Product catalogue
Australian Weathering Intensity Index
A predictive model of weathering intensity or the degree of weathering has been generate over the Australian continent. The model has been generated using the Random Forest decision tree machine learning algorithm. The algorithm is used to establish predictive relationships between field estimates of the degree of weathering and a comprehensive suite of covariate or predictive datasets. The covariates used to generate the model include satellite imagery, terrain attributes, airborne radiometric imagery and mapped geology. The weathering intensity model is an estimate of the degree of surface weathering only. The interpretation of the weathering intensity is different for in-situ or residual landscapes compared with transported materials within depositional landscapes. In residual landscapes, weathering process are operating locally whereas in depositional landscapes the model is reflecting the degree of weathering either prior to erosion and subsequent deposition, or weathering of sediments after being deposited.
The degree of surface weathering is particularly important in Australia where variations in weathering intensity correspond to the nature and distribution of regolith (weathered bedrock and sediments) which mantles approximately 90% of the Australian continent. The weathering intensity prediction has been generated using the Random Forest decision tree machine learning algorithm. The algorithm is used to establish predictive relationships between field estimates of the degree of weathering and a comprehensive suite of covariate or predictive datasets. The covariates used to generate the model include satellite imagery, terrain attributes, airborne radiometric imagery and mapped geology. Correlations between the training dataset and the covariates were explored through the generation of 300 random tree models. An r-squared correlation of 0.85 is reported using 5 K-fold cross-validation. The mean of the 300 models is used for predicting the weathering intensity and the uncertainty in the weathering intensity is estimated at each location via the standard deviation in the 300 model values. The predictive weathering intensity model is an estimate of the degree of surface weathering only. The interpretation of the weathering intensity is different for in-situ or residual landscapes compared with transported materials within depositional landscapes. In residual landscapes, weathering process are operating locally whereas in depositional landscapes the model is reflecting the degree of weathering either prior to erosion and subsequent deposition, or weathering of sediments after being deposited. The weathering intensity model has broad utility in assisting mineral exploration in variably weathered geochemical landscapes across the Australian continent, mapping chemical and physical attributes of soils in agricultural landscapes and in understanding the nature and distribution of weathering processes occurring within the upper regolith.
<b>Value: </b>Weathering intensity is an important characteristic of the earth's surface that has a significant influence on the chemical and physical properties of surface materials. Weathering intensity largely controls the degree to which primary minerals are altered to secondary components including clay minerals and oxides. In this context the weathering intensity model has broad application in understanding geomorphological and weathering processes, mapping soil/regolith and geology.
<b>Scope: </b>National dataset which over time can be improved with additional sites for training and thematic datasets for prediction.
Simple
Identification info
- Date (Creation)
- 2018-09-10
- Date (Publication)
- 2022-02-24T01:53:27
- Citation identifier
- Geoscience Australia Persistent Identifier/https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/144633
Identifier
- Codespace
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Digital Object Identifier
- Cited responsible party
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Author Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice
- Purpose
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Weathering intensity is an important characteristic of the earth’s surface that has a significant influence on the chemical and physical properties of surface materials. Weathering intensity largely controls the degree to which primary minerals are altered to secondary components including clay minerals and oxides. In this context the weathering intensity model has broad application in understanding geomorphological and weathering processes, mapping soil/regolith and geology.
- Status
- On going
- Point of contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Point of contact Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice Resource provider Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division
External Contact Point of contact Main, P.
MEG Internal Contact
- Spatial representation type
- Topic category
-
- Geoscientific information
Extent
))
Temporal extent
- Time period
- 2018-05-01
- Maintenance and update frequency
- Annually
Resource format
- Title
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Product data repository: Various Formats
- Protocol
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FILE:DATA-DIRECTORY
- Name of the resource
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Data Store directory containing the digital product files
- Description
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Data Store directory containing one or more files, possibly in a variety of formats, accessible to Geoscience Australia staff only for internal purposes
- theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
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GEOCHEMISTRY
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- {1}
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HVC_144633
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- {1}
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HVC - High Value Collection
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- {1}
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DC2020
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- {1}
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wind
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- {1}
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AS/NZS 1170.2
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- {1}
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terrain
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- {1}
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topography
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- {1}
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impact
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- {1}
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surface roughness
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- {1}
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weathering intensity
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- {1}
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regolith
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- {1}
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Weathering degree
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- {1}
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Soil
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- {1}
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Weathering Process
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- {1}
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Published_External
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Resource constraints
- Title
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
- Alternate title
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CC-BY
- Edition
-
4.0
- Access constraints
- License
- Use constraints
- License
Resource constraints
- Title
-
Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
Distribution Information
- Distributor contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Distributor Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice facsimile
- OnLine resource
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View catalogue records associated with this collection
View catalogue records associated with this collection
- Distribution format
-
Resource lineage
- Statement
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<b>Source: </b>Source dataset include field site observation and measurements and thematic grids including terrain attributes (i.e. relief, slope, landscape position), satellite imagery and geophysical dataset (i.e. airborne radiometrics) <br />
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<b>Form: </b>Floating point geotiff with values ranging from 0-6. Zero indicating least weathered to 6 being completely or very highly weathered.<br />
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This Collection record was created to enhance the discoverability and management of the individual products contained in the collection. See the individual eCat records for product specific lineage.
Metadata constraints
- Title
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Australian Government Security Classification System
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
Metadata
- Metadata identifier
-
urn:uuid/9cc736aa-6057-4419-8bc5-110e9878e47e
- Title
-
GeoNetwork UUID
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
- Contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Point of contact Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice Point of contact Main, P.
MEG Internal Contact
Type of resource
- Resource scope
- Collection
- Name
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Geoscience Australia (GA) High Value Collection
Alternative metadata reference
- Title
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Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with
uuid
- Citation identifier
- eCatId/144633
- Date info (Creation)
- 2021-01-06T22:40:52
- Date info (Revision)
- 2021-01-06T22:40:52
Metadata standard
- Title
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AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-3
- Title
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Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014
- Edition
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Version 2.0, September 2018
- Citation identifier
- https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/122551