GSWA creates new State-wide bedrock digital map

A new State-wide seamless Interpreted Bedrock Geology digital map at an incredible 1:500 000 scale produced by DMP’s Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) was released yesterday by Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion. 

A new State-wide seamless Interpreted Bedrock Geology digital map at an incredible 1:500 000 scale produced by DMP’s Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) was released yesterday by Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion.

The digital map will form the base layer for GSWA maps and spatial products which will give explorers a consistent new summary of the geology of Western Australia. It is also the base layer for many of DMP’s spatial databases.

The up-to-date framework will provide a more accurate backdrop for exploration that will allow geologists to split out of the geological building blocks of the State.

GSWA Executive Director Dr Rick Rogerson said as well as being more accurate spatially, more information about each map unit is included than ever before.

“This will provide a whole wealth of additional information which will be of great assistance to explorers and geologists,” he said.

The 1:500 000 interpreted bedrock geology map is a complete reinterpretation and update based on GSWA mapping since 2000, the culmination of a decade’s work and understanding of the geology of Western Australia.

“It is a set of intelligent spatial layers, rather than a single map and includes interpreted bedrock faults and folds and areas of significant Cenozoic deposits, a separate layer of rocks less than 65 million years old,” Dr Rogerson said.

“The layers aim to illustrate the regional geological framework of Western Australia in a much detail as possible at this scale, rather than being simply a standalone map.”

The lookup table for the main interpreted bedrock geology layer is coarsely sorted using tectonic subdivisions first and then age, providing the digital equivalent of a map legend.

““As well, the recent geophysical datasets acquired as part of the State Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) have been extensively used in generating the map,” Dr Rogerson said.

Updates are already planned and will be released incrementally as more information becomes available.

Spatial layers at 1:2 500 000 scale, including geological polygons, structures and tectonic divisions, are the next target, resulting in a new, completely revised State Geological Map – the first since 1998, and the first compiled entirely digitally.

At the launch, Minister Marmion said the map highlighted the State Government’s commitment to WA’s world-leading resource industry.

“This map comes at a crucial time, when our resource industry needs all the help it can get to maintain momentum and find the mines and petroleum sources of tomorrow,” Mr Marmion said.

The 1:500 000 scale layers and associated lookup tables are available as a download from the Data and Software Centre on the Department of Mines and Petroleum website.