What looks like a plain rock at first glance is actually hiding an incredible secret—pure gold in fine particles, locked within the hard matrix. In this article, I reveal how to identify this type of high-grade ore, explain why it’s so easy to miss, and show the surprising gold recovered from just a small crushed sample.
Long before the continents settled into their modern forms, eastern Australia nearly tore itself apart. In this video, we unravel the dramatic geologic event that almost saw New South Wales and Queensland break away from the rest of the continent — a failed rift system that shaped the very foundation of eastern Australia. Discover the tectonic forces, basin formation, and ancient crustal stretching that left behind a legacy visible in the landscape today.
The Centralian Superbasin was one of the most dramatic geological features in Australia's ancient past—an enormous inland sea that once covered nearly a quarter of the continent. Formed during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia, this vast basin recorded everything from microbial reef-building to global ice ages and mountain-building events. Its legacy lives on in the rocks beneath the Outback, revealing a time when central Australia lay beneath warm, shallow seas teeming with early life.
Australia’s serene landscapes hide a violent past marked by towering stratovolcanoes and supercharged eruptions. In this article, we uncover the final days of subduction-driven volcanism on the continent—when the New England Orogen roared with fire, and caldera-forming eruptions reshaped eastern Australia. Discover how these ancient volcanoes formed, why they vanished, and what traces remain today in the rocks beneath our feet.
Beneath a tranquil valley lies a story of ancient erosion and hidden riches. This painting-inspired illustration captures the essence of the Bland Creek palaeovalley — a lost river system once filled with gold-laden gravels, now buried beneath layers of sediment. Titled “The Hidden River of Gold,” the image sets the tone for a journey through deep time, where geology, mystery, and mineral wealth converge beneath the Australian landscape.
On June 2, 2025, Mount Etna erupted with a fury not witnessed in over a decade, unleashing a towering ash column and a searing pyroclastic flow that tore down its eastern slopes. This wasn’t just another paroxysm from Europe’s most active volcano—it was a full-scale display of Earth’s raw geologic power. As molten rock and volcanic gases surged skyward, the mountain reminded Sicily and the world why it has been both feared and revered for millennia. But beneath the spectacle lies a story of deep tectonic forces, ancient names, and a volcano that never sleeps.
Beneath the waves of Bass Strait lies a lost land once teeming with life — the Bassian Plain. During the last ice age, this vast expanse of grassland, rivers, and forests connected mainland Australia to Tasmania. It was home to megafauna, Aboriginal hunters, and an entire ecosystem now submerged by rising seas. This blog post explores the geology, ecology, and human story of this forgotten world — a true “Atlantis” of the Southern Hemisphere.
Manganiferous gossans are the blackened crusts of weathered ore bodies, where manganese oxides mix with iron rust, precious metals, and base metals. These striking gossans don't just stain the surface—they lock in chemical clues that reveal the hidden mineral systems buried beneath.
Hydrothermal breccia-hosted gossans form when sulphide-rich rocks fracture, weather, and oxidise near the surface, leaving behind colourful, iron-stained zones enriched with secondary minerals. These vibrant crusts are more than just geological curiosities—they’re rich records of past fluid flow, redox changes, and mineral transformation.
Gossans form when metal-rich sulfide ores near Earth’s surface weather and oxidize, leaving behind vivid caps of iron and secondary minerals. In carbonate rocks, this process produces colorful mixtures of iron oxides, lead and zinc carbonates, and copper stains—offering geologists a surface-level glimpse into the chemistry of buried ore.
Gossans are the weathered remains of sulfide-rich ore bodies—natural “iron hats” that form when oxygen and water transform underground metal ores into iron-stained, mineral-rich surface rocks. These rusty outcrops not only reveal Earth’s geochemical story but often lead to valuable discoveries hidden just below.
When an asteroid slams into Earth, it does more than create a crater—it reshapes the crust. These cosmic impacts unleash shockwaves, heat, and hydrothermal systems that can concentrate valuable minerals like nickel, copper, platinum, and even diamonds. In craters like Sudbury and Vredefort, ancient destruction has left behind enduring economic treasure.
