b'Ted Tynes best of Exploration geophysicsFeatureASEG Bulletin/Exploration Geophysics Review Vols 1-20J. C. Dooley66 Hawker StTorrens, ACT 2607AbstractThe first twenty years of ASEG publications have beendevelopment in each topic, and make many important original reviewed. The review has taken the form of summaries ofcontributions. Outside sources are of course adequately developments over the period in a number of topics; thesereferenced in the papers quoted. In the nature of things, a include petroleum exploration, coal exploration, potentialcomplete list of all papers mentioned in the review would be fields, electrical and electromagnetic methods, and regionalnearly as long as the main text itself; therefore I have made and deep crustal geophysics. The survey gives a good indicationuse of the ASEG Publications Index, 19701987. In references to of the development of ideas and methods in these topics, andpapers listed therein, the number of the paper in the index has shows that the ASEG journals and conferences have played abeen quoted, and it is assumed that readers will have access to a significant role in stimulating and promulgating the practice ofcopy for further details.geophysics in Australia. For papers not listed in the index, a list of references in the usual Key words:Australian exploration geophysics, petroleum exploration,format is given at the end of the review. These include of coursecoal exploration, gravity interpretation, magnetic surveying,papers published since 1987, and also papers in Vol. 2 No. 2 and electrical geophysical surveys, electromagnetic geophysicalVol. 14 No. 2, nearly all of which for some reason escaped the surveys, crustal structure indexing process. Most papers presented at Conferences have been treated differently from papers in ordinary issues. I have Introduction mentioned topics discussed where appropriate, but have not given references to the individual papers, but only to the issue Undertaking a review of the ASEG Bulletin and Explorationreporting the Conference proceedings. This is partly a space Geophysics since inception has proved to be a more formidablesaving device in view of the large numbers of presentations; task than I expected, but nevertheless a very interesting one.also, many of the published contributions are in the form of There is a wealth of good material, some original, and someabstracts or extended abstracts rather than full papers, and reflecting the use of methods developed and initially reportedmany of them have been published more fully later, either in elsewhere. In order to keep the review within finite bounds, Iour own Journal or elsewhere.have had to adopt several selection criteria; I am sure that not everyone would agree with these, and I apologise that many important topics and papers may have been omitted. GeneralI have in general avoided case histories and papers dealingEarly Reviewswith policies of government, universities, industry, etc., andThe ASEG was formed at an International Conference on have concentrated rather on papers reporting or reflectingGeophysics of the Earth and Oceans, held in Sydney in January developments of new ideas, instruments, field techniques, or1970. The first issue of the ASEG Bulletin was published as Vol. 1 methods of interpretation. However, there is no hard and fastNo. 1 in September 1970. This was the only issue for Vol. 1.distinction, as many papers use new ideas in their case histories, or report field examples to illustrate the new techniques. The first number is largely taken up by formal matters such Another policy adopted was to follow through the period withas constitution, membership of committees etc. On the stories of developments in a number of topics which have beenscientific side, McNatt (1971, 454) reviewed the state of the art developed in the Journal through the period; thus some papersin geophysical prospecting for petroleum, and the history of have not received attention because they do not fit into one ofthe developments leading up to that time. Refraction seismic these stories. had been used in the 1920s; reflection seismic was also used experimentally, but it was not until some 10 years later that it The selected topics include the important topic of oilbecame firmly established. Improvements during the period exploration; my impression is that there is a smaller percentage1940-1970 included AGC, multiple geophones and shotpoints, of papers in this field in ordinary issues of the ASEG journalsmagnetic tape recording, surface energy sources, CDP, and than, say, in Geophysics, but it features largely in conferencefinally digital recording which became established for general proceedings. Other topics which have been well representeduse during the late 1960s.in the journals include geophysics in coal exploration (mainlyThree further review papers in Vol. 2 helped to set the scene as it seismic, but recently including radar methods), electromagneticwas at the beginning of our 20 year period. Pettingel (1971, 521) (EM) exploration (particularly transient EM, TEM), potentialtook a look at the state of the worldwide mineral exploration field interpretation, and perhaps surprisingly for an explorationindustry and its implications for the Australian scene. Seigel journal, deep crustal geophysics and geomagnetism. (1971, 589) estimated that it would take 15 ground-based crews As regards references, I have not attempted to quote sourcesabout 140 years to map the Western Australian greenstones at a outside the Journal, though of course these would be necessaryreconnaissance scale, and suggested the use of airborne EM to for a full report on the developments in any topic. I believespeed this up. Wood (1971) reviewed the state of engineering that the papers in our Journal indicate the general course ofgeophysics; this paper is of some interest in view of the recent FEBRUARY 2020 PREVIEW 38'