AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Report on magnetic and seismological work, Heard Island, 1952-53

A brief account is given of the history of the Magnetic and Seismological Observatories up to the time when the author landed on Heard Island in February 1952. This account is followed by a detailed description of all work done in connection with the operation and maintenance of the Observatories up to February 1953. Appended are: (1) The absolute values of the magnetic elements as observed during the period from 12th March, 1952 to 29th January, 1953; (2) The observed station differences for the magnetic elements; (3) Preliminary analysis of teleseisms and list of icefalls recorded; (4) Absolute gravity values as determined at Heard and Kerguelen Islands.

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, HM, Published_External, Record, gravity, infrastructure, magnetics, seismics
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Underwater video from the Wessel Marine Park (INV2019T02)

Survey INV2019T02 was conducted under the National Marine Facility’s supplementary voyage opportunities on the RV Investigator between the 4th to 14th October 2019, with multiple discrete projects and principal investigators. One of these projects aimed to characterise habitats of targeted areas within Wessel Marine Park, providing crucial baseline information to better understand and manage this marine park, including those sites sacred to local indigenous communities.

As part of this project, four 1500 m video transects were undertaken across a range of geomorphic features and depth gradients focussed on a deep hole feature within and adjacent to the Wessel Marine Park. 

Raw video files are located in folder 'INV2019T02_TOWVID_VIDEOS', named by station number and camera tow. These do not have georeferencing. The benthic environment in the study area was highly turbid with strong currents, and associated imagery can therefore only be used for habitat classification, coarse morphospecies identification, or defining broad biological communities. 

Onboard habitat annotations are included as an excel file, with camera positioning included.

Tags: HVC_144640, Marine Geoscience, Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology), Published_External, Wessel Marine Park, geomorphic features, underwater video
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Notes on aeromagnetic survey of East Gippsland area, Victoria

During July and August 1951, officers of the Geophysical Section of the Bureau of Mineral resources carried out an aeromagnetic survey of the East Gippsland area of Victoria, using the Bureau's D.C.3 aircraft VH-BUR. An F24 type aerial camera was used for taking vertical photographs for the purpose of plotting flight paths of the aircraft along the flight lines. The magnetic equipment consisted of a modified magnetic airborne Detector unit type AN/ASQ-1. The aircraft was flown at an altitude of one thousand feet above terrain, along parallel flight lines running in a north-south direction one mile apart. This report comprises notes on the survey. A provisional map showing contour lines of total magnetic intensity and magnetic anomalies is attached.

Tags: AU-VIC, GA Publication, Geophysics, Published_External, Record, geomagnetism, geophysics, magnetics, mapping
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Seismic survey of the Mossy Marsh Tunnel area, Tasmania

Details and results are given of a seismic refraction survey made at the request of the Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania, to investigate the site of the western portal of the proposed Mossy Marsh Tunnel. The tunnel is part of the No. 2 Tarraleah Canal project to transport water from Lake King William to Tarraleah Power Station. The primary object of the survey was to determine the thickness of till overlying the dolerite bedrock, and hence contours of the bedrock surface.

Tags: AU-TAS, GA Publication, Geophysics, Published_External, Record, infrastructure, seismic refraction, seismics
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Making sense of temporally sparse hydrochemical data to support groundwater system conceptualisation in the Georgina Basin, Northern Territory and Queensland

This hydrochemical study contributes to a broader investigation of the hydrogeology and groundwater systems within the Georgina Basin, spanning the Northern Territory and Queensland. The regional investigation aimed to synthesise geoscience and hydrogeological datasets to inform a new whole-of-basin conceptualisation of groundwater systems and flow dynamics within the regional unconfined carbonate aquifers of the Georgina Basin. Within this context, this study evaluates hydrochemical data to support hydrogeological insights, addressing challenges relating to handling large datasets from multiple sources with variable temporal resolution.

Hydrochemical data from groundwater bores, springs and rainfall have been compiled from past studies and publicly available datasets. A Python-based workflow has been developed to standardise data formats, manage data inconsistencies and examine the hydrochemistry data using a variety of visualisation tools. Despite poor temporal resolution, the extensive spatial coverage has enabled geostatistical techniques, particularly hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of major ions in groundwater, to identify four distinct hydrochemical clusters. Notably, a distinct cluster delineates areas of enhanced recharge associated with carbonate outcrop and along streams and floodout zones. Also, some Great Artesian Basin bores&nbsp;are part of the same cluster as the regional unconfined aquifers, indicating potential inter-aquifer connectivity. HCA has refined the interpretation of groundwater processes in the regional unconfined aquifers determined from groundwater levels, geological information and previous environmental tracer investigations. 

Using Python enables a more traceable and structured approach to handling hydrochemical datasets with variable quality. The integration of hydrochemical datasets with complementary hydrogeological data enhances confidence in interpretations of regional groundwater system dynamics.

Presented at the 52nd Congress of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH2025)

Tags: EFTF – Exploring for the Future, Groundwater hydrology, Published_External, groundwater bores, groundwater flow, hydrochemistry
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
An examination of thermal areas at Garua Harbour, New Britain, August, 1954

The 1954 investigation was primarily concerned with examination of as many of the thermal areas as possible in the short time available, and to record temperatures which could be used as a basis for comparison in future investigations. The writer arrived at Talasea on the "Theresa May" on the 28th August after completing investigations in the Langila Crater area and on Vitu Island. Over the next three days thermal areas near Talasea and west of Pangala village on the north coast of Garua Harbour were visited and temperatures taken.

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, PG, Published_External, Record, geology, volcanology
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Northern Australia Geochemical Survey: a review of regional soil geochemical patterns

Soil geochemistry has been used to discover many mineral deposits in Australia. Further, it places first-order controls on soil fertility in agriculture and can be used to monitor the environment. With this utility in mind, an extensive soil sampling survey was undertaken as part of the Exploring for the Future program across the vast prospective exploration frontier between Tennant Creek and Mount Isa, dubbed the Northern Australia Geochemical Survey (NAGS). In all, 776 stream sediment outlet samples were collected at a depth of 0–10 cm, improving the density of the National Geochemical Survey of Australia by an order of magnitude, to one sample per ~500 km2. Two size fractions from each sample were analysed for a comprehensive suite of chemical elements after total digestion, Mobile Metal Ion™ (MMI) and aqua regia extractions, and fire assay. Here, we highlight the applicability of these results to base metal exploration, evaluation of soil fertility for agriculture and establishment of geochemical baselines. Our results reveal an association between elevated concentrations of commodity or pathfinder elements in the same or downstream catchments as known mineral deposits. Similar features elsewhere suggest new areas with potential for base metal discovery.

<b>Citation:</b> Bastrakov, E.N. and Main, P.T., 2020. Northern Australia Geochemical Survey: a review of regional soil geochemical patterns. 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.

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, EFTF, Exploring for the Future, GEOCHEMISTRY, Geochemical Survey, Geochemistry, NAGS, Published_External, Surface Geochemistry
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Determination of differences in the magnetic elements between the absolute stations on the north end of Macquarie Island

The Australian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14 established four absolute magnetic stations, namely Stations A, B, C and D. Two subsequent stations, Stations E and F, came into operation in 1950 and 1952 respectively. Because absolute magnetic observations had been made at different stations is was essential that the differences in the magnetic elements between the various stations be determined so that all data could be reduced to a common point. The observations were carried out during the period 31st March to 6th April 1952, whilst the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions relief operations were in progress.

Tags: AQ, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, magnetics
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Heavy mineral exploration on the continental scale

Heavy minerals (HMs) (i.e. minerals with a density greater than ~2.9 g/cm3) are widely used by mineral explorers and researchers in upstream exploration and geological provenance studies (e.g. Averill 2001; McClenaghan et al. 2016; Salama et al. 2016). Some HMs, referred to as ‘indicator’ minerals, can be indicative of specific environments of formation or processes such as hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation (e.g. Nowicki et al. 2007; McClenaghan et al. 2014; Mao et al. 2017). The use of HMs in mineral exploration typically involves the systematic sampling and analysis (geochemical and mineralogical) of drainage sediments, however the applicability of these methods in Australia is poorly understood due to the variable and, in places, protracted history of physical and chemical weathering across the continent, as well as the possibility that geomorphic drainage patterns and erosion cycles have evolved significantly over geological time (Pillans 2007; Pain et al. 2012). 

The Heavy Mineral Map of Australia (HMMA) project is a joint Geoscience Australia-Curtin University initiative designed to define a heavy mineral baseline for the Australian continent. The starting materials utilized were 1315 floodplain sediment samples collected from drainage catchments covering ~81% of the Australian continent (Caritat 2022). A pilot study (Caritat et al. 2022) carried out on a subset of National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) samples determined that the largest volumetric component of the sediments was quartz and feldspar group minerals, which are of minimal diagnostic value in mineral exploration or determining basement geology. The heavy mineral fraction, separated from the bulk sediments using gravity separation techniques, was found to contain mineral assemblages of potential utility in defining protolith sources and geological processes related to magmatism, metamorphism, metasomatism/alteration, and mineralization. The Caritat et al. (2022) study determined that it was feasible to generate heavy mineral maps of Australia (HMMA) as a new pre-competitive asset of potential interest to industry, government, and academic researchers. The derived mineralogy from the HMMA project will provide explorers with a better understanding of background mineral abundances and geoscientists with new insights into the composition and evolution of the Australian crust.

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, Heavy Mineral Map of Australia - HMMA, Heavy Minerals - HM, mineral network, mineralogical analysis
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Radioactive deposits, Carcoar, New South Wales

The occurrence of radioactive minerals with cobaltiferous deposits in the Carcoar area has been known since 1894, but until recently they have not received much attention. The present geological survey has been carried out following the discovery of three rather significant radioactive anomalies in the north-eastern part of the mined area, during radiometric surveys in 1950 and 1951. The geological survey has shown that the cobaltiferous-uranium deposits occur in strong north-south shears in an area of Silurian slates and volcanic rocks intruded by diorite sills and dykes, close to the south-eastern boundary of a large mass of hornblende diorite. Opportunities occur for the discovery of other uranium deposits in parallel shears outside the area, in which radioactive anomalies have already been found. This report gives a detailed account of the geological survey. Geology, geological structure, the workings, deposits, and mineralization are discussed, and recommendations are made for future testing and surveying of the area.

Tags: AU-NSW, GA Publication, Geology, Published_External, Record, geology, mineral deposits, minerals, mining, structural geology
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Note on the recent discovery of marmatite on the Wau-Edie Creek road, Wau

An outcrop of marmatite (zinc sulphide) has been located within the boundaries of E.P.L.26 held by New Guinea Goldfields Limited. The following notes describe the outcrop as discovered and certain recommendations are made to assist in the evaluation of the outcrop as a base-metal orebody. Other recommendations are made embracing other known occurrences of base-metal sulphides in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.

Tags: GA Publication, Geology, PG, Published_External, Record, geology, mineral deposits, mineralogy
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Geochemical prospecting at Mt. Isa, Queensland

Geochemical anomalies in soils over zones of lead mineralization were studied, both in known mineralized areas and in areas of suspected mineralization. The anomalies were readily detected and outlined by using a dithizone technique on acid extracts of soil samples collected from grid systems. By assuming the principles of mechanical mixing of the mineralized rock with other material during soil formation, and of downhill migration of soils, the anomalies were correlated with the zones of their origin: the asymmetric anomalies discovered are typical of such conditions. Applied to areas of suspected mineralization the geochemical prospecting was responsible for the discovery of two new bands of lead mineralization and several large lead and copper anomalies. The method proved to be extremely useful for indicating the most favourable areas for more detailed prospecting such as diamond or churn drilling and geophysical methods.

Tags: AU-QLD, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geochemistry, mineral deposits
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Geological report on Peko gold mine, Tennant Creek goldfield, Northern Territory

A geological survey of the Peko Gold Mine was conducted as part of the field activities of the Bureau of Mineral Resources in 1950. The objects of the survey were to study the factors localizing the ore, to suggest possibilities for the discovery of new oreshoots, and to plan a diamond drilling campaign to test these possibilities. J.F. Ivanac and B.P. Walpole mapped the geology of the mine. The plane table survey of the surface outcrops was carried out by E.M. Bennet. The results of the survey are presented in this report. History and production, general geology, economic geology, and the prospects of further discovery are discussed.

Tags: AU-NT, GA Publication, Geology, Published_External, Record, economic geology, geology, mineral deposits, ore
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Abstract of the stratigraphy of the Springsure area and adjacent areas (Queensland)

The following abstract was written in order to facilitate the compilation of the Queensland four-mile geological sheets and the explanatory notes accompanying them. The area described covers the Springsure, Emerald, Jericho and partly the Tambo and Baralaba four-mile sheets.

Tags: AU-QLD, GA Publication, Geophysics, Published_External, Record, geology, palaeontology, sequence stratigraphy, stratigraphy
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Open cut coal programme - Newcastle region, Kotara area Drilling results

The area investigated lies on the outskirts of Kotara, a suburb in the S.W. of Newcastle. The coal of interest is in the Burwood Seam. Drilling, field work, and surveying were carried out in the area. These operations are described in this report. Drilling results are discussed.

Tags: AU-NSW, GA Publication, Geology, Published_External, Record, commodities, mining, resource assessment
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
L117 Northern New Guinea Basin Airborne Seismic Survey, 1970

During the period September to December 1970 the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) carried out an experimental airborne seismic survey in swamp and other areas of the Northern New Guinea Basin, which are inaccessible to conventional seismic land operations. A helicopter was used to place explosives, shooting equipment and geophones connected to sonobuoy transmitters into position on the ground. Seismic signals are received from the sonobuoy transmitters and recorded on a conventional recording system mounted in an aircraft flying over the seismic field set-up at the time of each shot. Preliminary investigations indicated that the airborne seismic technique is practicable and operationally feasible for use in the swamp areas of the Northern New Guinea Basin.

Tags: PG, Published_External, Seismic Data, Seismology and Seismic Exploration, geophysics, seismic survey
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Report on alluvial gold deposits of Mastuj and Chitral Rivers in Chitral State, Pakistan

The presence of alluvial gold in the river gravels of Mastuj and Chitral has been known for many years, and local inhabitants have realised the value of the gold and have worked the deposits. Tipper (1923), Coulson (1937), Ikramuddin Ali (1951) and Tayyab Ali (1951), have reported on the placers but no accurate determinations have been made of their size or grade. In August, 1951, the Australian Geological Party, J.F. Ivanac, D.M. Traves, and D. King, examined the deposits between Mastuj and Drosh, with the objects of reporting on the size and nature of the placers, and if warranted, to suggest suitable sites for testing. This report gives an account of the examination and its results.

Tags: GA Publication, Geology, PK, Published_External, Record, geology, gold, mineral deposits, resource assessment
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Preliminary report Bam Island, Madang sub-district, New Guinea

On the 4th November, 1954, the first report of eruptive activity at Bam Island was received at the Observatory, Rabaul. Mr. M.A. Reynolds was at that time engaged on an investigation at Tuluman Volcano, Manus Sub-district. As he had most of the field equipment with him the writer signalled a request to him to proceed to Bam to investigate this report. On the afternoon of the 5th it was learned that the Lorengau radio was out of operation and that Reynolds had not received the signal. The writer departed Rabaul at 0700 hours 6th November, 1954, and arrived at Wewak at 1200 hours. The m/v. "Ella" was made available and the writer departed Wewak at 0300 hours together with Cadet Patrol Officer R.G. Noble for Bam Island, arriving there at 1300 hours that day. The writer spent a little over a day on the island and returned to Wewak on the 9th November. The recent investigation revealed that the present activity consists of only mild explosions, ejecting well crystallised lava, which though incandescent when ejected was solid. Seismic activity only accompanied the actual exposions and was not premonitory.

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, PG, Published_External, Record, geology, volcanology
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Geophysical survey of magnetite deposits near Gulgong, New South Wales

On the recommendation contained in a preliminary report issued by the Bureau of Mineral Resources in 1952, a magnetic survey was made of several deposits of magnetite in the parishes of Puggoon and Tallawang, near Gulgong, N.S.W. The magnetic results are compared with test results from the quarry at the nearby Tallawang deposit and it is shown that the small deposits studied are not likely to be of sufficient interest to the present lease-holders. Attention is directed to the Tallawang deposit where it is possible that further development of the known ore-bodies, will expose additional reserves of magnetite. A detailed magnetic survey of the area is recommended.

Tags: AU-NSW, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geophysics, magnetics, mineral deposits, mineral exploration
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
OZCHEM National Whole Rock Geochemistry Dataset

OZCHEM is Geoscience Australia's national whole-rock geochemical database. This release of OZCHEM contains over 50000 analyses of rocks, regolith and stream sediments from many regions of Australia. Each analysis includes a geographic location and a geological description, which includes the host stratigraphic unit, where known, and the lithology. Most samples have been collected by Geoscience Australia's field parties. OZCHEM is stored in an ORACLE relational database and is available in comma-delimited flat ASCII format.  The data set is also bundled with documentation explaining the database structure and includes definitions of the database tables and columns (attributes).

Tags: AU, Earth Sciences, HVC_144627, Published_External, Thematic Data, data standards, dataset, geochemistry, geoscience databases
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
The Tennyson uranium prospects, Edith River, Northern Territory

The Tennyson Uranium prospects, six in number and referred to as prospects 1 to 6, include 15 deposits all apparently too small and too low in grade, at the surface, to be worth working. Five of them (1A, 1F, 2A, 3, and 5) could be expected to yield 9, 25, 8, 15, and 5 to 18 tons of ore per foot of depth. Assay results are available for prospect 2 only. The estimated average grade of the surface material in deposits 2A and 2C, down to a depth of approximately 3 inches, is 0.21 and 0.13 per cent U3O8 respectively. However, the near surface material may be impoverished by leaching, and the grade may improve at depth. The country is hard, and the width of the orebody ranges from 10 inches in deposit 1F to 16 inches, and possibly 52 inches, in deposit 5. Drilling of a typical deposit should establish the type of mineralization, and indicate the change in grade of ore that might be expected below the surface. It is recommended that any drilling undertaken by the Bureau should be on a deposit, discovered by a Bureau party, 1.25 miles south-east of Tennyson's No. 1 prospect. In any case, the commencement of drilling in the Edith River area should be deferred until after inspection of some, at least, of any anomalies indicated by the proposed air-borne survey of 1953.

Tags: AU-NT, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, mineral deposits, resource assessment, uranium
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data