North-West Queensland has been the stomping ground for three vibroseis trucks recently in a $4.5 million seismic survey program.
The Boodjamulla-Croydon deep seismic program is a collaboration between the Geological Survey of Queensland and Geoscience Australia.
Wrapping up this week, the survey consists of three lines totalling 840km that span from the western sub-province of the Mount Isa inlier across the Carpentaria Basin and into the Croydon province of the Georgetown inlier.
The vibroseis trucks (pictured at top and below) have been operating day and night, using low-frequency vibrations to map deep geological structures.
Geoscientists will use the crustal reflection data gathered to identify areas of potential untapped deposits of metals like copper and zinc.
Geoscience Australia chief executive officer Melissa Harris said the project would inform government and industry decision making and guide future exploration activities.
“Covering a distance of 840km, the seismic survey will provide valuable insight into subsurface geology, basin architecture and regional stratigraphy,” Ms Harris said.
Natural Resources and Mines Minister Dale Last said the findings would give Queensland explorers an edge to crank up investment.
“This survey will help us better understand what lies beneath the surface of North-West Queensland so that explorers and miners can uncover the next big hit,” he said.
“The data and interpretations will be freely available, giving rock experts a backstage pass to quality geological insights they couldn’t generate on their own.
“A strong pipeline of exploration will set the stage for the future of our state’s resources sector, which returns billions of dollars to Queenslanders every year.
“That’s why we’re turning up the dial on new mining opportunities across Queensland, with this year’s Budget investing $5.1 million towards targeted geoscientific activities across our state.”
When the program is complete, the data will be available on the GSQ Open Data Portal.