Exploring for the future in Australia: characterizing and assessing the lithosphere for resource discovery

Karol Czarnota; John Willford; Dale Roberts; Roger Skirrow; David Huston; Evgeniy Bastrakov; Alan Yusen Ley-Cooper; Ross Stuart Brodie; Songfa Liu; Alastair Stewart; MarieAude Bonnardot; David C Champion; Tanya Fomin; Michael Doublier; Paul Henson; Jingming Duan; Alexei Gorbatov; Mark J Hoggard; Fred Richards; Stuart D Walsh; Stephen Northey; Anthony Schofield; Geoff Fraser; Richard Blewett; James Murr

Exploring for the future in Australia: characterizing and assessing the lithosphere for resource discovery

Karol Czarnota, John Willford, Dale Roberts, Roger Skirrow, David Huston, Evgeniy Bastrakov, Alan Yusen Ley-Cooper, Ross Stuart Brodie, Songfa Liu, Alastair Stewart, MarieAude Bonnardot, David C Champion, Tanya Fomin, Michael Doublier, Paul Henson, Jingming Duan, Alexei Gorbatov, Mark J Hoggard, Fred Richards, Stuart D WalshStephen Northey, Anthony Schofield, Geoff Fraser, Richard Blewett, James Murr

Civil Engineering

Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract

Abstract

Across much of the world the outcrop search space for resource exploration is all but exhausted thus the frontier lies undercover. To unlock this new search space the Australian Government initiated the $AU100 M Exploring for the Future program (2016-2020) focused on establishing an integrated resource prospectus over northern Australia for minerals, energy and groundwater. Here we showcase key advances by Geoscience Australia and collaborators from academia as well as State and Territory geological surveys in semi-continental characterization of the lithosphere from the surface down to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. New insights into geological architecture, Earth processes and contained mineral systems include: enhanced surface mineral maps using 30 years of Landsat data; establishment of spatially variable soil geochemistry baselines and anomaly detection using machine learning; semi-continental scale imaging of near surface geology utilizing the world’s largest airborne electromagnetic survey; world leading continental gravity, magnetics and radiometric datasets; systematic mapping to and of subsurface geology along four mega-sequence boundaries; identification of new crustal boundaries and ore controls using isotopes (Nd, Hf, Pb, U-Pb, Ar); discovery of new basins using onshore deep reflection seismic profiles; and mapping metasomatised mantle with ~50 km spaced long-period magnetotellurics (AusLAMP) and passive seismic (AusArray). All this data is integrated within a mineral systems framework to predict mineral potential undercover, often reducing the search space by 70%–90%. In addition the viability of resource development in remote Australia are modelled to further de-risk exploration by taking into account mining costs given the spatial distribution of cover-thickness, energy and transport infrastructure. This unprecedented program is resulting in one of the best-characterized pieces of lithosphere on Earth with clear implications for new resource discovery.

Original language	English
Number of pages	1
Publication status	Published - 2019
Event	Fall Meeting of the American-Geophysical-Union 2019 - San Francisco, United States of America Duration: 9 Dec 2019 → 13 Dec 2019 https://www.agu.org/fall-meeting

Conference

Conference	Fall Meeting of the American-Geophysical-Union 2019
Abbreviated title	AGU 2019
Country/Territory	United States of America
City	San Francisco
Period	9/12/19 → 13/12/19
Internet address	https://www.agu.org/fall-meeting

Cite this

Czarnota, K., Willford, J., Roberts, D., Skirrow, R., Huston, D., Bastrakov, E., Ley-Cooper, A. Y., Brodie, R. S., Liu, S., Stewart, A., Bonnardot, M., Champion, D. C., Fomin, T., Doublier, M., Henson, P., Duan, J., Gorbatov, A., Hoggard, M. J., Richards, F., ... Murr, J. (2019). Exploring for the future in Australia: characterizing and assessing the lithosphere for resource discovery. Abstract from Fall Meeting of the American-Geophysical-Union 2019, San Francisco, California, United States of America.

@conference{dde9e261d3d24d36a228419797eef6cf,

title = "Exploring for the future in Australia: characterizing and assessing the lithosphere for resource discovery",

abstract = "Across much of the world the outcrop search space for resource exploration is all but exhausted thus the frontier lies undercover. To unlock this new search space the Australian Government initiated the $AU100 M Exploring for the Future program (2016-2020) focused on establishing an integrated resource prospectus over northern Australia for minerals, energy and groundwater. Here we showcase key advances by Geoscience Australia and collaborators from academia as well as State and Territory geological surveys in semi-continental characterization of the lithosphere from the surface down to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. New insights into geological architecture, Earth processes and contained mineral systems include: enhanced surface mineral maps using 30 years of Landsat data; establishment of spatially variable soil geochemistry baselines and anomaly detection using machine learning; semi-continental scale imaging of near surface geology utilizing the world{\textquoteright}s largest airborne electromagnetic survey; world leading continental gravity, magnetics and radiometric datasets; systematic mapping to and of subsurface geology along four mega-sequence boundaries; identification of new crustal boundaries and ore controls using isotopes (Nd, Hf, Pb, U-Pb, Ar); discovery of new basins using onshore deep reflection seismic profiles; and mapping metasomatised mantle with ~50 km spaced long-period magnetotellurics (AusLAMP) and passive seismic (AusArray). All this data is integrated within a mineral systems framework to predict mineral potential undercover, often reducing the search space by 70%–90%. In addition the viability of resource development in remote Australia are modelled to further de-risk exploration by taking into account mining costs given the spatial distribution of cover-thickness, energy and transport infrastructure. This unprecedented program is resulting in one of the best-characterized pieces of lithosphere on Earth with clear implications for new resource discovery.",

author = "Karol Czarnota and John Willford and Dale Roberts and Roger Skirrow and David Huston and Evgeniy Bastrakov and Ley-Cooper, {Alan Yusen} and Brodie, {Ross Stuart} and Songfa Liu and Alastair Stewart and MarieAude Bonnardot and Champion, {David C} and Tanya Fomin and Michael Doublier and Paul Henson and Jingming Duan and Alexei Gorbatov and Hoggard, {Mark J} and Fred Richards and Walsh, {Stuart D} and Stephen Northey and Anthony Schofield and Geoff Fraser and Richard Blewett and James Murr",

year = "2019",

language = "English",

note = "Fall Meeting of the American-Geophysical-Union 2019, AGU 2019 ; Conference date: 09-12-2019 Through 13-12-2019",

url = "https://www.agu.org/fall-meeting",

}

Czarnota, K, Willford, J, Roberts, D, Skirrow, R, Huston, D, Bastrakov, E, Ley-Cooper, AY, Brodie, RS, Liu, S, Stewart, A, Bonnardot, M, Champion, DC, Fomin, T, Doublier, M, Henson, P, Duan, J, Gorbatov, A, Hoggard, MJ, Richards, F, Walsh, SD, Northey, S, Schofield, A, Fraser, G, Blewett, R & Murr, J 2019, 'Exploring for the future in Australia: characterizing and assessing the lithosphere for resource discovery', Fall Meeting of the American-Geophysical-Union 2019, San Francisco, United States of America, 9/12/19 - 13/12/19.

TY - CONF

T1 - Exploring for the future in Australia

T2 - Fall Meeting of the American-Geophysical-Union 2019

AU - Czarnota, Karol

AU - Willford, John

AU - Roberts, Dale

AU - Skirrow, Roger

AU - Huston, David

AU - Bastrakov, Evgeniy

AU - Ley-Cooper, Alan Yusen

AU - Brodie, Ross Stuart

AU - Liu, Songfa

AU - Stewart, Alastair

AU - Bonnardot, MarieAude

AU - Champion, David C

AU - Fomin, Tanya

AU - Doublier, Michael

AU - Henson, Paul

AU - Duan, Jingming

AU - Gorbatov, Alexei

AU - Hoggard, Mark J

AU - Richards, Fred

AU - Walsh, Stuart D

AU - Northey, Stephen

AU - Schofield, Anthony

AU - Fraser, Geoff

AU - Blewett, Richard

AU - Murr, James

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Across much of the world the outcrop search space for resource exploration is all but exhausted thus the frontier lies undercover. To unlock this new search space the Australian Government initiated the $AU100 M Exploring for the Future program (2016-2020) focused on establishing an integrated resource prospectus over northern Australia for minerals, energy and groundwater. Here we showcase key advances by Geoscience Australia and collaborators from academia as well as State and Territory geological surveys in semi-continental characterization of the lithosphere from the surface down to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. New insights into geological architecture, Earth processes and contained mineral systems include: enhanced surface mineral maps using 30 years of Landsat data; establishment of spatially variable soil geochemistry baselines and anomaly detection using machine learning; semi-continental scale imaging of near surface geology utilizing the world’s largest airborne electromagnetic survey; world leading continental gravity, magnetics and radiometric datasets; systematic mapping to and of subsurface geology along four mega-sequence boundaries; identification of new crustal boundaries and ore controls using isotopes (Nd, Hf, Pb, U-Pb, Ar); discovery of new basins using onshore deep reflection seismic profiles; and mapping metasomatised mantle with ~50 km spaced long-period magnetotellurics (AusLAMP) and passive seismic (AusArray). All this data is integrated within a mineral systems framework to predict mineral potential undercover, often reducing the search space by 70%–90%. In addition the viability of resource development in remote Australia are modelled to further de-risk exploration by taking into account mining costs given the spatial distribution of cover-thickness, energy and transport infrastructure. This unprecedented program is resulting in one of the best-characterized pieces of lithosphere on Earth with clear implications for new resource discovery.

AB - Across much of the world the outcrop search space for resource exploration is all but exhausted thus the frontier lies undercover. To unlock this new search space the Australian Government initiated the $AU100 M Exploring for the Future program (2016-2020) focused on establishing an integrated resource prospectus over northern Australia for minerals, energy and groundwater. Here we showcase key advances by Geoscience Australia and collaborators from academia as well as State and Territory geological surveys in semi-continental characterization of the lithosphere from the surface down to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. New insights into geological architecture, Earth processes and contained mineral systems include: enhanced surface mineral maps using 30 years of Landsat data; establishment of spatially variable soil geochemistry baselines and anomaly detection using machine learning; semi-continental scale imaging of near surface geology utilizing the world’s largest airborne electromagnetic survey; world leading continental gravity, magnetics and radiometric datasets; systematic mapping to and of subsurface geology along four mega-sequence boundaries; identification of new crustal boundaries and ore controls using isotopes (Nd, Hf, Pb, U-Pb, Ar); discovery of new basins using onshore deep reflection seismic profiles; and mapping metasomatised mantle with ~50 km spaced long-period magnetotellurics (AusLAMP) and passive seismic (AusArray). All this data is integrated within a mineral systems framework to predict mineral potential undercover, often reducing the search space by 70%–90%. In addition the viability of resource development in remote Australia are modelled to further de-risk exploration by taking into account mining costs given the spatial distribution of cover-thickness, energy and transport infrastructure. This unprecedented program is resulting in one of the best-characterized pieces of lithosphere on Earth with clear implications for new resource discovery.

M3 - Abstract

Y2 - 9 December 2019 through 13 December 2019

ER -