Broken Hill Research Articles

Mapping vent to distal-apron hot spring paleo-flow pathways using siliceous sinter architecture

Environmentally significant textural components of sinters from New Zealand and the U.S.A. were examined using X-ray powder diffraction, petrographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and 14C accelerated mass spectroscopy (AMS). Sinter samples from five New Zealand sites; Waiotapu, Orakei Korako, Wairakei, Tahunataara, Broken Hill, and two USA sites; Opal Mound, Utah, and Steamboat Springs, Nevada, revealed, textures are preserved in pristine condition in sinters of varying silica phases and ages. The distinctive macro-textures that relate to temperature-pH gradients and the hydrodynamics of hot spring environments enabled the identification of paleo-hot spring settings. Sinter textures observed include: (1) low-temperature biotic textures; (2) mid-temperature biotic textures; (3) high-temperature abiotic textures; and (4) flow-rate indicative textures. Mapping the paleo-hydrology of extinct hot spring locations based on sinter architecture established the location of historic high- versus low-temperature hot spring flow paths. This information is particularly useful in the early phases of geothermal exploration, especially for hidden geothermal systems and epithermal mineralization, where establishing the location of hot up-flow zones and high temperature discharge vents is favorable. Sinter textural mapping combined with AMS 14C dating provides a spatial and temporal context of discharging reservoir fluid, enables the tracking of alkali chloride fluid flow to the surface, establishes hot spring migration pathways, and contributes to the development of a geothermal hydrologic model.

ENRICHing the rural clinical experience for undergraduate health science students: A short report on inter-professional education in Broken Hill

ENRICHing the rural clinical experience for undergraduate health science students: A short report on inter-professional education in Broken Hill

Improving participation by Aboriginal children in blood lead screening services in Broken Hill, NSW

Lead poses a health risk to young children with detrimental effects on their intellectual development. Attendance rates for Aboriginal children at routine blood lead screening and at follow-up appointments in Broken Hill, NSW, have declined in recent years. This study sought to identify strategies to improve the participation of Aboriginal children aged 1-4 years in blood lead screening services in Broken Hill. Attendance rates during the period 2000-2010 were determined using the Broken Hill Lead Management database. From June to August 2011, Aboriginal community members, service providers and public health staff were invited to interviews and focus groups to explore barriers, enablers and suggestions for improving participation. In 2009, 27% of Aboriginal children aged 1-4 years attended blood lead screening and 29% of these children with blood lead levels over 15 µg/dL attended follow-up appointments. Barriers to participation in lead screening services included community perceptions, reduced service capacity, socio-economic and interorganisational factors. Enablers included using a culturally acceptable model, linking lead screening with routine health checks and using the finger-prick method of testing. The final report for the study included recommendations to improve participation rates of Aboriginal children including using social marketing, formalising collaboration between health services, supporting disadvantaged families and employing an Aboriginal Health Worker.

A new record of the dusky hopping mouse (Notomys fuscus) in New South Wales

The dusky hopping mouse, Notomys fuscus, is a desert rodent that occurs in the Simpson Strzelecki Dunefield Bioregion in Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales, where stabilised sand dunes are its preferred habitat. A recent capture from the Broken Hill Complex Bioregion in an atypical habitat (bluebush shrubland) and new locality ~170 km south of the nearest New South Wales record may indicate a significant population eruption and subsequent migration into new areas following the widespread ephemeral and perennial plant production pulse that occurred in 2010.

Prolonged Testing of Metal Mobility in Mining-Impacted Soils Amended with Phosphate Fertilisers

The aim of the study was to determine whether the application of superphosphate fertiliser to soils contaminated with mine wastes can inhibit metal and metalloid mobility (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Fe, Mn, As, Sb) in the long term. Contaminated soils contained sulfide- and sulfate-rich waste materials from the Broken Hill and Mt Isa mining centres. Results of long-term (10 months) column experiments demonstrate that fertiliser amendment had highly variable effects on the degree of metal and metalloid mobilisation and capture. Rapid release of metals from a sulfate-rich soil showed that phosphate amendment was ineffective in stabilising highly soluble metal-bearing phases. In a sulfide-rich soil with abundant organic matter, complexing of metals with soluble organic acids led to pronounced metal (mainly Cd, Cu and Zn) release from fertiliser-amended soils. The abundance of pyrite, as well as the addition of fertiliser, caused persistent acid production over time, which prevented the formation of insoluble metal phosphate phases and instead fostered an increased mobility of both metals and metalloids (As, Cd, Cu, Sb, Zn). By contrast, fertiliser application to a sulfide-rich soil with low organic carbon content and a sufficient acid buffering capacity to maintain near-neutral pH resulted in the immobilisation of Pb in the form of newly precipitated Pb phosphate phases. Thus, phosphate stabilisation was ineffective in suppressing metal and metalloid mobility from soils that were rich in organic matter, contained abundant pyrite and had a low acid buffering capacity. Phosphate stabilisation appears to be more effective for the in situ treatment of sulfide-rich soils that are distinctly enriched in Pb and contain insignificant concentrations of organic matter and other metals and metalloids.

Potential field migration for rapid imaging of gravity gradiometry data

ABSTRACTThe geological interpretation of gravity gradiometry data is a very challenging problem. While maps of different gravity gradients may be correlated with geological structures present, maps alone cannot quantify 3D density distributions related to geological structures. 3D inversion represents the only practical tool for the quantitative interpretation of gravity gradiometry data. However, 3D inversion is a complicated and time‐consuming procedure that is very dependent on the a priori model and constraints used. To overcome these difficulties for the initial stages of an interpretation workflow, we introduce the concept of potential field migration, and demonstrate how it can be applied for rapid 3D imaging of entire gravity gradiometry surveys. This method is based on a direct integral transformation of the observed gravity gradients into a subsurface density distribution that can be used for interpretation or as an a priori model for subsequent 3D regularized inversion. For large‐scale surveys, we show how migration runs on the order of minutes compared to hours for 3D regularized inversion. Moreover, the results obtained from potential field migration are comparable to those obtained from regularized inversion with smooth stabilizers. We present a case study for the 3D imaging of FALCON airborne gravity gradiometry data from Broken Hill, Australia. We observe good agreement between results obtained from potential field migration and those generated by 3D regularized inversion.

Broken Hill: rethinking the significance of the material culture and intangible heritage of the Australian labour movement

Taking Broken Hill as an exemplar of Australian, indeed global, labour heritage, this article, analyses the survival of labour heritage and union practices in the town that continues to the present. It examines the interpretation of successive layers of industrial and labour history as a means of revealing a culturally dynamic and enduring community with close connections to its built heritage. The authors challenge the application of two-dimensional and static models of heritage interpretations too often applied to contested heritage sites. The authors argue that Broken Hill is a community whose determined social and industrial character and distinct built environment has transcended changing patterns of investment and economic decline.

Belligerent Broken Hill Fighting the Forced Repatriation of Allied Aliens During World War I

In 1918 armed military and state police attempted to round up and forcibly repatriate allied Italian citizens across Australia for service in the Italian Army. Travelling from state to state, the Italian Consul General and the Australian Defence Department worked hand in glove to facilitate this forcible deportation. In May 1918 they arrived in the outback mining town of Broken Hill where they met with an unexpected level of hostility and resistance. This paper considers how the particular characteristics of Broken Hill led to resistance to this round up by the Italian community. The result was an increased militancy among Italians across Australia in opposing the call by their Consul and their forcible repatriation by the Australian government.This article has been peer-reviewed

Disjunct populations of spinifex-obligate reptiles revealed in a newly described vegetation community near Broken Hill, far-western New South Wales

Recent biodiversity surveys of the Barrier Ranges in far western New South Wales resulted in the discovery of an undescribed vegetation community dominated by spinifex grass growing on rocky ranges. Reptile surveys within this vegetation community revealed the presence of three reptile species not known to, or predicted to occur in the Broken Hill Complex Bioregion. These were the Spinifex Snake-lizard Delma butleri, Marble-headed Snake-lizard Delma australis and Southern Spinifex Slender Blue-tongue Cyclodomorphus melanops elongatus. The conservation value of these populations is regarded as regionally significant. All three species were detected by hand-searches of the spinifex grass highlighting the need to use experienced herpetologists when conducting reptile surveys in complex microhabitats. Their presence in the study area on a rocky substrate provides additional information on their habitat requirements in New South Wales.

Collector – addition point and consumption

One of the mining world's greatest challenges is to effectively use consumables (i.e. reagents and grinding media) to maximise metallurgical response, while minimising operating costs. This paper provides an example of a logical approach to achieve this. The current study, at Perilya's Broken Hill concentrator in the lead primary grinding/roughing circuits, examines the dependence of collector adsorption on Eh. The data demonstrate that the addition of a xanthate collector during grinding can improve galena flotation. Further, operating the ball mill under a superior grinding chemistry regime can lead to significant reductions in collector consumption while maintaining or improving the metallurgical results.

Seasonal variability in the input of lead, barium and indium to Law Dome, Antarctica

Lead (Pb) isotopic compositions and concentrations, and barium (Ba) and indium (In) concentrations have been determined at monthly resolution in five Law Dome (coastal Eastern Antarctica) ice core sections dated from ∼1757 AD to ∼1898 AD. ‘Natural’ background Pb concentrations in ∼1757 AD average ∼0.2 pg g −1 and can be attributed to mineral dust and volcanic emissions, with 206Pb/ 207Pb ratios reaching up to 1.266 ± 0.002. From ∼1887 AD to ∼1898 AD, Pb concentrations reached ∼5 pg g −1 and 206Pb/ 207Pb ratios decreased to 1.058 ± 0.001 as a result of additional inputs of Pb from anthropogenic sources. Seasonal variability in the late 1880s has been investigated by decoupling volcanic Pb from the total measured Pb concentrations, revealing spring and autumn maxima, and consistent winter minima, in anthropogenic Pb and mineral dust (Ba) concentrations. We link this variability to the annual cycle in the position and strength of the Antarctic Circumpolar Trough and, the Southern Ocean westerly winds to the north of the trough region. During the autumn and spring seasons, these systems increase in strength, transporting more impurity laden air from the Southern Hemisphere continental regions to Eastern Antarctica and Law Dome. As this Pb is isotopically identical to that emitted from south-eastern Australia (Broken Hill, Port Pirie) this implies a relatively direct air trajectory pathway from southern Australia to Law Dome (Eastern Antarctica).

The composition of garnet in garnet-rich rocks in the southern Proterozoic Curnamona Province, Australia: an indicator of the premetamorphic physicochemical conditions of formation

Garnet-rich rocks occur throughout the Proterozoic southern Curnamona Province, Australia, where they are, in places, spatially related to Broken Hill-type Pb-Zn-Ag deposits. Fine-scale bedding in these rocks, their conformable relationship with enclosing metasedimentary rocks, and their enrichment in Mn and Fe suggest that they are metamorphosed chemical precipitates. They formed on the floor of a 1.69 Ga continental rift basin from hydrothermal fluids mixed with seawater and detritus. Garnet in garnet-quartz and garnet-amphibole rocks is generally light rare earth element (LREE) depleted, and has flat heavy REE (HREE) enriched chondrite-normalized REE patterns, and negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* 1) or negative Eu anomalies. Manganese- and Mn-Ca-rich, Fe-poor garnets in garnetite, garnet-hedenbergite, and garnet-cummingtonite rocks at Broken Hill have Eu/Eu* > 1, whereas garnet in Mn-poor, Fe-rich quartz garnetite and quartz-garnet-gahnite rocks from Broken Hill, and quartz garnetite from other locations have Eu/Eu* 400 ppm), Cr (> 140 ppm), and Eu (up to 6 ppm and positive Eu anomalies), and depleted in Co, Ti, and Y compared to garnet in garnet-rich rocks from other localities. These values, as well as MnO contents > 15 wt. % and Eu/Eu* > 1 are only found at the Broken Hill deposit and are good indicators of the presence of Broken Hill-type mineralization.

A continent-wide study of Australia's uranium potential: Part I: GIS-assisted manual prospectivity analysis

This paper describes the approach to, and outcomes of, a manual analysis (i.e., a cognitive assessment of spatial and non-spatial data) of the uranium potential of 90 geological regions in Australia. For this analysis, the 14 principal uranium deposit types recognized by the International Atomic Energy Agency were grouped in six uranium systems models (i.e., surficial, sedimentary, igneous-related, metamorphic/metasomatic, unconformity-related, and vein-related uranium systems) on the basis of similar genetic processes, environments of ore formation and ingredients mappable at the regional to continent scale. The newly proposed uranium systems models are structured according to the mineral systems approach and focus on the critical mineralization processes that must occur for a uranium deposit to form in a particular region. Our manual prospectivity analysis employed this approach to assess the probability of the critical genetic processes having occurred in each geological region. In this semi-quantitative, probabilistic evaluation, technical, quality and opportunity ranking schemes were used to rank each geological region based on the probability of occurrence of and potential for high-quality uranium deposits and opportunity for securing prospective ground. Based on this assessment, the geological regions with the greatest potential for discovery of potentially recoverable uranium resources are the Ashburton, Broken Hill, Litchfield, McArthur, Money Shoal, Murphy, Paterson, Pine Creek and Northeast Tasmania regions (i.e., quality ranking of 10.0), the Gawler and Polda regions (i.e., 9.0), and the Amadeus, Georgetown, Stuart, Tanami regions (i.e., 8.1). Most of these regions contain known unconformity-related or sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, although some of them are pure conceptual plays that have received relatively little attention in terms of uranium exploration. Maps based on the numerical output of the prospectivity analysis helped to inform area selection decisions and detailed follow-up studies, and focus time and resources. The template developed in this study can easily be modified to suit prospectivity analyses for other metals or a similar investigation in another country. As illustrated in Part II, the best possible approach to a complex, continent-wide prospectivity analysis is to harness the strengths of both manual and automated (i.e., sophisticated computational techniques applied to spatial data) approaches as these methodologies essentially address each other's limitations.

The legacy of John Webb and the Applied Geochemistry Research Group, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, to geochemical exploration in Australia

ABSTRACT Professor John Stuart Webb (1920–2007), and the Applied Geochemistry Research Group (AGRG) he established at Imperial College, London, were highly influential in the development of geochemical exploration in Australia over the past 40 years. This influence was partly due to the conduct of four PhD research projects in the early- to mid-1960s but, more importantly, to the numerous AGRG PhD and MSc graduates who have worked in Australia since that time, when mineral exploration has surged. The AGRG research projects studied base metals at Broken Hill, NSW, and Mt Isa/Cloncurry, Queensland, and gold in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Australia became a focus of the global mining industry following the discovery of nickel at Kambalda in 1966 and AGRG graduates contributed geochemical expertise as employees of exploration companies, specialist consulting firms, analytical laboratories, government research organizations and tertiary education institutions. The application of the basic tenets espoused by Webb in a continent marked by a thick and complex regolith has led to a somewhat unique style of geochemical exploration and a vibrant community of geochemists.

Australian health reforms: Opportunity or threat?

Australian health reforms: Opportunity or threat?

Fertilizer Amendment of Mining-Impacted Soils from Broken Hill, Australia: Fixation or Release of Contaminants?

The aim of the study was to appraise various types of phosphate fertilizers (bone meal, superphosphate, triple superphosphate, and potassium orthophosphate) for immobilizing metals and metalloids in mining-impacted soils from Broken Hill, Australia. Soils were rich in metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd) and metalloids (As and Sb) which were mainly contained in minor to trace amounts of coronadite [PbMn8O16], kintoreite [PbFe3(PO4)2(OH,H2O)6], Pb, and Zn sulfides and sulfates (possibly sphalerite, galena, and anglesite) as well as in unidentified soluble metal-bearing phases. Phosphate stabilization experiments were conducted as kinetic column leaching experiments, and chemical and mineralogical changes were assessed using elemental, sulfur isotope, and XRD analyses as well as electron microprobe phase mapping. The application of phosphate fertilizer to the metal-contaminated topsoils led to mineralogical changes, including the formation of secondary metal-bearing phosphates. The elemental concentrations of leachates were used as a criterion to assess the performance of phosphate treatments. Potassium orthophosphate fertilizer was the most effective amendment for Cd stabilization; superphosphate and triple superphosphate fertilizers were the most effective amendments for Pb stabilization. By contrast, the release of As, Cu, Mn, Sb, and Zn were not significantly suppressed, and in several cases, increased, using bone meal, superphosphate, triple superphosphate, and potassium orthophosphate amendments. This study indicates that in situ phosphate stabilization of mining-impacted soils at Broken Hill would most likely be a complex and impractical undertaking in residential areas due to the risk of substantial metal, metalloid, phosphate, and sulfate release.

The Geology of the Broken Hill Lead-Zinc-Silver Deposit, New South Wales, Australia.: A. E. WEBSTER. Pp. 278. CODES ARC Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits Monograph 1. 2006. ISBN 1-86295-353-8. Price: $100.75.

This monograph on the supergiant Broken Hill deposit by Webster “is the first in a series on world-class ore deposits” to be published by CODES ARC Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits, University of Tasmania. It is based mainly on Ph.D. research completed while Webster was an exploration and mine geologist working for Pasminco, when that company owned and operated the deposit. Most of the text was written prior to 2004 and it was published in 2006. The Broken Hill orebodies were first mined in 1883 and mining continues today. This Pb-Zn-Ag deposit is the largest on Earth and one of the most studied (if not the most studied) ore deposits, with hundreds of publications appearing in the literature. Despite all of this work, there are still several fundamental questions about the deposit and its host rocks which remain controversial and are the subject of debate, including the origin of the deposit, the precursors of several of the host rocks, the effects of metamorphism on the ore deposit, and the stratigraphic relationship of the massive sulfides to fold events. The controversy surrounding many aspects of the deposit is, in large part, a result of its enormous size, with many researchers basing conclusions on limited exposures of the ore and surrounding rocks, influenced by the camouflaging effects of granulite facies metamorphism and at least three fold events on the ore. In the preface of the monograph, the …

Evaluation of a mobile screening service for abdominal aortic aneurysm in Broken Hill, a remote regional centre in far western NSW

To evaluate the feasibility of a mobile screening service model for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a remote population centre in Australia. Screening test evaluation. A remote regional centre (population: 20 000) in far western NSW. Men aged 65-74 years, identified from the Australian Electoral roll. A mobile screening service using directed ultrasonography, a basic health check and post-screening consultation. Attendance at the screening program, occurrence of AAA in the target population and effectiveness of screening processes. A total of 516 men without a previous diagnosis of AAA were screened, an estimated response rate of 60%. Of these, 463 (89.7%) had a normal aortic diameter, 28 (5.4%) ectatic and 25 (4.9%) a small, moderate or significant aneurysm. Two men with AAA were recommended for surgery. Feedback from participants indicated that the use of a personalised letter of invitation helped with recruitment, that the screening process was acceptable and the service valued. It is feasible to organise and operate a mobile AAA screening service from moderate sized rural and remote population centres. This model could be scaled up to provide national coverage for rural and remote residents.

Stable Pb isotope ratios in aerosols, precipitation, and size-fractionated particulate matter in the Gulf of Maine, Scotian Shelf, and Labrador Sea

Measurements of Pb isotopes in aerosols, precipitation, and size-fractionated particulate matter from the Gulf of Maine, Scotian Shelf and Labrador Sea are used to investigate the source of Pb. The 206Pb/ 207Pb ratio in aerosols and precipitation collected at New Castle, NH suggests that anthropogenic Pb is a mixture of US and Canadian sources. 206Pb/ 207Pb ratios in >53 μm particulate matter from the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf slope waters are consistent with contaminant Pb inputs predominantly from US and Canadian sources, while in shelf waters 206Pb/ 207Pb ratios in >0.4 μm and >53 μm particles are consistent with a mixture of US and Canadian sources, as well as Pb associated with resuspended surface sediment. 206Pb/ 207Pb ratios in particulate matter (>0.4 μm, 10–53 μm, and >53 μm) from Labrador Sea surface waters range from 1.165 to 1.211 and are a mixture of Pb derived from ore compositions consistent with Broken Hill, Australia and southeast Missouri, US sources.

Magic Light, Silver City: the business of culture in Broken Hill

This article examines cultural industries in Broken Hill—the iconic ‘Silver City’ of Australian mining in far western NSW—and comes from research funded by arts and regional development agencies during 2006 and 2007. In interviewing and surveying the ‘movers and makers’ of the local cultural sector a picture emerged of a successful group of mainly informally qualified professional visual artists and crafts people working from home studios who spend more time on their practice and make more money than their metropolitan counterparts. Broken Hill also has a thriving service sector, fine weather and competitive location infrastructure for screen industries, and a community proud of its ‘arid artists’ and its historical and international reputation as a film set. Artists enjoy the lower-than-city costs of accommodation, the quality of light, their proximity to ‘Outback’ and industrial landscapes, and sustainable local and seasonal tourist markets. With a focus on richly coloured landscape painting and traditional crafts and some contempt for the city ‘art mafia’, there is limited diversity of cultural products and a ‘half-Sydney’ market ceiling price on local sales. The Indigenous arts sector has a low profile and is surprisingly—given high numbers of international tourists—underdeveloped. The arts community is fragmented by divisions that both reflect the male-dominated, rugged independence and ‘us and them’ heritage of this desert mining and ‘union town’ and inhibit cooperative development. Remoteness means wariness of newcomers and new ideas; young people leave; limited access to business expertise, production services and training; and high transport costs. Isolation means a unique local culture; a friendly community; freedom from city-based art fads, stress and busyness; and blue skies, time and a clear view.