Characterization of the sulphate mineral coquimbite, a secondary iron sulphate from Javier Ortega mine, Lucanas Province, Peru – Using infrared, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetry

The mineral coquimbite has been analysed using a range of techniques including SEM with EDX, thermal analytical techniques and Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The mineral originated from the Javier Ortega mine, Lucanas Province, Peru. The chemical formula was determined as ðFe3þ 1:37; Al0:63ÞP2:00ðSO4Þ3 9H2O. Thermal analysis showed a total mass loss of 73.4% on heating to 1000 C. A mass loss of 30.43% at 641.4 C is attributed to the loss of SO3. Observed Raman and infrared bands were assigned to the stretching and bending vibrations of sulphate tetrahedra, aluminium oxide/hydroxide octahedra, water molecules and hydroxyl ions. The Raman spectrum shows well resolved bands at 2994, 3176, 3327, 3422 and 3580 cm 1 attributed to water stretching vibrations. Vibrational spectroscopy combined with thermal analysis provides insight into the structure of coquimbite.

Developing creative services industries in Hangzhou, China

Creativity is changing the People’s Republic of China according to Li Wuwei (2011), a leading Chinese economist and policy advisor. The nation is learning to embrace a “third industrial revolution” (Rifkin, 2011) while banking the economic capital of the carbon-dependent manufacturing economy. Urbanisation is also driving change and consumer culture (Gerth, 2010). Most of China’s high-value creative service industries are found in the large urban centres of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in the coastal provinces. China’s second-tier cities, including Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, are also seeking to make capital out of culture, albeit with different strategies than the coastal hubs. The Hangzhou metropolitan area is the fourth largest in China, with 8.8 million residents. Zhejiang province was once known as the “land of rice and fish.” However, with the increased emphasis on productivity in China’s economic reforms since 1978, the province became an economic heavyweight, characterised by small and medium-sized enterprises often working together to produce complementary products...

Analysis of moderation practices in a large STEM-focused faculty

Moderation of assessment constitutes a crucial element of the learning and teaching process at the university. Yet, despite its importance, many academics have confusing beliefs and attitudes towards moderation practices, processes and procedures. This paper reports on a qualitative study conducted in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-focused faculty at a large Australian higher education institution. The findings of the study revealed a strong need for further investigation on the ways moderation is understood and enacted by academics within a STEM-specific context and informed redevelopment of the faculty’s internal moderation policy.

Cyclic Salinity Model for deposition of large-scale coal deposits

Existing field data for Rangal coals (Late Permian) of the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia, are inconsistent with the depositional model generally accepted in the current geological literature to explain coal deposition. Given the apparent unsuitability of the current depositional model to the Bowen Basin coal data, a new depositional model, here named the Cyclic Salinity Model, is proposed and tested in this study.

Eruption centres of the Hamilton area of the Newer Volcanics Province, Victoria, Australia: Pinpointing volcanoes from a multifaceted approach to landform mapping

Volcanic eruption centres of the mostly 4.5 Ma-5000 BP Newer Volcanics Province in the Hamilton area of southeastern Australia were examined in detail using a multifaceted approach, including ground truthing and analysis of ArcGIS Total Magnetic Intensity and seamless geology data, NASA Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) digital elevation models and Google Earth satellite image interpretation. Sixteen eruption centres were recognised in the Hamilton area, including three previously unrecorded volcanoes-one of which, the Cas Maar, constitutes the northernmost maar-cone volcanic complex in the Western Plains subprovince. Seven previously allocated eruption centres were placed into question based on field and laboratory observations. Three phases of volcanic activity have been suggested by other authors and are interpreted to correlate with ages of >4 Ma, ca 2 Ma and <0.5 Ma, which may be further subdivided based on preservation of outcrop. Geochemical compositions of the dominantly basaltic products become increasingly alkaline and enriched in incompatible elements from Phases 1 to 2, with Phase 3 eruptions both covering the entire geochemical range and extending into increasingly enriched compositions. This research highlights the importance of a multifaceted approach to landform mapping and demonstrates that additional volcanic centres may yet be discovered in the Newer Volcanics Province

Victoria erupts: The Newer Volcanics Province of south-eastern Australia

The Newer Volcanics Province of south-eastern Australia is often overlooked, though it comprises a multitude of volcanic features worthy of exploration. The province contains > 416 eruption centres varying in nature from simple to complex, ranging from lava shields and scoria cones to some of the largest maar volcanoes in the world. Explorable caves and lava tubes showcase well-preserved lava flow features, while the province is a fossickers dream, containing abundant mantle xenolith and megacryst collecting localities. As the most recent eruption was ~5000 bp at Mt. Gambier, the Newer Volcanics is considered an active province, and may yet provide Australia with more eruptions, adding to the glorious volcanic features of the wonderful landscape.

Criteria for interpreting kimberlite as coherent: Insights from the Muskox and Jericho kimberlites (Nunavut, Canada)

The Jurassic Muskox and Jericho kimberlites (Northern Slave Province, Nunavut, Canada) contain a variety of facies exhibiting different geometries, contact relationships, internal organisation, country rock abundance and olivine shapes, although many have similar matrix/groundmass mineralogies and textures. Five facies are examined that either have characteristics consistent with coherent rocks in general (i.e. intrusive and extrusive non-fragmental rocks) or are mineralogically and texturally similar to kimberlite described as coherent (or apparent coherent). Three facies are interpreted as coherent on the basis of: (1) geological setting, (2) apparent-porphyritic texture, (3) sharp contacts with fragmental kimberlite, (4) relative abundance of elongate and unbroken olivine crystals and (5) paucity of country rock xenoliths, while the remaining two facies are interpreted as fragmental on the basis of: (1) the gradational contacts with demonstrably fragmental kimberlite, (2) relative abundance and range of sizes of country rock lithic clasts and (3) numerous broken olivine crystals. Comparisons are made with coherent and apparent-coherent kimberlite from the literature. Our three coherent facies are similar to literature reported coherent kimberlite dykes hosted in country rock (CKd) in terms of internal organisation, low abundance of country rock xenoliths, and apparent-porphyritic texture. Conversely, our two fragmental facies share attributes with previously described pipe-filling coherent and apparent-coherent kimberlite (CKpf) in terms of geometry, internal organisation and abundance of country rock xenoliths. We conclude that CKd and most CKpf, although similar in matrix/groundmass mineralogy and texture, can be distinguished on the basis of internal organisation, country rock lithic clast abundance, texture (e.g. apparent-porphyritic texture) and possibly olivine crystal shapes and suggest that fragmental kimberlite is more common than reported.

Characteristics and alteration origins of matrix minerals in volcaniclastic kimberlite of the Muskox pipe (Nunavut, Canada)

The matrix of volcaniclastic kimberlite (VK) from the Muskox pipe (Northern Slave Province, Nunavut, Canada) is interpreted to represent an overprint of an original clastic matrix. Muskox VK is subdivided into three different matrix mineral assemblages that reflect differences in the proportions of original primary matrix constituents, temperature of formation and nature of the altering fluids. Using whole rock X-ray fluorescence (XRF), whole rock X-ray diffraction (XRD), microprobe analyses, back-scatter electron (BSE) imaging, petrography and core logging, we find that most matrix minerals (serpentine, phlogopite, chlorite, saponite, monticellite, Fe-Ti oxides and calcite) lack either primary igneous or primary clastic textures. The mineralogy and textures are most consistent with formation through alteration overprinting of an original clastic matrix that form by retrograde reactions as the deposit cools, or, in the case of calcite, by precipitation from Ca-bearing fluids into a secondary porosity. The first mineral assemblage consists largely of serpentine, phlogopite, calcite, Fe-Ti oxides and monticellite and occurs in VK with relatively fresh framework clasts. Alteration reactions, driven by deuteric fluids derived from the juvenile constituents, promote the crystallisation of minerals that indicate relatively high temperatures of formation (> 400 °C). Lower-temperature minerals are not present because permeability was occluded before the deposit cooled to low temperatures, thus shielding the facies from further interaction with fluids. The other two matrix mineral assemblages consist largely of serpentine, phlogopite, calcite, +/- diopside, and +/- chlorite. They form in VK that contains more country rock, which may have caused the deposit to be cooler upon emplacement. Most framework components are completely altered, suggesting that larger volumes of fluids drove the alteration reactions. These fluids were likely of meteoric provenance and became heated by the volcaniclastic debris when they percolated into the VK infill. Most alteration reactions ceased at temperatures > 200 °C, as indicated by the absence or paucity of lower-temperature phases in most samples, such as saponite. Recognition that Muskox VK contains an original clastic matrix is a necessary first step for evaluating the textural configuration, which is important for reconstructing the physical processes responsible for the formation of the deposit.

Petrology and textural classification of the Jericho kimberlite, northern Slave Province, Nunavut, Canada

The paper presents data on petrology, bulk rock and mineral compositions, and textural classification of the Middle Jurassic Jericho kimberlite (Slave craton, Canada). The kimberlite was emplaced as three steep-sided pipes in granite that was overlain by limestones and minor soft sediments. The pipes are infilled with hypabyssal and pyroclastic kimberlites and connected to a satellite pipe by a dyke. The Jericho kimberlite is classified as a Group Ia, lacking groundmass tetraferriphlogopite and containing monticellite pseudomorphs. The kimberlite formed, during several consecutive emplacement events of compositionally different batches of kimberlite magma. Core-logging and thin-section observations identified at least two phases of hypabyssal kimberlites and three phases of pyroclastic kimberlites. Hypabyssal kimberlites intruded as a main dyke (HK1) and as late small-volume aphanitic and vesicular dykes. Massive pyroclastic kimberlite (MPK1) predominantly filled the northern and southern lobes of the pipe and formed from magma different from the HK1 magma. The MPK1 magma crystallized Ti-, Fe-, and Cr-rich phlogopite without rims of barian phlogopite, and clinopyroxene and spinel without atoll structures. MPK1 textures, superficially reminiscent of tuffisitic kimberlite, are caused by pervasive contamination by granite xenoliths. The next explosive events filled the central lobe with two varieties of pyroclastic kimberlite: (1) massive and (2) weakly bedded, normally graded pyroclastic kimberlite. The geology of the Jericho pipe differs from the geology of South African or the Prairie kimberlites, but may resemble Lac de Gras pipes, in which deeper erosion removed upper fades of resedimented kimberlites.

Difficulties in distinguishing coherent from fragmental kimberlite: A case study of the Muskox pipe (Northern Slave Province, Nunavut, Canada)

Kimberlite drill core from the Muskox pipe (Northern Slave Province, Nunavut, Canada) highlights the difficulties in distinguishing coherent from fragmental kimberlite and assessing the volcanological implications of the apparent gradational contact between the two facies. Using field log data, petrography, and several methods to quantify crystal and xenolith sizes and abundances, the pipe is divided into two main facies, dark-coloured massive kimberlite (DMK) and light-coloured fragmental kimberlite (LFK). DMK is massive and homogeneous, containing country-rock lithic clasts (~ 10%) and olivine macrocrysts (~ 15%) set in a dark, typically well crystallised, interstitial medium containing abundant microphenocrysts of olivine (~ 15%), opaques and locally monticellite, all of which are enclosed by mostly serpentine. In general, LFK is also massive and structureless, containing ~ 20% country-rock lithic clasts and ~ 12% olivine macrocrysts. These framework components are supported in a matrix of serpentinized olivine microphenocrysts (10%), microlites of clinopyroxene, and phlogopite, all of which are enclosed by serpentine. The contact between DMK and LFK facies is rarely sharp, and more commonly is gradational (from 5 cm to ~ 10 m). The contact divides the pipe roughly in half and is sub-vertical with an irregular shape, locally placing DMK facies both above and below the fragmental rocks. Most features of DMK are consistent with a fragmental origin, particularly the crystal- and xenolith-rich nature (~ 55-65%), but there are some similarities with rocks described as coherent kimberlite in the literature. We discuss possible origins of gradational contacts and consider the significance for understanding the origin of the DMK facies, with an emphasis on the complications of alteration overprinting of primary textures.

Community engagement or community conversation?: Boomtown, a large-scale regional, outdoor community theatrical event

On the 18th of July 2013, three hundred local members of Gladstone, Queensland erupted into song and dance performing the fraught history of their community harbourside through tug boat ballets, taiko drumming, German bell ringing and BMX bike riding. Over 17,500 people attended the four performances of Boomtown, a Queensland Music Festival event. This was the largest regional, outdoor community-engaged musical performance staged in Australia. The narrative moved beyond the dominant, pejorative view of Gladstone as an industrial town to include the community members’ sense of purpose and aspirations. It was a celebratory, contentious and ambitious project that sought to disrupt the traditional conventions of performance-making through working in artistically democratic ways. This article explores the potential for Australian Community Engaged Arts (CEA) projects such as Boomtown to democratically engage community members and co-create culturally meaningful work within a community. Research into CEA projects rarely consider how the often delicate conversations between practitioners and the community work. The complex processes of finding and co-writing the narrative, casting, and rehearsing Boomtown are discussed with reference to artistic director/dramaturge Sean Mee’s innovative approaches. Boomtown began with and concluded with community conversations. Skilful negotiation ensured congruence between the townspeople’s stories and the “community story” presented on stage, abrogating potential problems of narrative ownership. To supplement the research, twenty-one personal interviews were undertaken with Gladstone community members invested in the production before, during and after the project: performers, audience members and local professionals. The stories shared and emphasised in the theatricalised story were based on propitious, meaningful, local stories from lived experiences rather than preconceived, trivial or tokenistic matters, and were underpinned by a consensus formed on what was in the best interests of the majority of community members. Boomtown exposed hidden issues in the community and gave voice to thoughts, feelings and concerns which triggered not just engagement, but honest conversation within the community.

Large scale monitoring of crowds and building utilisation: A new database and distributed approach

Public buildings and large infrastructure are typically monitored by tens or hundreds of cameras, all capturing different physical spaces and observing different types of interactions and behaviours. However to date, in large part due to limited data availability, crowd monitoring and operational surveillance research has focused on single camera scenarios which are not representative of real-world applications. In this paper we present a new, publicly available database for large scale crowd surveillance. Footage from 12 cameras for a full work day covering the main floor of a busy university campus building, including an internal and external foyer, elevator foyers, and the main external approach are provided; alongside annotation for crowd counting (single or multi-camera) and pedestrian flow analysis for 10 and 6 sites respectively. We describe how this large dataset can be used to perform distributed monitoring of building utilisation, and demonstrate the potential of this dataset to understand and learn the relationship between different areas of a building.

International regulation of large-scale land acquisition involving foreign entities

Outlines some of the potential risks or actual harms that result from large-scale land leases or acquisitions and the relevant human rights and environmental law principles.

The Cougar Point tuff: Implications for thermochemical zonation and longevity of high-temperature, large-volume silicic magmas of the Miocene Yellowstone hotspot

The 12.7-10.5 Ma Cougar Point Tuff in southern Idaho, USA, consists of 10 large-volume (>10²-10³ km³ each), high-temperature (800-1000 °C), rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs erupted from the Bruneau-Jarbidge volcanic center of the Yellowstone hotspot. These tuffs provide evidence for compositional and thermal zonation in pre-eruptive rhyolite magma, and suggest the presence of a long-lived reservoir that was tapped by numerous large explosive eruptions. Pyroxene compositions exhibit discrete compositional modes with respect to Fe and Mg that define a linear spectrum punctuated by conspicuous gaps. Airfall glass compositions also cluster into modes, and the presence of multiple modes indicates tapping of different magma volumes during early phases of eruption. Equilibrium assemblages of pigeonite and augite are used to reconstruct compositional and thermal gradients in the pre-eruptive reservoir. The recurrence of identical compositional modes and of mineral pairs equilibrated at high temperatures in successive eruptive units is consistent with the persistence of their respective liquids in the magma reservoir. Recurrence intervals of identical modes range from 0.3 to 0.9 Myr and suggest possible magma residence times of similar duration. Eruption ages, magma temperatures, Nd isotopes, and pyroxene and glass compositions are consistent with a long-lived, dynamically evolving magma reservoir that was chemically and thermally zoned and composed of multiple discrete magma volumes.