June 2017

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

1. AEM Survey data
2. Release of Pb isotope map of eastern Australia
3. Updated raw and processed onshore reflection seismic data packages now available
4. Cloncurry (Queensland) Magnetotelluric Survey Data Release Report
5. Exploring for the Future: inspiring the next discoveries.
6. Update on geophysical data release
7. About Minerals Alert

1. AEM Survey data

Geoscience Australia has publically released four AEM surveys, outlined below. Free download and full information about the AEM surveys and links to the data are available via the Geoscience Australia website.

1.1 2016 East Isa VTEM¿Plus AEM Survey

The East Isa VTEM¿Plus airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey was funded under the Queensland Government's Future Resources (Mount Isa Geophysics) Initiative and managed by Geoscience Australia on behalf of the Geological Survey of Queensland. The project aims to attract explorers into 'greenfield' terranes and contribute to the discovery of the next generation of major mineral and energy deposits under shallow sedimentary cover. The East Isa survey area consists of 15,697 line-kilometres of time-domain airborne electromagnetic (AEM) geophysical data acquired in the East Isa region of Queensland. The traverse lines were spaced at 2km and 2.5km flown in an east-west direction with three tie lines flown in a north-south direction. The data were collected from June to November 2016 by Geotech Airborne Pty Ltd.

The contractor-delivered data for the 2016 East Isa AEM VTEM¿PLUS survey is available for free download from the Geoscience Australia's website.

1.2 2016 Lawn Hill VTEM¿Plus AEM Survey

The 2016 Lawn Hill VTEM¿Plus AEM survey was an extension to the 2016 East Isa VTEM¿Plus Survey funded under the Queensland Government's Future Resources (Mount Isa Geophysics) Initiative which aims to attract explorers into 'greenfield' terranes and contribute to the discovery of the next generation of major mineral and energy deposits under shallow sedimentary cover. The survey covers an area of covers an area of 3215 km2. The survey area consists of 1658 line km of time-domain AEM geophysical data acquired in traverse lines with a spacing of 2000 m, flown in a northwest-southeast direction collected from 22 November 2016 to 4 December 2016.

The contractor-delivered data for the 2016 Lawn Hill AEM VTEM¿PLUS survey is available for free download from the Geoscience Australia's website.

1.3 2016 Southern Thomson Orogen Project VTEM¿Plus AEM Survey

The Southern Thomson Orogen Project is a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia and its State partners; the Geological Survey of Queensland and the Geological Survey of New South Wales. The Project includes joint investigations into the nature of cover, under-cover geology and mineral potential of this poorly understood, greenfields region straddling the New South Wales-Queensland border north of Bourke, NSW. Phase 2 was collected in May and June of 2016. The survey area consists of 2424 line km of time-domain AEM geophysical data acquired in five survey blocks. The majority of traverse lines were flown in an east-west direction and spaced at 5000 m.

The contractor-delivered data for the 2016 Southern Thomson AEM VTEM¿PLUS survey is available for free download from the Geoscience Australia's website.

1.4 2016 TEMPEST® Musgrave Province AEM Survey

The TEMPEST® Musgrave Province AEM 2016 Survey was funded by the Government of South Australia, as part of the Plan for Accelerating Exploration (PACE) Initiative, through the Department of State Development, (DSD). The survey was managed by Geoscience Australia. The principal objective of this project was to capture a baseline geoscientific dataset to provide further information on the geological context and groundwater resource potential, of the central part of the South Australian Musgrave Province. The survey consists of 8595 line kilometres of time-domain (AEM) geophysical data acquired over part of the Musgrave Province in South Australia. This product release also includes electrical conductivity depth images derived from the dataset, and the survey operations and processing report. The flight lines were spaced at 2 km in a north-south direction, and were collected from August to September 2016 by CGG Aviation (Australia) Pty Ltd.

The contractor-delivered data for the TEMPEST® Musgrave Province AEM 2016 survey is available for free download from the Geoscience Australia's website.

For further information, email clientservices@ga.gov.au or phone 1800 800 173.

2. Release of Pb isotope map of eastern Australia

Following the successful release of a national scale map of Nd depleted mantle model ages, Geoscience Australia has released a record that documents the  distribution of lead isotopes (and derived parameters) in eastern Australia. This release, which involved collaboration with the Geological Surveys of all eastern states, CSIRO, James Cook University, the University of Tasmania and industry, is the first instalment of a series of releases that will map variations in Pb isotopes across the nation. Like Nd, the Pb isotope data maps many important metallogenic features of eastern Australia, including the Macquarie copper province and the Wagga-Omeo tin province, as well as several major crustal boundaries. Moreover, the data appear to contrast the interaction of the subducting proto-Pacific and over-riding proto-Australia that occurred during peri-continental subduction along the Gondwanan margin. The release includes Geoscience Australia Record 2017/009 and a digital compilation of Pb isotope data from eastern Australia.

For further information, email clientservices@ga.gov.au or phone 1800 800 173.

3. Updated raw and processed onshore reflection seismic data packages now available

Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the State and Territory Geological Surveys, National Research Facility for Earth Sounding (ANSIR), AuScope Earth Imaging, Universities and other industry and research partners manages deep crustal seismic reflection data acquisition, processing and delivery of these data to the geoscience community and public. Since the 1970's Geoscience Australia has acquired over 20,000km of deep crustal seismic reflection data and numerous 2D refraction profiles. Legacy and recent processed data packages including seismic images, SEGY files and reports can be reviewed and are available for free download from the Geoscience Australia website. Datasets available can also be viewed in a GIS environment using the web map service or downloaded as an ArcGIS layer here.

Recently Geoscience Australia has embarked on a project to review, and where possible update, available vibroseis seismic data packages from 1999 to present. Updates include:

• Adding in any data or images not previously available;
• Removing bias on easting and northing in SEGY files which were necessary under legacy 8-bit processing systems;
• Populating SEGY file headers with location information in bytes 73-76 and 77-80. This means data can now be loaded directly into modern software viewing or interpretation packages without having to make changes.

In addition to the processed data packages, Geoscience Australia has also updated and made readily available raw data packages which include raw shot gathers in SEGY/SEGD formats, ancillary data and reports. These data are available at a nominal fee from clientservices@ga.gov.au.

Geoscience  Australia is continuing to review and update its onshore reflection seismic  datasets and later in the year aims to have raw and processed explosives source data from 1978-1999 updated and available.

For further information on this project please contact us at onshore.seismic@ga.gov.au

For further information, email clientservices@ga.gov.au or phone 1800 800 173.

4. Cloncurry (Queensland) Magnetotelluric Survey Data Release Report

Cloncurry (Qld) Magnetotelluric Survey Data Release Report (Wang, L., Duan, J., Kemp, T.)

Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of Queensland conducted the Cloncurry Magnetotelluric (MT) survey. MT data (0.001 s to 1000 s in period) at 476 sites with a grid spacing of 2km were acquired over an approximate 40 km x 60 km area in the Cloncurry region from July to November 2016. The survey area covers the eastern margin of the Mount Isa Block situated to the west of the Eromanga Basin.

For further information, email clientservices@ga.gov.au or phone 1800 800 173.

5. Exploring for the Future: inspiring the next discoveries.

Geoscience Australia will be displaying some of its minerals-related research and pre-competitive activities at the AMEC conference 7-8 June in Perth. If you are attending then visit our interactive booth and attend the talk entitled "Exploring for the Future: inspiring the next discoveries".

For further information, email clientservices@ga.gov.au or phone 1800 800 173.

6. Update on geophysical data release

Geoscience Australia is managing the geophysical data acquisition programs in Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory on behalf of the state/territory geological surveys

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

For further information, email clientservices@ga.gov.au or phone 1800 800 173.

7. About Minerals Alert

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