<p>Iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineral systems are a desirable undercover exploration target due to their large alteration footprint and potentially high metal content. To assist in understanding the potential for IOCG mineral systems beneath cover in the Tennant Creek to Mount Isa region as part of Exploring for the Future, a predictive mineral potential assessment has been undertaken using a knowledge-based, mineral systems approach.<p>This mineral potential assessment uses a 2D, GIS-based workflow to qualitatively map four key mineral system components: (1) Sources of metals, fluids and ligands, (2) Energy to drive fluid flow, (3) Fluid flow pathways and architecture, and (4) Deposition mechanisms, such as redox or chemical gradients. For each of these key mineral system components theoretical criteria, representing important ore-forming processes, were identified and translated into mappable proxies using a wide range of input datasets. Each of these criteria are weighted and combined using an established workflow to produce the final map of IOCG potential, all of which is well documented in the accompanying IOCG Assessment Criteria Table.<p>Two assessments have been undertaken. The first is a comprehensive assessment containing all available geospatial information and is highly reliant on the level of geological knowledge. As such, it preferentially highlights mineral potential in well-understood areas, such as outcropping regions and performs less well in covered areas, where there is a greater likelihood of data gaps. The second assessment utilises only datasets which can be mapped consistently across the assessment area. As such, these are predominately based on geophysical data and are more consistent in assessing exposed and covered areas. However, far fewer criteria are included in this assessment.<p>Both assessment highlight new areas of interest in underexplored regions, of particular interest a SW-NE corridor to the East of Tennant Creek of moderate/high potential in the Barkly region. This corridor extends to an area of moderate potential in the Murphy Inlier region near the Gulf of Carpentaria on the NT/QLD border.

Following the successful outcomes of the Tennant Creek-Mt Isa (TISA) mineral potential assessment (Murr et al., 2019; Skirrow et al., 2019), the methodology has been expanded to encompass the entire North Australian Craton (NAC). Like its predecessor, this assessment uses a knowledge-based, data-rich mineral systems approach to predict the potential for iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineralisation. With their high metal yield and large alteration footprint, IOCG mineral systems remain an attractive target in directing exploration efforts towards undercover regions. This mineral potential assessment uses a 2D GIS-based workflow to map four key mineral system components: (1) Sources of metals, fluids and ligands, (2) Energy to drive fluid flow, (3) Fluid flow pathways and architecture, and (4) Deposition mechanisms, such as redox or chemical gradients. For each of these key mineral system components, theoretical criteria representing important ore-forming processes were identified and translated into mappable proxies using a wide range of input datasets. Each of these criterion are weighted and combined using an established workflow to produce a models of IOCG potential. Metadata and selection rational are documented in the accompanying NAC IOCG Assessment Criteria Table. Two scenarios were modelled for this assessment. The first is a comprehensive assessment, targeting pre-Neoproterozoic mineral systems (>1500 Ma), using a combination of interpreted, geological and geophysical datasets. As geological interpretations are subjective to the geological knowledge of the interpreter, well-documented areas, such as shallow pre-Neoproterozoic basement, have a greater density of data. This increase in data density can create an inherent bias in the modelled result towards previously explored shallow terrains. The second assessment utilises only datasets which can be mapped consistently across the assessment area. As such, these are predominately based on geophysical data and are more consistent in assessing exposed and covered areas. However, far fewer criteria are included in this assessment, and observations are reflective of only the modern geological environment. Both assessments highlight existing mineral fields in WA, NT and QLD, and suggest that these regions extend under cover. Furthermore, regions not previously known for IOCG mineralisation display a high modelled potential, offering exploration prospects in previously unknown or discounted areas.

A publicly available AGOL Dashboard that periodically updates to show the status of requests made to the Australian Exposure Information Platform (AEIP), categorised as Running, Queued and Completed (www.aeip.ga.gov.au)

All commercially produced hydrogen worldwide is presently stored in salt caverns. In eastern Australia, the only known thick salt accumulations are found in the Boree Salt of the Adavale Basin in central Queensland. Although the number of wells penetrating the basin is limited, salt intervals up to 555 m thick have been encountered. The Boree Salt consists predominantly of halite and is considered to be suitable for hydrogen storage. Using well data and historical 2D seismic interpretations, we have developed a 3D model of the Adavale Basin, particularly focussing on the thicker sections of the Boree Salt. Most of the salt appears to be present at depths greater than 2000 m, but shallower sections are found in the main salt body adjacent to the Warrego Fault and to the south at the Dartmouth Dome. The preliminary 3D model developed for this study has identified three main salt bodies that may be suitable for salt cavern construction and hydrogen storage. These are the only known large salt bodies in eastern Australia and therefore represent potentially strategic assets for underground hydrogen storage. There are still many unknowns, with further work and data acquisition required to fully assess the suitability of these salt bodies for hydrogen storage. Recommendations for future work are provided. <b>Citation:</b> Paterson R., Feitz A. J., Wang L., Rees S. & Keetley J., 2022. From A preliminary 3D model of the Boree Salt in the Adavale Basin, Queensland. In: Czarnota, K. (ed.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/146935

The magnetotelluric (MT) method is increasingly being applied to map tectonic architecture and mineral systems. Under the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program, Geoscience Australia has invested significantly in the collection of new MT data. The science outputs from these data are underpinned by an open-source data analysis and visualisation software package called MTPy. MTPy started at the University of Adelaide as a means to share academic code among the MT community. Under EFTF, we have applied software engineering best practices to the code base, including adding automated documentation and unit testing, code refactoring, workshop tutorial materials and detailed installation instructions. New functionality has been developed, targeted to support EFTF-related products, and includes data analysis and visualisation. Significant development has focused on modules to work with 3D MT inversions, including capability to export to commonly used software such as Gocad and ArcGIS. This export capability has been particularly important in supporting integration of resistivity models with other EFTF datasets. The increased functionality, and improvements to code quality and usability, have directly supported the EFTF program and assisted with uptake of MTPy among the international MT community. <b>Citation:</b> Kirkby, A.L., Zhang, F., Peacock, J., Hassan, R. and Duan, J., 2020. Development of the open-source MTPy package for magnetotelluric data analysis and visualisation. 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.

The Flying Hellfish provide Geoscience Australia with web portals of an unprecedented quality and impact. They have achieved this by embracing automation, digital culture and cloud to uplift Geoscience Australia's web portal presence to scale and meet the demands of the modern user. In 2014 these concepts were only ideas and experiments. However, since the team formed in 2016 they have been on a transformational journey towards a new way of working which has delivered radically better digital products than what was available at the outset. User experience is now at the forefront of our web portals, with the common look and feel providing a seamless experience across more than 15 digital products on any device (including smartphones). The security has been proven to be state-of-the-art, and the products are designed to be fast and responsive. In this presentation you will learn how the team utilises NoOps (the No Operations paradigm) to build, operate and support these products while continuing to quickly and efficiently deliver new and innovative digital products.

This video demonstrates to viewers the importance and value on fit for purpose metadata, metadata standards, and metadata profiles.

Since 2012, Geoscience Australia (GA) has been providing spatial support and advice to the National Situation Room (NSR) (formally the Crisis Coordination Centre (CCC)) within Emergency Management Australia (EMA) as part of GA’s collaboration with the Attorney-General’s Department. A key information requirement identified by EMA was the need to quickly understand what is in an event area. To address this requirement Geoscience Australia designed the Exposure Report which greatly simplifies the interpretation of exposure information for timely emergency response and recovery decision-making. The Exposure Report is generated by extracting the relevant attributes from the Geoscience Australia National Exposure information System (NEXIS) such as demographics, building, business, agriculture, institutions and infrastructure in an event footprint, geographical boundary or potentially threatened area. This automated process quickly presents the required information in a clear and easily accessible report detailing estimates of what exists in the event area. By improving the timeliness and accuracy of information used by the NSR, Geoscience Australia is enhancing the government’s ability to respond to disaster and activate appropriate financial assistance for recovery.

HiQGA is a general purpose software package for spatial statistical inference, geophysical forward modeling, Bayesian inference and inversion (both deterministic and probabilistic). It includes readily usable geophysical forward operators for airborne electromagnetics (AEM), controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM) and magnetotellurics (MT). Physics-independent inversion frameworks are provided for probabilistic reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (rj-MCMC) inversions, with models parametrised by Gaussian processes (Ray and Myer, 2019), as well as deterministic inversions with an "Occam inversion" framework (Constable et al., 1987). In development software for EFTF since 2020

Linked Data refers to a collection of interrelated datasets on the Web expressed in a standard structure. These Linked Data and relationships among them can be reached and managed by Semantic Web tools. Linked Data enables large scale integration of and reasoning on data on the Web. This cookbook is to documents the processes and workflows required to create a Linked Data API for a dataset in the Foundation Base Project in Geoscience Australia (GA) and further publish it on the AWS.