A report including estimates of Australia's thorium resources and the geochemical processes controlling the distribution of thorium in the earth's crust to enable a decision on whether a larger Thorium Project is justified.

Overview of the deep crustal seismic surveys conducted by Geoscience Australia through the Onshore Energy Security Program since its commencment in 2006 up to September 2009.

Legacy product - no abstract available

Fluids in mineral systems may be derived from above, within, or below the Earth's crust. Fluid production rates and observed Cl contents indicate that the dominant inputs to mineral systems are surface derived (meteoric & bittern) waters and those transported into the crust from below, principally by magmas. These conclusions can be used as part of any analysis of the distribution of mineral systems and ore deposits.

The following eleven holes have been drilled: holes Nos. 22-33. Ongoing drilling operations, and the results and conclusions that can be drawn to date are outlined in this report.

An overview of mineral exploration within Australia for the year 2000.

Geophysical surveys of the magnetite deposits of Australian Magnetite Pty. Ltd. at Gulgong were made by the Bureau in 1952 and 1953, and revealed that the Tallawang deposit was the most important one. The present report gives the results of a detailed magnetic survey which was made over this deposit in August, 1953. Results show that three concentrations of very strongly magnetic material exist within the Tallawang deposit. The southern concentration is unlikely to contain considerable reserves beyond those in sight. The central concentration has been partly worked and could yield reserves of ore from the west wall of the quarry. The northern concentration, which has not been worked, could yield limited reserves. It is shown that the deposit, as a whole, pitches northwards. Some exploratory drilling is recommended on each of the three concentrations.

The National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) project was launched in 2007 as part of the Australian Government's Energy Security Initiative. Knowledge of the concentrations and distributions of chemical elements in the near-surface environment, used in combination with other datasets, can contribute to making exploration for energy and mineral resources more cost-effective and less risky. As a spin-off, the multi-element dataset can also have applications in environmental fields. During precursor pilot projects, various sampling media, grain-size fractions and analytical methods were tested. It emerged that catchment outlet sediments (from either overbank or floodplain landforms, or from similar low-lying settings) were an ideal sampling medium found across Australia. These sediments are well-mixed composites of the dominant rock and soil types of a catchment, and are typically fine-grained. Results from the pilot projects indicated that catchment outlet sediments could reflect geochemical signatures from basement and mineralisation, even through thick transported overburden. Building on these methods, the NGSA project targeted catchment outlet sediments as a uniform sampling medium. A shallow (0-10 cm) and a deeper (~60-80 cm) sediment sample was collected at the outlet of 1186 catchments covering ~80% of the country. Sampling was carried out by State and Northern Territory geoscience agencies following protocols described in the Field Manual and practiced during in-field training with Geoscience Australia project staff. All sampling equipment (augers, shovels, etc.) and consumables (bags, labels, etc.) were provided centrally. Dry and moist Munsell colours, soil pH, digital photographs, site information and GPS coordinates were recorded in the field. .../...

As a result of a suggestion that electric logging might be employed successfully in coal exploration, a Geophysicist from Melbourne visited Field Headquarters, Muswellbrook and ran electric logs in holes which are being drilled in this district. The equipment consisted of a Widco Logger with one movable electrode capable of measuring Resistivity to a depth of 500 feet. An adaption has been made to this equipment to enable Self Potential to be measured. The details of work done are listed in Table 1 and the results of the logging as compared with the usual method of core-logging are summarized briefly hereunder.

An airborne gravity gradiometer (AGG) survey has been flown over the Broken Hill region. The survey involved the NSW Department of Mineral Resources in collaboration with the CRC for Predictive Mineral Discovery (pmd*CRC) as principal research project sponsor. Interpretation of these data is expected to assist explorers to locate discrete targets that have anomalous density. This is relevant to exploration for base metal, Fe-Cu-Au and Ni-Cu-Pt-Pl deposits in the region. The data will also provide a significant new data layer for geological mapping and mineral system research, and will provide further insight for exploration across the entire Curnamona Province.