Northwestern Queensland Research Articles

The origin of scapolite in the regionally metamorphosed rocks of Mary Kathleen, Queensland, Australia

Scapolite at Mary Kathleen (North-Western Queensland) occurs in calcareous and non-calcareous metapelites, acid and basic metavolcanics and metadolerites. Graphical treatment of the relationship between scapolite composition (Me%) and the host rock oxide ratios CaO/Na2O and Al2O3/(CaO + Na2O) reveals the following points: (a) The calcareous metapelites are also very sodic. (b) Scapolite in calcareous metapelites is more marialitic than that in low-calcium equivalents. (c) In graphs of Me% against CaO/Na2O and Al2O3/(CaO + Na2O) the metasediments and the metaigneous rocks show markedly different trends. It is concluded that scapolite in the metasediments originated by isochemical metamorphism of shales and marls containing evaporitic halite. The local abundance of halite was the main control on the composition and distribution of the scapolite, but the relative abundance of CaO and Na2O was a modifying factor. In the metaigneous rocks scapolite formed metasomatically during regional metamorphism by the introduction of volatile-rich fluids derived from the adjacent evaporitic sediments. The relative availability of CO2 and Cl2 again appears to have been the primary control on scapolite composition and may in turn have been controlled by bulk rock composition.

Scrotal abnormalities in rams in tropical Queensland with particular reference to ovine brucellosis and its control.

SummaryClinical conditions affecting the reproductive organs were found affecting 17.2% of 2,332 rams. The following conditions were found: epididytimis 69.4%, atrophy 15.4%, varicocoele 9.5%, hernia 2.9%, cryptorchidism 1.2%, and hydrocoele 1.5%. The incidence of Brucella ovis antibodies as determined by the CF test in 2,332 rams from 12 flocks in north western Queensland was found to be 18.3%.The age distribution of ovine brucellosis among 1,772 rams whose ages were known was as follows: 1 year 2.1%, 2 years 10.4%, 3 years 15.9%, 4–7 years 21.8%, and over 7 years 24.4%. The age incidence of all the various clinical conditions as they affected the 1,772 rams was: 1 year 3.6%, 2 years 8.4%, 3 years 13.1%, 4–7 years 28.4%, and over 7 years 27.9%.Control of brucellosis in two flocks is reported and a possible means of control of this disease in Queensland is discussed.

Hepatic vitamin A concentrations in sheep in north-western Queensland

The vitamin A concentrations were determined on livers taken from wether sheep one to five years old grazing Mitchell grass downs in north-western Queensland. The animals were slaughtered for rations at intervals of two weeks. The mean value over a three-year period for the 123 sheep examined was 260.3 � SD 128.3 �g/g, which is considered normal ; at no time were values less than 48 �g/g. Subsequent results were obtained from a further 199 young sheep slaughtered at monthly intervals between the ages of 15 to 64 weeks. The concentration of vitamin A ranged from 40.4 � SD 41.3 �g/g at 29 weeks to 265 -� SD 97.1 �g/g at 60 weeks. In the adult sheep there did not appear to be any relationship between concentration and rainfall, whereas in individual young sheep low values coincided with extended periods of no rainfall. A clinical deficiency of vitamin A in young sheep could be expected if the length of a drought exceeds approximately seven months.

Reproduction in a laboratory colony of the marsupial mouse Sminthopsis larapinta (Mardupialia : Dasyuridae)

A laboratory colony of S. larapinta was established with three females and four males received from north-western Queensland. Over a period of two and a half years 109 young were born and second-generation descendants were produced. In the third breeding season oestrous cycles were irregular and, in the few instances where copulation was recorded, this was associated with almost 100% prenatal mortality. The colony became extinct without the cause being definitely established. In Adelaide S. larapinta had a well-defined breeding season with all females either pregnant or in oestrus from July to February. From March until June all the females were in anoestrus. The males produced sperm throughout the year. A technique was developed for determining the length of the oestrous cycle, based upon the incidence of epithelial cells in the urine. S. larapinta is polyoestrous, with a mean cycle length of 26.25�0.5 days. Gestation occupies 12.5 days, and a maximum of eight young remain in the pouch, attached to the teats, for 40 days. They are suckled in the nest for a further 30 days. Weaning takes place at 70 days, and the young females come into oestrus from 4 months of age onwards. Twenty female reproductive tracts were sectioned and examined and the anatomy and histology described briefly. The mean number of ova shed per ovulation was 30.6 (n = 12) with one instance of 40. The corpora lutea are formed rapidly, and reach their maximum size towards the end of pregnancy. They have completely regressed by the seventh week of lactation. The young are born through a pseudovaginal canal which extends from the median vagina to the urogenital sinus. This closes within 24-48 hr of parturition. The high "pre-pouch" and litter mortality observed during this study is discussed.

A NEW CHROOCOCCACEAN ALGA FROM THE PROTEROZOIC OF QUEENSLAND

Nannofossils section sign here described are from the middle Proterozoic Paradise Creek Formation, along Paradise Creek in northwestern Queensland, Australia. These fossils, in chert blebs associated with branched stromatolites, comprise cubic colonies analogous to living Eucapsis, a member of the blue-green algal family Chroococcaceae. The age of the enclosing rocks, bracketed by the ages of older and younger granitic events, is about 1.6 x 10(9) years. We record, therefore, a new chronological and biological datum in the currently accumulating sequence of pre-Paleozoic microbiotas.

Heat flow in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia

Heat flow values are presented for 9 sites in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, involving 16 boreholes. The heat flux over an area of southeastern Queensland (0.8 to 1.5 cal/cm² sec) appears to be normal relative to world averages, in contrast to the previously found high heat flows in other parts of eastern Australia. Values obtained in northwestern Queensland and in the Northern Territory (1.2 to 2.3) are varied but generally high.

Flock Pigeon in north-western Queensland

Flock Pigeon in north-western Queensland

REGIONAL STUDIES IN SKIN CANCER. FIRST REPORT: NORTH–WESTERN QUEENSLAND

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 1, Issue 9 p. 312-315 Original Article REGIONAL STUDIES IN SKIN CANCER. FIRST REPORT: NORTH–WESTERN QUEENSLAND H. Silverstone M.A., Ph.D., H. Silverstone M.A., Ph.D. Reader in Medical Statistics Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorC. B. Campbell M.B., B.S., C. B. Campbell M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorC. S. Hosking M.B., B.S., C. S. Hosking M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorL. P. Lang M.B., B.S., L. P. Lang M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorR. G. Richardson M.B., B.S., R. G. Richardson M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this author H. Silverstone M.A., Ph.D., H. Silverstone M.A., Ph.D. Reader in Medical Statistics Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorC. B. Campbell M.B., B.S., C. B. Campbell M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorC. S. Hosking M.B., B.S., C. S. Hosking M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorL. P. Lang M.B., B.S., L. P. Lang M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this authorR. G. Richardson M.B., B.S., R. G. Richardson M.B., B.S. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of QueenslandSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 March 1963 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1963.tb23021.xCitations: 27AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume1, Issue9March 1963Pages 312-315 RelatedInformation

Isotopic composition of Australian leads—III Northwestern Queensland and the Northern Territory—A reconnaissance

Lead isotopic abundances are reported for a number of samples from Northern Australia, principally from the Mount Isa region of Queensland and Rum Jungle in the Northern Territory. Model ages ( t 6–7 of Russell and Farquhar, 1960) are deduced for Broken Hill, N.S.W., 1590 m.y.; Mount Isa, 1570 m.y.; and for Rum Jungle, where some lead of anomalous behaviour is also found, 1520 m.y. After some discussion of sources of error, the tentative suggestions are made that the Dugald River deposits are the same age as those at Mount Isa; and that the radiogenic contamination at Rum Jungle may have taken place over a long period of time by some non-catastrophic process. Finally, an example has been found, in the Macarthur River area, of lead which appears on present evidence to be considerably older (Lower Protorozoic) than the sediments (Upper Proterozoic) with which it is syngenetically associated.

A new species of Borrelia (B. queenslandica) from Rattus villosissimus in Queensland.

SUMMARYBorrelia queenslandica, n. sp., was isolated from Rattux villosissimus Waite in northwestern Queensland. It produced a relapsing type of infection, sensitive to antibiotics, in laboratory rats and mice. Immunity developed after primary infection in mice. Guinea‐pigs and young chickens resisted infection but the organism could be maintained in embryonnted eggs. A human volunteer inoculated with 75–100 million B. queenslandica did not become infected.

Zircons in some granites from north-western Queensland

Zircons in some granites from north-western Queensland

Isolation of the toxic principle in Acacia georginae.

SERIOUS losses in livestock, apparently due to poisoning by natural fodder, have occurred in the Georgina River watershed since early settlement. These occur over an area of approximately 14,000 square miles of north-western Queensland and over an equally large area of the adjoining Northern Territory. Acacia georginae is widely distributed throughout the affected areas, and its pods, seeds and leaves have proved toxic to sheep and cattle1,2.

The precambrian of north-western Queensland, Australia

Precambrian rocks, ranging in age from probable Archaean to Upper Proterozoic, crop out over an area of 25,000 square miles in north-western Queensland. They fall into four large divisions, separated by major unconformities. Little is known of the history of the Archaean rocks, which are believed to include altered acid lavas, schists, gneisses and migmatite. The Lower Proterozoic strata form part of an orogenic belt. The Lower Proterozoic lower sequence is rich in altered acid and basic lavas. It has a maximum thickness of not less than 40,000 feet and was strongly deformed by east-west pressure and probably intruded by granite before the Lower Proterozoic upper sequence was deposited. Sediments form the bulk of the Lower Proterozoic upper sequence; these accumulated most thickly to the west and north-west of the core of lower sequence belt, but overlie lower sequence strata. The greatest thickness of sediments is at least 40,000 feet. The sequence was deformed by a renewal of east-west compressive stresses, accompanied by granite emplacement. Folding is strong to moderate, but lacks well-defined linearity in the west of the outcrop area.

Stillwellite, a New Rare-Earth Mineral from Queensland

THE presence of stillwellite was discovered in 19541 during a mineralogical investigation of radioactive ore from the Mary Kathleen Lease, 34 miles east of Mt. Isa in north-western Queensland. At the Lease, stillwellite and allanite occur in quantity, along with garnet and other minerals, as a metasomatic replacement of metamorphosed calcareous sediments. Uraninite is dispersed through both minerals.

Scapolitization in the Cloncurry district of north-western Queensland

Abstract Three extensive areas of intense scapolitization have been found in the Cloncurry district of north-western Queensland, centring on the Dugald River lead prospects, the old Duchess copper mine, and the Trekelano copper mine. At Dugald River the scapolite rocks occur over an area of more than 50 square miles, while at Duchess they outcrop over more than 30 square miles. They lie within the narrow, 150-mile long, north-south belt of Argylla gneisses and schists mapped by Honman, and may be co-extensive throughout this belt. The characteristic rocks are banded scapolite-pyroxene granulites, in which the banding corresponds to the bedding of original fine-grained sediments, thought to have been calcareous shales. The granulites consist essentially of a dipyre, Ma75Me25, and a bright green ferriferous augite, with abundant accessory pink sphene. Some of the granulites contain albite in place of the scapolite, and hornblende or biotite in place of the pyroxene. In places the scapolite granulites are interlayered with the metamorphic equivalents of shales, or grade into scapolite marbles. Elsewhere they appear interbedded with amphibolites. They are intruded locally by gabbroic rocks, amphibolites, granite, syenite, porphyry and aplite, but the volume of acid rocks exposed is small. At Duchess, and at Trekelano, the granite and syenite rocks appear to be responsible for the copper mineralization in those areas. In all three areas the scapolite granulites are associated with “red rocks,” which have resulted from the leaching from the granulites and associated rocks of almost all their magnesia, and much of their iron and lime, with conversion of the residual iron to the ferric state. Portion of the iron oxide has been precipitated as fine haematite “dust” through the residual rocks, rendering them brick red, and almost opaque. At Trekelano this alteration is directly related to the copper mineralization. In its regional character, the scapolitization recalls the scapolitization in the Kiruna district of Sweden.

Scapolitization in the Cloncurry district of north-western Queensland

Scapolitization in the Cloncurry district of north-western Queensland

SEMI‐MOIETIES IN NORTH‐WESTERN QUEENSLAND

OceaniaVolume 6, Issue 2 p. 158-174 Article SEMI-MOIETIES IN NORTH-WESTERN QUEENSLAND Lauriston Sharp, Lauriston SharpSearch for more papers by this author Lauriston Sharp, Lauriston SharpSearch for more papers by this author First published: December 1935 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1834-4461.1935.tb00178.xCitations: 11AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume6, Issue2December 1935Pages 158-174 RelatedInformation

Five new rats of the genera Hydromys and Melomys from northern Australia

As a result of encouraging volunteer collect.ors by the provision of instructions and gear, and the personal efforts of Museum workers on the rare opportunities afforded for field work, the acquisition of indigenous mammals has shown a marked increase over the past fifteen years. New forms of marsupials, rodents, and bats are occasionally identified, and opportunities must be sought for the preparation of papers dealing with as many species as possible in order to close up the gaps and aid in working out the zoo-geographical relationships of the unique mammalian fauna. Of the five new forms described here, one species of Hydromys was collected by the author on Lawn Hill Creek, about 100 miles south of Burketown, which is in the Gulf country of north-western Queensland, while an interesting new Melomys was secured by a colleague, Mr. F. A. McNeill, when on vacation at Hayman Island in the Whitsunday Group on the north-eastern coast of that State. The submission of various kinds of mammals for identification regarding economic and health matters is another source of interesting material. In connection with the investigation of Weil's Disease in the cane fields of north Queensland, over a hundred specimens of rats have been submitted for examination by Sir Raphael Cilento, Director-General of Public Health in that State, and Professor Harvey Sutton of Sydney University, amongst which were five specimens of the previously little known Melomys littoralis, providing the extension of range noted below from the Cairns district 260 miles southward to Ayr. ... [etc.]

Notes on certain Plants of North-western Queensland possessing valuable Medicinal Properties.

Journal Article Notes on certain Plants of North-western Queensland possessing valuable Medicinal Properties Get access William E. Armit, F.L.S., F.R.G.S. William E. Armit, F.L.S., F.R.G.S. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 20, Issue 125, February 1883, Pages 69–71, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1883.tb00185.x Published: 05 January 2009