A monthly online newsletter with product news, data releases and projects relating to the minerals and energy exploration industry.

1. A Review of Australian Salt Lakes and Assessment of their Potential for Strategic Resources
2. New Airborne Gravity Data posted on the Kauring Geophysical Test Site webpage
3. Update on geophysical data releases
4. About Minerals Alert

1. A Review of Australian Salt Lakes and Assessment of their Potential for Strategic Resources

A Review of Australian Salt Lakes and Assessment of their Potential for Strategic Resources report (Geoscience Australia Record 2013/39) has been released. The report contains a comprehensive review of the publicly available knowledge of Australian salt lakes and an assessment of 1200 Australian lakes for the economic recovery of lithium, boron, potash and other commodities. The report is accompanied by GIS datasets and four A0 maps which detail regions that, based on a mineral systems analysis, have the highest potential for these strategic commodities. The maps also highlight new greenfields areas which may be favourable for the production of these commodities.

The Geoscience Australia Record entitled A Review of Australian Salt Lakes and Assessment of their Potential for Strategic Resources and associated GIS datasets and maps are available for free download.

2. New Airborne Gravity Data posted on the Kauring Geophysical Test Site webpage

Airborne gravity data from a major geophysical contractor have been posted on the Kauring Airborne Gravity Test Site webpage. The data were acquired by Sanders Geophysics Limited AirGrav system during February and March 2012 along 200 metre spaced north-south flight lines. The test site lines were flown to assist analysis of a larger AirGrav survey over the Gippsland region of Victoria. That survey was funded by the Australian Government's Clean Energy Initiative to map possible carbon capture and storage sites. The test site data will allow geoscientists to assess the technical performance of the AirGrav system against other high quality data in a controlled environment.

The Kauring test site, which is 115 kilometres east of Perth in Western Australia, was established in 2010 to support the development of airborne gravity and airborne gravity-gradiometry systems by providing a standard test-range where instrument builders could compare results against other systems and against detailed ground gravity. The Kauring website contains information about flight protocols for the site and links to geophysical and other datasets acquired at Kauring, as well as useful references for airborne gravity and airborne gravity-gradiometry systems.

The new data are available via the Kauring Airborne Gravity Test Site.

Information about the Gippsland survey is available from the Victorian Government's Energy and Earth Resources.

3. Update on geophysical data releases

Geoscience Australia is managing the geophysical data acquisition programs in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

The current status of Geoscience Australia's geophysical survey data acquisition is available in a comprehensive table.

Minerals Alert Geophysical Surveys Table - survey boundary polygons in MapInfo TAB format.

4. About Minerals Alert

For more information, please email clientservices@ga.gov.au; or phone 1800 800 173.