The Company Mineral Drillhole Database (MDHDB) contains more than 3 million historic drillholes and more than 9 million surface samples from open-file reports. Under the Mining Act 1978 companies are required to submit annual exploration reports, some of which contain surface samples and drillhole data. The data stored in the MDHDB are made available when the reports are released to the public, usually after a confidentiality period of five years. The MDHDB does not provide a comprehensive history of drilling in Western Australia, as reporting requirements varied over time.
The ‘Drillholes’ and 'Geochemistry' search tools in GeoVIEW.WA allows the MDHDB to be queried textually using project name and operator, or spatially by tenement number, an area of interest, coordinates or map sheet.
Searching and downloading of harmonised drillhole and surface geochemistry is also available from the external website GSWA (wamexgeochem.net.au). Please read the Help Guide.
The data is also presented in a pivoted format and the complete set of pivoted tables can be downloaded.
The complete MDHDB in SQL16 and SQL22 formats is available on request or downloaded from the external website (above).
Access the Mineral Drillhole Database
Access the Surface geochemistry database
Search and download harmonised open file surface and downhole geochemistry data
Database content
| Period | Notes |
| Pre-2000 | Few datasets have sufficient metadata to warrant inclusion in the MDHDB. Earliest data in the database are from 1997. |
| 2000–06 | Mineral Exploration Reporting Templates were introduced in 2000 and progressively used for digital submission of data. |
| 2007–present | Submission of digital data became compulsory in 2007. All data on drillholes from 2007 onwards are included in the MDHDB. |
The drilling data available in the MDHDB as a minimum comprise a collar file that has been validated against the tenement outline. Additional files — assays, geology and surveys — may also be available depending on the company’s submission. There has not been validation of the data itself but it may have been amended or reformatted to allow its import into the database. To view data as originally submitted, consult the relevant mineral exploration Western Australian Mineral Exploration Index (WAMEX) report.
Access to these data is via the online spatial viewing application, GeoVIEW.WA. Note that due to elevated data density, the layer is only visible when you zoom into the map.
Contact
For more information contact:
wamex.enquiries@dmirs.wa.gov.au
For technical assistance contact IT Service Desk.