School of Science - Te Kura Pūtaiao

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/1333
Research at AUT's School of Science - Te Kura Pūtaiao is focused on key scientific issues with regional and global significance. The common theme connecting all research areas is sustainability – in the broadest sense as it relates to environmental and human health. Our research is closely allied to teaching and learning opportunities at undergraduate and postgraduate level within the school. Research is organised in five main areas:

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Browsing School of Science - Te Kura Pūtaiao by Subject "0403 Geology"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A Comparative Study of Gender Disparities in Geoscience and Mining in Mongolia
    (MDPI AG, 2023-08-29) Ochir, G; Baatar, M; Sanjaa, M; Williams, H
    Mongolian women enjoy equal rights and actively participate in various sectors of the national economy, including the mineral and mining industry. The Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST), the largest university in Mongolia, plays a crucial role in preparing engineers for the Mongolian industry. Within MUST, the School of Geology and Mining Engineering (SGME) stands out as one of the largest schools, boasting a dedicated team of 136 staff members. Impressively, 92 of these staff members are female, constituting a remarkable 67.65% of the total staff. The directorial board of SGME, consisting of 12 members, also demonstrates a noteworthy level of gender diversity, with 5 of its members being female. This represents a proportion of 41.67% and highlights the inclusion of women in decision-making positions. Additionally, it is worth noting that the Geology and Hydrogeology department, one of the five departments within the School, is led by a capable female leader. However, despite the encouraging representation of women among staff and in leadership roles, there is a noticeable disparity in the enrollment and graduation rates of students at SGME. Currently, these rates stand at only about 20–24 percent, indicating the need for further efforts to encourage and support female students in pursuing geology and mining engineering studies. Outside of academia, within the mining industry, the Oyu Tolgoi large-scale mine, which in 2022 employed 20,328 workers, faces a significant gender imbalance. Out of this workforce, only 3577 are women, comprising a mere 18% of the total employees, while the remaining 82% are men. Among the 2997 total employees in the open pit mine, 737 women are employed in various roles, including 66 engineers and technicians, with the remaining 671 in other positions. In the newly opened underground mine, the total number of women employees stands at 2840, including 248 engineers and technicians and 2592 in other roles. Furthermore, on the Board of Directors, there are only 2 women out of a total of 23 managers, and a mere 104 women hold positions as senior staff and superintendents. A comparative analysis between Asia and other global regions reveals that female employment in Mongolia’s mining sector in general, at 18%, closely aligns with Oceania’s rates (17%) and surpasses those of both the broader Asian region (13%) and South America (11%). Addressing these statistical imbalances is crucial to improving gender equality in geoscience and mining. Historically, the mining industry has been male-dominated, but women-led professional geoscience and mining organizations in Mongolia play a vital role in promoting the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in these industries. Recognizing the significance of gender diversity, these organizations strive to increase the representation of women in leadership positions. Women in leadership bring unique perspectives that contribute to well-rounded decision-making processes within organizations. By acknowledging the importance of gender dynamics, promoting inclusivity, and supporting the professional growth of Mongolian women in geoscience and mining, the overall development and sustainability of these sectors in the country will be greatly enhanced.
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    Analysing Civilian Video Footage for Enhanced Scientific Understanding of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan, with Implications for PNG and Pacific Islands
    (MDPI AG, 2023-07-03) Mcdonough-Margison, Caitlin; Hinchliffe, Graham; Petterson, Michael G
    Approximately 70% of global tsunamis are generated within the pan Pacific Ocean region. This paper reports on detailed analysis of civilian video footage from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Japan. Comprehensive scientific analysis of tsunami video footage can yield valuable insights into geophysical processes and impacts. Civili22an video footage captured during the 2011 Tohoku, East Honshu, Japan tsunami was critically examined to identify key tsunami processes and estimate local inundation heights and flow velocity in Kesennuma City. Significant tsunami processes within the video were captured and orientated in ArcGIS Pro to create an OIC (Oriented Imagery Catalogue). The OIC was published to ArcGIS Online, and the oriented imagery was configured into an interactive website. Flow velocity was estimated by quantifying the distance and time taken for an object to travel between two known points in the video. Estimating inundation height was achieved by taking objects with known or calculable dimensions and measuring them against maximum local inundation height observations. The oriented imagery process produced an interactive Experience Builder app in ArcGIS Online, highlighting key tsunami processes captured within the video. The estimations of flow velocity and local inundation height quantified during video analysis indicate flow speeds ranging from 2.5–4.29 m/s and an estimated maximum local run-up height of 7.85 m in Kesennuma City. The analysis of civilian video footage provides a remarkable opportunity to investigate tsunami impact in localised areas of Japan and around the world. These data and analyses inform tsunami hazard maps, particularly in reasonably well-mapped terrains with remote access to landscape data. The results can aid in the understanding of tsunami behaviours and help inform effective mitigation strategies in tsunami-vulnerable areas. The affordable, widely accessible analysis and methodology presented here has numerous applications, and does not require highly sophisticated equipment. Tsunamis are a significant to major geohazard globally including many Pacific Island states, e.g., Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tonga. Video footage geoscientific analysis, as here reported, can benefit tsunami and cyclone storm surge hazards in the Pacific Islands region and elsewhere.
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    Can Extractive Industries Make Countries Happy? What Are Potential Implications for the Geoscientist? Overview and Case Study Examples from Papua New Guinea and Worldwide
    (MDPI AG, 2023-11-29) Mosusu, N; Maim, G; Petterson, M; Holm, R; Lakamanga, A; Espi, JO
    Geoscientists are involved in both the upstream and downstream side of the extractive industries. As explorationists and field geologists, they are often the first technical people related to extractive industries that communities meet. It is imperative in an increasingly globalized and holistic world that geoscientists gain greater awareness of the socio-economic impact of extractive industries and become a more proactive part of improving outcomes for all with respect to extractive industries. When Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the King of Bhutan, first suggested the concept of ‘Gross National Happiness’ (GNH) in 1972, it was met with widespread cynicism and puzzlement. Was the concept meaningful in a hard, economically competitive world? A series of measures, including the Human Development Index (HDI), the Gini Coefficient (GC), and the now annual World Happiness Report (WHR), are evolutionary responses to the 1972 GNH and are widely accepted as proxy measures of holistic human progress. These measures go beyond the narrow confines of Gross Domestic Product and similar economic proxies, placing economic parameters alongside the social, environmental, spiritual, human rights, health, and holistic societal issues. The broad conclusions of the plethora of metrics are that ‘happiness’ links to issues and ideas such as equity, minimal economic inequality, excellent governance, human rights, individual freedom, and so forth. We ask the question: what is the relationship between extractive industries (EIs) and GNH? We present a wide range of data and analytical diagrams/text examining potential correlations and associations between GNH and EIs. We examine potential relationships using global data and case studies for Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, the DRC, and Jamaica. The conclusions of this analysis of course suggest a complex relationship between EIs and GNH. We acknowledge that in situations of weak governance and institutions, EIs struggle to make any tangible difference with respect to GNH. A counter conclusion that EIs may even be a major cause of weak governance, which in turn suppresses happiness, must be seriously considered. We document examples where EIs have made a definitive positive improvement to GNH. Data suggest that hydrocarbon-rich countries have made better progress with respect to GNH than mineral-rich countries. However, the main conclusion is that the link between EIs and GNH remains a work in progress, and that a narrow focus on profit and shareholder return is an antithetical approach to the GNH paradigm. A key recommendation is that industry must adopt a far more active role (rather than merely a passive role) with respect to translating the many potential benefits of EIs into GNH than has hitherto been the case.
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    Digital Tools for the Promotion of Geological and Mining Heritage: Case Study from the Thames Goldfield, Aotearoa, New Zealand
    (MDPI AG, 2023-08-21) Cocal-Smith, Vanessa; Hinchliffe, Graham; Petterson, Michael G
    The geoheritage value in the Thames District, North Island, New Zealand, is notable for its over 50 epithermal gold deposits associated with the Coromandel Volcanic Zone, significant to the region’s geological, cultural, and mining heritage. This case study was conducted in collaboration with the Thames School of Mines and Mineralogical Museum to develop a series of web-based applications for public outreach and an accessible museum experience through the utilization of specimens from the mineralogical museum. This research applies a conceptual framework of ex situ geoheritage to explore links between local geology with cultural and mining heritage. Minerals and rock specimens collected for the Thames School of Mines Mineralogical Museum were used to create 3D virtual models demonstrating the epithermal mineralization in the Thames Goldfield. Outputs of this project consist of two digital products, including a digital mineral and rock repository and the dissemination of the geological collection through integrating the photogrammetric models into a user-friendly outreach, ArcGIS Storymaps, to depict the geoheritage relationship of the specimens to regional gold mining, and at the same time, to be developed to be implemented in geoscience education and communication. The results of this paper are intended to promote the use of digital tools for enhancing and raising awareness of the geoheritage values of the Thames Goldfield. This approach has relevance for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands in raising awareness of geological, mineral, and mining heritage within widely distributed and often isolated communities across island archipelago nations.
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    The Geological and Tectonic Evolution of Feni, Papua New Guinea
    (MDPI, 2023-08-24) Ponyalou, OL; Petterson, MG; Espi, JO
    Feni is located at the southeastern end of the NW-trending Tabar–Lihir–Tanga–Feni (TLTF) volcanic island chain, in northeastern Papua New Guinea. This island chain is renowned for hosting alkaline volcanics, geothermal activity, copper–gold mineralization, and mining. There is no agreed consensus on the tectonic and petrogenetic evolution of Feni. Thus, the purpose of our paper is to present the geology of Feni within the context of the regional tectonic evolution of the TLTF chain and offer a succinct and generic geodynamic model that sets the stage for our next paper. The methodologies used in this study include a critical review of published and unpublished literature in conjunction with our geological observations on Feni. The Pliocene-to-Holocene TLTF chain is a younger arc situated within the greater Eocene-to-Oligocene Melanesian Arc bounded by New Ireland to the west, the Kilinailau Trench and Ontong Java Plateau in the east, and the New Britain Trench to the south. The geological units mapped on Feni include a large volume of basaltic lava flow and trachyandesite stocks intruding a limestone and siltstone basement. Younger units include the trachyte domes, pyroclastic flow, and ash fall deposits. The major structures on Feni are normal or extensional faults such as the Niffin Graben. Feni magmatism is attributed to the petrogenetic processes of polybaric or decompression melting and crystal fractionation of magmas previously influenced by sediment assimilation, mantle wedge metasomatism, slab tears, slab melts, and subduction. Deep lithospheric normal faults provide the fluid pathways for the Feni alkaline magmas.
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    The Petrology and Geochemistry of REE-Enriched, Alkaline Volcanic Rocks of Ambitle Island, Feni Island Group, Papua New Guinea
    (MDPI AG, 2023-11-06) Ponyalou, OL; Petterson, MG; Espi, JO
    Ambitle in the Feni Island Group is located within the NW trending Tabar–Lihir–Tanga–Feni (TLTF) volcanic island chain, Melanesian Arc, northeastern Papua New Guinea. The TLTF chain is renowned for its alkaline magmatism, geothermal activity, copper–gold mineralization, and world-class gold mining. Although its geochemical patterns indicate island arc signatures (i.e., high LILE and depleted HFSE), TLTF volcanism is not directly related to the older Melanesian Arc subduction system. However, it may have been influenced by source mantle metasomatism linked to the older subduction. The purpose of this study is to (1) present and interpret the petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical data from Feni within the context of the tectonic evolution of the TLTF and (2) propose a geodynamic, petrogenetic model for the Feni volcanic rocks. The key methodologies used in this study are field mapping and sampling, petrographic analysis using the optical microscope, whole-rock geochemical analysis via XRF and ICP MS, and mineralogical analysis using an electron microprobe. The main rock types sampled in this study include feldspathoid-bearing basalt, trachybasalt, phonotephrite, trachyandesite, and trachydacite. Minerals identified include forsteritic olivine, diopside, augite, labradorite, andesine, anorthitic plagioclase, nepheline, and leucite in the primitive mafic suites, whereas the more evolved intermediate and felsic hypabyssal suites contain amphibole, albite, orthoclase, biotite, and either rare quartz or feldspathoids. Amphibole composition is primarily magnesiohastingsite with minor pargasite formed under polybaric conditions. Accessory minerals include apatite, titanite, and Ti-magnetite. We propose that limestone assimilation followed by fractional crystallization are plausible dominant processes in the geochemical evolution of the Ambitle volcanics. Clinopyroxene fractionation is dominant in the mafic volcanics whereas hornblende fractionation is a major petrologic process within the intermediate suites proven by the enrichment of LREE and depletions in MREE and HREE. Feni magmas are also highly enriched in REEs relative to neighboring arcs. This study is globally significant as alkaline magmas are important sources of Cu, Au, and REE as critical elements for green energy and modern technology.
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