Legacy product - no abstract available

Legacy product - no abstract available

Legacy product - no abstract available

ABSTRACT: Building on method developments achieved during a series of precursor pilot projects, the National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) project targets catchment outlet (overbank) sediments as a uniform sampling medium. These transported, fine-grained materials are collected (from a shallow and a deeper level) near the lowest point of 1390 catchments, which cover 91% of the country. Dry and moist Munsell® colour, soil pH and electrical conductivity and pH of 1:5 (soil:water) slurries are recorded and laser particle size analysis and infrared spectroscopy are performed. The dried samples are sieved into two grain-size fractions (<2 mm and <75 mm) that are analysed by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively-coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (multi-element, total analyses), by ICP-MS after aqua regia digestion (multi-element, including low level gold), and specialised methods for platinum group elements, fluorine and selenium. At the time of writing, 78% of the samples have been collected and most analyses are completed for the first 25% of samples. The project is due for completion in June 2011.

Legacy product - no abstract available

Legacy product - no abstract available

Outlet sediment (or overbank) samples from 99 catchments in the Thomson region have been examined by conventional geochemical analytical methods and by partial extraction using Mobile Metal Ion (MMI) leach. Elements such as Pb have good correlation with known mineral deposits using conventional (near-total digestion) methods, whilst elements such as Cu, Au and Ag show a better correlation with known mineral deposits when MMI concentrations are used. This study shows that very low density sampling of catchment outlet sediments (1 site/1540 km2) provides useful and possibly predictive geochemical information for mineral exploration in areas dominated by transported regolith.

Legacy product - no abstract available

Mapping of regolith materials at the regional and continental-scale for environmental, agricultural and resource exploration for is being advanced through a new generation of remote sensing technologies, particularly satellite remote sensing methods. The work has demonstrated the identification and classification of regolith materials and thickness indicators is essential to facilitate ongoing exploration in challenging regolith-dominated terrains, and that geochemical information about alteration chemistry associated with footprints of mineral systems can be acquired by analysing spectral ground response, particularly in short-wave infra-red.

Geoscience data standards as a field of research may come as a surprise to many geoscientists, who probably think of it as a dull peripheral issue, of little relevance to their domain. However, the subject is gaining rapidly in importance as the information revolution begins to take hold, as ultimately billions of dollars worth of information are at stake. In this article we take a look at what has happened recently in this field, where we think it is heading, and AGSO's role in national geoscience standards.