Rockminsolutions has secured four tenements in central Queensland and a description of the rock types located on these licenses is discussed elsewhere. One common character of the basaltic rocks that the company is currently evaluating is the high amorphous or palagonite content that is in these rocks. For the directors of Rockminsolutions this is a pleasant surprise as they previously identified this material when they owned and operated the Mt Sylvia Diatomite Mine and basalt quarry (MSD) in SE Queensland. Martin and Guy sold MSD on the 31st December 2019. At Mt Sylvia, Palagonite had been produced through the interaction of basaltic lava and water in a local lake. The lava flowed into the lake and a quenching reaction led to the formation of a volcanic glass which over time devitrified to form a yellow/brown product called palagonite. In essence the mafic minerals in the palagonite became amorphous and the Calcium, Magnesium and Iron became readily available to microbes that fed the root systems of plants when palagonite was blended with composted manures. The three videos below were produced by MSD to explain the formation of and the benefits of palagonite to agriculture.
As stated above, in the licenses that Rockminsolutions now own, there is a large component of palagonite. This implies that similar reactions took place between water and/or steam and volcanic pyroclastic flows at the Buckland Volcano and at other Tertiary volcanic centres to south of Springsure in Central Queensland.
ABC News Palagonite
Anthony Bauer, Palagonite
Palagonite in Composting Operations