Global-scale mapping of surface mineralogy is now becoming possible using remote hyperspectral sensing technologies. Global-scale mineral maps have now been generated for Mars using thermal infrared hyperspectral data collected from the Mars-orbiting Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES- http://jmars.asu.edu/data/), including maps of feldspar, pyroxene, olivine and quartz contents. Other mineral maps of Mars are now being assembled using the recently launched Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer (CRISM - http://crism.jhuapl.edu/), including sulphates, kaolinite, illite/muscovite, chlorites, carbonate and water (www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/7thmars2007/pdf/3270.pdf). In contrast, even though mapping the mineralogy of the Earth's land surface can improve understanding and management of Earth's resources, including: - monitoring of soils (acid sulphate soils, salinity, soils loss and soil carbon); - better characterisation of regolith materials (e.g. transported versus in situ); - discovery of new mineral deposits using alteration vectors; and - more accurate environmental assessments during resource exploitation (baseline mapping, monitoring and closure)

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Regolith materials spatially and chemically associated with various types of ore deposits, such as iron oxides, manganese oxides and gold deposits for example, have the potential to be mapped and characterised using remote sensing techniques. With the release of new state-scale multispectral data such as the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer (ASTER) Geoscience map of Western Australia (Figure 1), these applications may be tested and evaluated, along with identifying ore deposit types and characteristics best suited to using remote sensing techniques. A world-first continental scale ASTER mosaic and pre-competitive geoscience products for Australia are planned for public release in August 2012. The ASTER products are designed to provide broad scale mineral group information for mineral explorers at the continental to prospect scale. The product will be particularly useful for obtaining information on remote or difficult to access areas of Australia. ASTER data consists of 14 bands from Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) light, through Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) and Thermal Infrared (TIR) encompassing different reflectance and emission spectras from the top few microns of material on the Earth's surface (Figure 2).

Large areas of prospective North and North-East Queensland have been surveyed by airborne hyperspectral sensor, HyMap, and airborne geophysics as part of the 'Smart' exploration initiative by the Geological Survey of Queensland. In particular, 25000 km2 of hyperspectral mineral and compositional map products, at 4.5 m spatial resolution, have been generated and made available via the internet. In addition, more than 130 ASTER scenes were processed and merged to produce broad scale mapping of mineral groups (Thomas et al, 2008). Province-scale, accurate maps of mineral abundances and minerals chemistries were generated for North Queensland as a result of a 2 year project starting in July 2006 which involved CSIRO Exploration and Mining, the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ), Geoscience Australia, James Cook University, and Curtin University. Airborne radiometric data acquired over the same North Queensland Mt Isa - Cloncurry areas as the hyperspectral surveys, had been acquired at flight line spacing of 200 metre. Such geophysical radiometric data provides a useful opportunity to compare the mineral mapping potential of both techniques, for a wide range of geological and vegetated environments. In this study, examples are described of soil mapping within the Tick Hill area, and geological / exploration mapping within the Mt Henry and Suicide Ridge prospects of North Queensland.

The primary aim of the investigation was to determine the reserves and distribution of monazite in the deposits of heavy mineral sands along the East Coast. These deposits contain most of the known world reserves of zircon and rutile for which they are being exploited at various localities, mainly from North Stradbroke Island in Queensland to Ballina in New South Wales. Monazite forms little more than 0.5 per cent of the mixed concentrates, but can be recovered as a by-product from the separation of the other minerals. The monazite forms a source of supply of cerium and also of thorium. The thorium content of the monazite is determined on the basis of its radioactivity. This report gives an account of the field and laboratory work carried out. The results of the laboratory work, which included the separation and examination of minerals, the radiometric determination of quantities of monazite, and the investigation of the thoria content of monazite, are described in this report.

A world-first continental-scale mosaic of multi-spectral ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer) data is to be delivered for the Australian continent in 2012. ASTER data has improved spectral resolution compared with landsat TM and is providing a wealth of new national information on surface mineralogy, geochemistry and landform characteristics and composition. The new continental mineral maps can be readily combined with other geoscientific datasets and have applications in regolith-landform mapping, mineral exploration, geohazard research and impact analysis, as well as agriculture and land-use planning. Using satellite multispectral ASTER to map material on the surface of the Earth at a continental scale is the next step in delivering environmental, agricultural and resource exploration tools for users of remote sensing and GIS. Mapping mineral group information using targeted band combinations can find previously unmapped outcrop of bedrock, help define soil type and chemistry, and delineate and characterise regolith and landform boundaries over large and remote areas.

Deciphering element associations and affinities in the regolith is important for understanding mineral hosts and geological processes, such as sorting and pedogenesis. This has implications in environmental sciences in terms of distinguishing natural vs. anthropogenic element distributions and establishing realistic remediation targets. In mineral exploration, the strongest elements associations often drive distribution patterns in geochemical maps, yet these are not always the most useful ones to consider. In this contribution, we use National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) data to (1) identify the strongest controls of mineralogy (using major element total concentrations as a proxy) on trace metal distribution (using aqua regia Cu as an exemplar), and (2) remove the trend driven by the strongest major‒trace element association to calculate and map standardised residuals of the metals. In the coarse fraction (<2 mm) of NGSA top outlet sediments (0‒10 cm depth), which are similar to floodplain sediments, aqua regia Cu is most strongly correlated with total Fe of all the major total elements (r = 0.76 based on log‒transformed concentrations). Thus the aqua regia Cu map mostly shows regions where Fe‒oxyhydroxides in the regolith are abundant (or not) and naturally adsorb dissolved cationic metals from surrounding solutions. The predicted Cu map based purely on the total Fe concentrations and on the Fe‒Cu correlation is visually similar to the raw map. Only when calculating the standardised residuals between actual and predicted aqua regia Cu does additional information become apparent in the form of completely different geochemical patterns. These highlight areas where Cu that is not related to Fe (and therefore not in the form of Cu adsorbed onto Fe‒oxyhydroxides) is abundant (or not). For instance this Cu could be associated with silicate, carbonate or sulfate minerals. Thus this approach allows both environmental management and exploration strategies targeting different types of metal associations to be more effectively implemented, thereby reducing risk and cost. This Abstract & Poster were presented at the 2017 Goldschmidt Conference (https://goldschmidt.info/2017/)

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Soil mapping at the local- (paddock), to continental-scale, may be improved through remote hyperspectral imaging of surface mineralogy. This opportunity is demonstrated for the semiarid Tick Hill test site (20 km2) near Mount Isa in western Queensland. The study of this test site is part of a larger Queensland government initiative involving the public delivery of 25,000 km2 of processed airborne hyperspectral mineral maps at 4.5 m pixel resolution to the mineral exploration industry. Some of the mineral maps derived from hyperspectral imagery for the Tick Hill area include the abundances and/or physicochemistries (chemical composition and crystal disorder) of dioctahedral clays (kaolin, illite-muscovite and Al smectite, both montmorillonite and beidellite), ferric/ferrous minerals (hematite/goethite, Fe2+-bearing silicates/carbonates) and hydrated silica (opal) as well as soil water (bound and unbound) and green and dry (cellulose/lignin) vegetation. Validation of these hyperspectral mineral products is based on field soil sampling and laboratory analyses (spectral reflectance, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and electron backscatter). The mineral maps show more detailed information regarding the surface composition compared with the published soil and geology (1:100,000 scale) maps and airborne radiometric imagery (collected at 200 m line spacing). This mineral information can be used to improve the published soil mapping but also has the potential to provide quantitative information suitable for soil and water catchment modeling and monitoring.

This is a 2D animation created in After Effects. It is a stand-alone animation of the beam operation in the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP), in GA. This 2D animation is based on the 3D model shown in the SHRIMP movie (GeoCat No. 65756).