April 2005

• New coral reefs identified in Gulf of Carpentaria
• Gold for Geoscience Australia
• Tasmania's Exploration Extravaganza Week
• 513 maps: one product

New coral reefs identified in Gulf of Carpentaria

A previously unidentified major coral reef province in the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria is the highlight of a three-week marine science survey, jointly funded by Geoscience Australia and the National Oceans Office (Department of Environment and Heritage), and with support from the CSIRO.

"This discovery makes the Gulf of Carpentaria an important modern coral reef region of Australia, encompassing as many as 50 small coral patch reefs, 1 to 10 km in diameter, plus an elongate platform coral reef that is around 100 km in length extending westwards from Mornington Island," said voyage leader Dr Peter Harris. "The thickness and wide distribution of the reefs point to a long history of reef growth extending possibly over the past 100,000 years or more."

"The first hint of the reefs' existence was recognised during a survey carried out two years ago by Geoscience Australia, when three patch reefs, 1 to 10 km across, were discovered northeast of Mornington Island," said Dr Harris.

The exciting results from this survey will provide valuable information needed by environmental and marine resource managers.

The $900,000 survey, led by Geoscience Australia, was the second leg of an 80 day marine science voyage being conducted in northern Australian marine waters on board the Australian Government's National Facility ocean research vessel, the Southern Surveyor. The survey used a sophisticated sonar seabed mapping system and an underwater corer to investigate the reefs. This research forms a critical part of Geoscience Australia's Seabed Mapping and Characterisation Project.

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Gold for Geoscience Australia

At the opening ceremony of the 2005 Annual Conference of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) in Perth on 11 April, Dr Trevor Powell, Geoscience Australia’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief of Spatial Sciences, received APPEA's most prestigious award - the Lewis G. Weeks Gold Medal.

The medal commemorates the work of Dr Lewis G Weeks, the legendary geologist who played a central role in discovering the Bass Strait oil province. The medal is awarded annually to someone who has "made an outstanding contribution to the art, science and practice of petroleum exploration which in turn has materially encouraged or stimulated the climate for exploring for and producing oil and gas in Australia."

Trevor's award recognises his important contribution to Australia's upstream petroleum industry through his world class organic geochemical research, his contributions to Australian Government policy relating to petroleum exploration, and his development and leadership of the major Government program providing pre-competitive geoscience information to the industry.

"This award is a highlight in a career of highlights," said Geoscience Australia CEO, Dr Neil Williams. "It recognises the outstanding contribution Trevor has made to the development of the Australian petroleum industry."

"Another hallmark of Trevor's career has been his modesty, and this was again evidenced by his acceptance speech when he reflected not only on his work, but also the great work of his colleagues in BMR, AGSO, and Geoscience Australia."

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Tasmania's Exploration Extravaganza Week

Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with Mineral Resources Tasmania and the Tasmanian Minerals Council are holding Tasmania's Exploration Extravaganza week from 22 - 27 May 2005. The week comprises a four day excursion and one day seminar on Tasmanian Palaeozoic Granites, Mineralisation and Mineral Potential, as well as a one day Exploration Conference. Attendees can register for any or all of the three events as follows:

• Sunday 22 to Wednesday 25 May 2005: A field excursion visiting some of the most important sites for Devonian granites and granite-related mineralisation in Northern Tasmania.
• Thursday 26 May: Seminar on the Metallogenesis of Tasmanian granites. This will be held at the Mineral Resources Tasmania Offices in Rosny Park and will feature speakers from Mineral Resources Tasmania, Geoscience Australia, Centre for Ore Deposit and Exploration Studies, industry and consultants.
• Friday 27 May: The Tasmanian Minerals Council will host their annual Exploration Conference at The Old Woolstore Hobart. Attendees will be given an insight into the companies which are actively exploring in Tasmania - greenfields and brownfields.

Further details are available on the downloadable brochure:
Tasmania's Exploration Extravaganza details [PDF 274Kb]

For more information please contact:
Geoscience Australia: David Champion, phone - 02 6249 9215
Mineral Resources Tasmania: Marcus McClenaghan, phone - 03 6233 8379
Tasmanian Mineral Council: Jennifer Phillips, phone - 03 6223 8600

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513 maps: one product

The 2005 versions of Geoscience Australia's NATMAP Raster and NATMAP Raster Premium are now available.

NATMAP Raster 2005 showpieces the 1:250 000 scale topographic mapping program covering Australia, complementing GEODATA TOPO–250K Series 2, Geoscience Australia’s fundamental topographic spatial database.

Since its first release in 2000, NATMAP Raster digital maps of Australia has become one of Geoscience Australia’s most popular products. The 2005 release offers the perfect combination of 1:250 000 scale topographic map content and reliability for both home and work use.

This year's versions combine the data from NATMAP Raster Mosaic 2003, and NATMAP Raster Mapsheets 2003 into one package, for only $99 (NATMAP Raster on four CDs). This includes all current five hundred and thirteen 1:250 000 scale topographic NATMAPs. The maps are provided individually, and as a continuous map of Australia. 1:1 000 000 and 1:5 000  000 scale maps of Australia, and the 2002 Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) Landsat Satellite Mosaic of Australia at 50 metre resolution are also included.

NATMAP Raster Premium, on two DVDs ($119), includes the same map content as NATMAP Raster 2005, but with enhanced image quality by using less image compression. Instead of the five hundred and thirteen individual maps, eight UTM zone mosaics are provided in MGA94. Raster Premium also includes a 25 metre resolution AGO Landsat Satellite Mosaic of Australia.

NATMAP Raster and Raster Premium 2005 Releases are available from the Geoscience Australia Sales Centre and NATMAP retailers located in every State and Territory.

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