Minerals Alert September 2016

September 2016

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

  1. Updated gravity datasets
  2. Update on geophysical data release
  3. About Minerals Alert

1. Updated gravity datasets

Australia now has a full suite of new gravity grids at the national scale, being the first publically released since 2011. The new gravity data adds to the arsenal of products available from Geoscience Australia for exploration purposes.

In the last seven years, over 400,000 gravity observations obtained by Commonwealth, State and Territory governments have been added to Geoscience Australia's database. The availability of gravity data such as the new grids creates a significant efficiency improvement for explorers in Australia and abroad which helps to stimulate exploration activity.

The new datasets are generated from data stored in the Australian National Gravity Database; and include the Bouguer Gravity Anomaly Grid, Complete Bouguer Gravity Anomaly Grid and the Isostatic Residual Gravity Anomaly Grid. The Bouguer Gravity Anomaly grid shows the difference between the expected gravity response from a uniform Earth and the measured local gravity, taking into account elevation and crustal density. The Complete Bouguer Gravity Anomaly Grid has had a terrain correction applied which removes the gravity effect of nearby topography variation. The Isostatic Residual Gravity Anomaly Grid has assumed the Airy model of isostasy and removed the gravity contribution from a varying thickness of crust. The result is a map which reveals more clearly the density distributions of geological interest within the upper crust.

Minerals and energy explorers can obtain these datasets online for free via the Geophysical Archive Data Delivery System, as well as importing directly to GIS software through web map services. More information.

2. 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.

3. About Minerals Alert

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