Geoscientist Public Contributions

Steve and keeping data

Steve Rose, Director and Principal Mining Geologist at Rose Mining Geology, kicked off an interesting discussion on LinkedIn about “How long should a Competent Person retain data files for a project?”

• Steve notes that digital files are simpler to store than hard copies and ponders a 10-year retention period. Others suggest to consider the Australian tax requirements of 7 years, and some suggest 2 years where volatile commodity prices are a critical component.
• Should I take the files with me when I move on from an employer for whom I carried out the work? Under JORC 2004 the CP may be needed to provide approval for each time the work was successively published. Perhaps let the employer know that you are doing this, in the spirit of transparency, and also the point of CP/QP where it is the individual who signs off on the work, not the employer.
• What about the employer of the CP? Should they keep the files? A consulting group might keep the data if the work has been published with their masthead. However, it does get complicated by mergers and takeovers.
• Another contributor noted that your employment contract doesn't really care about JORC rules and principles. If, as a consultant, you work for an employer with standard 'Confidential Information', 'Obligations of Employee on Termination', or 'Use and Disclosure of Confidential Information', and 'Return and Destruction of Information' clauses, then you may not be legally able to take that information "with you". In turn, the company you work for may have the same agreements in place with its clients.

Steve emphasizes to be transparent with your employer about why you would like to retain certain data, and the CP’s obligations.

Geological Timescale Updated

The Geological Timescale has been updated after recent advances in geochronology resulting in several key changes to the geological timescale. The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has updated the scale with adjustments to the ages for the Hadean at 4567 Ma and the Cambrian at 539 Ma. The Cambrian Period has also been updated with the series previously called ‘Series 3’ renamed to ‘Miaolingian’.

Geologist Day

Geologists Day takes place on the first Sunday in April every year. Finally, a day dedicated to a woefully underrated science. Geologists’ Day dedicates this time towards thanking them for all the research they do to help further understand how our world works. Not only that, but this day also seeks to learn about historical geologists that have helped people understand our world better and even possibly inspire some people to become geologists themselves!

Typically held on a Sunday, the celebration of Geologists’ Day can be fun for professional rock lovers and hobbyists alike! This day strives to help further the study of how the earth came to be. Geologists’ Day is all about learning the history of the earth, the geologists who studied the earth, and helping to inspire people out there to study geology.

The International Miners & metallurgist’s day can vary from country to country, though typically is 6^th December from miners, and 14^th November for metallurgists. Saint Barbara day (4^th December) is popular in Australia as the patron of armourers, artillerymen, military engineers, miners and others who work with explosives because of her legend's association with lightning, and also of mathematicians.