Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 1:57 am
Gold Member
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:52 pm Posts: 1131 Location: Central Queensland, Australia
dchallener wrote:
I read another article that claimed that natural methane leaks were known in the area, and that such things used to be used by wildcatters to determine where to look for oil. That is, the fracking had nothing to do with the methane that was set on fire - it was just a publicity stunt. Perhaps someone from the area could comment?
Quite possible. I've never heard of natural methane leaks through the bed of that river myself but that's not to say it doesn't occur.
Here's an interesting - albeit unsubstantiated - story.
In a part of one of the gas fields in central QLD, there is place called Lake Nugga Nugga. Not really a lake, it was a large seasonal swamp with an inland river similar to the Condamine flowing (intermittently) in and out. Just after WW2, the grazier pushed a wall across and it became a semi-permanent shallow "lake". My father hunted wild pigs there for many years until it was declared a national park.
The story goes that one night, residents on nearby cattle stations heard an enormous gurgling noise. The next morning, the lake which had been full of water the previous evening was just a wet claypan. I'm not sure if such a thing is even possible but there you go. It's my understanding that there are no gas "voids" and that it's extracted from porous coal seams but there's people around who swear it actually happened.
More interesting than the local folklore is the fact that my father's friend found a 20 carat sapphire lying on the surface in a gully there while they were pig hunting. It always struck me how much some of the ground resembled that of the gemfields with quartzite "billy boulders" and such things strewn about, even through the sapphire fields are some distance away.
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 2:13 pm
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 3:52 pm Posts: 576 Location: N Dakota
Just curious, Lefty. Are they sure it's methane? Water here in the Dakotas contains hydrogen sulfide gas. H2s. It's a product of coal and oil. There are a number of places here that I can light the tap water on fire. It gives off the rotton egg smell. Quite deadly in concentrations over 100 parts per million. I work in the stuff every day and have to run under a mask and bottled air. Methane isn't much better in that it will replace the O2 in the air and leave you with low oxygen levels and also burn. " smoking not recommended "
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 3:49 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:52 pm Posts: 1131 Location: Central Queensland, Australia
Pretty sure it's methane Dave. Large areas of inland Queensland lay over top of coal beds (Bowen basin and Surat basin - Condamine river would be in the Surat I think) and I think it' mostly the smaller coal seams that are uneconomical to mine that are being tapped. My home town of Gladstone is a small port city which has just come down off another industrial boom with the construction of three liquefying plants to export the stuff that they are tapping in the coalfields to the west and piping here to Gladstone. Pretty sure no smoking is allowed on site or within some considerable distance
So yeah, I haven't heard hydrogen sulphide mentioned and there is lots of methane below so I'd say that's what it is.
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 12:12 am
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 3:52 pm Posts: 576 Location: N Dakota
Well at least that doesnt scar up the place like strip mining does. I lived next to a garbage dump in Virginia called MT Trashmore. They trapped and used the methane generated by the decomposing garbage to run the street lights and things nearby. Now I guess a lot of places do that but in the mid 80s it was kind of a new thing in most places.
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 5:25 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:01 pm Posts: 1902 Location: Pine City, NY and Dothan, AL
dchallener wrote:
I think a will-o'-the-wisp is thought to be naturally ignited methane, isn't it?
Yep. Swamps generate enormous amounts of methane. Also called swamp gas, and makes "corpse candles" and "jack-o-lantern." There appears to be no definitive answer as to why it self-ignites.
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 6:08 pm
Active Member
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:11 am Posts: 93 Location: Gold Coast Australia
I have just got back from some time up at our claim at Willows and we had a visit from EPA and the mines department. Seems like the visit actually went quite well as we are getting looked at on a claim by claim basis. It is looking like at worst we can continue mining on our second claim but may have to pay an additional fee. I took some video of down underground and showed the EPA lady and she seemed suprised at the lack of roots. I think they thought we were chopping roots etc! Also helps that we keep up top pretty clean and we may need to pile the stone we bring up to one side of the claim that is not within the boundry.
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:42 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:52 pm Posts: 1131 Location: Central Queensland, Australia
Looks like you might have had a win there Jamie.
I don't know how successful I'll be, I think I might end up needing to re-peg. At least all the money has already been paid - I would think that after making me wait a truly extraordinary length of time, they might be able to fast-track any such application.
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 6:32 pm
Active Member
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:11 am Posts: 93 Location: Gold Coast Australia
Hi guys,
I will let you guys know what is happens when it is finally resolved. I hope that they don't take to long processing your application Lefty. Especially since it has taken so long already mate!
Post subject: Re: F*** the Queensland department of mines!!!!!!
Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 1:48 am
Gold Member
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:52 pm Posts: 1131 Location: Central Queensland, Australia
Yeah I know, "government" and "fast-track" are two words that don't go together. But I gotta keep telling myself it'll all work out in the end otherwise my head would have exploded by now
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