GSWA enewsletter edition 67 - 16 February 2017

GSWA Open Day 2017

GSWA 2017 A5 Flyer

This is the best value conference in Perth with loads of free giveaways and essential geological updates for the industry.

Cost: $110 (fee includes lunch, morning and afternoon teas, and a sundowner)

GSWA Open Day 2017 - presentation timetable

Register NOW!

Co-funded Drilling Program Round 15 opens on 24 February

Round 15 of the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) Co–funded Drilling Program will be open for online applications from 24 February 2017.

The online system for applications for co-funding of drilling projects to be undertaken in the 2017–18 financial year, will open on 24 February and will close at 5 pm (WST) on 7 April 2017.

More information is available at www.dmp.wa.gov.au/eisdrilling when the website is updated on 24 February, or from Margaret Ellis, Coordinator EIS, margaret.ellis@dmp.wa.gov.au or (08) 9222 3509.

Geophysical data releases — Thursday 23 February 2017

Thursday 23 February 2017

East Kimberley 2016 aerogravity data
Gravity anomaly grid (400 m) of Western Australia (2017 — version 1)

Final data from the East Kimberley regional aerogravity survey at 2.5 km line spacing completed in December 2016 will be available via GSWA’s interactive mapping application, GeoVIEW.WA (search in the ‘Government airborne surveys’ layer for ‘registered number = 71156’). The dataset will include point data, grids and georeferenced images

Vector (point-located) and gridded data will also be available from www.ga.gov.au/gadds.

An update of the gravity anomaly compilation grid of Western Australia will be available for download from www.dmp.wa.gov.au/geophysics. This 2017 update will include grids made from: the new East Kimberley data; recently released company aerogravity data in the Canning Basin; and GSWA’s Wiluna 2016 ground gravity data released in November 2016.

Expansion of core library a boost for exploration

Core library

There is new life in one of government’s important but often overlooked assets in the resources sector — the Perth Core Library. This was recognized when Mines and Petroleum Minister Hon. Sean L’Estrange officially opened the new $7.3 million extension to the core library on 2 November 2016.

The Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) facility in Carlisle stores drillcore samples that can be studied by researchers and explorers seeking new petroleum and mineral discoveries. The previous capacity of more than 8600 pallets of core has been almost doubled to 15 400 pallets.

‘The Perth Core Library is a vital resource for geologists, other scientists, and anybody who is interested in exploring for minerals and resources in Western Australia,’ Mr L’Estrange said.

‘The library would have reached full capacity this year if the State Government had not funded the expansion.’ The expanded facility now has sufficient capacity to store the forecast delivery of core and cuttings until about 2033.

‘We have also completed a new covered viewing area that was previously open to the elements, as well as a dedicated area to house the state-of-the-art HyLogger spectral scanner used to analyse drillcore.’

The Minister said that there had been a 300% increase in viewing of core samples during the past 10 years. The added capacity and space would reduce current waiting times and make it easier to access the core samples.

‘The precompetitive geoscience information provided through the core library promotes the mineral and energy prospectivity of the State, and encourages innovative research and more targeted, lower cost exploration for mineral and petroleum resources,’ Mr L’Estrange said.

Some interesting statistics on the expansion project are as follows:

The project was completed on time and on budget.
The one-year construction project obtained its ‘notice of practical completion’ on 12 October 2016. Actual construction (with demolition of the old Norton Building) commenced in January 2016.
The architects for the project were Sandover Pinder Pty Ltd.
The construction firm was Firm Constructions Pty Ltd.
Project management was by Building and Major Works (BMW), part of the Department of Finance.
Capital cost for the project overall was $7.3 million, which also covered a new high-rise turret truck as the pallet storage is 12 racks high, as well as a new forklift; thus ensuring improved operational continuity in case of equipment breakdowns.
The new enclosed viewing area is larger than the pre-existing enclosed viewing area.
Additional funding of $1.2 million for the enclosed viewing area was provided by the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA).
In conjunction with NOPTA and Geoscience Australia, DMP operates the Perth Core Library as the western hub of the National Offshore Petroleum Data and Core Repository (NOPDCR) with the formal agreement designed to manage the physical assets that belong to the Commonwealth.
The Perth Core Library will store two-thirds of all Commonwealth-managed petroleum core from offshore drilling from around Australia, plus all ditch cuttings and side-wall cores.
The Perth Core Library, as a secure purpose-built facility, was established in 2002, but government has been storing core and cuttings on site ever since the first onshore petroleum well was drilled at Rough Range in 1953.
Over the last few years, about 2000 clients per year have used the facility, which has involved accessing about 2000 pallets per year and 1500–2000 boxes of ditch cuttings per year.
A record 116 000 metres of core was laid out for customers in 2015–16.
Samples taken by customers for further analysis average around 5000–6000 per year, but reached a record of 23 360 in 2014–15.
Petroleum clients outnumber mineral industry clients at the Perth Core Library by a ratio of 3:1, and offshore petroleum clients (from Commonwealth jurisdiction) outnumber Western Australian petroleum clients.

For more information, contact Don Flint (don.flint@dmp.wa.gov.au).

GSWA database and online systems FREE training — 2017 dates

Find out how to access geoscience data online and understand our systems at this FREE training course.

Systems include:

WAMEX
GeoVIEW.WA
GeoMap.WA
Data and Software Centre
Mineral drillholes and geochemistry databases
Department of Mines and Petroleum’s (updated) website

PERTH
The Perth training has been divided into separate sessions: one for mining companies/geologists (morning) and one for prospectors (afternoon).

Wednesday 1 March
Thursday 1 June
Thursday 26 October

KALGOORLIE
The Kalgoorlie training is open to anyone (full day).

Thursday 9 March
Thursday 8 June
Thursday 16 November

Register
To register for this free training, send an email to publications@dmp.wa.gov.au including your details (name, company name, telephone number), with the location and date of the training you wish to attend. For the Perth session, please indicate whether you wish to attend the mining companies/geologists (morning) or prospectors (afternoon) training.

New releases

REPORTS
Report 164 Geology of the eastern zone of the Lamboo Province, Halls Creek Orogen, Western Australia
by Phillips, C, Orth, K, Hollis, JA, Kirkland, CL and Bodorkos, S

RECORDS
Record 2016/14 Mineralogy of gold from the Paulsens and Mount Olympus deposits, northern Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia
by Hancock, EA and Thorne, AM

Record 2016/15 Regolith chemistry of the Dambimangari area, west Kimberley (includes accompanying zipped files)
by Morris, PA, Scheib, AJ and de Souza Kovacs, N

Record 2016/16 Mapping iron ore alteration patterns in banded iron-formation using hyperspectral data: Beebyn deposit, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia
by Duuring, P and Laukamp, C

Record 2016/17 Mapping iron ore alteration patterns in banded iorn-formation using hyperspectral data: Windarling iron camp, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia
by Duuring, P and Laukamp, C

Record 2016/18 Mapping iron ore alteration patterns in banded iron-formation using hyperspectral data: drillhole PK11DD001, Mt Richardson, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia
by Duuring, P and Laukamp, C

Record 2016/19 Mapping iron ore alteration patterns in banded iron-formation using hyperspectral data: drillhole PK12DD001, Mt Richardson, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia
by Duuring, P and Laukamp, C

Record 2016/22 Petrology and geochemistry of the Eoarchaean Manfred Complex: origin and components
by Rowe, ML

NON-SERIES BOOKS
Fieldnotes: A Geological Survey of Western Australia newsletter 2017 January issue 81

Western Australia atlas of mineral deposits and petroleum fields 2017
Compiled by Cooper, RW, Wyche, NL, Strong, CA, Day, LJ, Jones, JA and Irimies, F

1:100 000 GEOLOGICAL SERIES MAPS
Woodley, WA Sheet 2642

Wonyulgunna, WA Sheet 2848

NON-SERIES MAPS
Geological interpretation of the Madura and Coompana Provinces along the Eucla–Gawler seismic and magnetotelluric line 13GA-EG1
by Spaggiari, CV, Dutch, RA, Doublier, MP, Pawley, MJ, THiel, S, Wise, TW, Kennet, BLN, Gessner, K, Smithies, RH, Hozschuh, J and Clark, DJ

Major resource projects, Western Australia — 2017
by Cooper, RW, Wyche, NL, Strong, C, Day, LJ, Jones, JA and Irimies, F

Mines — operating and under development, Western Australia — 2017
by Cooper, RW, Strong, CA, Wyche, NL, Day, LJ and Jones JA

DATA PACKAGES
Manganese deposits of the Pilbara and Capricorn regions — 2016

Rocklea Inlier, 2016: 3D Geomodel Series

Western Capricorn, 2016: Geological Information Series

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