Maureen Muggeridge (13 August 1948 – 7 October 2010) was a British geologist best known for discovering the Argyle diamond deposit in the north of Western Australia.
[citation needed] After graduating in Geology from the University of St Andrews, she made her way to Perth, Western Australia, with support from her family.
[citation needed] Within a week she got a job with a mining company called Tanganyika Holdings and was flying over the Outback searching for diamonds.
In 1979, Maureen married Towie's son John, she became pregnant and discovered diamond samples in the flood plains surrounding Smoke Creek, a small stream in East Kimberley that drained into Lake Argyle.
Today, these diamonds are among the world's rarest gems and the mine produces one-third of global output.