2017 Volcanic Processes, Deposits, Geology and Resources Short Course

2017 Volcanic Processes, Deposits, Geology and Resources Short Course

A few places are still available on the 2017 Volcanic Processes, Deposits, Geology and Resources Short Course being held in Merimbula, southern NSW during early December.

Check the AIG Events Calendar for details.


Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive

The legislation introducing the new Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive (JMEI) has been introduced into Federal Parliament this week – Treasury Laws Amendment (Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive) Bill 2017

The Bill amends the tax law to replace the former Exploration Development Incentive (EDI) with the JMEI.  Like the EDI, the JMEI provides a tax incentive to invest in small minerals exploration companies undertaking greenfields minerals exploration in Australia. Australian resident investors of these companies receive a tax incentive where the companies choose to give up a portion of their tax losses relating to their exploration expenditure in an income year.

Unlike the EDI, under the JMEI:

  • eligibility for the incentive is limited to investors that purchase newly issued shares; and
  • the incentive is allocated between eligible exploration companies on a first come, first served process (subject to integrity requirements) until the annual cap has been reached

The scheme applies from 1 July 2017 until 30 June 2021, with total credits limited to $100 million. There is a cap on the amount of credits that may be allocated to an entity of five per cent of the total amount available for each year.

For full details on the new JMEI, see the Explanatory Notes on the Bill

It is expected that this will be passed before the end of the year.

Queensland Minerals Council media release, 19 Oct 2017


PhD Opportunities at JCU

The Economic Geology Research Centre (EGRU) at James Cook University (JCU), Townsville has on offer two fully funded PhD projects researching magma fertility linked to a range of deposit types in the Mount Isa region of NW Queensland.

These projects are part of a larger research effort funded by the Queensland government through the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ), to improve the exploration potential in the Mount Isa region. As part of this project students will work with EGRU researchers, GSQ staff and exploration geologists from various mining companies operating in the region. This is a unique opportunity to advance your research career and learn new skills as part of a world class research team.

For further information, please contact the University.

Professor Paul Dirks
College of Science, Technology and Engineering
JCU Campus
Townsville Qld 4811
Australia

email: paul.dirks@jcu.edu.au

website: www.jcu.edu.au/egru


Visiting Hong Kong?

AusIMM’s Hong Kong Branch invites AIG members passing through Hong Kong to attend an AusIMM technical meeting and, if possible, to give a talk.

While Hong Kong is better known for the finance industry, it does have a small group of mining professionals, mostly geologists, who are keen to interact with other geoscientists passing through Hong Kong. If we have not met you before, it’s a guaranteed that either we will know someone you know or have worked in the same mine or project.

In exchange, the Branch committee can offer a few beers and provide some local knowledge on things to do outside of the normal tourist options.

Please contact the AusIMM Hong Kong Branch via Steven Hodgson or Benny Cha with visit details and whether you are able to make a presentation to the local branch.


Dorothy Hill Women in Earth Sciences Symposium 

Dorothy Hill Women in Earth Sciences Symposium 
Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 November 2017
The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland

The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) at The University of Queensland is proud to host the inaugural Dorothy Hill Women in Earth Sciences Symposium which will be held on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 November 2017 at The University of Queensland.

The Symposium celebrates the achievements of notable women in the Earth Sciences and is named after the late Dorothy Hill, who was the first woman Professor in Australia, the first woman to become a member of the Australian Academy of Sciences and its first President.

Professor Dorothy Hill was a pioneer of research, a leader for women in science, a woman of action, and one of The University of Queensland’s (UQ) most outstanding graduates.  She was a well-known figure at the University from the time she was 18 years old and beginning her degree until she retired, aged in her seventies. By then she had become a world-renowned professor.  Throughout her career, she led by example and inspired women to pursue science and a university education. Through her numerous achievements, she helped to advance the place of women in academia.

This inspirational event will be a powerful two days of learning. Come and learn from, and network with, some of the world’s top female earth scientists.  Speakers include:

  • Prof Adina Paytan, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
  • Prof Kliti Grice, Curtin University, Australia
  • Prof Xu, Nanjing University, China
  • Dr Zanna Chase, University of Tasmania, Australia
  • Dr Emma Gagen, The University of Queensland, Australia
  • Prof Carmen Gaina, University of Oslo, Norway
  • Dr Vanessa Guthrie, Minerals Council of Australia
  • Associate Professor Heather Handley, Macquarie University, Australia
  • Dr Sandra McLaren, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • Dr Meghan Miller, The Australian National University, Australia
  • Dr Michelle Parks, University of Iceland, Iceland
  • Dr Catherine Rose, University of St Andrews, UK
  • Jill Stevens, ESSO Australia

Further information is available on the Symposium website – www.dorothyhillsymposium.com.au


Updated: The long term outlook for Australian gold

Long-term forecast of Australia’s mineral production and revenue The outlook for gold: 2017-2057

Report by MinEx Consulting: October 2017

Under the combined support and sponsorship of six government agencies (both State and Federal), three research organisations and three industry groups, including AIG, a landmark report has been published by MinEx Consulting looking at the forty-year outlook for the Australian gold industry. It forecasts the likely number of mines, production, revenues and employment out to 2057 for this vital sector of Australia’s economy.

In the past, most industry studies rarely look beyond ten years. The report’s author, Richard Schodde, says that “there are two good reasons for this; Firstly; the future is highly uncertain – and any single-line forecast is almost certain to be wrong. Secondly; most of these studies only looked at existing mines and possible new projects. This is fine for short- to medium-term forecasts but it ignores the important contribution of new discoveries for mine production in the longer-term.”

It goes without saying that every mine has a finite life (and will eventually close down); it also equally true that all mines were once a gleam in the eye of a geologist (i.e. it took someone to find them). Leaving out the discovery story results in an incomplete view on the long-term future of the mining industry.

As discussed below, nurturing exploration success is critical for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the mining industry.

MinEx Consulting’s approach to the task was via the following eight-step process:

  1. Embracing uncertainty and using a Monte Carlo approach to assess 1000 different possible scenarios of the future. This included generating a series of commodity price cycles that reflect what the industry has experienced in the past.
  2. Estimating future production from existing mines, adjusted for changes in the gold price, variability in operating performance and possible mine-life extensions.
  3. Assessing whether the future gold price scenario is sufficiently high enough to trigger the development of new mines on known projects.
  4. Using the price scenarios to predict likely future exploration expenditures. And from this,
  5. Estimating the likely number, size and quality of discoveries made over time.
  6. Determining the likelihood that a given discovery will be developed and, if so, incorporating a time-delay between discovery and development.
  7. Developing a model to estimate the likely production rate and mine life for these discoveries. From this, estimating their likely timing and contribution to future revenues and employment.
  8. Integrating together the results for existing mines, new projects and exploration success.

The report will be officially released next Monday, 16th October, 2017.

A media release outlining the study objectives and process is available here.  The study report is available here.


INTRAW Video now available

The video “INTRAW – Discover The Project” is now available. The AIG is a third party partner for this EU-funded Horizon 2020 project, and the video will explain the purpose and significance of the project.

 

 

 


Participate in the second ever #OzRockStocktake: the annual social media ‘stocktake’ of Australian geology

Join in the fun!

Participate in the second ever #OzRockStocktake: the annual social media ‘stocktake’ of Australian geology

Held during Earth Science Week, 8-14 October 2017

It’s free, and everyone is invited to participate — school kids, university geology students, professional geoscientists, gem collectors, members of the public…and everyone in between!

Significant book prizes to be won!

Last year’s #OzRockStocktake was such a success that we are doing it again!

Please join in the fun during international Earth Science Week (8-14 October 2017) and get involved in the Australian Geoscience Council’s second ever #OzRockStocktake!

#OzRockStocktake is the annual social media ‘stocktake’ of Australian geology.

 

Whether you are a seasoned geoscientist, a school student, a gem collector, a member of the public or anyone else, it’s easy (and free) to participate! Simply…

  • Take a photo of your favourite gem, stone, rock, fossil, outcrop, mountain or other geological feature
  • Post it on any social media outlet (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn) from 8-14 October, with the hashtag #OzRockStocktake and a description of what it is or where it was taken
  • You are most welcome to post multiple photos — please note that your photos must be originals that have been taken by you or a member of your family
  • Search for #OzRockStocktake on social media to see all posts
  • The best photos posted during Earth Science Week on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram — using the #OzRockStocktake hashtag — will win a stunning print copy of Shaping a Nation: A Geology of Australia, edited by Richard Blewett and kindly donated by Geoscience Australia ($75 value each). Four copies will be given away — one to each photo from the four social media sites.

This is a great opportunity to be involved in an innovative social media project that is tracking and recording Australia?s vast geological heritage. Post anything from your favourite precious stone to your favourite geological outcrop or mountain landscape!

We look forward to your involvement… and remember, please upload your photos on social media from 8-14 October!

For more details / updates:
www.agc.org.au
@AUGeosciCouncil on Twitter
AustralianGeoscienceCouncil on Facebook


Have you renewed your AIG Membership for 2017/2018?

 

Renew now to ensure your ongoing AIG Membership!

Have you renewed your AIG Membership for 2017/2018? Please check the outstanding membership renewals list below for your name, if you find yourself on the list please follow the link below to renew your AIG Membership.

See a colleagues name? Please remind them to renew by sharing this document.

Click here to login and renew your membership. If you have any questions in regards to your membership, email us at membership@aig.org.au.