The Arctic is a diverse, rapidly-changing and environmentally sensitive region that is home for i... more The Arctic is a diverse, rapidly-changing and environmentally sensitive region that is home for its four million residents and also an emerging global investment opportunity. To balance these dimensions, the Investment Protocol of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Arctic aspires to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth in the region that furthers community well-being and builds resilient societies in a fair, inclusive and environmentally sound manner.
The Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) as a member of the Commonwealth Technical Co... more The Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) as a member of the Commonwealth Technical Consortium Regionalisation Products (Component 2) in conjunction with CSIRO’s Division of Wildlife and Ecology (DWE) were commissioned to deliver several products which would facilitate attaining the goals of the OR2000 project. Namely the classification of Marine Benthic Habitats/Coastal Zone Geomorphology. To this end several digital products were required: (1) a comprehensive spatial database of marine substrate samples covering Australian waters (the areal extent of the study is shown in map 7 in the appendix); (2) digital maps of marine benthic habitat types derived from numerical and expert knowledge classification methods; (3) a digital map of environmental provinces of the sea floor ; (4) a digital map of the Australian coastal zone based on geomorphological classifications using remotely sensed data; and lastly, (5) a report detailing the information sources, methods and interpret...
Ross MacGregor recently published an article in People and Place 1 which was highly critical of o... more Ross MacGregor recently published an article in People and Place 1 which was highly critical of our study 2 of the socio-economic effects of forcible separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from their parents and communities. His paper is also critical of Bringing them Home, 3 the report produced by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) on the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. At no stage does MacGregor make any specific criticism of the results we presented or of our methodology. Instead, he simply denies our conclusions. We consider MacGregor's criticism serious enough to warrant an extended reply because of the importance of issues surrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy to Australia's future. MacGregor makes nine claims against our research paper: 1. That the 'the article's use of the term 'stolen generation' is provocative'; 4 2...
The location of coastal titanium-zirconium placers within coastal barrier sequences provides sign... more The location of coastal titanium-zirconium placers within coastal barrier sequences provides significant problems for traditional exploration model development, because of the geomorphic (as opposed to geologic) nature of the processes responsible for placer formation. This paper describes an economic placer at Minninup, southwestern Australia, and develops a model of formation from a geomorphic viewpoint. The Minninup placer deposits lie on the contemporary coast about 160 km south of Perth, Western Australia. The sediments form part of a Late Holocene transgressive barrier sequence, with placer development occurring in transgressive dune, elevated Mid Holocene beach and nearshore units, as well as contemporary environments. Sea-level history is a significant factor in placer development and preservation. Formation of the Minninup placers is the result of processes operating at different temporal and spatial scales. Heavy mineral segregation due to differential entrainment in the n...
We consider the dynamic simulation model of landscapes proposed by Turner et al. (1993). In this ... more We consider the dynamic simulation model of landscapes proposed by Turner et al. (1993). In this model a ‘landscape’, represented by a square grid of 100×100 cells, is exposed to disturbances of a fixed size at random locations at specified time intervals. The affected area recovers through a series of seral stages and achieves a mature stage unless it is affected
Within the field of resource and environmental management, the paramount value of a spatial analy... more Within the field of resource and environmental management, the paramount value of a spatial analysis system is as a tool for regionalising a case-area in diverse directed ways, each being useful for (i) increasing scientific understanding of that area (intellectualisation) or (ii) for allocating operational categories (for example, funding categories, regulatory categories) differentially between parts of the case-area (called operations
For many years coastal barrier studies have focused on the classification of coastal regions into... more For many years coastal barrier studies have focused on the classification of coastal regions into variants of the classical transgressive or regressive models. However, there are many situations which are not adequately represented by existing models, requiring a fuller range of descriptions of coastal depositional systems. This paper describes a ‘composite’ transgressive‐regressive barrier system at Minninup, southwestern Australia, which differs substantially in morphology, stratigraphy and evolution from the published barrier models. The Minninup barrier is geomorphically characterised by isolated back‐barrier flats and channels, a broad, transgressive dune field, narrow foredune, reflective beach, and narrow and shallow nearshore zone. Stratigraphically, the mid‐ to late Holocene sandy barrier sediments are perched on top of muddy back‐barrier facies. Mid‐Holocene sea‐level rise to approximately + 3 m above present sea‐level initiated development of raised beach and nearshore units. Heavy‐mineral concentration has taken place along this section of coast throughout the development of the barrier and is preserved in all units. Comparison of the Minninup barrier with other transgressive systems reveals significant variations in terms of setting, stratigraphy, morphology and evolution. Most notable are the extremely thin shore‐normal width of the barrier, preservation of elevated mid‐Holocene deposits, and the erosion‐resistant and very low gradient transgressed substrate. Studies carried out at Minninup improve our knowledge of barrier evolution through the identification of morphostratigraphic patterns different to those used in classical models.
Exploration models for coastal titanium-zirconium placer deposits in general are poorly developed... more Exploration models for coastal titanium-zirconium placer deposits in general are poorly developed and reflect little understanding of the morphogenesis of this class of ore deposit. The increasing economic and strategic importance of these minerals requires a reevaluation of traditional approaches to deposit description. This paper, by describing the salient features of coastal T-Zr placers in five major placer-forming regions (Brazil,
The Arctic is a diverse, rapidly-changing and environmentally sensitive region that is home for i... more The Arctic is a diverse, rapidly-changing and environmentally sensitive region that is home for its four million residents and also an emerging global investment opportunity. To balance these dimensions, the Investment Protocol of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Arctic aspires to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth in the region that furthers community well-being and builds resilient societies in a fair, inclusive and environmentally sound manner.
The Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) as a member of the Commonwealth Technical Co... more The Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) as a member of the Commonwealth Technical Consortium Regionalisation Products (Component 2) in conjunction with CSIRO’s Division of Wildlife and Ecology (DWE) were commissioned to deliver several products which would facilitate attaining the goals of the OR2000 project. Namely the classification of Marine Benthic Habitats/Coastal Zone Geomorphology. To this end several digital products were required: (1) a comprehensive spatial database of marine substrate samples covering Australian waters (the areal extent of the study is shown in map 7 in the appendix); (2) digital maps of marine benthic habitat types derived from numerical and expert knowledge classification methods; (3) a digital map of environmental provinces of the sea floor ; (4) a digital map of the Australian coastal zone based on geomorphological classifications using remotely sensed data; and lastly, (5) a report detailing the information sources, methods and interpret...
Ross MacGregor recently published an article in People and Place 1 which was highly critical of o... more Ross MacGregor recently published an article in People and Place 1 which was highly critical of our study 2 of the socio-economic effects of forcible separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from their parents and communities. His paper is also critical of Bringing them Home, 3 the report produced by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) on the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. At no stage does MacGregor make any specific criticism of the results we presented or of our methodology. Instead, he simply denies our conclusions. We consider MacGregor's criticism serious enough to warrant an extended reply because of the importance of issues surrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy to Australia's future. MacGregor makes nine claims against our research paper: 1. That the 'the article's use of the term 'stolen generation' is provocative'; 4 2...
The location of coastal titanium-zirconium placers within coastal barrier sequences provides sign... more The location of coastal titanium-zirconium placers within coastal barrier sequences provides significant problems for traditional exploration model development, because of the geomorphic (as opposed to geologic) nature of the processes responsible for placer formation. This paper describes an economic placer at Minninup, southwestern Australia, and develops a model of formation from a geomorphic viewpoint. The Minninup placer deposits lie on the contemporary coast about 160 km south of Perth, Western Australia. The sediments form part of a Late Holocene transgressive barrier sequence, with placer development occurring in transgressive dune, elevated Mid Holocene beach and nearshore units, as well as contemporary environments. Sea-level history is a significant factor in placer development and preservation. Formation of the Minninup placers is the result of processes operating at different temporal and spatial scales. Heavy mineral segregation due to differential entrainment in the n...
We consider the dynamic simulation model of landscapes proposed by Turner et al. (1993). In this ... more We consider the dynamic simulation model of landscapes proposed by Turner et al. (1993). In this model a ‘landscape’, represented by a square grid of 100×100 cells, is exposed to disturbances of a fixed size at random locations at specified time intervals. The affected area recovers through a series of seral stages and achieves a mature stage unless it is affected
Within the field of resource and environmental management, the paramount value of a spatial analy... more Within the field of resource and environmental management, the paramount value of a spatial analysis system is as a tool for regionalising a case-area in diverse directed ways, each being useful for (i) increasing scientific understanding of that area (intellectualisation) or (ii) for allocating operational categories (for example, funding categories, regulatory categories) differentially between parts of the case-area (called operations
For many years coastal barrier studies have focused on the classification of coastal regions into... more For many years coastal barrier studies have focused on the classification of coastal regions into variants of the classical transgressive or regressive models. However, there are many situations which are not adequately represented by existing models, requiring a fuller range of descriptions of coastal depositional systems. This paper describes a ‘composite’ transgressive‐regressive barrier system at Minninup, southwestern Australia, which differs substantially in morphology, stratigraphy and evolution from the published barrier models. The Minninup barrier is geomorphically characterised by isolated back‐barrier flats and channels, a broad, transgressive dune field, narrow foredune, reflective beach, and narrow and shallow nearshore zone. Stratigraphically, the mid‐ to late Holocene sandy barrier sediments are perched on top of muddy back‐barrier facies. Mid‐Holocene sea‐level rise to approximately + 3 m above present sea‐level initiated development of raised beach and nearshore units. Heavy‐mineral concentration has taken place along this section of coast throughout the development of the barrier and is preserved in all units. Comparison of the Minninup barrier with other transgressive systems reveals significant variations in terms of setting, stratigraphy, morphology and evolution. Most notable are the extremely thin shore‐normal width of the barrier, preservation of elevated mid‐Holocene deposits, and the erosion‐resistant and very low gradient transgressed substrate. Studies carried out at Minninup improve our knowledge of barrier evolution through the identification of morphostratigraphic patterns different to those used in classical models.
Exploration models for coastal titanium-zirconium placer deposits in general are poorly developed... more Exploration models for coastal titanium-zirconium placer deposits in general are poorly developed and reflect little understanding of the morphogenesis of this class of ore deposit. The increasing economic and strategic importance of these minerals requires a reevaluation of traditional approaches to deposit description. This paper, by describing the salient features of coastal T-Zr placers in five major placer-forming regions (Brazil,
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Papers by Neil Hamilton