Holcombe Coughlin & Associates

I am a structural geologist with over 30 years of structural analysis experience in orogenic systems both as a teaching/research academic and as a consultant to the minerals exploration industry. Although exploration consultancy activities now occupy most of my time, I continue to maintain an active research position at 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 that comes from 32 years of teaching all aspects of structural geology.

My main consulting activities are trouble-shooting brownfields exploration dead-ends related to a poor understanding of the structure, greenfields regional targeting, and in-house structural re-training. Many situations that I have to deal with require only the application of quite basic structural techniques (even when the structure is complex), and the main problem I have found is that on-site geologists have forgotten how and when to use basic structural tools. The best solution is to combine the process of solving the problem with elements of retraining.

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. Links to these software packages 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, Yilgarn, Finland, Brazil, Uruguay, Siberia, East and West Africa) and Phanerozoic continental margin orogens (Australian NEFB, Argentine and Peruvian Andes, Alpine Fault, New Zealand, the Tethyan system in the Balkans, and the Phanerozoic terranes of Thailand and Laos). I have also had experience in a variety of other terranes in the US, Scandinavia, and Australia.

Current research projects are the regional structure and framework of mineralisation in Brazil and Uruguay; The Yenesei Ridge in Siberia; the Peruvian Andes (with Tim Coughlin, Arne Scherrenberg), and the northern New England Fold Belt of eastern Australia (with Chris Fielding, Scott Bryan).