Long-period magnetotelluric (MT) data allow geoscientists to investigate the link between mineralisation and lithospheric-scale features and processes. In particular, the highly conductive structures imaged by MT data appear to map the pathways of large-scale palaeo-fluid migration, the identification of which is an important element of several mineral system models. Given the importance of these data, governments and academia have united under the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP) to collect long-period MT data across the continent on a ~55 km-spaced grid. Here, we use AusLAMP data to demonstrate the MT method as a regional-scale tool to identify and select prospective areas for mineral exploration undercover. We focus on the region between Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory and east of Mount Isa in Queensland. Our results image major conductive structures up to 150 km deep in the lithosphere, such as the Carpentaria Conductivity Anomaly east of Mount Isa. This anomaly is a significant lithospheric-scale conductivity structure that shows spatial correlations with a major suture zone and known iron oxide–copper–gold deposits. Our results also identify similar features in several under-explored areas that are now considered to be prospective for mineral discovery. These observations provide a powerful means of selecting frontier regions for mineral exploration undercover.. <b>Citation:</b> Duan, J., Kyi, D., Jiang, W. and Costelloe, M., 2020. AusLAMP: imaging the Australian lithosphere for resource potential, an example from northern Australia. In: Czarnota, K., Roach, I., Abbott, S., Haynes, M., Kositcin, N., Ray, A. and Slatter, E. (eds.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, 1–4.

Mafic igneous rocks are thought to be an important source of metals for the ca. 1640–1595 Ma sediment-hosted base metal deposits in the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic Mount Isa – McArthur Basin system of northern Australia. Such rocks are widespread—the voluminous rift-related mafic magmatism at ca. 1790–1775 Ma and ca. 1730–1710 Ma—and show local evidence for intense hydrothermal alteration and metal leaching. To better constrain the nature, degree, and regional and temporal extent of alteration and metal leaching in these rocks, we have undertaken regional sampling of mafic igneous units from available drillcore, for geochemistry, stable isotopes and petrological examination. Sampling focused on magmatism of both ages in the southeastern MacArthur Basin, complementing the extensive pre-existing data for the Mount Isa region. Alteration in the mafic igneous rocks of the southeastern McArthur Basin ranges from mildly to strongly chloritic in the older units to strongly potassic (K-feldspar–chlorite–hematite) in the younger units. The latter alteration is ubiquitous, well developed and characterised by strong K2O enrichment and extreme depletion in CaO and Na2O. Geochemical data show that this intense and pervasive potassic alteration extends to similar-aged mafic rocks in the western Mount Isa region. Metal leaching is present in both alteration types, with strong Cu and Pb depletion in the most chlorite-altered rocks, and Zn and Cu depletion in the potassic alteration. Our oxygen isotope data for these mafic rocks (of both ages) in the southeastern McArthur Basin show a limited range of values (δ18O of 6–10‰) that are negatively correlated with K2O content. Our values are significantly lighter than published data for similar igneous rocks to the west, and indicate either a temperature zonation (ca. 250 °C in the east versus ca. 100 °C in the west; preferred) and/or different fluids. Results from our geochemical forward modelling indicate the requirement for exogenous K2O to produce the observed potassic alteration. The most likely source of this K was saline brines, consistent with the interpreted lacustrine and/or evaporitic environments for much of the McArthur Basin. Timing of alteration is uncertain, and the alteration may have included diagenetic low-temperature local K-rich brines and younger higher-temperature deep basinal brines. The temporal and geographically restricted nature of the potassic alteration, however, suggests restriction of K-rich, bittern evaporitic brine production in the younger and inboard parts of the Mount Isa – McArthur Basin system. Our results provide insights that directly relate to the genesis and exploration of basin-hosted Zn-Pb and Cu-Co mineral systems. They confirm that mafic igneous rocks in the region have lost significant amounts of both Zn and Cu, many times more than required for known deposits. The study also shows that metal leaching was accompanied by magnetite-destructive alteration. Hence, identifying zones of metal leaching may be possible using inversions of geophysical data, which may assist in targeting exploration. <b>Citation:</b> Champion, D.C., Huston, D.L., Bastrakov, E., Siegel, C., Thorne, J., Gibson, G.M. and Hauser, J., 2020. Alteration of mafic igneous rocks of the southern McArthur Basin: comparison with the Mount Isa region and implications for basin-hosted base metal deposits. In: Czarnota, K., Roach, I., Abbott, S., Haynes, M., Kositcin, N., Ray, A. and Slatter, E. (eds.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, 1–4.

<p>The South West McArthur, Barkly Gravity Survey P201901 is a gravity survey jointly funded under Geoscience Australia’s (GA) Exploring for the Future program and the Northern Territory Geological Survey's (NTGS) Resourcing the Territory 2018-2022 Initiative. Atlas Geophysics was commissioned by GA to conduct the survey, supporting both GA's and NTGS's programs. The survey supports GA's Exploring for the Future program, and NTGS's unlocking the resource potential of the Barkly Tablelands. <p>The survey infills existing 4km gravity coverage to 2km coverage. This is the second part of a larger gravity survey, the first being the East Tennant Gravity Survey P201901, NT, 2019 (eCat number 132968). Together the two surveys can be called the Tennant Creek Mount Isa (TISA) Gravity Surveys, P201901. <p>The data package consist of 3,303 gravity stations as a point located dataset and grids of the newly acquired gravity data

Borehole induction conductivity (IC) and gamma logging are geophysical techniques that provide bulk electrical conductivity and natural gamma trends of geological formations. The measured unit of IC is millisiemens per metre, whereas natural gamma is either counts per second or American Petroleum Index (API). The data were acquired as part of the Exploring for the Future program at field sites within the East Kimberley area in Western Australia, and the northern and southern Stuart Corridor projects in the Northern Territory. Data may be downloaded as Log ASCII Standard (LAS) format files or viewed through the Geoscience Australia Portal, or accessed via Geoscience Australia’s WMS and WFS web services.

This technical report details the methods and results the drilling programs of the Upper Burdekin Groundwater Project conducted as part of Exploring for the Future (EFTF)—an eight year, $225 million Australian Government funded geoscience data and information acquisition program focused on better understanding the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources across Australia. This report was written by Queensland Government collaborators in the Department of Environment and Science, and is published here as supplied to Geoscience Australia at the conclusion of the project. The drilling program itself was conducted by the Department of Environment and Science as part of the Upper Burdekin Groundwater Project. A total of 17 holes were drilled in 2017-18 at 13 sites with a total combined depth of 943.2 metres. These comprise selected locations across both the Nulla Basalt Province and McBride Basalt Province. A network of 15 monitoring bores were constructed with two test holes backfilled and decommissioned.

The Mesoproterozoic South Nicholson Basin, straddling the NT and QLD border, sits between, and partly overlies, the Paleoproterozoic components of the Mount Isa Province to the east and the southern McArthur Basin to the northwest. While the McArthur Basin and Mount Isa Province are comparatively well studied and considered highly prospective for both mineral and energy resources, rocks of the South Nicholson region are mostly undercover and, as such, there is incomplete understanding of their geological evolution and resource potential. Geoscience Australia (in collaboration with the Northern Territory Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Queensland, and co-funded by AuScope) undertook the South Nicholson Basin deep crustal seismic reflection survey (e.g. Carr et al., 2019). This survey was conducted under the federally funded Exploring for the Future (EFTF) initiative, a $100.4 million, four year program to evaluate the resource potential across all of northern Australia.

<p>The East Tennant Gravity Survey P201901 is a gravity survey funded under Geoscience Australia’s (GA) Exploring for the Future program. Atlas Geophysics was commissioned by GA to support the Tennant Creek-Mt Isa drilling program to be undertaken at a later date. <p>The survey infills existing 4km gravity coverage to 2km coverage. The data package consist of 2,552 gravity stations as a point located dataset and grids of the newly acquired gravity data. <p>This survey is the first of two surveys. The second survey is the South West McArthur, Barkly Gravity Survey (eCat number 132968). Together the two surveys can be called the Tennant Creek Mount Isa (TISA) Gravity Surveys, P201901.

<p>On 5 November 2019, Geoscience Australia presented a Targeted Side Event at the GEO Week 2019 Ministerial Summit in Canberra (http://www.earthobservations.org/geoweek19.php?t=home). GEO, the Group on Earth Observations, is a global intergovernmental partnership of 105 Member governments, 127 Participating Organizations and thousands of individuals and businesses that strives to improve the availability, access and use of Earth observations for a more sustainable planet. <p>The theme of the Targeted Side Event was as follows. <p>Strong, resilient and sustainable communities have jobs, homes, clean water, feel safe and are well connected locally, nationally and internationally. Government, business, industry and community decision makers can progress economic, social and cultural development using new, free digital information and mapping tools. Smart, fast and trusted decisions made using digital information and digital mapping can be used for any sized community, remote, rural, city, national. Sustainable development, responsible growth through a reform and transform approach can unlock new resource opportunities and respond to the economic and social challenges faced by many countries. Presented is a new digital mapping decision making tool that integrates resources: minerals, energy and water, within a social, economic and environment frame. <p>Addressing social licence and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly important to ensuring the future economic development of Earth resources. The challenge for geoscientists is to create tools using data integrated from multiple disciplines to deliver insight into the complex interactions between diverse Earth systems and human society. These tools will enable specialists and non-specialists in communities, government and industry to make informed decisions for a sustainable future.

<p>This package contains airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data from the "SkyTEM helicopter EM Howard East region" survey which was flown over Howard East region, Northern Territory during July - August 2017. The area is comprised of 2073.6 line kilometres in total. <p>The aim of the survey is to provide at a reconnaissance scale: <p>a) trends in regolith thickness and variability <p>b) variations in bedrock conductivity <p>c) conductivity of key bedrock (lithology related) conductive units under cover <p>d) the groundwater resource potential of the region <p>This report lists the SkyTEM system information and specifications relevant for this survey, and describes the processing carried out on the data. <p>Geoscience Australia commissioned the survey as part of the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program. The EFTF program is led by Geoscience Australia (GA), in collaboration with the Geological Surveys of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, and is investigating the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources in northern Australia and South Australia. The EFTF is a four-year $100.5 million investment by the Australian Government in driving the next generation of resource discoveries in northern Australia, boosting economic development across this region (https://www.ga.gov.au/eftf).

<p>Exploring for the Future (EFTF, <a href="http://www.ga.gov.au/eftf">http://www.ga.gov.au/eftf</a>) is a four-year (2016–2020) $100.5 million program investigating the mineral, energy and groundwater resource potential in northern Australia and parts of South Australia. The program is delivering new geoscience data, knowledge and decision support tools that support increased industry investment and sustainable economic development. <p>Geoscience Australia commissioned ACIL Allen Consulting to independently quantify the return on investment from selected EFTF projects that are representative of the nature of the work done under the program. The objective was to develop a plausible and economically robust estimate of the returns to government through increased government revenue as a result of the case study projects. Geoscience Australia would like to acknowledge the organisations that have contributed to or supported these EFTF case study projects. <p>The results of this independent analysis can be used to estimate the impact and value of the EFTF program as a whole relative to the funds invested in these activities. The evaluation framework used by ACIL Allen Consulting to assess the impact and value of Geoscience Australia’s pre-competitive geoscience under EFTF is one that has been used for similar assessments of similar organisations in the past. <p>The analysis shows that the benefits that could potentially flow to the Commonwealth as a result of the EFTF projects examined at least match what has been spent on the program, and the returns can be as much as an order of magnitude higher than the cost of the entire program.