Browsing by Author "Lenehan, CE"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Cultural heritage project at Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
    (Springer Nature, 2022-01-25) Salvemini, F; White, R; Levchenko, VA; Smith, AM; Pastuovic, Z; Stopic, A; Luzin, V; Tobin, MJ; Puskar, L; Howard, DL; Davis, J; Avdeev, M; Gatenby, S; Kim, MJ; Grazzi, F; Sheedy, K; Olsen, SR; Raymond, CA; Lord, C; Richards, C; Bevitt, JJ; Popelka-Filcoff, RS; Lenehan, CE; Ives, S; Dredge, P; Yip, A; Brookhouse, MT; Austin, AG
    The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) is the home of Australia’s most significant landmark and national infrastructure for research. ANSTO operates one of the world’s most modern nuclear research reactors, OPAL; a comprehensive suite of neutron beam instruments; the Australian Synchrotron; the Electron Microscope Facility; and the Center for Accelerator Science. Over the years, the suite of nuclear methods available across ANSTO’s campuses has been increasingly applied to study a wide range of heritage materials. Since 2015 the strategic research project on cultural heritage was initiated in order to promote access to ANSTO’s capabilities and expertise, unique in the region, by cultural institution and researchers. This chapter offers a compendium of ANSTO nuclear capabilities most frequently applied to cultural heritage research. A series of innovative, interdisciplinary, and multi-technique studies conducted in close collaboration with Australian museums, institutions, and universities is also showcased. It includes research on dating Aboriginal Australian rock art and fingerprinting the sources of ochre pigments; rediscovering the technological knowledge in the making of early coinage and ancient weapons; virtually unwrapping the content of votive mummies from ancient Egypt; and investigating and restoring the original layer of a painting that can be explored by the museum audience in a novel type of exhibition based on an immersive, interactive, and virtual environment. © 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Developing international radiological risk assessment tools for Australian arid environments
    (South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association, 2018-11-06) Popelka-Filcoff, RS; Pring, A; Pandelus, SB; Johns, SM; Tucker, W; Rossouw, D; Lenehan, CE; Hondros, J; Hirth, GA; Carpenter, JG; Johansen, MP; Payne, TE; Roberts, M; Levingstone, K; Tuft, K; Duff, T
    Recent international and Australian regulatory guidance llCRP 108 and ARRANSA Env. Prot. Guide, 2015) has increased the need for effective tools to assess radiological impacts in the environment. The existing internationally accepted methods and models are generally based on data collected in the northern hemisphere and there is a recognised lack of southern hemisphere data, particularly from Australia. When applying the models and methods in Australia, acknowledgement of this lack of data is required which tends to undermine public and regulatory confidence in the assessment. Development of an Australian-specific data set is essential to a better understanding and more credible environmental impact assessment process. In addition, decision-making by operators and regulatory authorities will be based on more relevant local information This presentation describes a collaborative project between university, government and industry researchers and a national industry funding body, aimed at developing a more complete understanding of radiological uptake of native flora and fauna in arid Australian environments. The presentation will cover the framework and sampling and analysis approaches from arid environments, and how these fit into international practice. lnitial data and concentration ratios from analysis of Dodonaea viscosa and Acacia ligulata, rabbits and feral cats and corresponding soil will be presented. Analytical methods include high-resolution gamma spectroscopy with low limits of detection, alpha spectroscopy, elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy. ant"; 3."; 5 Novel approaches to data collection and analysis protocols are used, which form the basis of the databases use: :. i"e internationally accepted models and comparison to extant studies. The project lays the infrastructure towards an effective Australian intenface with existing tools (e.g. ERICA) and assessment for extended long-term studies for industry and regulators. The results of this project build a foundation for environmental radionuclide assessment for Australia's specific climate and species, and build a framework for a comprehensive Australian context and understanding of radionuciides and their concentration ratios as well as towards screening levels which may vary depending on location and species. This project has an industry-wide impact in the generation of robust data sets towards modelling in arid environments.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Ochre through the late Quaternary at Gledswood Shelter 1, northwest Queensland
    (Australasian Quaternary Association Inc, 2014-06-29) Wallis, LA; Lowe, KM; Popelka-Filcoff, RS; Bennett, JW; St George, C; Watson, C; Fitzsimmons, KE; Wight, C; Watchman, A; Lenehan, CE; Matthews, J
    Gledswood Shelter 1 (GS1) is a sandstone rockshelter located in northwest Queensland containing archaeological evidence for human occupation dating from at least 35 ka to the recent past. Considerable quantities of ochre fragments (many with striations caused by grinding) have been recovered from the 2.5 m deep cultural sequence, particularly in the pre-LGM levels. The abundance of ochre varies through time, in line with recovered stone artefacts, suggesting that these materials reflect different periods and intensities of site use. This evidence possibly indicates that the production of painted or stencilled art in this region may be earlier than previous evidence suggests (ca 9,000 years ago). The GS1 ochre samples were initially characterised according to visual characteristics including colour, texture and inclusions using low powered microscopy. This work suggests there are several groups of pigment present, including fragments that would more normally be referred to as ironstone and not considered as an 'ochre', but that have anthropogenic ground surfaces indicating their use as a source of pigment. In this paper we present the initial characterisation and preliminary neutron activation analysis results of the GS1 ochres, and consider their implications for the human history of the northwest Queensland region.