<div>Geological maps are powerful models for visualizing the complex distribution of rock types through space and time. However, the descriptive information that forms the basis for a preferred map interpretation is typically stored in geological map databases as unstructured text data that are difficult to use in practice. Herein we apply natural language processing (NLP) to geoscientific text data from Canada, the U.S., and Australia to address that knowledge gap. First, rock descriptions, geological ages, lithostratigraphic and lithodemic information, and other long-form text data are translated to numerical vectors, i.e., a word embedding, using a geoscience language model. Network analysis of word associations, nearest neighbors, and principal component analysis are then used to extract meaningful semantic relationships between rock types. We further demonstrate using simple Naive Bayes classifiers and the area under receiver operating characteristics plots (AUC) how word vectors can be used to: (1) predict the locations of “pegmatitic” (AUC = 0.962) and “alkalic” (AUC = 0.938) rocks; (2) predict mineral potential for Mississippi-Valley-type (AUC = 0.868) and clastic-dominated (AUC = 0.809) Zn-Pb deposits; and (3) search geoscientific text data for analogues of the giant Mount Isa clastic-dominated Zn-Pb deposit using the cosine similarities between word vectors. This form of semantic search is a promising NLP approach for assessing mineral potential with limited training data. Overall, the results highlight how geoscience language models and NLP can be used to extract new knowledge from unstructured text data and reduce the mineral exploration search space for critical raw materials.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Citation: </strong>Lawley, C. J. M., Gadd, M. G., Parsa, M., Lederer, G. W., Graham, G. E., and Ford, A., 2023, Applications of Natural Language Processing to Geoscience Text Data and Prospectivity Modeling: Natural Resources Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-023-10216-1</div>

<div>Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program provides precompetitive information to inform decision-making by government, community and industry on the sustainable development of Australia's mineral, energy and groundwater resources. By gathering, analysing and interpreting new and existing precompetitive geoscience data and knowledge, we are building a national picture of Australia’s geology and resource potential. This leads to a strong economy, resilient society and sustainable environment for the benefit of all Australians. This includes supporting Australia’s transition to net zero emissions, strong, sustainable resources and agriculture sectors, and economic opportunities and social benefits for Australia’s regional and remote communities. The Exploring for the Future program, which commenced in 2016, is an eight year, $225m investment by the Australian Government.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program with contributions from the Geological Survey of Queensland, long-period magnetotelluric (MT) data for the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP) were collected using Geoscience Australia's LEMI-424 instruments on a half-degree grid across northern and western Queensland from April 2021 to November 2022. This survey aims to map the electrical resistivity structures in the region. The processed data and 3D resistivity model have been released (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/148633).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>This data release contains site locations and acquired time series data at each site in two formats:</div><div>1. MTH5, a hierarchical data format. The open-source MTH5 Python package (https://github.com/kujaku11/mth5) was used to convert the recorded LEMI data into MTH5 format.</div><div>2. Text file (*.TXT). This is the original format recorded by the LEMI-424 data logger.</div><div><br></div><div>We acknowledge the traditional landowners, private landholders and national park authorities within the survey region, without whose cooperation these data could not have been collected.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Data is available on request from clientservices@ga.gov.au - Quote eCat# 148978</strong></div><div><br></div>

<div>High purity quartz (HPQ) is the only naturally occurring and economically viable source for the production of silicon. Silicon is a critical mineral, and a key component in modern technologies such as semiconductors and photovoltaic cells. Critical minerals support the move towards a greater reliance on electrification, renewable energy sources and economic security. The global transition to net zero carbon emissions means there is a growing need for new discoveries of HPQ to supply the silicon production chain. High purity quartz deposits are identified in a multitude of geological settings, including pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, sedimentary accumulations and quartzite; however, deposits of sufficient volume and quality are rare. Quartz is abundant throughout Australia, but the exploration and discovery of HPQ occurrences is notably under-reported, making assessment of the HPQ potential in Australia extremely difficult. This paper presents a much-needed summary of the state of the HPQ industry, exploration and deposit styles in Australia. <b>Citation:</b> Jennings, A., Senior, A., Guerin, K., Main, P., & Walsh, J. (2024). A review of high-purity quartz for silicon production in Australia. <i>Australian Journal of Earth Sciences</i>, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2024.2362296

High-purity quartz (HPQ) is the only naturally occurring and economically viable source for the production of silicon. Silicon is a critical mineral, and a key component in modern technologies such as semiconductors and photovoltaic cells. Critical minerals support the move towards a greater reliance on electrification, renewable energy sources and economic security. The global transition to net zero carbon emissions means there is a growing need for new discoveries of HPQ to supply the silicon production chain. HPQ deposits are identified in a multitude of geological settings, including pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, sedimentary accumulations and quartzite; however, deposits of sufficient volume and quality are rare. Quartz is abundant throughout Australia, but the exploration and discovery of HPQ occurrences are notably under-reported, making assessment of the HPQ potential in Australia extremely difficult. This paper presents a much-needed summary of the state of the HPQ industry, exploration and deposit styles in Australia. KEY POINTS: 1. High-purity quartz (HPQ) is a key material for the manufacture of photovoltaic cells, semiconductors and other high-technology applications. 2. HPQ can be recovered from a variety of different source rocks in a range of geological settings. 3. Currently, the HPQ industry in Australia is under-utilised for high-technology applications, and historical exploration and mining records are under-reported and opaque. 4. This review presents an outline of the characteristics, processing requirements and end uses of HPQ, and a summary of the operations, deposits, exploration targets and known occurrences of HPQ in Australia. <b>Citation:</b> Jennings, A., Senior, A., Guerin, K., Main, P., & Walsh, J. (2024). A review of high-purity quartz for silicon production in Australia. <i>Australian Journal of Earth Sciences</i>, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2024.2362296

<div>Australian sediment-hosted mineral systems are important sources of base metals and critical minerals that are vital to delivering Australia’s low-carbon economy. In Australia, sediment-hosted resources account for ~82% and ~86% of the total zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) resources respectively. Given their significance to the Australian economy, four national-scale mineral potential models for sediment-hosted Zn-Pb mineral systems have been developed: clastic-dominated siliciclastic carbonate, clastic-dominated siliciclastic mafic, Mississippi Valley-type and Irish-type. In addition to the potential for Zn-Pb mineralisation, the uncertainty related to data availability has been examined. The mineral potential models were created using a mineral systems-based approach where mappable criteria have been used to assess the prospectivity of each system. Each model has been derived from a large volume of precompetitive geoscience data. The clastic-dominated siliciclastic carbonate mineral potential model predicts 92% of known deposits and occurrences within 15.5% of the area, the clastic-dominated siliciclastic mafic mineral potential model predicts 85% of deposits and occurrences within 27% of the area, and the Mississippi Valley-type mineral potential model predicts 66% of known deposits and occurrences within 31% of the area. Each model successfully predict the location of major sediment-hosted Zn-Pb deposits while highlighting new areas of elevated prospectivity in under-explored regions of Australia, reducing the exploration search space by up to 85% for sediment-hosted Zn-Pb mineral systems.</div>

<div>Tin and tungsten have good potentials for increased demand applications particularly in the electrical and energy storage areas. Similar to other critical metals like Li and Co, Sn and W are essential ingredients for many applications and technologies that are important for a sustainable future. </div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Granite related hydrothermal mineral systems are the predominant source for Sn and W deposits.Cassiterite, wolframite and scheelite are primary Sn and W ore minerals in nature. The distribution of Sn rich areas around the world is uneven, which may reflects that geochemical heritage is fundamental to form Sn and W deposits. Besides, magmatic differentiation has been considered as another efficient way to enrich Sn in various geological reservoirs. The tectonic setting of Sn and W mineralisation is well understood, with most Sn and W deposits having formed at active margin settings. A comparison between the Tethyan and Andean Sn-W mineral systems confirmed that Sn and W mineral systems can form under thickened continental crust associated with an oceanic crust subduction. The importance of granitoids for the formation of Sn and W mineral systems is well understood. The genetic affinity of causative intrusions can be either S-type, I-type or A-type, but a common feature is that they are reduced (or ilmenite series) and highly evolved (high SiO2 content and high Rb/Sr ratio). Another prominent feature for Sn and W mineral systems is their high concentration of critical metals, including Li, Ce, Ta and In etc. Therefore, Sn and W mineralisation has a close association with other critical metal mineralisation. Overall, the precipitation mechanisms of W (wolframite and scheelite) and Sn (cassiterite) ore minerals from the hydrothermal fluid include (1) fluids mixing, (2) boiling and, (3) water-rock interaction.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Recent studies have highlighted discrepancies in Sn mineralisation and W mineralisation conditions. Although Sn- and W-associated granites have substantial overlapping characteristics, many of their physico-chemical natures (e.g., aluminum-saturation index (ASI) values, zirconium saturation temperatures and crystal fractionation degrees) are distinctive, suggesting Sn- and W-granites may form under different geological conditions. The difference between Sn mineralisation and W mineralisation is also evident by their contrasting fluid-melt partitioning coefficients. Tungsten strongly partitions into the aqueous fluid and can be transported farther away from the intrusion, but Sn slightly partitions into the silicate melt and can precipitate as magmatic cassiterite or be incorporated into crystallizing micas (which can have >100 ppm Sn). Another area warranting more study is understanding the elemental associations observed in Sn and W mineral systems. It is common to have many other metals in Sn-dominant mineral systems, for example W, Li, Nb, Ta. For W-dominant mineral systems, apart from with Sn, other common associated metals include Mo, Au-Bi and Cu. Nevertheless, the relationship between Sn-W and Cu-Au mineral systems at both the regional/provincial-scale and deposit-scale is an intriguing puzzle, because Sn-W and Cu-Au deposits are generally formed under different geological conditions, though their tectonic setting are similar, i.e., arc-related subduction and continental collision. An emerging field for understanding Sn and W mineral systems is made possible with the development of micro-analytical techniques, e.g., in-situ U-Pb geochronology and O-isotopic analyses on cassiterite and wolframite enable a greater understanding of Sn and W mineralising systems. Since both are the primary ore minerals, U-Pb dating on them can deliver direct age information - an advantage compared with many other commodities types like Cu, Au and Ag. However, unlike those commodities, impactful advances on Sn and W exploration models, techniques, and tools have been deficient in recent years; therefore, more attention and effort is needed to boost Sn and W mineral exploration in the future.</div><div><br></div>This paper was presented to the 2022 Asian Current Research on Fluid Inclusions IX (ACROFI IX) Conference 12-13 December (http://www.csmpg.org.cn/tzgg2017/202210/t20221011_6522628.html)

We collected 38 groundwater and two surface water samples in the semi-arid Lake Woods region of the Northern Territory to better understand the hydrogeochemistry of this system, which straddles the Wiso, Tennant Creek and Georgina geological regions. Lake Woods is presently a losing waterbody feeding the underlying groundwater system. The main aquifers comprise mainly carbonate (limestone and dolostone), siliciclastic (sandstone and siltstone) and evaporitic units. The water composition was determined in terms of bulk properties (pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, redox potential), 40 major, minor and trace elements as well as six isotopes (δ18Owater, δ2Hwater, δ13CDIC, δ34SSO4=, δ18OSO4=, 87Sr/86Sr). The groundwater is recharged through infiltration in the catchment from monsoonal rainfall (annual average rainfall ~600 mm) and runoff. It evolves geochemically mainly through evapotranspiration and water–mineral interaction (dissolution of carbonates, silicates, and to a lesser extent sulfates). The two surface waters (one from the main creek feeding the lake, the other from the lake itself) are extraordinarily enriched in 18O and 2H isotopes (δ18O of +10.9 and +16.4 ‰ VSMOW, and δ2H of +41 and +93 ‰ VSMOW, respectively), which is interpreted to reflect evaporation during the dry season (annual average evaporation ~3000 mm) under low humidity conditions (annual average relative humidity ~40 %). This interpretation is supported by modelling results. The potassium (K) relative enrichment (K/Cl mass ratio over 50 times that of sea water) is similar to that observed in salt-lake systems worldwide that are prospective for potash resources. Potassium enrichment is believed to derive partly from dust during atmospheric transport/deposition, but mostly from weathering of K-silicates in the aquifer materials (and possibly underlying formations). Further studies of Australian salt-lake systems are required to reach evidence-based conclusions on their mineral potential for potash, lithium, boron and other low-temperature mineral system commodities such as uranium. <b>Citation:</b> P. de Caritat, E. N. Bastrakov, S. Jaireth, P. M. English, J. D. A. Clarke, T. P. Mernagh, A. S. Wygralak, H. E. Dulfer & J. Trafford (2019) Groundwater geochemistry, hydrogeology and potash mineral potential of the Lake Woods region, Northern Territory, Australia, <i>Australian Journal of Earth Sciences</i>, 66:3, 411-430, DOI: 10.1080/08120099.2018.1543208

Over 900 Australian mineral deposits, location and age data, combined with deposit classifications, have been used to assess temporal and spatial patterns of mineral deposits associated with convergent margins and allow assessment of the potential of poorly exposed or undercover mineral provinces and identification of prospective tracts within known mineral provinces. Here we present results of this analysis for the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane and the Tasman Element, which illustrate end-members of the spectrum of convergent margin metallogenic provinces. Combining our Australian synthesis with global data suggest that after ~3000 Ma these provinces are characterised by a reasonably consistent temporal pattern of deposit formation, termed the convergent margin metallogenic cycle (CMMC): volcanic-hosted massive sulfide – calc-alkalic porphyry copper – komatiite-associated nickel sulfide → orogenic gold → alkalic porphyry copper – granite-related rare metal (Sn, W and Mo) – pegmatite. Between ca 3000 Ma and ca 800 Ma, virtually all provinces are characterised by a single CMMC, but after ca 800 Ma, provinces mostly have multiple CMMCs. We interpret this change in metallogeny to reflect secular changes in tectonic style, with single-CMMC provinces associated with warm, shallow break-off subduction, and multiple-CMMC provinces associated with modern-style cold, deep break-off subduction. These temporal and spatial patterns can be used to infer potential for mineralisation outside well-established metallogenic tracts. <b>Citation:</b> Huston D. L., Doublier M. P., Eglington B., Pehrsson S., Mercier-Langevin P. & Piercey S., 2022. Convergent margin metallogenic cycling in the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane and Tasman Element. In: Czarnota, K. (ed.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147037

<div>Sediment-hosted copper (Cu) mineral systems are important sources of base metals and critical minerals such as cobalt that are vital to delivering Australia’s low-carbon economy. In Australia, sediment-hosted Cu resources account for ~11% of the total Cu resources. Given their significance to the Australian economy, national-scale mineral potential models for sediment-hosted Cu have been developed. In addition to the potential for sediment-hosted Cu mineralisation, the uncertainty related to data availability has been examined. Three mineral potential</div><div>models derived from the combination of two mineral systems have been derived from a large volume of precompetitive geoscience data combined with mineral systems expertise, each using a different combination of input maps to assess the influence of incomplete data on the results. The mineral potential models successfully predict the location of major sediment-hosted stratiform Cu and Mount Isa-type Cu deposits while highlighting new areas of elevated prospectivity in under-explored regions of Australia, reducing the exploration search space</div><div>by up to ~84%.</div>

<div>Lithospheric and crustal architecture — the framework of major tectonic blocks, terranes and their boundaries — represents a fundamental first-order control on major geological systems, including the location of world-class mineral camps. Traditionally, lithospheric and crustal architecture are constrained using predominantly geophysical methods. However, Champion and Cassidy (2007) pioneered the use of regional Sm–Nd isotopic data from felsic igneous rocks to produce isotopic contour maps of the Yilgarn Craton, demonstrating the effectiveness of ‘isotopic mapping’, and the potential to map ‘time-constrained’ crustal architecture. Mole et al. (2013) demonstrated the association between lithospheric architecture and mineral systems, highlighting the potential of isotopic mapping as a greenfield area selection tool. Additional work, using Lu-Hf isotopes (Mole et al., 2014), demonstrated that the technique could constrain a range of temporal events via ‘time-slice mapping’, explaining how Ni-Cu-PGE mineralized komatiite systems migrated with the evolving lithospheric boundary of the Yilgarn Craton from 2.9 to 2.7 Ga. Similar studies have since been conducted in West Africa (Parra-Avila et al., 2018), Tibet (Hou et al., 2015), and Canada (Bjorkman, 2017; Mole et al., 2021; 2022). This work continues in Geoscience Australia’s $225 million Exploring for the Future program (2016-present). Isotopic mapping, which forms an integral part of a combined geology-geophysics-geochemistry approach, is currently being applied across southeast Australia, covering the eastern Gawler Craton, Delamerian Orogen, and western Lachlan Orogen, encompassing more than 3 Gyrs of Earth history with demonstrable potential for large mineral systems.</div><div> <b>Reference(s):</b></div><div> Bjorkman, K.E., 2017. 4D crust-mantle evolution of the Western Superior Craton: Implications for Archean granite-greenstone petrogenesis and geodynamics. University of Western Australia, PhD Thesis, 134 pp.</div><div> Champion, D.C. and Cassidy, K.F., 2007. An overview of the Yilgarn Craton and its crustal evolution. In: F.P. Bierlein and C.M. Knox-Robinson (Editors), Proceedings of Geoconferences (WA) Inc. Kalgoorlie '07 Conference. Geoscience Australia Record 2007/14, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, pp. 8-13.</div><div> Hou, Z., Duan, L., Lu, Y., Zheng, Y., Zhu, D., Yang, Z., Yang, Z., Wang, B., Pei, Y., Zhao, Z. and McCuaig, T.C., 2015. Lithospheric architecture of the Lhasa terrane and its control on ore deposits in the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. Economic Geology, 110(6): 1541-1575.</div><div> Mole, D.R., Fiorentini, M.L., Cassidy, K.F., Kirkland, C.L., Thebaud, N., McCuaig, T.C., Doublier, M.P., Duuring, P., Romano, S.S., Maas, R., Belousova, E.A., Barnes, S.J. and Miller, J., 2013. Crustal evolution, intra-cratonic architecture and the metallogeny of an Archaean craton. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 393: pp. 23-80.</div><div> Mole, D.R., Fiorentini, M.L., Thebaud, N., Cassidy, K.F., McCuaig, T.C., Kirkland, C.L., Romano, S.S., Doublier, M.P., Belousova, E.A., Barnes, S.J. and Miller, J., 2014. Archean komatiite volcanism controlled by the evolution of early continents. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(28): 10083-10088.</div><div> Mole, D.R., Thurston, P.C., Marsh, J.H., Stern, R.A., Ayer, J.A., Martin, L.A.J. and Lu, Y., 2021. The formation of Neoarchean continental crust in the south-east Superior Craton by two distinct geodynamic processes. Precambrian Research, 356: 106104.</div><div> Mole, D.R., Frieman, B.M., Thurston, P.C., Marsh, J.H., Jørgensen, T.R.C., Stern, R.A., Martin, L.A.J., Lu, Y.J. and Gibson, H.L., 2022. Crustal architecture of the south-east Superior Craton and controls on mineral systems. Ore Geology Reviews, 148: 105017.</div><div> Parra-Avila, L.A., Belousova, E., Fiorentini, M.L., Eglinger, A., Block, S. and Miller, J., 2018. Zircon Hf and O-isotope constraints on the evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Baoulé-Mossi domain of the southern West African Craton. Precambrian Research, 306: 174-188.</div><div> This Abstract was submitted/presented to the Target 2023 Conference 28 July (https://6ias.org/target2023/)