HolcombeCoughlinOliver

I am a structural geologist with over 40 years of structural analysis experience in orogenic systems both as a teaching/research academic and as a consultant to the minerals exploration industry. Although international consultancy activities now occupy most of my time, I continue to maintain active links with the University of Queensland.

My expertise and personal enjoyment is in the unravelling of complex geological structures, particularly in metamorphic rocks and shear zones. My consultancy strengths are my experience, and an in-depth knowledge of the structural geologist's toolbox, both practical and theoretical.

My main consulting activities are trouble-shooting brownfields exploration dead-ends related to a poor understanding of the structure, greenfields regional targeting, in-house structural re-training, and on-site mentoring of young professionals working in complex terranes. My experience has been that the solution to most problems I work on is the recognition and application of basic structural tools; tools which are known to the the on-site geologists but which have been forgotten over the course of time. The best solution is to combine elements of retraining while working with the on-site people in the process of solving the problem.

My research interests include: the geological architecture and formation of mountain systems, both modern mountain ranges and eroded ancient mountain belts; the characterisation of strain and flow kinematics of metamorphic rocks and complex shear zones; the evolution of orogenic belts; and the structural control of mineralisation. Additionally I have an interest in developing computer applications applied to mapping and structural analysis, and links to these can be found on these pages.

My field experience has been divided between strongly deformed Precambrian metamorphic terranes (eg., Mount Isa, New Mexico, Southern Appalachians, Canada, Yilgarn, Gawler, Finland, Brazil, Siberia, East and West Africa) and Phanerozoic continental margin orogens (Australian NEFB, Argentine Andes, Alpine Fault, New Zealand, SE Asia, Balkans). I have also had passing experience in a variety of other types of terranes in the US, Scandinavia and Australia.

Current projects are the development of structural training texts for minerals exploration and the development of structural software .