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Mineral Potential of Australia: Historic Products

Introduction

The Mineral Potential and Metallogeny of Australia project was within Geoscience Australia's Onshore Energy and Minerals Division and conducted geoprovince scale assessments of the mineral potential of Australia for selected types of mineral deposits. The results of this assessment are incorporated in the Australian Mines Atlas.

Prior to its present role the project and its predecessors had a chequered history responding since 1985 to requests from Australian Government agencies for assessments of the mineral potential of specific regions. Among areas assessed for identified and potential minerals resources by Geoscience Australia's predecessor, the Bureau of Mineral Resources, were the World Heritage proposals centered on the north east Queensland tropical rainforest, south west Tasmania and the Kakadu region in the Northern Territory. In 1992, the project and its staff were transferred to the Bureau of Resource Sciences which is now the Bureau of Rural Sciences within the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Assessments of potential mineral resources continued and included the Shoalwater Bay Military Training area and the South Australian portion of the Lake Eyre Basin.

Extensive assessments of known and undiscovered mineral resources carried out by the Bureau of Rural Sciences include the Regional Forest Agreement process between the Commonwealth and the five States with extensive forest resources, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland. Mineral resource assessments for 12 forest areas were carried out jointly by the Bureau's Mineral Resources and Energy Branch and the State geological surveys. In 1998 the Mineral Resources and Energy Branch was transferred to Geoscience Australia where the assessment of areas in New South Wales and Victoria were completed by 2000. Relevant Regional Forestry Agreement reports on the mineral resources of the areas prepared by the Bureau of Regional Sciences, Geoscience Australia and the State geological surveys are listed with the historical reports. Further information on the Regional Forestry Agreement process can be accessed via the Regional Forestry Agreement website.

A GIS-based method of producing simple and weighted composite and cumulative mineral potential maps for the Regional Forest Agreement process was combined with ASSESS (a GIS developed by the Bureau of Resource Sciences) to develop the Resource and Advice Decision Support System. The system can be loaded as an ESRI Arcview 3.2 extension and requires Arcview Spatial Analyst.

Publications

  1. Jaireth, S., Miezitis, Y., Lambert, I.B. 2001 Implications of assembly/disassembly of Australian Proterozoic on metallogeny - some questions. In Williams, P.J.(editor) 2001; A hydrothermal odyssey. Extended conference abstracts. EGRU Contribution 59. P98-99. The Economic Geology Research Unit (EGRU), James Cook University.
  2. Jaireth, S., Lambert, I.B., Miezitis, Y. and Jaques, L.A. 2000 Mineral potential of Australia. 15th AGC - Understanding Planet Earth, Sydney, July 2000 - Geological Society of Australia Abstracts 59, p 251.
  3. Miezitis, Y., Jaireth S., David L. Assessment of identified (known) and potential (undiscovered) mineral resources of the Southern Carpentaria Gulf area. In: Multiple use strategic plan for the Southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Report 1: Environment North and Associated Consultants. Appendix B.
  4. Geological Survey of NSW Department of Mineral Resources & Australian Geological Survey Organisation 2000. Assessment of mineral resources in the Lower North East CRA Study Area. A project undertaken for the Joint Commonwealth NSW Regional Forest Agreement Steering Committee as part of the NSW Comprehensive regional assessments Project number NL 01/ES. (ISBN 1 74029 073 9).
  5. Barnes, R.G., Jaireth, S., Miezitis, Y. & Suppel, D.W. 1999. Mineral potential assessment of parts of southern New England Orogen. In: Flood, P.G. (editor). Regional geology, tectonics and metallogenesis : New England orogen : papers presented at a conference held at The University of New England, Armidale, 1-3 February 1999. NEO '99 Conference (1999 : University of New England, Armidale) Armidale, NSW : Earth Sciences, University of New England, [1999].
  6. Geological Survey of NSW Department of Mineral Resources & Australian Geological Survey Organisation 1999. Assessment of mineral resources in the Upper North East CRA Study Area. A project undertaken for the Joint Commonwealth NSW Regional Forest Agreement Steering Committee as part of the NSW Comprehensive regional assessments Project number NU 04/ES. (ISBN 1 74029 018 6).
  7. Geological Survey of NSW Department of Mineral Resources & Australian Geological Survey Organisation 1999. Assessment of mineral resources in the Southern CRA Study Area. A project undertaken for the Joint Commonwealth NSW Regional Forest Agreement Steering Committee as part of the NSW Comprehensive regional assessments Project number NS 01/ES. (ISBN 1 74029 153 0).
  8. Australian Geological Survey Organisation, Minerals and Petroleum Victoria, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics 1999- Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1999 Chapter 10, Minerals In Comprehensive Regional Assessment Report: Western Victoria. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Melbourne.
  9. Australian Geological Survey Organisation, Minerals and Petroleum Victoria, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics 1999- Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1999 Comprehensive Regional Assessment: West Victoria Minerals Assessment. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Melbourne.
  10. Australian Geological Survey Organisation, Minerals and Petroleum Victoria, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics 1999- Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1999 Chapter, 10 Minerals, in Comprehensive Regional Assessment Report: Gippsland.Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Melbourne.
  11. Australian Geological Survey Organisation, Minerals and Petroleum Victoria, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics 1999- Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee Comprehensive Regional Assessment: Gippsland Minerals Assessment. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Melbourne.
  12. Joint Commonwealth and Queensland Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1999 Minerals and Extractives in South East Queensland Comprehensive Regional Assessment Report: Queensland. Joint Commonwealth and Queensland Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Brisbane. (ISBN 7242 7470 7).
  13. Joint Commonwealth and Queensland Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1999 Comprehensive Regional Assessment: South East Queensland: Assessment of Minerals and Extractive Materials Resources. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee. (ISBN 642 27378 2).
  14. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1998. Chapter 10: Minerals, in North East Victoria Comprehensive Regional Assessment Report. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee. (ISBN 0 642 54578 2).
  15. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1998. Comprehensive Regional Assessment: North East Victoria Minerals Assessment. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee.
  16. Joint Commonwealth and Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1998 Chapter 8: Mining, in Comprehensive Regional Assessment Volumes 1 and 2. Joint Commonwealth and Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Perth (ISBN 0-7307-0038-0 (Vol 1) 0-7307-1200-1 (Vol2); 0-7307-1201-X (Set)).
  17. Bureau of Resource Sciences and Geological Survey of Western Australia 1998 Assessment of Mineral and Hydrocarbon Resources in the South - West Forest Region of Western Australia Joint Commonwealth and Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Perth (ISBN 0-642-32017-9).
  18. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1998.
  19. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1998 - Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1999 Chapter 10: Minerals, in Central Highlands Comprehensive Regional Assessment Report. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee. (ISBN 0 642 27429 0 1).
  20. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1998 Comprehensive Regional Assessment: Central Highlands. Minerals Assessment. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee. (ISBN 0 642 27430 4).
  21. Bureau of Resource Sciences and NSW Department of Mineral Resources 1998, Eden Comprehensive Resource Assessment : Mineral Resource Assessment, New South Wales Resource and Conservation Division, Department of Urban Affairs and Planning in conjunction with Forests Taskforce, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Canberra and Sydney (ISBN 0-7313-1575-8).
  22. Commonwealth of Australia and Tasmania, 1996 Tasmania-Commonwealth Regional Forest Agreement. Social & Economic Report Vol VI. Supplementary appendices to Volume III. Background Report Part D. Tasmanian Public Land Use Commission, Hobart. (ISBN No: 0 7246 4429 6)
  23. Commonwealth of Australia and Tasmania, 1996 Tasmania-Commonwealth Regional Forest Agreement. Social & Economic Report Vol III. Background Report Part D. Tasmanian Public Land Use Commission, Hobart. (ISBN No: 0 7246 4422 9).
  24. Bureau of Resource Sciences, Minerals and Petroleum Victoria, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics 1996 - Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee 1999 Chapter, 10 Minerals. In Comprehensive Regional Assessment Report: East Gippsland Resource and Economics Report. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee, Canberra and Melbourne (ISBN No: 0 642 25459 1).
  25. Geoscience Australia, ABARE, and BRS 1996. Lake Eyre Basin: An Economic and Resource Profile of the South Australian Portion. ABARE Research Report 96.1, Canberra.
  26. Geoscience Australia, ABARE, and BRS 1993. Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area. Resource Assessment. Canberra.
  27. Miezitis Y, Bain J.H.C. 1991. Cape York Peninsula : comments on mineral potential and availability of data as at January 1990. Bureau of Mineral Resources Australia Record 1991/74.
  28. Miezitis, Y., 1990. Subjective quantitative assessment of the mineral potential of the Conservation Zone. Report by the Bureau of Mineral Resources to the Resource Assessment Commission Inquiry on the Kakadu Conservation Zone. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
  29. Higgins, N.C., McNaught, I.S., Miezitis, Y. & Solomon, M., 1988. An assessment of the mineral potential of the Helsham Inquiry Area and the adjoining areas containing the 'Hole in the Doughnut' Area, Central Plateau Conservation Area and Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Bureau of Mineral Resources Australia Record 1988/52.
  30. Miezitis, Y. & McNaught, I.S. 1987. Mineral resources and prospectiveness of the proposed world heritage listing of wet tropical rainforest area. Bureau of Mineral Resources Australia Record 1987/53.

Related links

Contact:

minerals@ga.gov.au

Updated: 05 01 2009