From 1995 to 2000 information from the federal and state governments was compiled for Comprehensive Regional Assessments (CRA), which formed the basis for Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) that identified areas for conservation to meet targets agreed by the Commonwealth Government with the United Nations. This CD was created as part of GA's contribution to the Central Highlands CRA. It contains final versions of all data coverages and shapefiles used in the project, Published Graphics files in ArcInfo (.gra), postscript (.ps) and Web ready (.gif) formats, all Geophysical Images and Landsat data and final versions of documents provided for publishing.

DRAFT Australia's Resources Supporting Economic Growth in the Nation and the Region Paul J Kay Geoscience Australia A new book on Australia's geology viewed through the lens of human activity has been prepared by Geoscience Australia for the 34th International Geological Congress (IGC). Geological factors influencing the nation's recent economic development make up one chapter of the IGC book. Australia's long geological history, fringing passive margins, limited recent deformation and overall landscape stability has formed and preserved a vast quantity of high quality bulk commodity resources. The nation's educated workforce, system of government and legal framework has provided a sound, stable foundation allowing the geological legacy to be utilised through a large export industry for societal and national benefit. The bulk resources of coal, iron, aluminium and liquefied natural gas (LNG) account for more than 50 percent of Australia's export earnings, sustaining the nation's economic success and the lifestyle of the Australian people. Mining has been a cornerstone of the Australian economy since the 19th century gold rushes and importance the resources sector has increased markedly since the mid 20th century, largely a consequence of accelerating export income from the bulk commodities. The industrialisation of Asia has provided the demand, driving infrastructure investment in remote regions of Australia. Advances in technology combined with massive economies of scale and sound public policy have enabled access to the resource and helped to satiate the growing regional market. Responding to changes in the existing status quo, be they trade or societal, will require ongoing interactions between the geosciences and other disciplines to maintain and improve Australia's standard of living.

Globally supracrustal sedimentary rocks are known to preferentially precipitate gold between 2400 Ma and 1800 Ma (Goldfarb et al. 2001). The Palaeoproterozoic Tanami and Pine Creek regions of Northern Australia host one world-class gold deposit and many other gold deposits in anomalously iron-rich marine mudstones (Figure 1). New fluid-rock modelling at temperatures between 275 - 350C suggest a strong correlation between gold grade and these Palaeoproterozoic iron-rich, fine-grained sedimentary rocks.

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The Broken Hill Exploration Initiative (BHEI) started in 1994 and is a joint effort between the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries - Mineral Resources, the South Australian Department of Primary Industry and Resources and the Commonwealth Government through Geoscience Australia. The aim of the BHEI is to provide a new generation of geoscientific data for the Curnamona Province, particularly the Broken Hill-Olary region, as a basis for more effective mineral exploration by industry. This initiative aims to provide the best possible knowledge and information-base for mineral and petroleum exploration investment in western New South Wales and eastern South Australia. The region will benefit from the application of new technologies and exploration methodologies to enhance knowledge of the geological controls of mineral deposit systems. BHEI conferences are held on a regular basis to highlight the geoscientific advances made during the life of the initiative. The contents of this Record are the extended abstracts of oral and poster papers presented at the BHEI conference that was held in Broken Hill on 26-28 September 2006.

This Bulletin summarises the results of regional mapping by teams of the Bureau of Mineral Resources and the Geological Survey of Queensland from 1961 to 1967 over an area of some 67 000 km2 near Townsville. Small areas of high-grade metamorphics may be Precarnbrian, or may be correlatives of the oldest dated rocks (Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician). These early strata occupied a major east-west basin which was destroyed by orogeny and granitic intrusion in Middle Ordovician time. A further period of granitic intrusion consolidated the Lolworth-Ravenswood Block as a major east-west structural high. Of the Palaeozoic sedimentary basins, the Burdekin Basin received sediments from Givetian to Tournaisian times. Ranging in tectonic activity between a mildly unstable shelf and a yoked intracratonic basin, it presented an alternation of marine and continental conditions as it gradually expanded northwards. South of the Lolworth-Ravenswood Block, a miogeosyncline formed in the Middle Devonian. In the Tabberabberan Orogeny a geanticline rose in the geosynclinal belt, and the Drummond Basin formed on its western side. This transverse basin received sediments from Late Devonian to Middle Carboniferous times in three well-marked cycles, each beginning with torrential sediments and ending with mature ones. In its later life, it possibly emptied into the Burdekin Basin. The Broken River Embayment received sediments more or less continuously from Silurian to Carboniferous times, but only the lowest and highest units occur in the map area. The lowest units are shelf and trough sediments, the highest is shallow-marine and lacustrine. At the latest stage in its development the Embayment reached its greatest extension to the southeast and may have connected with the Burdekin Basin. The Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous sediments and volcanics near the coast represent the northern extremity of a basin probably connected with the Yarrol Basin. These basins were destroyed in the Kanimblan Orogeny, and from Late Carboniferous to Early Permian times the area was dominated by igneous activity. The Bowen Basin developed in the Permian volcanic episode, and passed through a series of marine incursions to a continental environment. Local coastal conditions during the first marine incursion produced the Collinsville Coal Measures. Possible correlatives of Bowen Basin units are widespread, although some of the relationships are tenuous. Triassic orogeny ended deposition in the Bowen Basin, and was followed in the south coastal area by a period of igneous activity in the Early Cretaceous. Quiet conditions followed, and by the end of the Cretaceous the area was topographically mature. In the early Cainozoic some earth movement continued, producing the Hillsborough Basin and resulting in erosion of much Triassic sandstone. The mature topography re-established by mid-Tertiary was the base for the subsequent lateritic episode, interrupted by further erosion and deposition. The evolution of the area was completed by Cainozoic volcanism followed by slight erosion. The physiography of the coastal area is dominated by corridors between high ranges. Faulting can be reasonably suspected as a cause, and in some cases there is some evidence. The inland area is occupied mainly by the Burdekin catchment, which developed its present form by movements in the Cainozoic but still retains some northeasterly trends from Palaeozoic structures.

Legacy product - no abstract available

The eastern Yilgarn Craton (EYC) of Western Australia is Australia's premier gold and nickel province, and has been the focus of geological investigations for over a century. Geoscience Australia, in conjunction with partners in the Predictive Mineral Discovery Cooperative Research Centre conducted a series of projects between 2001 and 2008 (Y4 project team, 2008). This article summarises the highlights and new findings from the research, many of which challenge previous paradigms on the tectonics and architecture, as well as the relationship of gold to structure, magmatism and metamorphism. Although a Yilgarn-based study, the results have general implications for other Archaean terranes.

From 1995 to 2000 information from the federal and state governments was compiled for Comprehensive Regional Assessments (CRA), which formed the basis for Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) that identified areas for conservation to meet targets agreed by the Commonwealth Government with the United Nations. These 3 CDs were created as part of GA's contribution to the Tasmania CRA. CD1 contains final versions of all data coverages and shapefiles used in the project, and final versions of documents provided for publishing. CD2 contains Published Graphics files in ArcInfo (.gra), postscript (.ps) and Web ready (.gif) formats. CD3 contains all Geophysical Images and Landsat data.