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  • Collection of field notebooks recording mainly geological observations made by staff of Geoscience Australia (GA) and its predecessors, Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) and Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO), while conducting fieldwork between 1930 and 2010. The notebooks are currently being digitised. <b>Value: </b>Historic and scientific significance. Many sites visited are remote and have rarely been revisited. Some notebooks also record observations on fauna and flora. <b>Scope: </b>Geographical scope is largely Australia, pre- and post-Independence Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the Australian Antarctic Territory, but other countries and territories are represented.

  • This is the collection level record for the N.H. (Doc) Fisher Geoscience Library's Australian geological field notebooks. Digitisation and transcription of these notebooks by a dedicated team of volunteers via the Australian Museum's DigiVol Citizen Science platform is ongoing (subject to annual funding). The Australian field notebooks contain the geological observations recorded by geologists of Geoscience Australia (GA) and its predecessors during fieldwork across the country from the 1930s until paper notebooks were replaced by electronic devices. The intention of this work is to make the content of these unique historical artefacts more widely accessible to researchers and the public. At present, access to the majority of the field notebooks is only available by visiting the N.H. (Doc) Fisher Geoscience Library at Geoscience Australia in Canberra. However, individual records for the Australian notebooks can be found in the Library's online catalogue, at: <a href="https://geoscienceaustralia.intersearch.com.au">https://geoscienceaustralia.intersearch.com.au</a>.

  • Radiogenic isotopes decay at known rates and can be used to interpret ages for minerals, rocks and geologic processes. Different isotopic systems provide information related to different time periods and geologic processes, systems include: U-Pb and Ar/Ar, Sm-Nd, Pb-Pb, Lu-Hf, Rb-Sr and Re-Os isotopes. The GEOCHRON database stores full analytical U-Pb age data from Geoscience Australia's (GA) Sensitive High Resolution Ion Micro-Probe (SHRIMP) program. The ISOTOPE database is designed to expand GA's ability to deliver isotopic datasets, and stores compiled age and isotopic data from a range of published and unpublished (GA and non-GA) sources. OZCHRON is a depreciated predecessor to GEOCHRON and ISOTOPE, the information once available in OZCHRON is in the process of migration to the two current databases. The ISOTOPE compilation includes sample and bibliographic links through the A, FGDM, and GEOREF databases. The data structure currently supports summary ages (e.g., U-Pb and Ar/Ar) through the INTERPRETED_AGES tables, as well as extended system-specific tables for Sm-Nd, Pb-Pb, Lu-Hf and O- isotopes. The data structure is designed to be extensible to adapt to evolving requirements for the storage of isotopic data. ISOTOPE and the data holdings were initially developed as part of the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program - particularly to support the delivery of an Isotopic Atlas of Australia. During development of ISOTOPE, some key considerations in compiling and storing diverse, multi-purpose isotopic datasets were developed: 1) Improved sample characterisation and bibliographic links. Often, the usefulness of an isotopic dataset is limited by the metadata available for the parent sample. Better harvesting of fundamental sample data (and better integration with related national datasets such as Australian Geological Provinces and the Australian Stratigraphic Units Database) simplifies the process of filtering an isotopic data compilation using spatial, geological and bibliographic criteria, as well as facilitating 'audits' targeting missing isotopic data. 2) Generalised, extensible structures for isotopic data. The need for system-specific tables for isotopic analyses does not preclude the development of generalised data-structures that reflect universal relationships. GA has modelled relational tables linking system-specific Sessions, Analyses, and interpreted data-Groups, which has proven adequate for all of the Isotopic Atlas layers developed thus far. 3) Dual delivery of 'derived' isotopic data. In some systems, it is critical to capture the published data (i.e. isotopic measurements and derived values, as presented by the original author) and generate an additional set of derived values from the same measurements, calculated using a single set of reference parameters (e.g. decay constant, depleted-mantle values, etc.) that permit 'normalised' portrayal of the data compilation-wide. 4) Flexibility in data delivery mode. In radiogenic isotope geochronology (e.g. U-Pb, Ar-Ar), careful compilation and attribution of 'interpreted ages' can meet the needs of much of the user-base, even without an explicit link to the constituent analyses. In contrast, isotope geochemistry (especially microbeam-based methods such as Lu-Hf via laser ablation) is usually focused on the individual measurements, without which interpreted 'sample-averages' have limited value. Data delivery should reflect key differences of this kind. <b>Value: </b>Used to provide ages and isotope geochemistry data for minerals, rocks and geologic processes. <b>Scope: </b>Australian jurisdictions and international collaborative programs involving Geoscience Australia

  • A `weighted geometric median' approach has been used to estimate the median surface reflectance of the barest state (i.e., least vegetation) observed through Landsat-8 Operational Land Image (OLI) observations from 2013 to September 2018 to generate a six-band Landsat-8 Barest Earth pixel composite mosaic over the Australian continent. The bands include BLUE (0.452 - 0.512), GREEN (0.533 - 0.590), RED, (0.636 - 0.673) NIR (0.851 - 0.879), SWIR1 (1.566 - 1.651) and SWIR2 (2.107 - 2.294) wavelength regions. The weighted median approach is robust to outliers (such as cloud, shadows, saturation, corrupted pixels) and also maintains the relationship between all the spectral wavelengths in the spectra observed through time. The product reduces the influence of vegetation and allows for more direct mapping of soil and rock mineralogy. Reference: Dale Roberts, John Wilford, and Omar Ghattas (2018). Revealing the Australian Continent at its Barest, submitted. <b>Value: </b>Has broad application in mapping surface geochemistry and mineralogy of exposed soil and bedrock. Has applications in geological mapping and natural resource management including mapping of soil characteristics. <b>Scope: </b>Two enhanced bare earth products have been generated reflecting different Landsat satellites and acquisition periods. The first only uses Landsat 8 observations from 2013 to 2018. The second incorporates the full 30+ year archive combining Landsat 5, 7, and 8 from 1986 to 2018.

  • This is a collection of aerial photography captured from 5 November 2010 to 29 March 2012 and coinciding with a low-water tide occurrence for the purpose of defining the low-water coastline of Tasmania.

  • Delineation of Australia's domestic and international maritime limits and boundaries. These boundaries include a variety of jurisdictional, economic, regulatory and legal boundaries. <b>Value:</b> Used by national governments, businesses, organisations in determining boundaries for zones governed/managed by different regulatory structures/requirements. <b>Scope:</b> A national dataset at resolution relevant for presentation of regional spatial data such as digital maps or regional decision making.

  • This collection is used to provide an environment for external access to the Australian Geoscience Data Cube Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI).

  • This collection contains raw and ancillary information used to generate Geoscience Australia data products.

  • The AGSO Yearbooks retained the format of the BMR Yearbooks, the title change merely following the renaming of the Bureau to the Australian Geological Survey Organisation in 1992. The series ended in 1994, when AGSO became part of the Department of Primary Industries and Energy and information on its activities was incorporated into DPIE Annual Reports.

  • Relatively little is known about what the seafloor of Australia's continental shelf looks like or has living on it. Geoscience Australia (GA), together with other partners, undertakes a range of marine surveys to improve our understanding and management of Australia's marine environments. One component of the research involves the collection of underwater imagery to directly observe and characterise coastal and deep sea habitats. In some regions these surveys build on existing baseline knowledge, but in many areas, particularly deep offshore locations, these surveys provide the first images of the seafloor. The imagery collection includes both still and video imagery collected using various systems, including towed platforms, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Post-survey reports and metadata files are included as part of the collection, which describe further details of the surveys and respective imagery collections. The seafloor imagery provides a wealth of information about the geological features, habitats and life forms occurring throughout Australia's marine jurisdiction. <b>Value: </b>Improve the understanding and management of Australia's marine environments. <b>Scope: </b>GA surveys from 2007 onwards in waters around Australia and Australia's Antarctic Territory.