Extended abstract version of short abstract accepted for conference presentation GEOCAT# 73701

Australia's mineral resources are an important component of its wealth, and a long term perspective of what is likely to be available for mining is a prerequisite for formulating sound policies on resources and land-access. The national resource stocks are quantified in the annual online publication: Australia's Identified Mineral Resources: http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/aimr/index.jsp. This provides Geoscience Australia's assessments using its national mineral resource classification system, which is based on the McKelvey resource classification system used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It defines known mineral resources according to two parameters: degree of geological assurance and degree of economic feasibility of exploitation. Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange are required to report publicly on Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources under their control, using the Joint Ore Reserves Committee Code (JORC; see http://www.jorc.org/). This system is compatible with the national system. Data reported for individual deposits by mining companies generally provide a short term commercial perspective. They are compiled in Geoscience Australia's national mineral resources database and used in the preparation of the annual national assessments of Australia's mineral resources. This involves aggregating JORC categories from company reports into larger categories in the national system.

This publication is the sucessor to Oil and Gas Resources 2000 and continues as the definitive reference on exploration, development and production of Australia's petroleum resources. It covers exploration, reserves, undiscovered resources, development, production and supporting information and statistics. It includes a forecast of Australia's crude oil and condensate production from 2001 to 2015, and sustainability indicators for petroleum resources. Information on Australia's petroleum data availability is also included. A revised estimate of Australia's undiscovered resources is included. The Appendices describe wells drilled and seismic surveys carried out in 2001. There is also a chronological listing of offshore and onshore oil and gas discoveries to 2001, listings of all petroleum platforms and pipelines, and a map showing all Australian petroleum exploration and development titles, with a key of title holders and interests as at March 2001. OGRA 2001 provides the background for much of the advice on petroleum resources given to the Australian government and is a key source for petroleum exploration, production and service companies, petroleum engineers and geologists, energy analysts, stockbrokers and share investors.

This publication is the successor to Oil and Gas Resources of Australia 2002 and continues as the definitive reference on exploration, development and production of Australia's petroleum resources. It covers exploration, reserves, opportunity for growth of oil and gas resources, development, coalbed methane resources, production, crude oil and shale oil and supporting information and statistics. It includes a forecast of Australia's crude oil and condensate production from 2004 to 2025, and sustainability indicators for petroleum resources. Information on Australia's petroleum data availability is also included and an estimate of Australia's undiscovered oil and gas potential and a review of developments in geological sequestration of carbon dioxide. The Appendices describe wells drilled and seismic surveys carried out in 2003. There is also a chronological listing of offshore and onshore oil and gas discoveries to 2003 listings of all petroleum platforms and pipelines, and a map showing all Australian petroleum exploration and development titles, with a key of title holders and interests as at March 2004. OGRA 2003 provides the background for much of the advice on petroleum resources given to the Australian government and is a key source for petroleum exploration, production and service companies, petroleum engineers and geologists, energy analysts, stockbrokers and share investors.

This publication is the successor to Oil and Gas Resources of Australia 2001 and continues as the definitive reference on exploration, development and production of Australia's petroleum resources. OGRA 2002 provides the background for much of the advice on petroleum resources given to the Australian Government.

Map shows lead and zinc resources of Australia.

The biological data used in this study was collected by Museum Victoria in an extensive survey of the fauna of Bass Strait between 1979 and 1983. Additional sediment sampling and swath mapping of parts of Bass Strait were undertaken on GA Survey 226 and Australian Hydrographic Office Survey HI339, in which Geoscience Australia personnel participated (GA Survey 233). Survey HI339 also collected underwater video footage. Biological material from a range of taxonomic groups was identified as a basis for identification and analysis of biological communities. The results indicate that Bass Strait supports a particularly diverse fauna. A high degree of small-scale variation occurs, with even adjacent samples having low similarity. Video footage from sites to the east of Bass Strait corroborates the high degree of faunal diversity over small spatial scales. Analysis of physical variables, derived from data collected on the original survey and supplemented by more recent data, show that longitude and depth are important factors in explaining the biological diversity. Despite this, overall correlation of faunal composition with physical factors is poor, indicating that other environmental variables influence the composition of benthic assemblages, and that different groups of species react to different environmental variables. It is likely that the biota reflect a series of intergrading assemblages rather than a group of discrete and repeatable species associations. Sediment facies identified can be correlated with facies from the Otway margin (Boreen et al., 1993) and those mapped previously in Bass Strait (Jones and Davies, 1983). Analysis of sediments taken from sites previously targeted by Jones and Davies (1983) indicate that sampling technique has had little impact on retention of fines. Rather, the lack of fines is a reflection of the high energy environment of much of Bass Strait. Examination of the composition of sand and gravel fractions indicates that extensive bioerosion acts in concert with physical processes to produce carbonate mud. Biogenic content in sediments shows little correlation with living communities, due in part to the abundance of soft-bodied organisms in the biota, as well as the strong imprint of post-depositional processes on sediments. The biological patterns identified in this study broadly support the divisions of the current Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA Technical Group, 1998) for Bass Strait. However, the biological assemblages are not consistent enough to be mapped. The lack of relationships between biota and sediments over the scale of the study area may reflect the scale of the study area and limitations of the statistical analyses used.

The Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment involves a basin-scale investigation of water resources to fill knowledge gaps about the status of water resources in the basin and the potential impacts of climate change and resource development. This report addresses findings in the Western Eromanga region. Citation: Smerdon BD, Welsh WD and Ransley TR (eds) (2012) Water resource assessment for the Western Eromanga region. A report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Australia

The rare-earth elements (REE) are a group of seventeen speciality metals that have unique and diverse chemical, magnetic, and luminescent properties that make them strategically important in a number of high-technology industries. Consequently, the REE are increasingly becoming more attractive commodity targets for the mineral industry. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the distribution, geological characteristics and resources of Australia's major REE deposits. REE in Australia are associated with igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks in a wide range of geological environments. Elevated concentrations of these elements have been documented in various heavy-mineral sand deposits (beach, dune, marine tidal, and channel), carbonatite intrusions, (per)alkaline igneous rocks, iron-oxide breccia complexes, calc-silicate rocks (skarns), fluorapatite veins, pegmatites, phosphorites, fluviatile sandstones, unconformity-related uranium deposits, and lignites. The distribution and concentration of REE in these deposits are influenced by various rock-forming processes including enrichment in magmatic or hydrothermal fluids, separation into mineral species and precipitation, and subsequent redistribution and concentration through weathering and other surface processes. The lanthanide series of REE (lanthanum to lutetium) and yttrium, show a close genetic and spatial association with alkaline felsic igneous rocks, however, scandium in laterite profiles has a closer affinity with ultramafic/mafic igneous rocks.

This report deals with the results of 25,000 ft. of boring over an area of 15 sq. miles. Twenty-six coal seams were identified and named. Total reserves of all seams with band-free thickness greater than 4.0 ft. are 200,000,000 tons. Net open-cut reserves (to 9:1 ratio) of 7,500,000 tons over an area of 400 acres were tested and defined on four seams. All work in the Howick Area was done in the period March, 1952, to June, 1953.