UK shale gas exploration licenses

Shale Gas is methane (natural gas) which is trapped in impermeable shale rock deep underground, unlike conventional natural gas which is in permeable rocks, such as sandstone. The gas cannot flow through the shale, so simply drilling a well, as you would for conventional natural gas, is not enough. The shale rock must be cracked to free the gas, hence the need for hydraulic fracturing (fracking). For the same reason it is necessary to drill large numbers of wells at regular intervals. To produce as much gas as a conventional gas field with a dozen or so wells, would require hundreds or thousands of shale gas wells.

Because of the much more intense nature of the shale gas extraction process it is associated with much more negative impacts than conventional drilling. These include leaking methane, water contamination, air pollution, radioactive contamination, massive industrialisation of the landscape. 

Therefore if the government has a good HSE in the place of the exploration it will be OK to start the drilling process. 

Eltayeb Hajmedani

Geologist

What is a VMS Deposit?

What is a VMS Deposit?

Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits are one of the richest sources of metals such as copper, lead, and zinc globally. VMS deposits can also produce economic amounts of gold and silver as byproducts of mining these deposits.

Currently, global metal production from VMS deposits account for 22% of zinc, 9.7% of lead, 6% of copper, 8.7% of silver and 2.2% of gold

Where are VMS deposits found ?

VMS deposits occur around the globe and often form in clusters or camps, following the tectonic plate boundaries in areas of ancient underwater volcanic activity.

Natural processes underway today are forming the VMS deposits of tomorrow. This gives scientists an incredible advantage in witnessing how VMS deposits form and gives a special advantage to geologists for what to look for.

Mineralization and formation

The geological processes that form VMS deposits occur at the depths of the ocean and are associated with volcanic and/or sedimentary rocks.

At sections where the Earth’s crust is thin due to faulting or separation of tectonic plates, the magma heats up the ocean floor.

As the Earth’s crust heats up, the ground softens and allows heated magma to escape towards the ocean or crust contact, the early beginning of a volcano and the deposition of minerals into the ocean floor from magma. Also, the heated ground cracks and begins a process that draws in sea water into the crust which becomes super-heated and imbued with minerals. Black and white smokers expel this seawater back to the surface.

Black and white smokers exhale a mineral rich-plume that spreads out over the ocean floor. As it moves farther and farther away from its heat source, the plume precipitates minerals onto the ocean floor. Over time, the continual activity of the smokers and their mineral rich plumes create mineralized beds that become VMS deposits.

With the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates, these mineral rich beds are transposed and can be found on land that was once underwater.

How big can VMS deposits get?

Current resource and historical production figures from 904 VMS deposits around the world average roughly 17 million tonnes (“Mt”), of which is approximately 1.7% copper, 3.1% zinc, and 0.7% lead.

A few giant mineral deposits (greater than 30 Mt) and several copper-rich and zinc-rich deposits of median tonnage (~2 Mt) skew the averages.

Several large VMS camps are known in Canada, including the Flin Flon, Bathurst and Noranda camps. The high-grade deposits within these camps are often in the range of five to 20 million tonnes of ore and can be much larger.

Meanwhile, approximately 90 VMS deposits have been discovered in the Iberian Pyrite Belt which runs through Portugal and Spain. Several of these are larger than 100 million tonnes, making this region one of the most significant hosts to VMS deposits in the world.

(By Nicholas Lepan)

mineraloid opal

What is Opal?

 

Gem quality opal is one of the most spectacular gemstones. A single stone can flash every color of the spectrum with an intensity and quality of color that can surpass the "fire" of diamond. The best opals can command prices per carat that rival the most expensive diamonds, rubies and emeralds. They are very popular gems. 

Opal is a wonderful stone for earrings, pendants, brooches and rings. However, it is softer than most other gemstones. Opal has a hardness of about 5.5 to 6.0 on the Mohs hardness scale. Because of that opal works best in earrings, brooches and other pieces that rarely encounter skuffs and impacts. When used in a ring the best designs have a bezel that protects the stone - instead of being placed in a prong setting that allows the edges of the stone to be exposed. 

Opal is a hydrous silicon dioxide (SiO₂^.nH₂O). It is amorphous, without a crystalline structure, and without a definite chemical composition. Therefore it is a "mineraloid" rather than a "mineral".

Play-of-Color and Opalescence

 

Opal is a very common material that is found throughout the world. Most of this opal is "common opal" or "potch" which has a milky or pearly luster known as "opalescence". However, rare specimens of opal produce brilliant color flashes when turned in the light. These color flashes are known as a "play-of-color". Opal specimens that exhibit a play-of-color are known as "precious opal." If the play-of-color is of high quality and large enough to cut, the material can be used to produce valuable gemstones. 

A play-of-color in opal can be observed under three situations: 1) when the stone is moved, 2) when the light source is moved, or, 3) when the angle of observation is changed. The video at right illustrates "play-of-color" in an Ethiopian Welo opal. 

What Causes "Play-of-Color"?

 

Areas within an opal that produce a play-of-color are made up of microscopic spheres of silica arranged in an orderly network. As the light passes through the array spheres it is diffracted into the colors of the spectrum. The size of the spheres and their geometric packing determine the color and quality of diffracted light. 

Sources of Opal

 

Although opal is found throughout the world, almost all of that opal is common opal of very little value. Most of the precious opal deposits that have been discovered are in Australia. The mines of Australia produce at least 90% of the world's precious opal. 

Famous mining areas in Australia include: Coober Pedy, Mintabie, Andamooka, Lightning Ridge, Yowah, Koroit, Jundah and Quilpie. Other countries that produce precious and fancy varieties of common opal include: United States, Mexico, Hungary, Indonesia, Brazil, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Ethiopia. 

http://geology.com/gemstones/opal/#harlequin

Software geology

I found this best software for geological field:

1- Rockware

RockWorks has long been the standard in the 

petroleum, environmental, geotechnical and mining

industries for subsurface data visualization because

of popular tools such as maps, logs, cross sections, 

fence diagrams, solid models and volumetrics.

RockWorks lithology model with excavation pit Click on image to enlarge 

2- ArcGIS
Target for ArcGIS is a geology mapping extension for Esri ArcGIS that simplifies 3D visualisation and analysis of drillhole and borehole geology data within ArcMap. Using Target for ArcGIS, you can visualise your geology data in 3D and conduct integrated analysis to enhance subsurface insight. 

3- Mapinfo
MapInfo Pro is a powerful mapping and geographic analysis application that is making mapping in the business world simpler. Using a more intuitive, user friendly design, business analysts and GIS professionals alike can better visualize the relationships between data and geography or geology, and with over 80 percent of data containing a location component.

                                                   mapinf- geological map

4- Surpac
most popular geology and mine planning software, supporting open pit and underground operations and exploration projects in more than 120 countries.
Comprehensive tools include: drillhole data management, geological modelling, block modelling, geostatistics, mine design, mine planning, resource estimation, and more.

New technology for Exploration

Current Issue: November 2014
Exploration Innovations is the emphasis for the November issue. It covers the latest software and hardware for finding oil in the ground, along with developing technologies that are only now emerging on the far horizon. Solar-powered aquatic robots for offshore seismic acquisition, Google-style big data crunching and GE’s planned global research center. The AAPG EXPLORER is the monthly tabloid magazine of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists that covers news of interest to the AAPG membership. Contents include coverage of the entire span of energy interest, with emphasis on exploration for hydrocarbons and energy minerals. Breaking news stories, features, profiles of personalities, comment columns and Association information is included. The AAPG EXPLORER is read by more than 42,000 members and friends of the Association in 129 countries. -

See more at:
 http://www.aapg.org/publications/news/explorer#sthash.

Wonders of Geology

UNKNOWN NAME

Explore new rock in the world

واحدة من عجائب الجيولوجيا واكثرها غموضاً

صخور المويراكى ..واحدة من عجائب الجيولوجيا واكثرها غموضاً احدى الألغاز التي حيرت علماء الجيولوجيا .صخور المويراكي “Moeraki”، وهي صخور دائرية الشكل مجهولة المنشأ. شكلها الكروي الغريب والتجويف الداخلي وقشرتها الخارجية المتصدعة وتواجدها في أماكن غير متوقعة جعلها سراً من أسرار الجيولوجيا. بعض الصخور تشكلت من الحجارة، والبعض الآخر من الحديد، وتقدر أعمارها من 5 إلى 50 مليون سنة ، ومن المذهل بأن هذه الصخور قد تشكلت أيضاً على سطح المريخ، ويفيد العلماء بأن ذلك حدث بسبب صواعق البرق . شوهدت الصخور أيضاً في الصين وفي البوسنة، وحتى في كوستاريكا حيث يُعتقد بأن حضارة الأولمك هي التي صقلتها، و أيضاً صخور تم اكتشافها في روسيا في إحدى قرى سيبيريا و فرنسا و نراها في الأرجنتين حيث تتفاوت في الأحجام وغالباً ما توصف بأنها “قنابل المدافع المتحجرة” و على شاطئ “باولنغ بول” في كاليفورنيا سنأخذكم في جولة إلى عدة مناطق حول العالم حيث تواجدت تلك الصخور الغامضة

Moeraki rocks .. one of the wonders of geology and the most mysterious
Moeraki rocks .. and one of the wonders of geology, one of the most mysterious puzzles that baffled geologists. Rocks Moeraki  "Moeraki", a circular shape rocks of unknown origin. Spherical form of the stranger, the internal cavity and the outer shell cracked, and its presence in unexpected places make them the secrets of the geology. Some rocks were formed of stone, others of iron, with an estimated useful lives of 5 to 50 million years, it is amazing that these rocks may also be formed on the surface of Mars, scientists report that this happened because of lightning strikes. Seen rocks also in China and Bosnia, and even in Costa Rica where it is believed that the civilization Alawlmk is refined, and also rocks were discovered in Russia in a village in Siberia, France, we see in Argentina, where varying in sizes and are often described as "bombs, cannons petrified" and on the beach "Paulng Paul" Snakhzkm in California on a tour of several areas around the world where the mysterious rock that existed

                           

 

 

The Dinosaur Egg Boulders of Moeraki

Often, nature teases our reason and challenges us to more creatively evaluate her beauty. Like an elderly woman wishing her husband would view her like he did when they were young, Mother Nature asks us to view her imaginatively like we did when we were children. She shows us amazing phenomena like painted landscapes, psychedelic hot springs and clouds that resemble UFOs to remind us that nature can be most magical when not viewed through the strict lens of science. Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden that the poet's approach to nature will always be superior to the approach of farmers or naturalists, because only a poet can be inspired by nature's purity, without wanting to dissect it into logic. If we adopt a poetic approach to the Moeraki Boulders of New Zealand, rocks can become dinosaur eggs.

 

 The Moeraki Boulders also have an explanation rooted in myth. According to Maori legend, a canoe was wrecked along the New Zealand coast carrying a cargo of eel baskets, calabashes and kumaras, which petrified into rock when they fell onto the land. The boulders are symbols of the ship's loss.

 

  
 Scientifically, the Moeraki Boulders are formations of cemented mudstone, shaped by coastal erosion. They are composed of mud, fine silt, and clay. They are predominantly spherical, though some are slightly elongated. All are huge – measuring up to 9 feet in diameter and weighing several tons. The Moeraki Boulders are a popular tourist attraction for their rarity, and suggestive shape.

VMS program in Sudan

Depth of La Mancha's Hassai Pit VMS Lens doubles
AMC plan to drilling 100000 meters on January, 2012

La Mancha Resources Inc. (TSX: LMA, hereinafter "La Mancha" or "the Company") is pleased to report that a longhole drilled from the southern edge of the Hassai pit at its Hassai property in Northeast Sudan has intersected 36 meters (apparent width, corresponding to a true width of about 20 meters) of massive and strongly disseminated sulphides at 600 meters down dip from the existing pit. This news is material to the rapid unfolding of La Mancha's VMS project in Sudan as a) it suggests that the previously-discovered VMS lens, which starts at the bottom of Hassai pit, might be at least twice as long as originally established in December 2008 (up to 700 meters) (see Figure 1 below), and b) the drill intersection seems to contain visible signs of chalcopyrite, often associated with a high copper content. Laboratory assay results should be available in 6 to 8 weeks.

Michel Cuilhe, President and CEO of La Mancha, stated: "Our April 2009 size estimate of 60 million tonnes for the Hassai VMS conceptual deposits may need to be revised upward significantly if the assay results for this hole confirm that the lens extends over a length of 700 meters rather than our initial approximation of 350 meters. We are delighted by this hole, as it makes an already promising project look even better."
Although the results of this recent hole will not be included in the preliminary 43-101 resource estimate to be issued by the end of August 2009, the Company remains confident that the initial resource will meet the previously-stated 60 million tonne forecast.
NEXT STEPS
As mentioned above, the calculation of the Hassai pit resource is well advanced and the Company expects to release the results by the end of August. The 43-101 resource estimate for the second VMS target on the property, Hadal Awatib, should follow soon after. Preliminary metallurgical test-work is also underway and should be available within the next few weeks. Management will use all these results in a scoping study assessing the Hassai property's VMS economic value. The Company expects this scoping study to be made public by the end of September 2009.
The Hassai property's VMS conceptual estimate of potential tonnes and grade to date have insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource compliant with National Instrument 43-101. It is uncertain whether further exploration will result in the target deposit being delineated as a mineral resource. The estimate used the current geological interpretation of the lens with the intersections of copper and gold mineralization from the 12 new holes drilled to date and 7 previously-drilled holes at the Hassai pit and 8 new holes drilled to date and 7 previously-drilled holes at the Hadal Awatib pit. The estimate excludes copper and gold values outside the interpreted zones and all lead, zinc and silver values, and does not take into account possible enrichment from the upper part of the lenses, mainly below the west pit of Hadal Awatib. The estimate also excludes dilution and recovery.

TECHNICAL NOTE
The technical information in this news release was prepared under the supervision of Jean-Jacques Kachrillo and Martin Bennett (MAIG), who are both Qualified Persons under NI 43-101. Mr. Kachrillo is the Vice President Exploration and a full time employee of La Mancha Resources. He has sufficient experience in the style of mineralization and type of deposit to qualify as a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instruments 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects". Based on his information, Mr. Kachrillo has consented to the content of this press release in the form and context in which it appears. Mr. Kachrillo has read National Instrument 43-101 and has ensured that this press release has been written in compliance with that instrument. Mr. Bennett is the Exploration Manager for the Company's Sudanese property and a full time employee of La Mancha Resources. He has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2004 Edition of the "Australasian Code of Exploration Results, Minerals Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr. Bennett has read National Instrument 43-101 and has ensured that this press release has been written in compliance with that instrument.
The analysis of these recent samples met with all of La Mancha established Analytical Quality Assurance Program put in place to control and assure the analytical quality of assays in its gold exploration. This program includes the systematic addition of blank samples, pulp duplicates and internal material references ("standards") to each batch of samples sent for analysis. Blank samples are used to check for possible contamination in laboratory, duplicates allow the overall precision to be quantified while standards determine the analytical accuracy. All samples are half HQ or NQ diamond drill core sampled on a one metre basis. Samples were assayed at the Intertek laboratory in Indonesia qualified ISO 17025 using respectively for gold fire assays on 30g sample followed by AAS and for base metals triple acidic digestion followed by AAS. The average true widths are more than 75% of the intersection length.

ABOUT THE HASSAI MINE
The Hassai mine is located in the Red Sea Hills desert of northeastern Sudan, some 450 km from Khartoum. Inaugurated in 1992, it is Sudan's first and only gold mine in production. Twelve pits have been mined over the years, generating a cumulative production of more than 2 million ounces of gold. La Mancha owns 40% of the mine through a subsidiary and is the mine manager.
La Mancha decided to initiate an exploration program entirely devoted to the VMS potential of its 40%-owned Hassai mine in December 2007 on the basis of historical results of drilling by BRGM in the 1980s and 1990s. The objective of the first phase of the program was to test the potential of two of the six most prospective VMS lenses identified at the bottom of the previously-mined pits, i.e., Hassai and Hadal Awatib.

ABOUT LA MANCHA RESOURCES Inc.:
La Mancha Resources Inc. is an international gold producer based in Canada with operations, development projects and exploration activities in Africa, Australia and Argentina. La Mancha's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "LMA". For more information, visit the Company's website at www.lamancha.ca.
La Mancha Resources Inc. (TSX: LMA, hereinafter "La Mancha" or "the Company") is pleased to report that a longhole drilled from the southern edge of the Hassai pit at its Hassai property in Northeast Sudan has intersected 36 meters (apparent width, corresponding to a true width of about 20 meters) of massive and strongly disseminated sulphides at 600 meters down dip from the existing pit. This news is material to the rapid unfolding of La Mancha's VMS project in Sudan as a) it suggests that the previously-discovered VMS lens, which starts at the bottom of Hassai pit, might be at least twice as long as originally established in December 2008 (up to 700 meters) (see Figure 1 below), and b) the drill intersection seems to contain visible signs of chalcopyrite, often associated with a high copper content. Laboratory assay results should be available in 6 to 8 weeks.
Michel Cuilhe, President and CEO of La Mancha, stated: "Our April 2009 size estimate of 60 million tonnes for the Hassai VMS conceptual deposits may need to be revised upward significantly if the assay results for this hole confirm that the lens extends over a length of 700 meters rather than our initial approximation of 350 meters. We are delighted by this hole, as it makes an already promising project look even better."
Although the results of this recent hole will not be included in the preliminary 43-101 resource estimate to be issued by the end of August 2009, the Company remains confident that the initial resource will meet the previously-stated 60 million tonne forecast.

NEXT STEPS
As mentioned above, the calculation of the Hassai pit resource is well advanced and the Company expects to release the results by the end of August. The 43-101 resource estimate for the second VMS target on the property, Hadal Awatib, should follow soon after. Preliminary metallurgical test-work is also underway and should be available within the next few weeks. Management will use all these results in a scoping study assessing the Hassai property's VMS economic value. The Company expects this scoping study to be made public by the end of September 2009.
The Hassai property's VMS conceptual estimate of potential tonnes and grade to date have insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource compliant with National Instrument 43-101. It is uncertain whether further exploration will result in the target deposit being delineated as a mineral resource. The estimate used the current geological interpretation of the lens with the intersections of copper and gold mineralization from the 12 new holes drilled to date and 7 previously-drilled holes at the Hassai pit and 8 new holes drilled to date and 7 previously-drilled holes at the Hadal Awatib pit. The estimate excludes copper and gold values outside the interpreted zones and all lead, zinc and silver values, and does not take into account possible enrichment from the upper part of the lenses, mainly below the west pit of Hadal Awatib. The estimate also excludes dilution and recovery.

TECHNICAL NOTE
The technical information in this news release was prepared under the supervision of Jean-Jacques Kachrillo and Martin Bennett (MAIG), who are both Qualified Persons under NI 43-101. Mr. Kachrillo is the Vice President Exploration and a full time employee of La Mancha Resources. He has sufficient experience in the style of mineralization and type of deposit to qualify as a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instruments 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects". Based on his information, Mr. Kachrillo has consented to the content of this press release in the form and context in which it appears. Mr. Kachrillo has read National Instrument 43-101 and has ensured that this press release has been written in compliance with that instrument. Mr. Bennett is the Exploration Manager for the Company's Sudanese property and a full time employee of La Mancha Resources. He has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2004 Edition of the "Australasian Code of Exploration Results, Minerals Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr. Bennett has read National Instrument 43-101 and has ensured that this press release has been written in compliance with that instrument.
The analysis of these recent samples met with all of La Mancha established Analytical Quality Assurance Program put in place to control and assure the analytical quality of assays in its gold exploration. This program includes the systematic addition of blank samples, pulp duplicates and internal material references ("standards") to each batch of samples sent for analysis. Blank samples are used to check for possible contamination in laboratory, duplicates allow the overall precision to be quantified while standards determine the analytical accuracy. All samples are half HQ or NQ diamond drill core sampled on a one metre basis. Samples were assayed at the Intertek laboratory in Indonesia qualified ISO 17025 using respectively for gold fire assays on 30g sample followed by AAS and for base metals triple acidic digestion followed by AAS. The average true widths are more than 75% of the intersection length.

ABOUT THE HASSAI MINE
The Hassai mine is located in the Red Sea Hills desert of northeastern Sudan, some 450 km from Khartoum. Inaugurated in 1992, it is Sudan's first and only gold mine in production. Twelve pits have been mined over the years, generating a cumulative production of more than 2 million ounces of gold. La Mancha owns 40% of the mine through a subsidiary and is the mine manager.
La Mancha decided to initiate an exploration program entirely devoted to the VMS potential of its 40%-owned Hassai mine in December 2007 on the basis of historical results of drilling by BRGM in the 1980s and 1990s. The objective of the first phase of the program was to test the potential of two of the six most prospective VMS lenses identified at the bottom of the previously-mined pits, i.e., Hassai and Hadal Awatib.

ABOUT LA MANCHA RESOURCES Inc.:
La Mancha Resources Inc. is an international gold producer based in Canada with operations, development projects and exploration activities in Africa, Australia and Argentina. La Mancha's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "LMA". For more information, visit the Company's website at www.lamancha.ca.