TasNat 1926 Vol1 No5 WholeIssue

7/28/2019 TasNat 1926 Vol1 No5 WholeIssue

1/16


2/16

THE TASMANIANfordia on the track, but this Bower wasmuch more frequent lower down. Risingto 2350 feet, we then dropped down 300feet, and rose again to 2300 feet in a saddle of another spur of Mount Bowes, andas we began to descend we caught ourfirst glimpse of Lake Pedder, a largesheet of blue lapping the foot of therocky wall of the Frankland Range_ Wecleared the scrub-covered slopes of Bowesby noon, and descended to a button grassplain.

While the billy boiled we gazed at thepanorama spread before us. We wereoverlooking a vast basin, ringed in bymountains, whose masses wcre fashionedin almost endless variety_ Mount Annewas close up on our half left, its majesticcentre peak and its long western spurbeing visible. Through a gap betweentwo high ridges of the spur we glimpseda high peak in the Arthur Range, whilesouth of us loomed up the fantasticFranklands. Westwards showed up theSentinel, while a few miles beyond theplains to the north-west was Mt. Wedgewith its long, timberclad slopes anddomedtopped summit.

In the afternoon we crossed three milesof plains, passing over two big tributariesof the Huon River, and by sunset wewere rounding the western spur of Mt.Anne, which we had first sighted at noon.We camped near the 12 mile .peg (fromthe Junction), on a little mountain torrent rushing down fl'om the wild cragsabove us. About 200 yards to our rightlay the timber-fringed course of the HuonRiver, which took its rise in the foothillsof Mt. Wedge and Mt. Bowes.Overnight the rain greeted us, andbecame our constant companion south ofhere, only leaving us when we passedthis camp on our return journey. On ourfourth morning a walk of ten minutesbrought us to the banks of the HuonRiver, about forty feet wide here,spanned by a log. Its depth was aboutten feet. We straddled the log one at atime with pack on back, moving forwarda few inches at a time. In half an hourwe were all safely across, and soon weentered a mile stretch of myrtle, sassafras and horizontal, the track sidlingalong a steep bank, and being further encumbered by a large number of fallentrees, we had a difficult task in gettingover them with our heavy packs. Eventually we emerged on to the Huon Plains.

(2)

NATURALISTHere we found very few traces of thetrack, about four-fifths of the old originalguidestakes having rotted away. Wemostly struck straight across country,through boggy and treacherous ground.Through the misty rain we steered for ahastily outlined high rugged mountainmass, standing in isolation amid theplain. As we got close to the foot of itthe snn broke through for a few minutes,and we enjoyed a wonderful view of theweird peaks of the Franklands stretching away into the western distance. Onthe Isolated Mountain in front of us th .rocks glittered with a multitude ofcolours in the bright sunlight. Our way,we discovered, lay to the west of th .Isolated MouIltain, as we came to call it ,and on rounding it another stretch ofplains came into view; really a continuation of the Huon Plains we were now on.The Huon River was curving its way ina semi-circle round the symmetricalScou's Peak, being joined by a branchstream from Lake Edgar, a little distanceto our left. A few more miles of stridingover the plains found us at one o'clockon the banks of a large stream flowingfrom behind the Frankland Range, whichwas now side on to us. Here, after abattle with the pouring rain, we succeeded in getting a fire going, an-Isteamed over it while the billy boiled.Leaving this stream (Pebbly Creek) afterlunch, a mile or 80 brought us to anotherlarge stream, and passed a very ruggedpyramidal mass, which we took to be Mt.Giblin, charted as the end peak. of theFrallkland Range. The mysterious recesses of the IOllg valleys running up intothe ramparts of the Franklands capturedour imagination, and we determined thatat some future date we should spend afew days in exploring this end of t4eFranklands in closer detail.

Pushing onwards across the Plains tothe southward, about four o'clock wecame to the beginning of a series of long,low, bare ridges, heyond which we couldsee the walls of the Arthur Range. MountAnne now lay to our north-east, abouttwelve miles distant, while south of it slong spurs stretched the bleak, bareridges of Mt. Weld. After a couple ofmiles of these low ridges, bare, withoccasional patches of button grass and afew quartzite outcrops, we got into anarrow belt of very dense scrub, wherethe track disappeared from beneath our


3/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURALISTfeet, and for about half an hour we triedto pick it up again, but being unsuccessful we decided to pitch camp for thenight. Where we lost the track was anold peppermint gum, on whose face wasa carved inscription, "E. Harrison, January 14, '99," and below this was an olderone still, "E. Fletcher, January 23, 1883."After a long hunt for a level site to sleepon, we found and started to clear oneright on the track, only to be attackedand driven out by an army of leeches,and we had to retire to a position righton top of a bleak open flat, where thp.wind whistled through our fly all night,and we passed a wet and comfortlessnight. In the morning, while the twoothers cooked breakfast, I reconnoitredahead, and found the track where we hadlost it in the bad light last evening. Onsetting out this morning (December 29)the track became very badly defined,winding round many little hills andknobs, and diving down into gullieswhen we least expected it to. As we couldgain very little idea of where the tracklay, we saved time by spreading outlaterally till one man found the track,when we all converged 011 it. again. Frequently we were lured into thinking wesaw the track a few hundred yardsahead, only to find on reaching our objective that it ",as a quartzite outcrop.A minor consolation in this type of country was afforded by our being able to admire the very pretty clusters of hlandfordia relieving the drab monotony of thesparsdy dad landscape.

We had climbed a big button brass hillon a false scent, when we saw well toour halfleft a hut on a plain beyondanother big stream, about half a miledistant. After a spell we descended thehill, and made a bee .line for the hut,which we reached at 10 a.m., having doneonly three miles this morning in threehours 20 minutes. Once on our wayacross these hills a iparty of blackcockatoo flew screaming toward us, andperched on a dry gum not twenty yardsaway, and gave us the opportunity of admiring their black and gold wings.The Arthur Hut lies at an altitude of700 feet on the Arthur Plains, about halfa mile from the foothills of the fantastic,multipeaked Arthur Range, which fromhere stretch southeastward for over 20miles. This Range is composed ofArchean rocks, single huge boulders

(3)

being scattered both about the plains andon the slopes and summits of the Range.Vertical slate outcrops ocour along thefoothills and on the track, but quartzitepredominates. We counted thirteengorges hacked in the face of the Arthur.in .about four miles. The day was foggy,and we could not judge whether thehighest peaks were accessible.

The Arthur Hut was in fairly goodcondition, well roofed with pine, but theehimney has been burnt out, and thedoor had disappeared, probably for f i r ~ .wood, which was not too plentiful. Aboutfifty or sixty names adorned the walls ofthe hut, mostly of old prospectors, datingback as fa r as the nineties. Empty tinsand a large quantity of gelignite packetswere scattered about the floor of the hut.

A notice board outside the hut proclaims as follows :-"Distances fromCordon Junction-14 miles from Tyenna-N o. 1 hut, t mile, No. 2 26! miles, PortDavey 55! miles." It should be explainedthat the Junction is reallv 14 miles fromFarrow's, late Rumney's, which was thepoint where the mileage commenced.This farm is 4} miles from FitzgeraltlStation, so that this Arthur Hut is about45 miles from Fitzgerald. The No. 1 hutreferred to has now collapsed, but the 12Miles Hut on the South Cordon track,built in 1920, is much more convenientlysituated, as it can be reached by goodwalking from Fitzgerald in seven hours.From the Arthur Hut a track from Huonville junctions with the Port Davey track,and traverses the Arthur Plains; it waswell defined where it left the hut.

When we left the hut we traversed the.foothills of the Arthurs westwards alonga quartzite strewn track, but after abouta mile we again lost time by getting ~ n t oa thick tangle of bauera and teatree, illwhich the track was obliterated. Afterwe found the track beyond this beIt westopped for lunch beside a small creek,disgusted with only 4! miles for our day'sbattling. Amid light showers we continued along the Arthur Plains, andcrossed a bntton grass buttress of the;mountains with frequent outcrops ofpink and white quartz. Along this partof the track we came across a perfectlymade grindstone about 2 feet in diameterand 3t inches thick. We gradually roseon the Huon.Crossing Divide to 1000feet, passing on our way a little wooden


4/16

THE: TASMANtAN NATURALIST~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -cross beneath a trickling waterfall. Wesurmised that some unfortunate had beenlaid to rest here, and the utter lonelinessof the windswept places helped us torealise our isolation in a vast and lifelesswilderness. Near the end of the longserrated wall of the Arthurs we encountered a peculiarly shaped rocky eminence,a realistic image carved by Nature of anold, old man, with head, shoulders andbreast, looking into the eternal silenceof the West.

About four o'clock we came to theCrossing River, its banks - guarded byformidable walls of bauera, which completely covered the track. Heaving ourpacks off, we hurled our bodies againstthe bauera and rolled about till . wetunnelled an approach to the stream. Returning for our packs. we again shovedour way through about 100 yards of thismatted wall of vegetation, and wadedknee deep through the stream to battlethrough another twenty yards of baueraon the other bank.

A ~ we had taken I t hours to get clearof the Crossing River, We proceeded onlyabout half a mile further, through yetanother hauera.fringed stream, beforepitching camp for the night on a stonybank, facing a timberclad, rocky unnamed mountain next the Arthurs. Wehad come less than nine miles this day,being continually in difficulties.Next morning we arose prepared for abig day, and moved off, walking till halfpast nine, when we halted to take photosand sketches of the new panorama. Wewere now heading south.west, and a vistaof unnamed mountains lay around us.The Crossing River flowed south on OUtright, and disappeared through a gorgebetween two mountains, a high plateauending in a sugar.loaf to the north, witha long razor back quartzite mountain forits southern wall. East of 1: 8 lay the manydomed mountain under whose north sidewe had camped. This rocky masli we referred to as the Multidome, to distinguish

it from its southern neighhour, SingleDome, which, though. not very high, presents a very picturesque aspect with itsglistening white rocks and regular steepsides.Pushing on into the unknown, weclimbed a ridge on the shoulder of theQuartzite Razorback, and after a couplcof hours passed over the Crossing

(4)

Spring Divide, halting for dinner on thefirst big creek flowing into the SpringRiver, which rose somewhere in thevicinity of Single Dome. After dinnerwe lengthened our stride over somestretches of good track till we reachedthe top of another divide, where theaneroid registered 650 feet above sealevel. This divide marked a sharp difference in the vegetation.

In the northern portion of the SpringValley were fairly frequent patches oftimber, both along the river course andextending up the lower slopes of themountains, hut to the south the landscapewas devoid of trees, presenting a hareand desolate aspect as far as the eyecould see, only a jumble of barren littlehills in endless succession, walled in hylong ranges of mournful mountains oneither side, while the Spring Rivertwisted its narrow way through a rockygorge helow us.

The track was good for a couple ofmiles along the south ridge of the divide,hut eventually the route baffled us afterwe reached an old prospect camp near alarge stream, the track petering out fromheneath our feet. Eventually one of uspicked up the track again ahout a quarter of a mile to the eastward, but fromhere on we were continually in trouhle,the track showing up hut rarely, all theguide stakes having vanished. Afterdoing 15 miles for the day, we campednear a trickle of water on a desolateopen ridge which, after a cheerless nightof rain and howling wind, Hedley Keoghduhhed Cyclone Flat.

We awoke at 4 a.m., and ate a handfulof ships' biscuits as we sat huddled up inthe blankets. Though the wind haddropped, 4eavy showers were still faIling.As we had seen a peg with three nicks init yesterday about half a mile hack, wethought perhaps we were within threemiles of Port Davey, with perhaps a hutat our journey's end. Acting under thissad delusion we decided to have breakfast on arrival at Port Davey, so we setout at 5.30 a.m., cold hut determined toput in a good finish. However, moretrouble lay in store for us, numerouscreeks had to be crossed, every one ofthem guarded hy formidahle stretches ofbauera, which hampered us considerably,so as we felt weak we gladly halted at 9o'clock fo r breakfast. Pushing on again


5/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURALISTafter ten we made war on the bauera forfour more hour8, topping many littlehills, expecting to see Port Davey fromeach in turn, but it was after two o'clockwhen we rounded a bare hillside and sawa sheet of water before UB. By 2.30 wehad come opposite the inlet where theSpring River entel'S the Port, and here wethankfully dropped our swags and sankto the ground. After a spell two of theparty prepared dinner, while the thirdreconnoitred ahead to look for any signsof a hut, '.but the condition of the tI'ackwas so bad with bauera that after crawling on hands and knees we thereaftergave it a wide berth, and kept to the openhill tops.

Port Davey itself presented a very pieturesque sight. It s shores were heavilywooded for ahout thirty yards, numerousislets dotted the water expanse, andseveral graceful black swan swam atleisure on the calm waters of a little bay.On the east side of the Spring Estuaryrose a long rocky wall, culminating in , Iwhite peak (Mount Rugby), to the southof which a narrow inlet leads to the landlocked Bathurst Harbour.The view was so good that we decidedto climb Mount Berry the following dayhefore attempting the return journey.The trip from Fitzgerald had occupiedjust six days. Early on New Year's morning, 1925, the party struck out for MountBerry with aneroid, map, compass andcamera. Crossing the foothills we climbeda cliff face to the north of a scrubbygorge separating us from a round, steep,bare eminence. Once above the cliffs wchad good going on button grass, passingabove the round spur at 1200 feet until.we came to the top of another rocky ridgeat 1840 feet.The mountain side was dotted withpurple spider orchids and some blandfordia. Our camera man got busyhere, while I decided to climb the summit, another 200 feet, for the purpose oftaking some compass bearings from thehighest point. It proved to be n mass ofhuge conglomerate boulders, between

which grew thick pockets of scrub. Theseboulders had crevasses between themvarying in depth 'from 10 to 40 feet, andit was very difficnlt to advance from onerock to another. At times i t was impos.sible to go over the top of the rocks, andI was forced to go underneath them(S)

wherever I could find room for my body.Eventually I crawled up into daylightonce more, abreast of the highest rockon the mountaiu, and sat on a flat rockwith my compass and notebook. By theaneroid the height of Mt. Berry registered2055 feet, as compared with the trig.height mapped as 2132 feet.

It was a dull day with a very short seahorizon. However, I could see Cox Bight,while the course of the Davey Rivershowed up well to the westward and. northwest. Inland were a jumble of unknown ranges to the north and northwest, while to the northeastern horizonwas dominated by the long wall of theArthurs. The Multidome stood out wellto the northward, while far to the eastwas discernible one of Hartz summits.Picton was hidden behind a high cragto.wering out of the Arthurs. Owing toa sudden fog coming up from the southfurther observations were impossible, soI was forced to descend. Through thedense fog I had to feel my way foot byfoot fo r forty minutes till safe groIlndwas reached once more, after a piece ofbauera for once befriended me by savingme a 20ft. fall down an unseen crevasse.Glad to leave Mt. Berry behind me, Isteered back to eamp, where the othertwo had returned and boiled the billy.We decided to go back as quickly aspossible, as our food would only last fivemore days, but on the return journey wehad several advantages, lighter swags, aknowledge of the track, and the satisfa("tion of having reached our objective.Leaving Port Davey (Long Bay) at 2.30p.m. on New Year's Day, we returned to

our Cyclone Flat Camp by 8 that evening, in fairly fine weather. 'On January 2 we set off at a good pacein continuous rain once more, and we put10 more miles behind us before haltingfor lunch near the headwaters of S p r i n ~River. Firewood in all this Spring atHjCrossing River country was very scarce,and on this occasion it was It hours before our fire defied the pouring rain.Pushing on again at 2 o'clock we strodeout till the Crossing River was reached,and we found to our joy that it had 10tyet risen with the day's rainfall. iAfter a spell we waded the river, a .dpUBhing through the bauera once m ~ r ewe struck out for 'tlIe Arthur Hut, overfive miles distant. About halfwar alol115


6/16

T l I ~ TASMANIANthe Arthur foothills we saw a rainbowarched over' the two ends of one of theunnamed mountains, making a beautifulscene. The rainbow seemed to us to bconly a couple of hundred yards away.When we finally reached the Arthur HutatB o'clock, having been for thirteenhours on the track, we appreciated thereward of our 20 miles walk in the formof a night's good shelter in this land ofeternal rain.

Next moming we slept in at late as 6,'and did not get under way till 9, as wespent a while enjoying the close view ofthe Arthurs, and taking photos. Thenext three miles took us almost as longgoing back as coming down, to our surprise, as even now we could not keep thetrack. Passing the scene of our misery atWindy Ridge Camp, we emerged on tothe Huon Plains, where we found thestream flowing from Mt. Giblin (calledby us Flooded Creek), previously kneedeep, but now neck deep after rain.After an hour's search for a crossing wediscovered three gum saplings growingtogether in mid stream, and a wall ofbauera on our bank. Making a platformof bauera toward the gums, we sprang tothe first sapling, then twisted our way.clung to the others in turn, and hauledourselves and our gear to the other side.

Crossing the wet, soggy Huon Plains,we passed over the Huon Log by moonlight, reaching our Mt. Anne Camp at 9o'clock in the rain. An uncomfortablenight was passed . here amid icy blastshlowing on us from the mountain tops,and we were very tired next day as wcwalked the Plains. On these Plains westopped to gaze at a bill wedgetailedeagle swooping about the ramparts ofMt. Anne at a great height.

(6)

N A TURALIS'! 'Passing through the saddle of Boweson Sunday afternoon, we came to theJunction at 5.30 p.m., whence a coupbmore miles brought us to the 12 milesHut on the slopes of Mt. Mueller, where

we turned in and made ourselves cornfortable.The last day, January 5, we rose at halfpast three, breakfasted, and pushed offby half.past five, and walked 16 milesinto Fitzgerald, catching the Hobarttrain with only a few minutes to spare.We had returned from Port Davey to .Fitzgerald in 96 hours, of which 43 wereactual walking time, and we had 20hours' sleep.The soil throughout the route is verypoor, after Bowes only two small beds oftimber are passed through-one justover the Huon Crossing and the other asmall bed 2 3 ~ miles from the Junction.The landscape after leaving the ArthurHut is bleak and mournful; trees arescarce except those fringing the Crossingand Spring Rivers, and the country's onerich promise appears to li e in it s hiddenmineral wealth. We noticed the absence

of small birds, except at Port Davey onlya few cockatoo, jays and parrots, an oddhawk and two eagles being sighted. Onlythree kangaroo and a couple of badgerwerc seen, while flower life was represented by blandfordia, waratah, laurel,and bauera flowers, and at Port Davey afair quantity. of purple spider orchids.Although this region is an inhospitable wilderness, yet this SouthWesterneorner of Tasmania has a fascination and

charm peeuliarly its own, and to all thosebush lovers who have yielded once to iblure, a still small voice is ever whispering, and the Spirit beckons back insistently to those with the Wanderlust againto the Great SouthWest.


7/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST

Outlines 0/ Tasmanian 'Geology.SECTION 19 (Continued).

MINERALOGY.Although the characwristic externalform of minerals taught by crystalogl'aphy is an uncertain gt:.ide to the student in the determination of the mineralspecies, the molecular structure is apparent through other physical characters. These are particularly useful asthey can be often ascertained without

elaborate equipment. and are applicablein the field. They all depend on crystalographic structure and are as fol lows:-I. Charaeters Depend,ing on Cohesionand Elasticity.(a) Cleavage---the tendency of a mineral to break in certain definite directions parallel to some possible face of thecrystal. The method of cleavage givesan indication of the crystalographic system.(b ) Gliding Planes-similarly are thedirections in whiCh a mineral parts inresPonse to pressure, as opposed to ablow which gives us the cleavage.(c) P c r < ~ L ~ s i o n figures and.. etching fig

u r e ~ are the distinctive marks producedrespectively by a blow and by a solvent.the effect on different minerals depending on Rtructure.(d) Fracture is the term used to describe the surfaee produced by breakingthe mineral in any dir,-ectlon other thanthe cleavage. I t may tie (i.) conchoidalor a series of curved cavities; (ii.) even;(iiL) uneven; (iv.) hackley, or sharp andj:lgged l i l ( ~ brok.en iron.(e) Hardness is the resistance that asmooth surface offem to abrasion.A scale is adopted ranging from H-1 toH-10, according to the following simpletests: 1 has a 6'Teasy feel, 2 can bescratched with the finger najl, 3 can becut with a knife, 4 can be easily scratched with a knife, 5 "an be scratched withsomll difficulty, 6 can only be scratchedwith a file. 7 can be scratched with afile but will scratch glass, 8 and 9 cannot be !'cratched except with diamond, 10diamond.

( f ) Tenacity indicates the behavior ofthe mineral when an attempt is made tocut it . and is classlftpd according to thefollowing simple tests: (1.) Bl'ittle--theparts separate in powder; (Ii.) sectile-can be cd with a knife, but pulverisem

under a blow; (iii.) malleable-can b ~cut but will fiatten under a blow; (iv.)flexible-will bend and remain bentwhen an attempt is made to cut it.(g ) Elasticity-the resistance it offel'sto change of shape and it s tendency toreturn to the original shape when thepressure is rllmoved. Elaborate apparatus is I!eC'essary to measure elasticity.2. Charaeters Depending on SpecificGravity or Relative Density.The specific gravity of a substance isthe ratiO of its' density to that of water,or in other words, the weight of the bodydivided by the weight of an equalvolume of water. Weight alone is jm material as this largely depends onquantit:J


8/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST(d) Lustet" (so usually spelt In geological works}-This depends on the nature ot tht: cl'Yst'al faces expoeed on abroktln surface of the mineral. and maybe ( i .) metallic as in t h ~ metala, or (il.)

nonmetallic. which includes (a) adamantine (e.g., diamond), (b) vitreous (e.g . glass), (c) resinous (e.g., opal), (d)greasy (e.g greasy glass), (e) pearly (e.g., PElarl), ( f ) silky (e.g., asbestos).(e) Play at colors shown by a succes'mon of prismatic colors when the mi ..eral is turned (e.g., in diamond andopal).Further serIes of calor effects are ob~ E F V a b l e when thin secrlor.s of a miueral are examined unaer polarised hg.lt .To do this an I'xt!"f'lIleiy thin section is('ut (l/50()o to 1/1'),00') of a mm) andexamined under a special type of microsi;0pe which divides the rays ot light tIn-tI l only certain rays with waves movingin certain fixed direc:tions are used. Bythis means a great vaciety or character.!are ascertc..med dependant on the illterference I)f the 'itomic structure to OH!passage of the light waves. This is thellH'S! u ~ e f u ! meth')d of determmin;; ,heminet'al specie. By it chemical composition and c r y s t a l o g r a ~ h i c form canbe d i ~ < ! ( , v e r e d . No twc minerals allowthe ligJ.t thl'ough in the same way. Somesplit the rays t;.p into different colors;others only allow them through whenthe mineral is in a certain position, andas there are a great number of variationsin these their diffucnce can be accurateIy ceaRured; (}thers again givIl distinctive figures of light and shade. Howel'er, ad expensive appal'YGnd the scope of this work.4. Characters Depending on ChemicalCompOSition.Chemista-y divides matter into !l3 elebents, whicl are Bubstances that cannotbe decomposed or subdivided by anyknown method of analysis. MineralsconsiEi; either of these elements in afree sta,te or of definite compounds ofthem formed in accordance with chemi

C'.l.l laws. Of all the known elementsonly twelve play an important part in'the composition of the rocks of the globe.This chemical composition is the ultimate test In determining the species of.the mineral, and forms the scheme underwhich minerals are classified. As h',s been.explained, chemical composition isgoverned hy atomic structure which alsoimparts the characters r e r ~ r r e d to beforethere a definite relation between composition and physical c h a r a ~ t a ' i s t j C l ,

(8)

either ot whiCh having been determinedthe mineral can be identified and theother can be ascertained from a recogmsed description; but ror safety al lmethods of determination must be usedto check each other.Composition is determined by analysis,but this usually I'equires much equipment and a high technical skill. Further, i t the mineral occurs in a rock, itis ditl1cult to separate it from otherminerals. Thus a rock may consist ofminerals A, B. and C. Say A consIstsof elements z, y and x in proportions 6,:! and 1., B consists of elements x andw in proportions 4 to 5, and C consistsof elements z, wand v in proportiom;1, 2 and 4. An analysis of the rock willonly give 7z, 3y, 5x, 7w, ar,d 4v. Thismay b ~ arranged to give a great varietyof mineral species. The separation orminerals for analysis is oft-en very difficult. Again, materials of similar' compooition often have st;.ch different characters rlepending UBually on mode of origin thee they must be grouped as differen,; minerals. To give an example: -Pure carbon-isometric, cleavage highIy pk'rfect, fractuce conchoidal; brittle H-10, 0'3.5, luster adamantine, colOt., white,transparent-diamond.Pure carbon-rhombo:thedral, Bcalycleavage perfect. flexible, greasy, H-l-2 ,G-2, luster metallic. color black, opaque,a conde-eta'r of electrIcity-graphite("J"ad" of lead pencils).

(Note the W3.y a mineral Is usually.lcscribed.)IllinCf2.IC'asses.

Millel'al species are divided into eigh tclasses, depending on compo!lition, andthese are subdivided into group,g. Theclasaes are:-1. Native elements-thosefew elements whi


9/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURALISTlaws from other groups. 8. Hydro-carbon compoullds--these are not strictlyminerals. but highly complex chemicalmlxtwres; they include many impurtantsubstances such as eoal, oil shale, andoil.Within each class minerals lIlay besubdivided into metals-those compounded with elements possessing the characteristics of a perfect metal sl:ch as malleability. metallic luster conductivity.Semi-metals-those compounded withelements possesing these characteris,ticsin a less perfect degree, and non-metals.F'or OUIt" purpolle we will classify minerals into A. Comerciallty valuable minerals; B. lmpvrtant rockforming minerals; and C. Rarer minerals.

"A" COMMERCIALLY VALUABLEMINERALS.Native Elements.

Carbon (C), sulphur (S.), and selenium(Se) are the only non-metal elements tnatoccur free in nature. Carbon occurs asdiamond and graphite. Spveral small buttrue diamonds were found in some trioutaries of the Pieman and three of theseform specimen No. 1 of the Petterd collection in the Tasmanian Mnseum. Graphite, a form usually as'sociated with metamorphic rocks. and usually formed frommetamorphism of carbonaceous depositsis found in the mines of Zeehan and Dundas, but not in commercial quantities. Sulphur is rare in Tasmania, and hithertohas only been found in the Bischoff mine.Of the semi-metals several free elementsoccur. Arsenic (As) has been found in thelower levels ut Bi,schoff. Antimony :Sb),in radiating patches lino in diameter atthe British-Zeehan mine, bismuth (Bi) isplentiful at Mt. Ramsay and has beenfound in the Mt. Read and other tinmines. Tellurium (Te), an important alloy for steel, has not yet been found inTasmania. nor has tantalum (Ta).The metals form the most importantt:roup of this dass. They are all impoftan t ores when fonnd in commercial quantities. The elements so found are : -Gold (An), a widely distributed roekfound in quartz veins at Heaconsfield. Lefroy, Mathinna, and other places throughout Western and Northern Tasmania inmetasomatic lodee. with other ores at Mt.Lyell and in alkali igneous rocks at Cygfield, and the New Golden Gate Mine at

~ 1 : a t h i n n a were amongst the most famousgold producers in Australia. Silver (Ag),a rare mineI'll1 in Tasmania, found in thintreads in some of the silver-lead lodes of?;eehan and Dundas. The Magnet andHercules mines have yielded l o m ~ fin" i I ~ -(9 )

mens. Copper (,u), also rare, found atMt. Lyell in patches up to 801bs. Lead(Pb), very rare, two s p e c i i l l e n ~ beingfound at l:louth .Nevada and COlllet llllnes,Dunda,s. I t has also been reported atCygnet. Platinum (Pt), has not been reported in 'l'asmania, but its allied demcnt,oSl1liridiUIIl (Os 11') occurs throughout the

~ e r l ' e n " t i n e ro


10/16

'rHlt l 'ASMANIANoccurring in many igneous rocks, also common in coal. It OCCUl'l8 in mostmineral veins, and was largely worked atLyell for fiuxes for pyritic smelting,. theresidues of which are manufactu'red intosulphuric a.cid and superphosphates at theLyell works in Melbourne.

3: Sulp,ho Salts.The only minerals of this class sufficiently important to warrant notice hereare l!:inkenite (sulphantimoniate of lead,orthorhombic form Pb S-b2 84), found inthe Magnet mine; J amesonite (sulphan.timoniate of lead, monoclinj,c form Pb28M 85), found through BischofI, Dundas,and Zeehan fields, both useful leadand antimony ores; and Tetrahedrite (suI.

phantimoniate of copper or fahl or greyeo,pper ore Cu 8 Sb2 87), found at CurtainDa\-is, ~ I t . Read, and Mt. Lyell mines.4: Haloids.This class contains a few minerals, andthese are rare and unimportant. Thebest-known is Halite (or rock salt, sodiumchloride Na Cl), found in Tasmania inthe salt pans of Mona Vale and otherplaces in the Hoss_Tunbridge area, whichyield a pure salt which would be commercially valuable if salt were not so cheapto import. Fluritc (calcium fiouride Ca1


11/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURAL1STWolframite (Fe, Mn), W04) and scheelite (Ca W04), important tungsten oresfound on King Island, and on Ben Lomond, and uset'nl as alloys, also came 111this class.7.-Salts of Organic Acids do not y i ~ l dimportant mineraIs.8-Hydrocarbon compounds, a l t h o u ~ hyielding the commercially valuable coaiand oil, will be considered rock-formin!;minemls.

"B" IMPORTANT ROCK FORMINGMINERALS.The minerals occurring in the classes-1 , native elements; 2, sulphide class;3 sulpho-salts; and 4, haloids, althoughIllany of them are amongst our greatsources of natural wealth, de, not occurin great masses. They are essentiallyrare. The minerals which go to makeup th e rocks oJ' the crust of the ear th-the cOlllmon minerals are mostly included under the heading (6) Oxygen-Salts.There nne important rock constituent in the class of 5, oxides, that is theoxide of silicon. The mineral form isknown as qnartz, which is a grnup ofdifferent forms with similar composition

1;,;1 ( 1 ) - (a ) Phenocrystalline or vitreousvarieties. Quartz or rock crystal, thewell known glassy hexagonal pyramidcrystals. Amethyst, a clear purple orviolet colored variety. Cairngorm stone,smoky yellow to dark brown in color.- (b) Cryptocrystalline varieties: Chalce-dony, a white, gray or blue waxy colo.red Rtone; cornelian, a red chalcedony;agate, a variegated chalcedony; o.nyx, resembling agate, but in layers of differentcolors; flint, allied to chalcedo.ny, but ofa darker color. Of these (Z) varietiesquartz is the only important rock-fo.rmingmineral, and enters into the composition of acid igneous rocks. I t is an important constituent of granite. also ofBorne sandstones and mudstones.

6. Oxygen Salts.A. Carbonates.-l Calcite (calcium carbonate, Ca C03). This is the great Iimeproducing rock. I t o.ccurs in crystals inveins, which are used for o p t i c ~ l workbut its most important occurrencesin beds as limestone, lithograhphic stone,

marble. and chalk. The great limestonedeposits oJ' Chudleigh, Mole Creek Florpnt:ne. Ida Bay, Gordon River, ' MariaIsland, Granton, etc., largely consist ofthis mineral.2. Dolomite (carbonate of calcium and~ a g n e s i l 1 m (Ca. M;9 C03-magnesiumhmestone). Thlfl IS rare in Tasmania.

(11)

I t has been reported from Mo.unt elaude,Mount PeIion, and Dnndae.B. SiJicates.-l. Felspar Group: Themost important rock-building mineraland a nearly universal constitutent ofrocks. (Note, felspar, strictly speaking,is not a mineral, but a group or family).(a) Monoclinic felspars.Orthoclase (silicate of aluminium andpotassium X: Al 8;3 OQ). (b)Triclinicfelsp8J's.Microliue (similarly K Al .S13 OS).Anorthoclase (soda-potash silicate o.faluminium (Nu K) (AI Se3 08). (c)Albite-Anorthite series or plagioclas('felspar5l.

,\ I ) l t e (silicate of ,1Iuminium and w-dium Na Al Si3 08 or Ab).01:g10clase (Ab3 Ani).Andesine (Ab An).Labradol'ite (Abl .\n3).Anorthite (silicate of aluminium andearcinm, Ca 312 S12 08 or An).Rock classificatio.n depe:lds on the felspar present. Therefore it will be bettel'to reserve details of occurrence untilwe reach the section on petrology. Or.thoclase is the base o.f granite rocks. I to c ~ r s massive on the Mersey, near Gad'sHIll, and as the form sanidine in thealkaline rocks at Port Cygnet. Microcline is frequently found in Tasmaniangranite, and is abundant in the graniteat. St. Mary's Pass. Anorthoclase oc.curs in the Port Cygnet alkali series. AIbite occurs in compact masses on theHeazlewood River, and as crystals inthe Port Cygnet rocks. Oligoclase iscommon in the dolel'ites (di,abase) andbasalts which cover a great part of Tasmania. Andesine also occurs throughthe basaltic group oJ' rocks, and has been

r e p o r t ~ d from the Cygnet alkalis. Labradorlte iR the base o.f the dolerites andb a s a ~ t s , the commonest rocks in Tasmama. Anorthite is also common inthe dolerites and basalts.2. pyroxene group.(a) Orlhorhombic section.Enstatite (silIcate of magnesium M9Si 03).Hypersthene (silicate of magnu-

"Ium and iron (Fe M9) Si 03.(h ) Monodinic section.Hypersthene (silica,te of magn'

sium. calcium, etc.)(i) Non-alumlnouB.Diopside (calcium-ma.gnes.ium py.. roxene Ca M9 (Si (0 ) 2.(u ) A luminous.Augite (Aluminous pyroxenE' CaM9 06.~ h e . s e are only. the more importantvarIetIes. Elli-ta.trte OCC1:,Te a.bundantly


12/16

THE TASMANIAN011 thp. Huek!sson River, and atParsons Hood and -Magnet Range.Hyphesthene occurs with enstathe rut those localities, also ill graniiteat st. MafCY's Pass and on the ForthRiver and at Dundas. Pyroxines, particula.rly augite are second constituent otthe dolerites and felspars, and probablythe second most important r'Ock formin2'mineral.

B. Amphibole group.The most importa.nt rod. forming mineral in this group is Hornblende (Ca (M9Fe) 3 Si 0'3) 4 with Na and al). I toccurs in many places through the West'Coast mining fields. The Cygnet rocksyif'ld a rare soda variety.

Hydrous Silicates.4. Zeolite group.A group of rocks anulogous toO thefelspars and are often a hydrated felspar. They are found as re-crYstallisedp r o d u c ~ s of de'composed felspars fCunningas white veins through the basalts anddolerites. Of this large group chabazite Ca N a2) A12 Si4 012 6H20) ha;;frequently been recorded. A vein of thi.mineral caused great trouble a t theGreat L,ake Dam.

Mica Group.(i) Muscovite (potaseium mica H2 K a l ~(8i 04) 3).(ii) Paragonite (soOdium mica H2 N ~(Si 04) 3) .(iii) LapidoJi.te (lithium mica).(iv) ZinnW'aldite (lithium 11'.>11 mica.)(vi) P'hloganite (magnesium mica).vi) Phloganite (magncsium mica.)Muscovite or common white mica iscomnwn in the granite rocks particularl yon Flinders Island. Paragonite hasnot been repoOrted in Tasmania. A smalldyke of lepedolite oocurs at Mt. Ramsay. Zinnwaldite is the c h a ' r a c t e r i s t i ~white mica of the tin bearing granitesand is abundant throughout the NorthE&"t tin fields and in the HeemskifCkgranites. Biotite is the thirdconstituent of the ordinary gra-nite, and is a common roclt formingmineral in some other rOCks. Phlogophite occurs in granite of HampshireHills and Heemskirk. The mineral seri

cite is a f,)rm of muscovte with a highe:'proportion of water. I t is common inmany metamorphic rocks and 'Occurs atMr. Lyell, Mr. Read, Hamilton on Forthand many other localities.6. Serpentine and talc group.Serpentine is a hydrated silioa.te ofmagnesia (H4 Mg3 Si2 09"). I t occursin large rock m a . s s e ~ formed from peri-(12)

NATURALISTdotites. I t is common in many pla."esthrough the western portion of Tasmania.Talc (acid metacllicate of magnesium H2M93 (Si 03) 4) 'OCc\:.r8 in places throughout the wcstern mining fields especiallynear the junctions of the Arthur andHellyer Rivers, and at Bischoff, Beaco11l'l'Held and other places.

7. Kaolin division.KaolinHe (hydra,ted si1ica,te of aluminium H4 AI2 Si2 09) occu.rs on FlindersIsland. at Middlesex and at seveml localities on the North IDast Coost.The remaining impoOrtant rock constituents fall in clas,s:8. Hydroca,rbon Compounds.(i.) Amber-Fossil ve'getable resin. Not

hitherto fOl:nd in Tasmania.(ii.) Tasmanite - Latrobe oil shale. Itconsists of micro'acopic foO,a,sil space casesof a highly resinous nature. These yi>8ldoil on d'lstillation. The mineral is uniquein that sulphur ha,s repla()ed the usualoxygen oompound of this cla,ss. I t isonly found in Ta,smanla.(iii.) Petroleum - mineral oil - nothitherto found in Tasmania.(Iiv ,) A s : p h a l t l u m ~ m J l n e r t l . l pitch-alsonoOt found here.

(v.) Coal.(a) Anthracite (93-95 per eent. carbon.(b) Sub-antbracite (90-93 per cent.carbon.(c) Humites. (a) Non-caking humic(70-90 per cent. cairbon); (b) caking humic (75-90 p.eT cent. carbon); (c) gasmaldng humic (78-80 per cent. carbon).(d) Humic KCl"oginitc,; (60_80 pel"

cent. carh-on).(e) Keroginites (vola,tile hydro-c'al'bons in excess of fixed carbon).( f ) Sub humic (60'75 pl.' cent. ca.I'bon).(vI.) Lignites-Brown coal."C" RARER MINERAL TYPES.

Dana's "Telct; Book ot Mineralogy" describes over 3,200 mineral species. Thelarge majority of these are very ra.re anddo not contribute materia.lly to the consitruction ot the earth. I t Is clearlyimpassible toO refer to these here and itwill be readily seen that few have theIiesure to assimila,te ttltis mass of detailNo one can work at mineralogy w1thoutag-uiding r e f e ~ n c e book at his elbo'w.

(The writer acknowledges his indebtedneBS to W. F. Petterd's "Minerals of Tasmania" for much of the information illthis artiele). A. N. Lewis


13/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURAL1ST

Some Tasmanian Naluralisls.RONALD CAMPBELL GUNN.

(By J. Reynolds)..After the departure of Robert Brownnearly twentyfive years were to elapsebefore naturalists were to follow his foot.teps. The members of th e small communities on the banks of the Derwent andTamar were too absorbed in the exactinglabors of pioneering to give anything butthe most practical attention to the animale, plants and rocks around them.Game they needed for food, wood andstone for shelter. How these could beobtained most readily was the only question concerning tbem worthy of considertion. In the case of the fauna, this stateof affaIrs was most unfortunate. Onespecies. the Tasmanian emu, waR totallyexterminated. So wholesale was theslaughter that only three or four s k i n ~ha ve been preserved.

Early Exploration.N e\'ertheless, the early settlers wereperforming very useful services. Theyopened up the countl,\' between Hobartand Laullceston. The more adventul'ousspirits went out into the ranges and roundthe coasts explorin.::(. Kelly in 181.5 inan open boat circumnavigated the islandHis was the first party to see the forbidding shores of Port Davey. and thQfirst to cross the bal' and sail on thebroad waters of }Iacquarie Hal "or. Another a(jyentlIrer, Jorgenson, performed ntask which even today is not withoutperils. He crossed the island from thvDerwent to Emu Bay by way (f the lakecountry. Hellyer some years later expl9red the northern and western fringe ofthe central plateau. Others, now forgott.en, pushed their way into the bush anuclimbed mountains to see what was hidden behind the green walls. All this exoloration was most useful for the newgeneration of naturalists. The settled

districts were examined with comparative"ase, whilst the remote districts werer.mdered more aecessible. In the earlythirties 3everal men endowed with grea'tt.alents for scientific investigation cameto reside in the colony. They all madenotable contributions to knowledge whichwere recognised in Europe and America.In this group there Wall no abler man(13)

than Ronald Campbell Gunn, the patriarch of Tasmanian botany.Gunn was born at Cape Town on .April4. 1808. His father was an officer in theforce that held that post which recentlypassed into British hands. As a smallboy he was present when the Frenchwere finally rooted out of Mauritius. HeIlccompanied his father's regiment to the\Vest Indies, where it seems he entertained the idea of following the paternal profession. vVe next hear of his arrival inTasmania, 1829, and of his appointmentas superintendent of conyicts in thenorth. vVe are not aware exactly whenhp received his instruction in the principIes of seience, but very soon after hisarriyal be commenced his botanical la-

borll.I t appears that his first detailed examination was devoted to the flora of theCircular Head district. From there hecrossed Bass Strait on an expedition tothe eastern coast of Victoria. Port Phillip and Western port were visited. Hemade a careful comparison of the floraon earh side of the Strait. Next wehear of Gunn as priv.ate ~ e c r e t a r y toGovernor Pranklin, a post he did nothold for " lengthy period. He accompanied Sir John and Ladv Franklin onthe expedition to the south coast sovividly desc'ribed by Lady P r a n k l i ~ inher letters. After leaving the Governor'sservice in 1841, he took charge of a larlleestate in the ca.pacity of manager. ThiHgave him that leisure which is so neCEllil-sary for undertaking prolonged expeditions. During the next twenty years hevisited almost every part of the islur,that it was humanly possible to reach.He managed to cut his way through the

dense scrub on the western shore of theTamar to the Asbestos Range. .Anotherlong expedition took him to Flinders andthe other Strait islands. He saw LakeRt. Clair and Lake Echo very soon aftertheir discovery before any of the greatbush fires had done their destructivework. Other expeditions took him tovarious portions of the east coast, Mac.


14/16


15/16

THE TASMANIAN[n captivity, he spent his w'hole time study,ing and reading. On obtaining his release,he returned to France, and was fortunatllenough to gain admissioIl to the Schoolof Medicine at Paris. There he came under the inspiring influence of the masterbiologist of the age, Georges Cuvie.Peron spent his time most advantageouslyAs well as completing his prescribedcourse he became a keen student ofbiology and comparative anatomy.

The master, Cuvier, had already attainedan eminent position in the field of biological science. He was developing theRtudy of the fossil remains of extinctanimals into the science of paleontology.The student Peron became thoroughly imbued with the principles of the master.On hearing that an expedition was aboutto sail for Australia, Peron begged to beII1l0wed to accompany it in order to speci.ally study the native races of the landsto be visited. The request was granted, andat the last moment Peron joined the ex.pedition, which sailed from HaVlre inOctober, 1800.

N(I ~ r e a t e f f o r t ~ were made to reachthe destination within even a moderatetime for those days. Over 18 months aftet"leaving France the 2 ships. came in sightof the south coast of Australia. Nearlythree months were spent examining thebays and inlets of the sou theastern coast,many earlier errors were cOTrected. Theboat expeditions. which carried out theseexplorations afforded Peron valuable opportunities for his special study of thenative races. Whilst Labillardiere hadmade observations under similar conditions,he lacked that special training that Peronpossessed. As well as valuable observations regarding the Tasmanian aboriginalrace, he has left us scveral delightful accounts of his meetings with them on theshores of D'Entr.ecasteaux Channel. Thefollowing is his IIPconnt of one of theseevents:-

"We had scarcely put foot upon tileshore. when two natives made their ap.pearance upun the peak of a nelghbol"ing hill. In response to signs of friendshin that we made to them, one of themleapt. or, rather, climbed, from tht!height of a rock. and w a ~ in th e midstof us in the tWinkling of an eye. Hewas a young man of twentytwo I l l 'twentyfour years of age, general1y ofstrong build, having no other physicalfault than the extreme slenderness of.his legs or arms that is characteristicof hill race. He had nothing ferOCiousI l l ' forbiddln&, about his expreBsion; his

(15)

NATURALISTeyes were lively and intelligent, hiBmanner expressed at. once l(ood feelingand surprise. M. Freycinet having embraced him. 1 did the same; but theai r of Indifference with which he recelv.'


16/16

THE TASMANIAN NATURALISTof him, for it was not until the natural-ist had submitted to baving his faclIsmeared with charcoal that he becam"in any way interesting to them.

"We a12peared then to be a great subject I>f admiration for these women;they seemed to regard us with a tenders a t ~ s f a c t i o n . "

Whilst Peron W8J3 chiefly concernedwith the native races, he assisted inthe collecting and describing of specimens of fish and birds. The southernfur seal (Eutaria cineaea), which the ex_peditions found In great numbers 011the islets round the coasts, was flrstdescribed, and nRmed by him. The expeuition, which set uut wi,th sc> manyhigh hopes, was dogged by misfortune,due to the fury of the elements, Mld

the perversity of its commander. Muchvaluable work was lost, and on arrivingback in France the survivors had greatdifficulty in get-ting recognition frtheir work. As the commander haddied at MaurltiUlil, the work of writingthe history of the expedition fell onPeron, which he lived only to partiallyfinish.

Unfortunately for SCience, and particu-larly anthropl>logy, Peron died at theage when most men do their best work.His training in the school of euvier wasbroad and thorough; his abilityand power of application consider-able, and his experience gaint!d durmgthe course (,f the long voyage made himunequalled for pursuing successfu1!ythose studies that Nature had designedhim to pursue.

TasNat 1926 Vol1 No5 WholeIssue

Documents

Transcript of TasNat 1926 Vol1 No5 WholeIssue