I am a retired exploration geologist, systems auditor, and rock art conservation and dating scientist. My PhD dissertation was on the conservation and dating of rock art. I pioneered the use of oxalate minerals and amorphous silica skins for the dating of rock surface coatings and rock art. I am now an author having published 28 novels on Amazon as e-Books and paperbacks. My novels are historical fiction about the early history of South Australia as well as a series involving a geological sleuth, Mark Altree who solves mysteries and murders. My best-selling novel is ‘Secrets at Hanging Rock’ (a sequel to the classic ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ by Joan Lindsay). Address: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Radiocarbon dating of micro-organic substances trapped in the base of thin rock surface silica fi... more Radiocarbon dating of micro-organic substances trapped in the base of thin rock surface silica films (accretions) can give age estimates for petroglyphs, provided contamination by older or younger carbon-bearing compounds has not occurred. The method was used to estimate the ages of highly controversial Portugese petroglyphs at Foz Coa, ranging from 100 to 1700 years.
Study of palaeoart of the world: A quest for understanding the evolution of human constructs of reality,, 2024
Oxalate minerals in biofilms are often associated with rock art, and are subject to attempts to d... more Oxalate minerals in biofilms are often associated with rock art, and are subject to attempts to date that imagery. Here I describe and evaluate various early and recent attempts to determine the age of carbon within oxalate in laminated rock surface coatings. There are issues associated with the identification of the microorganisms, the sources of carbon and the pathways by which carbon is transferred from the environment to a stable oxalate-rich lamination. Caution is therefore required in any attempt to use oxalate minerals to date rock art.
tag=1 data=Art on the rocks. by Alan Ford and Alan Watchman. tag=2 data=Ford, Alan%Watchman, Alan... more tag=1 data=Art on the rocks. by Alan Ford and Alan Watchman. tag=2 data=Ford, Alan%Watchman, Alan tag=3 data=New Scientist. tag=6 data=7 July 1990 tag=7 data=21-25. tag=8 data=aboriginal culture tag=9 data=rock art tag=10 data=Fine buildings and old masters are pampered and protected as part of our cultural heritage. Our ancestors' rock art is just as much a part of our inheritance, yet its preservation is usually left to chance. tag=11 data=1990/2/7 tag=12 data=181 tag=13 data=CAB
... STI/PUB--374; CONF-740587--. Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-75; Related Information: Formation of... more ... STI/PUB--374; CONF-740587--. Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-75; Related Information: Formation of uranium ore deposits. Research Org, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Canberra. Subject, N44100* --Environmental & Earth Sciences ...
Radiocarbon dating of micro-organic substances trapped in the base of thin rock surface silica fi... more Radiocarbon dating of micro-organic substances trapped in the base of thin rock surface silica films (accretions) can give age estimates for petroglyphs, provided contamination by older or younger carbon-bearing compounds has not occurred. The method was used to estimate the ages of highly controversial Portugese petroglyphs at Foz Coa, ranging from 100 to 1700 years.
Study of palaeoart of the world: A quest for understanding the evolution of human constructs of reality,, 2024
Oxalate minerals in biofilms are often associated with rock art, and are subject to attempts to d... more Oxalate minerals in biofilms are often associated with rock art, and are subject to attempts to date that imagery. Here I describe and evaluate various early and recent attempts to determine the age of carbon within oxalate in laminated rock surface coatings. There are issues associated with the identification of the microorganisms, the sources of carbon and the pathways by which carbon is transferred from the environment to a stable oxalate-rich lamination. Caution is therefore required in any attempt to use oxalate minerals to date rock art.
tag=1 data=Art on the rocks. by Alan Ford and Alan Watchman. tag=2 data=Ford, Alan%Watchman, Alan... more tag=1 data=Art on the rocks. by Alan Ford and Alan Watchman. tag=2 data=Ford, Alan%Watchman, Alan tag=3 data=New Scientist. tag=6 data=7 July 1990 tag=7 data=21-25. tag=8 data=aboriginal culture tag=9 data=rock art tag=10 data=Fine buildings and old masters are pampered and protected as part of our cultural heritage. Our ancestors' rock art is just as much a part of our inheritance, yet its preservation is usually left to chance. tag=11 data=1990/2/7 tag=12 data=181 tag=13 data=CAB
... STI/PUB--374; CONF-740587--. Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-75; Related Information: Formation of... more ... STI/PUB--374; CONF-740587--. Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-75; Related Information: Formation of uranium ore deposits. Research Org, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Canberra. Subject, N44100* --Environmental & Earth Sciences ...
Dr Mark Altree suffers an emotional breakdown and wanders aimlessly from his home at Wynnum, Bris... more Dr Mark Altree suffers an emotional breakdown and wanders aimlessly from his home at Wynnum, Brisbane. His brain in a fog, and without money and a phone, he accepts a ride from a truck driver. At Caboolture, Altree helps Frances Rideout, a horse trainer, replace a flat tyre. This leads him on a course of self discovery. Frances encourages him to address the cause of his problem. Revitalised, and having found a new challenge, he returns home and explains to his wife and close friends why he experienced mental distress and acted strangely. He then sets out to solve the mysterious disappearance of Frances’s daughter, Eloise.
In June 1840 the brigantine Maria was wrecked on rocks near Cape Jaffa, South Australia. The twen... more In June 1840 the brigantine Maria was wrecked on rocks near Cape Jaffa, South Australia. The twenty-five European passengers and crew reached land and then began the trek along the Coorong towards Adelaide. When natives reported to the authorities at Encounter Bay that the bodies of white people had been found south of Lake Albert an expedition was mounted to attempt to rescue any remaining survivors of the wreck. In Aboriginal huts near Lake Albert the searchers found bloodstained clothes, wedding rings, part of the ship's log and pieces of newspaper, confirming the identity of the brutally slain remains of all the passengers. Their battered bodies, some partly eaten, had been stuffed into wombat holes and under a large rock. An expedition was ordered by Governor Gawler to find and punish the murderers. Two Aboriginal men were identified as the killers and hanged. This account, based on documentary evidence, is what has become known as the Maria massacre.
This is a novel about a select group of passengers on the Lloyds, a ship on which colonists trave... more This is a novel about a select group of passengers on the Lloyds, a ship on which colonists traveled from England to Adelaide in 1838.
Blackfoot Cave (rock shelter) is situated south of Denver, Colorado and it is not only a historic... more Blackfoot Cave (rock shelter) is situated south of Denver, Colorado and it is not only a historic site where Rufus Sage camped during a snow storm but also was occupied by prehistoric hunter-gatherers and homesteaders. This book is a fictionalized description of some of the people who lived, worked and camped there.
Ten sailors jumped ship in January 1837 and fled to a place later known as Coromandel Valley, aft... more Ten sailors jumped ship in January 1837 and fled to a place later known as Coromandel Valley, after the name of their ship. Who were the sailors and how did they manage to survive during summer in a strange land?
In January 1837, one month after the founding of the colony of South Australia, ten sailors ran (... more In January 1837, one month after the founding of the colony of South Australia, ten sailors ran (jumped ship) from the Coromandel that was anchored in Holdfast Bay. They fled to the hills and remained there for fifty days until after their ship sailed. On giving themselves up they spoke about the fertile valley where they hid and that place is now known as Coromandel valley. Who were the sailors and how did they survive in the summer heat in a strange land?
Horner's Bridge in Coromandel Valley is well signposted and used by travellers on the route betwe... more Horner's Bridge in Coromandel Valley is well signposted and used by travellers on the route between Aberfoyle Park and Adelaide, but little is known of its history and the men who built it. In 1865-66, the bridge over the River Sturt was constructed on the Bulls Creek Road between the city and Encounter Bay, but the line of that road was controversial and the bridge may not have been built without the will, persistence and courage of members of the Central Road Board. This novel is based on historical records and not only describes the politics and perseverance of road construction and bridge building, but also of the love between the stonemason and the contractor's daughter.
The naked body of a blonde female by the side of the Cobar Road prompts Dr Mark Altree and his fr... more The naked body of a blonde female by the side of the Cobar Road prompts Dr Mark Altree and his friends to investigate her death.
This novel is available as an eBook and paperback on Amazon.
268: The mystery of a Parmigianino oil painting, 2019
A fictionalised account of investigations into whether an Australian-owned painting is one painte... more A fictionalised account of investigations into whether an Australian-owned painting is one painted by Parmigianino in 1520.
I wrote the book under the pen name of Jane Bell because the true story is about the murder of tw... more I wrote the book under the pen name of Jane Bell because the true story is about the murder of two young women. Cold Case Murder Is Solved 41 Years Later.
It is available as an eBook from Amazon as "The Ice Cream Killings."
Rolling on creaking wheels the massive grey rusting metal door inched open. A thick set man in na... more Rolling on creaking wheels the massive grey rusting metal door inched open. A thick set man in navy overalls and wearing a dark blue cap stepped from the unlit void into the widening gap. Wisps of blue grey smoke drifted from a cigarette glowing between his lips. His eyes scanned the darkening deserted alley, his head tilted, listening; in the distance a train rumbled and its wheels screeched. The surrounding empty dilapidated buildings reflected economic decay of an earlier prosperous period. Under Soviet rule factories manufactured a wide range of products, but all that changed with Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika. Following withdrawal of Russian finances the factories closed. Empty warehouses for raw materials and finished products fell into disrepair before being snatched up by entrepreneurs of a different ilk. Criminal gangs blossomed after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Some developed powerful extensive networks. Requiring space for drugs, black market goods and human cargo the new bosses controlled selected buildings and once again business flourished. The lonely figure, the warehouse caretaker, a former mechanic at a factory that had made rolling stock for the Soviet railway system, lit another cigarette before stubbing out his first.
Russian criminals steal railway freight including the radioactive chemical 'hex' disguised as dri... more Russian criminals steal railway freight including the radioactive chemical 'hex' disguised as drilling salt and destined for Iran's secret nuclear enrichment program. Determined to retrieve the toxic compounds, Iranian agents design a devious plot and kidnap geologists working for gold exploration companies in eastern Turkey to establish their credentials as legitimate buyers of the salt. Australian friends of one of the geologists, Mark Altree become concerned by his disappearance and collaborate with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to pursue their Iranian captors, free Altree and foil the recovery of the uranium fuel. The thrilling chase across Georgia and Turkey involves collusion, double agents, murders, explosive action and romance. Instead of solving murder mysteries in Australia, such as in Yarraman Gold and Solstice at Flinders Cove, Altree's chance involvement in this recent drama tests his endurance and life saving skills.
The discovery of a man's body at an ocean lookout in the exclusive housing resort of Flinders Cov... more The discovery of a man's body at an ocean lookout in the exclusive housing resort of Flinders Cove, near Port Lincoln perplexes his partner and residents; however the police initially consider his death as a suicide. Geologist Mark Altree, holidaying with his partner Sonja Nielsen and staying with the caretaker of the resort, is not convinced. He probes for evidence into a death he increasingly regards as suspicious. The mystery deepens when Drew Addison, an old friend of Altree's is found at the base of the same cliff. Altree and the collaborating caretaker employ devious methods to untangle the threads of these complex murders involving jealousy, betrayal, homosexuality, and corruption. Altree’s amateur detective adventure follows on from his previous success in solving an earlier murder mystery within an exploration company in Queensland in Yarraman Gold.
Based on the letters and diary kept by Sister Catherine Black, Love in War is a story interweavin... more Based on the letters and diary kept by Sister Catherine Black, Love in War is a story interweaving the lives of characters during the turbulent times of World War One. It uses detailed research of military hospitals, innovative medical treatments and circumstances at Gallipoli, Heliopolis (Egypt), and London to blend historical facts with details and observations written by the Rockhampton nurse and her cousin, Ellen.
Love in War tells the story of romance during World War One between an Australian nurse and an ANZAC soldier. Stretchered from Quinn's Post on the Gallipoli battlefield and considered by doctors unlikely to live Private Michael Fitzhubert is watched over by Sister Catherine "Cissy" Black in the hospital in Egypt. Detecting faint signs of life she keeps him alive. Michael survives surgery and recovers in an English hospital. After receiving facial reconstruction by pioneering surgeon Dr Gillies he meets Cissy again when she transfers from the hospital in Egypt to London, but by then Michael has fallen in love with Emily Thorpe the daughter of wealthy English parents.
True love never runs smoothly and the pair encounters challenges while the war rages on. Emily dies of Spanish flu leaving him severely depressed. Cissy Black helps Michael out of depression, but then realises that her cousin, Ellen also loves Michael. Ellen had argued with Michael before he enlisted and is the fly in the ointment of love between him and Cissy. We learn of the tangled web of romance and how it unfolds into an enchanting story of lifelong love between Michael and Cissy.
This novel is a sequel to Joan Lindsay's Picnic at Hanging Rock. It is available as an eBook and... more This novel is a sequel to Joan Lindsay's Picnic at Hanging Rock. It is available as an eBook and paperback on Amazon.
This paper was presented at a rock art conference, but never published. Dating varnish in cupule... more This paper was presented at a rock art conference, but never published. Dating varnish in cupules on boulders at Grimes Point was unsuccessful, but the rock surface varnish was dated; demonstrating the potential. Funds were unavailable to pursue further research. This work was done in collaboration with the late Alanah Woody.
Review paper by Dr A. F. Stacey
Meet Dr Mark Altree, an exploration geologist turned amateur det... more Review paper by Dr A. F. Stacey
Meet Dr Mark Altree, an exploration geologist turned amateur detective featured in an ongoing series of engrossing "who done it" mysteries. Altree's entry into solving crime starts unexpectedly after experiencing a number of serious incidents while travelling into the Queensland interior.
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Available: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXMJBD37?ref_=ast_author_dp&th=1&psc=1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sand-dune-slaughter-alan-watchman/1142685085
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0BHNC8J4V
This novel is available as an eBook and paperback on Amazon.
Published by Amazon as eBook and paperback.
It is available as an eBook from Amazon as "The Ice Cream Killings."
Love in War tells the story of romance during World War One between an Australian nurse and an ANZAC soldier. Stretchered from Quinn's Post on the Gallipoli battlefield and considered by doctors unlikely to live Private Michael Fitzhubert is watched over by Sister Catherine "Cissy" Black in the hospital in Egypt. Detecting faint signs of life she keeps him alive. Michael survives surgery and recovers in an English hospital. After receiving facial reconstruction by pioneering surgeon Dr Gillies he meets Cissy again when she transfers from the hospital in Egypt to London, but by then Michael has fallen in love with Emily Thorpe the daughter of wealthy English parents.
True love never runs smoothly and the pair encounters challenges while the war rages on. Emily dies of Spanish flu leaving him severely depressed. Cissy Black helps Michael out of depression, but then realises that her cousin, Ellen also loves Michael. Ellen had argued with Michael before he enlisted and is the fly in the ointment of love between him and Cissy. We learn of the tangled web of romance and how it unfolds into an enchanting story of lifelong love between Michael and Cissy.
Meet Dr Mark Altree, an exploration geologist turned amateur detective featured in an ongoing series of engrossing "who done it" mysteries. Altree's entry into solving crime starts unexpectedly after experiencing a number of serious incidents while travelling into the Queensland interior.