Christchurch AusIMM discussion group invites you to a talk from Terry Widdowson on Thursday the 28th of June at 6.00pm in the Golder Associates Christchurch office. The talk is titled “Remediation of arsenic and zinc at the former Alexander Gold Mine near Reefton”.

Terry will present on the remediation of arsenic and zinc contaminated tailings at the former Alexander Gold Mine Processing Complex near Reefton. Arsenic concentrations reached 35 wt % in a ‘Roaster’ and 10 wt % in tailings stockpiles. The primary objective was to make the site safe for human access while retaining heritage structures, this was achieved by burying the contaminated soil and tailings in an on-site engineered containment cell. The main challenge for the project was the remote location and the logistics of getting equipment and people in and out of the site during the remediation works.

 
Terry Widdowson has over 25 years’ experience as a hydrogeologist and geoscientist, gained in the UK and NZ. He has worked in both the private (environmental consultants) and public sector (environmental regulators). With a degree in Earth Science, Terry spent his early post graduate years working for a deep drilling contractor involved in the geological investigations for an underground nuclear waste repository in the UK; since then he has worked in the contaminated land sector. Terry has lived in NZ for the past 10 years and he has been fortunate to work on the consenting for some of the country’s largest infrastructure projects (Waterview Connection, Victoria Park Tunnel, City Rail Link (Auckland); Southern Motorway (Christchurch). He has also worked on some really interesting remediation projects, Alexander Gold Mine being one of them.

Lauren will present an overview of her PhD research on the relationship between gold and tungsten mineralisation in Otago. The talk will focus on the Macraes mine, examining how the mineralisation style differs between the two metals within the deposit. She will discuss the use of portable XRF in characterising tungsten mineralisation, and how this technique was used to develop a model of the mineralisation within the open pit. The talk will end with a discussion of how the Macraes model can be extrapolated across Otago with respect to other gold/tungsten deposits.

Lauren Farmer earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) and her PhD from the University of Otago. Her Master’s thesis examined the clay mineralogy of the Alpine Fault Zone. Her PhD project focused on the world-class Macraes deposit in Otago, and combined elements of structural geology, geostatistics and geochemistry to characterise the tungsten mineralisation. Since graduating in 2016 she has worked as a consultant geologist on projects both globally and within New Zealand.

The global effort to transition from fossil fuels to “green” energy technologies (wind, solar, geothermal) to help mitigate the potential impacts of climate change is well underway. However, there are significant challenges associated with this transition, particularly related to the supply of the mineral resources required to manufacture these new energy sources. Do we have enough lithium for the new fleet of electric cars? Can we stop mining by encouraging more recycling? In this talk Shaun will give an overview of our current need and usage of mineral resources, address misconceptions about our ability to supply the resources required, and discuss how our society (both New Zealand and globally) view the mining sector and the challenges these attitudes pose for successful development of a sustainable future.

Shaun Barker received a BSc(Hons) degree from the University of Otago in 2004, with his Honours thesis focusing on the structural context and geochemistry of pseudotachylite in Central Otago. He then completed a PhD titled “Dynamics of fluid flow and fluid chemistry during crustal shortening” at The Australian National University in 2007. Shaun then moved to the Mineral Deposit Research Unit at UBC, where he worked on the genesis of Carlin-type gold deposits in Nevada, and identifying vectors towards mineralisation. Since 2012, Shaun has worked at the University of Waikato as a senior lecturer, and is joining CODES at the University of Tasmania in July to work on sedimentary-hosted gold and copper deposits.

The feature event of our 125 year anniversary celebrations, the Thought Leadership Series, is coming to Dunedin.

This is a unique and special event for us. An opportunity to celebrate with our members and thank those that have contributed so much to our Institute over the past 125 years.

The program will include a short film showcasing our history, a panel of industry luminaries discussing the critical question: ‘How will professionals shape the future of the resources sector’ and networking with complimentary drinks and canapes.

Don’t miss this highly anticipated event, register now as tickets are limited. For more information, please click here.

Harry will present a brief overview as well as a series of case studies showcasing the capability of ground penetrating radar (GPR) in geomorphic, geologic and geoarchaeological environments. This talk will illustrate how it is possible to better understand the subsurface in utilizing GPR for mineral, archaeological and aggregate exploration.

Harry Jol Harry Jol earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Simon Fraser University (Canada) and Ph.D. from the University of Calgary (Canada, 1996). After 2 post-doctoral fellowships, he accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he is presently a Professor.  During his Master’s degree he worked on the Fraser River Delta conducting a high resolution shallow seismic program in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada. During in his Ph.D. research through to the present he has utilized ground penetrating radar (GPR) at more than 1200+ sites in North America, Europe, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, and Antarctica which has resulted in being nominated and awarded Fellow of the Geological Society of America. Harry has a broad background in the earth sciences, particularly geomorphology, stratigraphy, and geoarchaeology. His collaborative research includes undergraduate students and results from these projects have resulted in numerous publications, conference presentations and three edited GPR volumes.

There will be a combined Central Otago Discussion Group and Institute of Quarrying NZ Otago Southland Branch Meeting from 7.30 pm Wednesday 30 August 2017 featuring special guests Jon McAlister, CMS; Wayne Scott, Minex; and Grant Middendorf, Cluden Stone Quarry.

The August Auckland Technical Meeting is to be held from 5.30 pm Tuesday 22 August 2017 and will feature guest speaker Paul Vidanovich presenting The Government Aeromagnetic Programme

The August Nelson Geological Discussion Group is to be held from 5 pm Friday 18 August 2017 and will feature guest discussion leader Chris Castle presenting The Chatham Rock Phosphate Experience.

The July Auckland Technical Meeting is to be held from 5.30 pm Tuesday 18 July 2017 and will feature guest speaker Stuart Simmons presenting Spatial and Temporal Variations in Epithermal Ore-Forming Processes

The July Nelson Discussion Group Meeting is to be held from 5 pm Friday 7 July 2017 and will feature guest speaker Alan Eggers presenting Trans Tasman Resources: South Taranaki Bight Iron Sands Project