Some snapshots from fifty years of geophysics

Abstract

A person lucky enough to have worked in different aspects of geophysics in Australia over the last fifty years is sure to have a treasure trove of rich memories. Australia has the great good fortune to be a whole continent within one national boundary, and to be a marvellous laboratory for geophysical methods. The developments in geophysics which have taken place in Australia have been based, and have indeed been possible, because of strong rigorous traditions existing in mathematics, physics and geology. A perspective to the present state of geophysics is obtained be re-visiting various geophysical experiences over fifty years. The path followed commences with trigonometrical surveying (which allows the fifty years time span!) and progresses through various aspects of magnetic and electromagnetic measurements. Part of the journey takes place on land, some is airborne, and some is by sea. Developments in electronics, and computers, have made geophysics a rapidly-developing and exciting subject. The last fifty years of exploration work in Australia have taken place against the proving and acceptance of continental drift, plate tectonics and mantle convection. It has therefore been a time of remarkable intellectual stimulation and activity, of the widest possible importance to humankind.