b'PeopleNewssignificant point in Barrys career and, inas the 1994 Mt Isa Project, which tooknew insights into the evolution and fact, the driver for him to undertake deepa multidisciplinary approach involvingstructure of the Tasmanian crust.crustal reflection seismic surveys in hardseismic reflection, seismic refraction,Then, partway way through the AGCRC rock terranes. Twenty plus years laterpotential fields, geology, geochemistryand whilst the TASGO project was in the value of this work to understandingand regolith studies. In addition, thisfull swing, an opportunity arose to fluid pathways for mineral systems isAGCRC project brought togetherwrite an application to set up a Major well demonstrated through discoveriesresearchers from several universities,National Research Facility (MNRF) in such as the Wallaby and Gruyere goldCSIRO and exploration companies.seismic imaging. Barry, in collaboration deposits in the Yilgarn Craton. SeniorThe quantum of development inwith Professor Brian Kennett at the management in BMR also recognisedunderstanding of fluids within theAustralian National University, was that Barry could take on difficult tasks,basement and their migration bysuccessful in obtaining over $5M and be successful in delivering complexlinking seismic architecture, chemicalin funding to set up the Australian programs. modelling and crustal deformationNational Seismic Imaging (ANSIR) In 1990 Barry was a key driver in thewas world-leading at the time, and wasMNRF. As the inaugural Director of the ACORP (Australian Continental Reflectionpioneering in the application of earthFacility Barry oversaw the procurement Profiling) programme. This initiativeimaging to mineral system targeting.of state-of-the-art seismic reflection brought together key earth imagingThe success of the AGCRC led to theequipment and a pool of broad-band people from academia, governmentestablishment of the Predictive Mineralseismic instruments. ANSIR equipment and industry to plan an ambitiousDiscovery CRC (PMDCRC) in 2001, andthen provided the infrastructure that programme of deep seismic transectsBarry provided scientific direction forwould allow researchers to image the across the continent to address keyseveral seismic surveys, with significantAustralian lithosphere at multiple scales geological questions on the 3D structuresurveys being conducted in the Gawlerand resolution. It is a testament to Barry of the Australian crust. Over the lastand Curnamona Cratons. These surveysand Brians leadership that twenty plus thirty years or so essentially all of theseprovided new insights to whole-of-crustyears later ANSIR has grown and evolved transects, and more, have been acquiredstructures in the Olympic Dam region. with new equipment and techniques, with the result that that AustraliaIn 1995 the French Government resumedand continues to support earth scientists probably has the most extensive onshorenuclear weapons testing at Mururoainterested in imaging the Earth. The deep seismic reflection coverage in theAtoll in the Pacific Ocean. The Ministerresearch paradigm developed within world. At around the same time Barryfor the Environment formed an expertANSIR encouraged scientists to codify edited the Geological Society of Australiapanel of scientists to advise on thehypotheses about structure, depth and volume The Australian Lithosphere,potential effects on the region, and Barryformation, and then use seismic imaging which was a selection of papers fromwas invited to participate. He learnedtechniques to test their hypotheses. This various geo-disciplines integrating thea number of things about advising thewas not the traditional way to undertake knowledge of the lithosphere at theGovernment from this experience. Firstly,many geological studies and very few time to enhance the understanding of itsscientists may have the answers toof the hypotheses fully withstood the properties. many important questions but are oftentest of the seismic images, leading a In 1991, under Barrys leadership, theexcluded from discussions when theformer GA CEO to call ANSIR The Truth BMR took seismic reflection profilingtopics become controversial. Secondly,Machine.into a minerals area in earnest. Thenot all scientists will share the same view.During his time as Director of ANSIR Eastern Goldfields seismic survey resultsThose who deal with sensitive materialBarry maintained his research focus on subsequently changed the prevailingregularly will often not understand themapping fluids in the crust, working views of greenstone evolution andperception of risk in other peoples eyes.closely with colleagues at CSIRO. He mineral system formation. It alsoIt also became apparent that few people,used CSIRO software to predict the fundamentally changed the way thatapart from geoscientists, understood thebehaviour of fluids in the crust, and then BMR worked, as it was a turning point inconcept of time. Mururoa Atoll containsexamined seismic images for evidence the understanding of mineral systemsa lot of radioactive material that willto test the predictions. A geologist and the power of seismic reflection toprobably leach out through naturalworking for a multinational gold image large scale systems and fluidsystems over time. Sadly, the messagecompany wrote in a letter of support pathways, although it took well over athat this will not be a nice place to visitfor a submission for funding for ANSIR decade for this to be truly recognised inwill be lost over time. This story is alsothat work to date (coupled with work very pertinent to the problems humanity the geoscience community. faces in the 21st century. by his company) had contributed to the discovery of an estimated $3 B of The success of BMRs, then AGSOsAlso, in 1995, under Barrys leadership,gold in the ground. In a classic seismic (the Australian Geological SurveyAGSO in conjunction with Mineralimage from subsequent research, fluid Organisation) seismic programmes inResources Tasmania (MRT) and thepathways emerging from the mantle can the late 1980s and early 1990s led toAGCRC commenced a major study tobe traced through strata in the crust and AGSO being invited to join a bid forcreate a 3D model of the Tasmanianeventually seen to reach the upper crust funding for the Australian Geodynamicslithosphere. This project, TASGO, ranwhere they formed the gold deposits Cooperative Research Centre (AGCRC)for a number of years and resulted in anear Laverton in Western Australia. with the seismic programme as itsnumber of innovative developments thatSimilar structures could be seen in lead in science under the leadershipcombined multidisciplinary geoscienceseismic data in an area in the desert of Barry. This resulted in a number ofdatasets into a 3D VRML visualisation forfarther to the east in the Yarmana Belt, new and innovative experiments suchthe whole of Tasmania, providing severalwhere the 6.6M oz Gruyere deposit has DECEMBER 2019 PREVIEW 14'