December 2014

A monthly online newsletter with product news, data releases and project highlights relating to the minerals and energy exploration industries.

1. Release of new geochronology results from New South Wales
2. Indian geoscientists share minerals expertise with Australian colleagues
3. Uncovering the mineral systems potential of the Stavely Region, western Victoria
4. Update on geophysical data releases
5. About Minerals Alert

1. Release of new geochronology results from New South Wales

Two major new geochronology reports have been released in the past month by Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of New South Wales, NSW.

GA Record 2014/52 by Chisholm et al., reports SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age results from 35 samples from the New England Orogen, NSW.

GA Record 2014/53 by Fraser et al., reports SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age results from 27 samples from the northern Lachlan and southern Thomson orogens, NSW.

This work was conducted under the auspices of a National Collaboration Framework agreement between Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of New South Wales. Zircon ages were acquired using Geoscience Australia's in-house Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP), and provide new constraints on the timing of magmatic events and on the provenance and depositional ages of sedimentary rocks. The new data improve the temporal framework for understanding the relationships between magmatism, sedimentary deposition and mineralising events across large parts of NSW.

Geochronology data used in the reports are available for download via the Geochron Delivery system. For further information on geochronology at Geoscience Australia, please email geochronology@ga.gov.au.

2. Indian geoscientists share minerals expertise with Australian colleagues

Geoscience Australia recently hosted three geoscientists from the Geological Survey of India, creating an opportunity for collaboration on several cutting-edge research projects that are helping to unlock the mineral potential of eastern Australia.

The visiting scientists were particularly impressed with projects being undertaken under the Australian Government National Mineral Exploration Strategy's UNCOVER initiative, aimed at attracting mineral exploration investment with the potential to lead to the discovery of new mineral resources. Two regional geology and drilling projects are currently being led by Geoscience Australia in the Southern Thomson Orogen, which stretches along the border between New South Wales and Queensland; and the Stavely region in Western Victoria.

Read more in the Geoscience Australia Highlights article.

3. Uncovering the mineral systems potential of the Stavely Region, western Victoria

A collaborative minerals project being undertaken in the Stavely region of western Victoria is helping to reduce exploration risk for explorers by improving understanding of the subsurface geology and its potential for mineral systems.

This project forms part of the broader UNCOVER initiative, which seeks to address the challenges of 'greenfield' exploration in under-cover areas in Australia through the provision of pre-competitive fundamental geoscience data and concepts. There are particular technical challenges associated with greenfield exploration, mainly related to the greater depths that may be necessary to explore in order to make discoveries.

Read the Geoscience Australia Insights article for an update on this project.

4. Update on geophysical data releases

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

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

5. About Minerals Alert

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