GSAQ Rocks and Minerals Sponsors

This project relies heavily on its sponsors for the mineral and rock specimen materials for the student sets, along storage and preparation facilities and a home for the project

 Rock and Mineral Specimen Materials

Materials for the base sets have been provided by a large number of individuals and organisations, to whom the GSA and the project are very grateful.

This material provided a wealth of specimens of both rocks and minerals that are suitable for these sets, along with an equally large number of specimens best suited for more specialised sets. (And some that the author is still trying to identify….)

These sponsors include –

• Friedrich von Gnielinski – GSQ
  • Huge volumes of both rock and mineral materials from the GSQ
• Warwick Willmott –
  • Ongoing collection and mysterious night-time delivery of various rock type materials
• Dave Chadwick - Australian Industrial Minerals
  • Bentonite
  • Talc
• Ken Harvey - Superior Minerals
  • Economic mineral specimens
• Laurie Hutton – GSQ
  • Sphalerite
• Keith McPhee - Geologist
  • Economic mineral specimens
• Barry Saunders - QGESS
  • Corundum
• Ross Wilson – QCAA
  • Design assistance with the rock and mineral sets to suit new curriculum
• Tony Kerle - Ipswich Earthmoving Equipment
  • Coal and shale materials
• Ian Tedder
  • Economic mineral specimens
• Lance Lewis
  • Rock and mineral specimen materials
• Bree Llewellen - Slate & Stone – Springwood
  • Slate
• Jason Kowaltzke – Kowaltzke Drilling
  • Drill bits
• Jim Hayes – Tolga
  • Mineral specimens
• Ron Cullen
  • Rock and mineral specimen materials
• Rodney Berell - WA
  • Lepidolite specimens
• Peter Watson
  • Fossil specimens
• Costas Constantinides – Mt. Isa
  • Rock forming and economic mineral specimen materials

Economic Suites

More recently, following donations from a few mining organisations, additional ‘economic suite’ sets, consisting of both ore and host rock specimens are being created. These currently include a coal set, arranged by Barry Saunders of QGESS Pty Ltd, a copper / base metals set thanks to Dave Crimeen and Chinova, and now a comprehensive iron ore set enabled by Bruce Sommerville and Adin Dempster from Rio Tinto Iron Ore. More commodities are currently under consideration, and all offers of assistance with these are most welcome. Specific mineral specimen materials have been provided by Dave Chadwick (Australian Industrial Minerals), Ken Harvey (Superior Resources), Keith McPhee and Rod Dawney (Ausmec).

The Rio Tinto samples arrived in fourteen 200 litre drums; one forgets just how much a drum of haematite at better than 60%Fe weighs!

• Rio Tinto Iron Ore - Bruce Sommerville and Adin Dempster
  • Iron ore and host rock materials for the Iron Ore set
• Dave Crimeen - (ex) Chinova Resources
  • Copper ore and host rock materials for the Base Metal set
• Barry Saunders - QGESS
  • Coal type materials and related host rock materials for the Coal set

Plant and Equipment

Fortunately the project has been provided with the use of a forklift, and a 2.5 tonne travelling hoist in the GDD work area by Mick Morel (Star Steel Constructions).

• Mick Morel - Star Steel Constructions
  • Overhead travelling crane, compressor and forklift
• Ken Moule - Global GBM
  • Diamond saw blades
• Alex and Rob Taube
  • Diamond saw equipment
• Lance Lewis
  • Diamond saw, grinding and polishing equipment
• Geoff and Richard Reeder – BEC
  • Pallet racking and shelving
  • Plastic bins and air-tight containers
• Tony Shellshear - Geological Data Design
  • A home for the project
  • Storage and preparation facilities and equipment