The presence of quartz crystals in the dump of an old gold mine, known as Black Charlie's mine, in the Strathbogie Ranges led to the reopening of part of the workings in the search for crystal suitable for piezo-electric applications. To date the search has met with success, and has resulted in the discovery of a second crystal deposit adjacent to the old workings. The mine which is now named the Crystal King mine was visited in December, 1944. The locality, topography, geology, economic geology, and production of the mine are discussed in this report. A sketch section of the mine is included.

The testing programme described herein is the result of a recommendation made in a previous report. Twenty-four boreholes were put down during October, 1944, to determine the extent and quality of the bentonite and associated clays. During the early part of the boring campaign the area was surveyed in detail by plane-table with the assistance of the Queensland Geological Survey. The details and results of boring, origin of the bentonite, micro-fossil content, testing, and reserves are discussed in this report. Logs of Boreholes, a plan of the bentonite deposit, and cross section diagrams are included in the report.

This report deals with an investigation of the electrical resistivities of a variety of wet surface soils, gravels and sands. The work may be regarded as preliminary to an investigation by Mr. R.F. Thyer into the detection of electrically resistive bodies buried in wet soils at shallow depths. It was required to determine the range over which the resistivities of surface soils vary, and also the changes that may be expected in any one type of soil between measurements made within any 1 foot of each other. Measurements were made in four localities, three being in the bed or on the banks of the Molonglo River, where the surface materials are sand, gravel, silts, and in some places, clay. The fourth locality was near the head of Sullivan's Creek, where the soil is a heavy black clay.

The Gawler talc deposit is situated about 2 miles south from Ulverston and about half a mile north from Gawler where the bitumen road ends. The lease is held by Messrs. Pearson and Smith, and one man is working on it at present. A geological examination and plane table survey of the deposit was conducted on the 1st May, 1944.

The mine is situated on Black Andrew Mountain about 4 miles south of the wall of Burrinjuck Dam and in the parishes of Goodradigbee and Childowla. Surface features were mapped by C.H. Zelman and H.B. Owen in November, 1942 by stadia alidade and planetable, and underground mapping was brought up to date by F. Canavan and H.B. Owen on 20th March, 1944 using tape, alidade and clinometer. This report details the production history, general geology, and economic geology of the Black Andrew mine.

In a memorandum dated 28th February, the Superintending Civil Engineer of the Department of the Interior stated that cracks were showing in the Cotter dam, and that these were serious enough to warrant an investigation as to whether there were minerals in the aggregate likely to cause expansion on decomposition. Visits were made to the Cotter dam and the adjacent rock quarries, and this report embodies the results of those visits and subsequent investigations. All possible geological factors likely to affect the stability and strength of the dam were investigated and, even though it was subsequently found that some of them could have little or no effect on the dam, they are discussed in this report.

King Island Scheelite Mine is located on the east coast of King Island and is sixteen miles by road from Currie, the principal port on the island. The open cut method of mining is employed and the mine is an important producer of scheelite. There is scope for greatly increased production from the open cut area alone and with a view towards assessing the full possibilities of the area as a whole, geological and geophysical surveys were started concurrently by the Mineral Resources Survey Branch in June, 1942. The geophysical field work was conducted between 19th June and 10th July, 1942.

The following notes are intended to accompany Map No.1049, which has the same title as that given above. This map was prepared at the request of the Survey Directorate, L.H.Q., Melbourne, Department of the Army, and is primarily for the use of the Director of Survey, Advanced L.H.Q., Brisbane. The map is termed "provisional" since it is based on only a portion of the data available and the reductions have been made by approximate methods. Nevertheless since use has been made of that portion of the data which has been most recently observed it is considered the most reliable for most practical purposes. For some time work has been proceeding on a final map showing the distribution of magnetic inclination over Australia and the surrounding areas, and this map will be available in the near future.

In the years immediately preceding the present war, 75 per cent of the world's production of tungsten concentrates came from southeast Asia; approximately 50 per cent came from China. This production consisted almost wholly of wolfram. With the entry of Japan into the war in 1941 and its occupation of Indo-China, Thailand and Burma, these supplies were cut off from the United Nations. This cessation of supplies made it necessary that all countries amongst the United Nations should make intensive efforts to increase their production of tungsten ores and concentrates. In Australia, the effort was necessary in order that as much tungsten concentrate as possible could, after domestic requirements were satisfied, be exported to Great Britain and the United States of America. As the King Island Scheelite Mine was (and still is) the largest producer of tungsten concentrates in Australia, the possibilities of increased production from the that mine were among the first to be considered.

At least as early as 1940, it was realised by the Department of the Interior that the reserves of suitable rock (shale or slate) in the pit adjacent to the Canberra Brickworks were limited. A decision was made to find a temporary site to provide sufficient material to supply the brickworks for two years. A site at Deakin, 1700 yards by road east from the existing brickworks was selected and was recommended by Dr. W.G. Woolnough in 1940 as suitable, subject to testing by costeans and pits. A survey of the area in the subdivision of Deakin, Canberra City Area, was then arranged and was made during March and April, 1944, the object being to determine if there were sufficient reserves of suitable material to supply the Canberra brickworks for a period of not less than two years. This report describes the results of this survey.