About this blog

Hi, I'm Rod.

My highest level of education is a Bachelor of Science Specializing in Earth Sciences from a New England university and so I do not consider myself an academic by any standards. However, I hope that the level of knowledge I have is sufficient to pass on to others and that I hopefully continue to have something interesting to offer.

I have been employed in private industry, local and state governments in the fields of contaminated land assessment, environmental rehabilitation, mapping, water quality, catchment management and exploration geology. I am currently not employed in a direct geological capacity as I work in an environmental role hoping to improve, enhance and help the environment of this region.

During my career I have encountered many situations where people have had very strong opinions or politically driven motives. I do not intend to be a proponent of any political view point but I hope only to be clear in the facts. For example coal seam gas exploration and extraction is very topical and debated at length, so, any comments I make relating to the coal seam gas industry I intend to be completely based on my observation and knowledge. i.e. I am not a proponent for or against the coal seam gas industry but some things I say may appear pro-coal seam gas or pro-environment but this is not my intention.

This blog was developed to try and fill what I thought was a need for people in the northern rivers to understand the land in which they live. The absence of a geology department at Southern Cross University and the remaining small department at the University of New England mean that the main sources of geological knowledge and expertise on the region is actually becoming the Sydney and Brisbane based universities. Seeing excellent research by former students of SCU failing to become common knowledge has lead me to believe that this is having a detrimental effect and so here I am!

Our Regions Flag - New England
I tend to concentrate on the area near where I live when posting but I will endeavor to cover the areas of the north coast from Port Macquarie to the Queensland Border and as far inland as the New England Highway (as this roughly defines the watershed for the coastal catchments of the Northern Rivers. Having said that, the amount geological diversity for the New England tablelands is incredible such that I will ever only able to have a cursory look at the geology where our highland streams come from.

In time I hope that this blog develops into a point where basic knowledge of many areas is freely available and that this information can be both informative and interesting. In many cases the information available elsewhere on the internet is often out of date so hopefully what I provide here helps people with a current understanding of how the region was formed. Sometimes this may result in a running commentary on research and new theories too! Of course this blog can never be considered a replacement for good peer reviewed scientific research.

Please note that a glossary of terms can be found here or alternatively refer to an online glossary.

Please feel free to comment on any of the blogs. Your opinions are very welcome and indeed wanted. I can be emailed on rodneywilliamholland(at)live(dot)com(dot)au. Alternatively, to discuss any projects for environmental monitoring you may call me on 0422*014*767.

16 comments:

  1. Hi Rod, my name is Ian Black and i have a passion for the geology of the area also. I was pleased to be able to spend a week with Warwick Willmott on the Gold Coast book last year and on the Mt Bally COnservation reserve last October. I was interested in your comments on the Chill Volcanics and it is my impression the line of the Chillingham Volcanics is the rear of the N_F beds, their dosnt seem to be more to the west, and also the rear of the subduction trench. as the pressure decreased and inland areas droped, causing the violant flows from the Chill Volcanics. This past fault may have had an effect on the Tweed Volcano as you mentioned. I have a blog on my Geo Nature website about the interesting geology at Mt Bally incl part of Warwicks report.

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  2. Hi Ian,

    I found your blog at http://www.geonaturewalksandtoursseqld.com.au/Blog. Warwick is exceptionally clear on his idea for how Mount Bally formed on the flank of the Tweed Volcano, like he always is!

    I intend to do a post or two specifically on the Chillingham Volcanics. A geologist by the name of Andrew Roach from Macquarie? University in Sydney did his masters thesis on the Chillingham Volcanics and noted the distribution as part of the earliest stages of the Ipswich Basin, but seemingly to earlier (or too constrained) to contribute to the Clarence-Moreton Basin. I'll put the Chillingham Volcanics as a post request for you.

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  3. Hey, just thought I'd say I'm a fan of the blog. I'm currently studying nitrogen cycling in the northern rivers estuaries, so it's right up my alley. Thanks!

    Rachel

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    1. Hi Rachel,

      I'm glad it is of interest to you. Thanks for stopping by!

      Rod.

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  4. Hi Rod,
    You have a great blog with lots of interesting content. It would be even more better if you could add some general information about the water resources in the area. Just saying this because I know you have good knowledge about that.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Mahmood

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    1. Hi Mahmood,

      Thanks for dropping by. I will do more posts on the water resources side in the future.

      I'm also happy to catch up any time with you or any others researching with you. I'd especially like to know how your research on groundwater discharge goes.

      Rod.

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  5. Hi Rod,

    Just want to thank you for your article in the Big Scrub Newsletter. I'm with Brunswick Valley Landcare and enjoy reading about the origins of our region.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Rita. I'm glad that you enjoyed the article in the Big Scrub newsletter. Time permitting I'm happy to do another article. We'll see how that goes.

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  6. Hi Rod, love the blog! It's great to see people interested in things. Geology is on my to do list for amateur interest. All the best!
    Francisco

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    1. Thanks Francisco for the positive comment. Keep that chin down! You never know what you can find by looking at the ground!

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  7. Hi Rod,
    This looks like a very interesting blog that I have stumbled on tonight.
    I am in Maclean and would be interested if you or any of your followers can turn up a detailed description of the formation and history of the Pinnacle Rock on the side of Maclean Hill. It is a magnificent example of nature at work and deserves an interpretation board at the lookout

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    1. Hi Pete,
      Thanks for your email. the Pinnacle Rock is something I'm not very familiar with. But thank you for the email and picture. What a fabulous feature it is!

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  8. Hi Rod,

    I am currently preparing a unit plan for geology for a year 8 class in Mullumbimby, for the first 3 weeks of Term 4 (i.e. 10 - 27 October). I was wondering if you'd be able to or you know someone who could provide some assistance in terms of local geological features, landmarks, etc. - I'm also thinking of organising a field trip but not sure how well I'd go by myself.

    Very happy to discuss further if you're interested and/or able.

    Regards,
    Marc

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  9. Hi Rod,
    I am a high school Science teacher, teaching the 'Earth and Environmental Science' course. It is the first time the course has been run at the school. Similar to the post above, i'm hoping to do a field trip in around the local Tweed area on geology. Is there any one you would recommend for either guiding us on a field trip or as a guest speaker? Any advice would be much appreciated. Trying to get teenagers excited about geology and plate tectonics!!

    Kind Regards
    Amie
    augen10@yahoo.com.au

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  10. Great site for info, thanks. I'm in Mullum Ck, and appear to have basement basalt, loads of rhyolite, and minor banded stuff--tuff??.
    The latter polishes into a lovely, interesting face. I'd like to have it ID by someone more proficient than me.Can I post photos? Pete

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  11. Thank you for your blog. It is a lot of effort. Being past my 3 score and 10, I decided to refresh my knowledge of geology and so doing the geology unit offered by Australian Courses Online. Your blog is n excellent source of information.
    Ta
    John Davies

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