Australia, discovery

Several alternative technologies that were heavily supported failed to become commercially viable. The most obvious case was the fast breeder reactor. Such reactors are designed to produce more fissionable material from nonfissionable uranium than is consumed. The effort was justified by fears of uranium exhaustion made moot by massive discoveries in Australia and Canada. Prior to these discoveries extensive programs to develop breeder reactors were government-supported. In addition, several different conventional reactor technologies were aided. The main ongoing nuclear effort is research to develop a means to effect controlled fusion of atoms. 

Govett, G.J.S. 1976. Detection of deeply buried and blind sulphide deposits by measurement of H+ and conductivity of closely spaced surface soil samples. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 6, 359-382. Hall, G.E.M., Hamilton, S.M., McClenaghan, M.B., Cameron, E.M. 2004. Secondary geochemical signatures in glaciated terrain. Extended Abstracts, SEG 2004 - Predictive Mineral Discovery Under Cover Symposium, no. 33, University of Western Australia, Perth. 

Abstract The discovery in the 1960s to early 1970s that rock geochemistry could be used to detect mineral deposits under 50-100 metres of post-mineralization rocks was probably one of the first indications that that geochemistry could be used for deep exploration. Some case histories from Cyprus and Canada are presented to illustrate this. The second important impetus to considering deep exploration was research into the mechanisms involved in the formation of anomalies. This led to the proposal of electrochemical models and the measurement of unconventional parameters such as pH, conductivity in water slurries of samples as well as measurement of elements in dilute leaches including water. These developments are illustrated by case histories from Canada and Australia. 

Walters, S., Skrzeczynski, B., Whiting, T., Bunting, F., Arnold, G. 2002. Discovery and geology of the Cannington Au-Pb-Zn deposit, Mount Isa Eastern Succession, Australia development and application of an exploration model for Broken Hill-type deposits. Special Publication (Society of Economic Geologists U.S.), 9, 95-118. 

SEG 2004 abstracts Predictive Mineral Discovery Under Cover , September 27, 2004 Perth, Australia. 

The discovery of the calcrete hosted surfical uranium deposits of Namibia demonstrated the presence of widespread uranium in calcrete filled palaeochannels (Hambleton-Jones 1984) and similar mineral deposits have been observed elsewhere in Southern Africa, USA and Australia (Carlisle 1978 Hambleton-Jones 1978 Mann Deutscher 1978). The host rocks are typically lenticular bodies of alluvium, soil or detritus material cemented by calcite, gypsum, palygorskite, and other mineral phases. Uranium mineralogy is dominated by the mineral Carnotite [K2(U02)2(V04)2.3(H20)] as the main mineral in these channels. However other phases such as andersonite (Na2K3U03(C03)3(H20)6), liebigite (Ca2U02(C03)3(H20)io ... 

The principal workings known at the present day are those of Australia, in the Southern hemisphere of California, Mexico, and the Appalachian mountains, in North America Brazil, Peru, and Chili, in South America Kordofan and Sofa]a In Africa tire Ural mountains in Siberia and Hungary in Europe. Gold i9 found, however, in smaller quantities in various other places and the Editor will now briefly indicate the J various localities in which it is known to exist, begin-ning with Europe, and conolading with the latest discoveries in Australia. 

Diamonds were discovered in 1867 along the Orange River in South Africa, and since then Africa has been preeminent in the production of diamonds in the seventies and eighties occurred a series of amazing discoveries of diamond fields and stones of extraordinary size. Diamonds have also been found in Australia. Borneo. British Guiana, and Arkansas. 

Man at last learned to make fire by friction. Even this day, fire is produced by the natives of Australia and some of the islands by whirling one stick rapidly against another. (See Jung for descriptions of the peculiar ceremonies connected with fire-production) Our forefathers not very long ago had no better means of producing fire than the "flint, steel and tinder." The friction match is one of the modern discoveries. And still we have no more idea of what fire really IS, than the most ignorant savage. 

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