Major aerial surveys began this month that will result in the acquisition of almost two million line kilometres of new onshore and offshore geophysical data.

 

Geoscience Australia will manage the programs on behalf of the Geological Survey of Western Australia, Mineral Resources Tasmania and the Geological Survey of Queensland.

 

In Western Australia, the airborne geophysical surveys will be the third phase of a program carried out as part of the Western Australian Exploration Incentive Scheme, which is funded under the Western Australian Royalties for Regions program.

 

The current Phase 3 will involve 12 surveys collecting a total of 1.4 million line kilometres in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Carnarvon, Perth Basin, Murchison and South West regions. The new data will add to data from similar, already completed surveys in the Canning, Officer and Eucla regions.

 

Mineral Resources Tasmania is carrying out an airborne magnetic survey off the east coast of Tasmania to collect around 31,000 line kilometres of new magnetic data, as part of a potential field study of offshore Tasmania.

 

The survey will supplement a similar program carried out off the state's north coast, and help provide a comprehensive understanding of the bathymetry and geological features off the coast of Tasmania.

 

The Geological Survey of Queensland is carrying out airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys in the Galilee Basin and Thomson Orogen regions to collect more than 450,000 line kilometres of new data. The surveys are the first airborne geophysical surveys conducted under the Queensland Government's Greenfields 2020 program targeting under-explored geological terrains that have potential for major new mineral and energy discoveries.

 

The Greenfields 2020 program adds to similar surveys already completed under the Queensland Government's Smart Mining – Future Prosperity and Smart Exploration programs.