Pyrite, also known as fool’s gold because it has tricked many into believing it was the real thing, is iron sulfide, an iron ore. Under the proper conditions, though, pyrite can become iron hydroxide, or limonite. Its external appearance remains essentially the same, but the composition has been altered. Pyrite cubes have become limonite cubes"
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Devil's Dice
Pyrite, also known as fool’s gold because it has tricked many into believing it was the real thing, is iron sulfide, an iron ore. Under the proper conditions, though, pyrite can become iron hydroxide, or limonite. Its external appearance remains essentially the same, but the composition has been altered. Pyrite cubes have become limonite cubes"
Monday, April 23, 2007
Trip to the Pilbara
Once again, it is going to be a quick trip so we throw the few important things into the Land Cruiser; food, water, dog and get going. Glenn's important things are maps, compass, GPS, satellite phone, book to record findings, geopick, etc. My important thing was my fly net!!
By Friday mid-morning we are almost at our destination and we turn off the highway. Then begins the slow and arduous drive across rough terrain, clonking and bumping over loose rocks at 3kph. Even though the tyres are built for this type of environment we still have to avoid spikes of dead trees. When a bushfire goes through areas like this and trees and shrubs are burnt, after a while all that is left are stakes sticking out of the ground. Drive over one of these at the right angle and ptshhhhhhh!
Here is Glenn in his element.
Lots and lots of nothingness, for miles and miles and miles.
These were interesting. Not placed there by man but by nature.
No flies on Helen !!
I have never seen so many flies in all my life.
And just for the record - neither had Glenn and he's been coming to the outback for years!
This is Glenn making a phone call with the satellite phone.
We see some magnificent skies out here.
Wildlife trails
Even though we'd driven a long way towards the lease, we had to do a fair bit of hiking to get to the locations where Glenn wanted to take samples. It was impossible by vehicle. One of the easiest ways to walk in these areas is to follow the wildlife tracks. They are so defined you would think they were manmade for tourists but they're not. The animals, mainly kangaroos here, all stick to the same route and over time the loose rocks get knocked out of the way leaving just a dusty track which is easier for all to use, including us.
A passing kangaroo took this photo for us.
It will always amaze me how anything survives out here - animal or vegetable. It is all so arid and hostile. I came across these lovely lavender-coloured bells.
Bird's nest
We don't see any parrots out here, probably because there isn't anything for them to eat, I suppose. But there are quite a few little insect-eating birds here and I can guarantee there's plenty of that sort of food to keep them going!
Miles and miles of nothing. And the sky goes on for ever and ever.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Beautiful rock
Can you believe this is natural rock, out of the very ground we walk on? Well, from a creek bed near Gascoyne Junction in Western Australia.
This afternoon I was washing the polishing powder off all the polished faces and slabs that Glenn has been working on and came across this one. Just look at the colours! The patterns! I decided we couldn't part with this one. It stays with us!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Off to the Bush
The town was laid out and named in 1893 and it became a municipality the following year. The Post Office opened in 1895 and the following year electricity and a swimming pool enhanced the hard life of the miners. By 1897 the level of enthusiasm about the potential of the region was such that over 700 mining companies had been floated in London. The water pipeline arrived in 1903 and that was an engineering feat in itself.
On 24 January 1903, the dream became a reality. Today, water is supplied to over 100,000 people and six million sheep in an area covering 44,000 square kilometres (two thirds the size of Tasmania).
In addition to gold there is a huge amount of nickel in the goldfields and these photos above show an area where they have been testing for deposits.
Driving along one of the dirt roads we came across a camel!! As you can see, he scarpered pretty quick. (If you look closely or click on the photo to enlarge you will see in the dead centre of the photo is one camel bum.) It isn't all that surprising to see a camel, however. I don't know the exact statistics, but there are hundreds of wild camels roaming Western Australia. They are leftovers from the days when they fared better than horses across the desert.
Below is a photo of Lake Lefroy and when I first looked across and saw it thought it was a sea, it's so vast! It's over 50 miles long. You can read about the harvesting of salt from this lake here.
Land sailing is very popular, apparently, and this is the perfect place for it. See this.
So where are we off to next, asks the great explorer, Woody?