Next week, IM will report extensively on the CSIRO’s Minerals Down Under Flagship research. We begin today with exploration. Australia’s share of global mineral exploration spending has decreased from 20% in 1996 to 13% in 2009 (up from 11.9% in 2007) and there has been a corresponding drop in new discoveries. CSIRO is working to reverse this trend and assist the mineral exploration sector to find new minerals to replace those we have already mined. AuScope Grid consortium – Mineral explorers have found it difficult to access and manipulate publicly available geological data held in different databases around Australia. AuScope through the Minerals Down Under Flagship and partners have developed the AuScope Grid to seamlessly share geoscience data. Technologies developed by AuScope as part of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy are now being deployed beyond the Earth Sciences through a new study collaboratively funded via the Australian National data Service which will deploy groundwater and environmental data sets through the web. Integration of these data sets with more traditional geological data promises to unlock new value from these traditionally disparate data sets.

Towards a mineral map of the Australian continent – One of the Flagship’s longer-term goals is to develop a new suite of publicly available 2D and 3D mineral maps of the Australian continent that can enhance not just exploration effort across Australia, but also other applications such as soil mapping for agriculture and water catchment modelling. This goal is now achievable because of the emergence of a new suite of satellite, airborne and drill core logging hyperspectral technologies and related geoscience information processing and delivery systems.

Northeast Yilgarn hydrogeochemical mapping project – This MERIWA-supported project is investigating if large mineral systems can be seen at 5-8 km sample spacing – and through cover – in the groundwater chemistry. It also provides geochemical background data and crucial information on water quality for human and livestock consumption. The data show significant trends relating gold and uranium to major ore systems and is also delineating other areas that may have mineralisation that are currently under-explored.

HyLoggers delivered to State Surveys – As part of the AuScope National Virtual Core Library project activity, CSIRO has delivered six HyLogger hyperspectral core logging systems to the State and Northern Territory Geological Surveys. A seventh instrument will be leased to the Geological Survey of Victoria. unprecedented rate to provide new perspectives on the 3D structure of ore systems with implications for exploration, mining and processing.

For more details on any of these: Jonathan Law, +61 3 9545 8764, [email protected]