December 2006

• New Geoscience Portal released
• Milestone for Australian Tsunami Warning System
• Geoscience Australia holiday shut-down period
• Priority access to Sentinel for emergency services

New Geoscience Portal released

The Chief Government Geologists' Committee has announced a new look Geoscience Portal, a valuable resource to promote the exploration and discovery of minerals in Australia.

The Geoscience Portal gives people and companies interested in mineral exploration in Australia a single point of access to geological and geophysical data, and information about legal requirements for exploration in all Australian jurisdictions.

It provides:

• Links to all Commonwealth, State and Territory geological surveys;
• A download facility for all Australia's geological maps at 1:250,000 scale;
• Airborne geophysical data and digital elevation data downloads from all State and Territory Geological Surveys and Geoscience Australia;
• All mining legislation and reporting guidelines;
• The Australian mines atlas; and
• Current minerals tenements.

Start exploring today!

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Milestone for Australian Tsunami Warning System

The Geoscience Australia Operations Hub of the Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (ATWC) was officially opened on Friday 1 December by Australian Industry Minister, Ian Macfarlane, as part of the Australian Government’s response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The Geoscience Australia Operations Hub of ATWC will detect earthquakes in the region and determine whether they are likely to cause a tsunami by examining the magnitude, location, depth and other seismic characteristics.

This data will be used in conjunction with the Bureau of Meteorology's tide gauge data, and the two agencies will work together to determine whether a tsunami warning should be issued.

"In opening this Operations Hub, I hope it never has to function in the face of a catastrophe on the scale of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 26 December 2004. This Operations Hub is a step towards increasing Australia’s capability to respond effectively in the face of another natural disaster," Mr Macfarlane said.

The Australian Tsunami Warning Centre will run 24/7 operations, monitoring around 39 Australian seismic stations and around 70 overseas stations at any time. The Centre will then share its information with other countries in the region.

"Centres like this are being built around the world, and it's important that we work together to reduce the number of casualties from any other tsunami that might occur in the future," said Minister Macfarlane.

The Australian Tsunami Warning Centre is part of the Australian Tsunami Warning System: a collaborative project involving Geoscience Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology, Emergency Management Australia, and AusAID. The program is coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

• Link to Minister's media release

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Geoscience Australia holiday shut-down period

Geoscience Australia will close down for the holiday period at 12:00pm Friday 22 December 2006, and re-open on Wednesday 3 January 2007.

During this period all general access areas will be closed to the public. This includes the Sales Centre, the Library, the Geoscience Education Centre and the Foyer.

Geoscience Australia would like to wish everyone a safe and happy festive season.

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Priority access to Sentinel for emergency services

Due to the demand on Sentinel by emergency services, particularly those involved with the bushfires in Victoria, priority access is being made available to them. This may result in slower access to the service for other users. We apologise for any inconvenience.

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