Field notes: Tao Hsu, Andrew Lucas, and Vincent Pardieu

[SwordfishMining]

SPLENDOR IN THE OUTBACK: A VISIT TO AUSTRALIA’S OPAL FIELDS by Tao Hsu, Andrew Lucas, and Vincent Pardieu

With more than 170 years of opal mining and trading activity, Australia is synonymous with opal. Many world-renowned deposits are distributed in and along the margin of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB). Opal exports contribute roughly $85 million annually to the nation’s GDP. The industry employs thousands in the Outback communities and attracts more than 231,000 tourists per year. Opal tourism brings an estimated $324 million each year to these remote mining communities (National Opal Miners Association, n.d.).
To better understand the deposits, collect samples, and experience the opal culture, the authors traveled to Australia in June 2015 and visited four important opal fields: Lightning Ridge, Koroit, Yowah, and Quilpie (figure 1).

You have to go there as it's too much effort to reformat... Come back soon, ya'll!
https://www.gia.edu/doc/GG-WN15-Hsu.pdf

[PinkDiamond]

Thanks so much John, and you don't have to reformat that one since Bonnie made it so we can upload .pdfs here so that clicking the link won't open it in this tab. I still need someone to fix that for us, but alternatively, if anyone wishes to read the article via the link, if you're using a mouse press the ball on the mouse over the link like I do and it will open in a new tab.

[SwordfishMining]

Thanks Pink. I have not had the time to poke around in the possibilities of the new updated version here.