Geological Survey of South Australia: Mining Exploration and Regulations System

BackgroundEmerging communication technologies have had an impact on population-based telephone surveys worldwide. Our objective was to examine the potential biases of health estimates in South Australia, a state of Australia, obtained via current landline telephone survey methodologies and to report on the impact of mobile-only household on household surveys.MethodsData from an annual multi-stage, systematic, clustered area, face-to-face population survey, Health Omnibus Survey (approximately 3000 interviews annually), included questions about telephone ownership to assess the population that were non-contactable by current telephone sampling methods (2006 to 2013). Univariable analyses (2010 to 2013) and trend analyses were conducted for sociodemographic and health indicator variables in relation to telephone status. Relative coverage biases (RCB) of two hypothetical telephone samples was undertaken by examining the prevalence estimates of health status and health risk behaviours (2010 to 2013): directory-listed numbers, consisting mainly of landline telephone numbers and a small proportion of mobile telephone numbers; and a random digit dialling (RDD) sample of landline telephone numbers which excludes mobile-only households.ResultsTelephone (landline and mobile) coverage in South Australia is very high (97 %). Mobile telephone ownership increased slightly (7.4 %), rising from 89.7 % in 2006 to 96.3 % in 2013; mobile-only households increased by 431 % over the eight year period from 5.2 % in 2006 to 27.6 % in 2013. Only half of the households have either a mobile or landline number listed in the telephone directory. There were small differences in the prevalence estimates for current asthma, arthritis, diabetes and obesity between the hypothetical telephone samples and the overall sample. However, prevalence estimate for diabetes was slightly underestimated (RCB value of −0.077) in 2013. Mixed RCB results were found for having a mental health condition for both telephone samples. Current smoking prevalence was lower for both hypothetical telephone samples in absolute differences and RCB values: −0.136 to −0.191 for RDD landline samples and −0.129 to −0.313 for directory-listed samples.ConclusionThese findings suggest landline-based sampling frames used in Australia, when appropriately weighted, produce reliable representative estimates for some health indicators but not for all. Researchers need to be aware of their limitations and potential biased estimates.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12874-016-0145-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Magnetotelluric (MT) techniques measure natural time variations of the Earth?s magnetic and electric fields to infer subsurface electrical conductivity structure. Data are collected over a range of frequencies, providing insights into how this structure varies with depth. Depending on the Earth conductivity and frequencies used, information can be obtained from the near surface to depths of hundreds of kilometres. MT surveying has been used in a wide variety of geological scenarios, from investigations of continental-scale structures to mineral and geothermal exploration, and in the search for ground-water, and many such surveys have now been undertaken in South Australia. Recently, surveys have been conducted by Geoscience Australia (GA) under the Australian Government?s Onshore Energy Security Program (OESP) along deep crustal seismic reflection transects, in part in collaboration with the University of Adelaide (UA), the Geological Survey of South Australia, Primary Industry and Resources South Australia (GSSA, PIRSA) and the Australian National Seismic Imaging Resource (ANSIR) across the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province. Given the wide range of applications for MT data, it is proposed to deliver these data online as industry-standard electrical data interchange (EDI) files, starting with the most modern datasets. This paper presents an overview of the MT data and reports presently available for South Australia. All MT data are available for download online from the South Australian Resources Information Geoserver (SARIG), and both seismic and MT data acquired by GA and collaborators under the OESP are available for download from the GA web site.

IV.—The Geology of the Moonta and Wallaroo Mining District, South Australia. By R. L. Jack. Geological Survey of South Australia. pp. 135, with figures, folding maps, and sections. Adelaide, 1917.1918. - Volume 5 Issue 2

Radiometric methods were used to investigate the radioactive properties of rocks in parts of southwestern Nigeria with a view to interpreting the geological structure and abundance of natural radioactive elements in the main type rocks. The airborne radiometric dataset of Ikole Sheet and ground radiometric data recorded from eight traverses in Akoko axis of the study area were processed. Results presented as maps and profiles displayed variations of high and low radioactive concentrations across the area. These maps showed moderate to very high concentrations and very low to low concentrations of the radioelements; uranium (4.5-13.0 ppm); (LLD-low limit of detection -3.0 ppm), Th (25.0-70.0 ppm); (8.5-16.0 ppm) and K (2.0-4.0 %); but the most often observed values are in the range 2.5-7.0 ppm, 22.0-30.0 ppm and 3.0-4.0% for U, Th, and K respectively. High concentrations imply that the rocks are crystalline, undeformed and are rich in feldspar and U-Th bearing minerals. While low radioactivity is attributed to varying geologic framework compositions; weathered materials or fluids formed as a result of intense metamorphism. The radiometric datasets proved valuable in delineating different rock types and serve as a complementary tool in identifying geochemical zoning of rocks in the area.ReferencesAjibade A.C. and Fitches W.R., 1988. The Nigerian Precambrian and the Pan-African Orogeny, Precambrian Geology of Nigeria, 45-53.Ajibade A.C., Woakes M. and Rahaman M.A., 1987.Proterozoic crustal development in Pan-African regime of Nigeria: In A. Croner (ed.) Proterozoic Lithospheric Evolution Geodynamics, 17, 259-231.Appleton J.D., Miles J.C.H., Green B.M.R, Larmour R., 2008. Pilot study of the application of Tellus airborne radiometric and soil geochemical data for radon mapping. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99, 1687-1697.Arisekola T.M. and Ajenipa R.A., 2013. Geophysical data results preliminary application to uranium and thorium exploration. IAEA-CYTED-UNECE Workshop on UNFC-2009 at Santiago, Chile 9-12, July, 12.Bayowa O.G., Olorunfemi O.M., Akinluyi O.F. and Ademilua O.L., 2014.A Preliminary Approach to Groundwater Potential Appraisal of Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria. International Journal of Science and Technology (IJST), 4(3), 48-58.Bierwirth P.N., 1997. The use of airborne gamma-emission data for detecting soil properties.Proceedings of the Third International Airborne Remote Sensing Conference and Exhibition.Copenhagen, Denmark.Grasty R.L. and Multala J., 1991. A correlation technique for separating natural and man-made airborne gamma-ray spectra. In: Current Research, Part D, Geological Survey of Canada, 111-116.Grasty R.L., Minty B.R.S., 1995a. A guide to the technical specifications for airborne gamma ray surveys. Australian Geological Survey Organization, Record.Grasty R.L., Minty B.R.S., 1995b. The standardization of airborne gamma-ray surveys in Australia. Exploration Geophysics, 26, 276-283.IAEA, 1991. Airborne gamma ray spectrometer surveying, International Atomic Energy Agency, Technical Report Series, 323.IAEA, 2007.International Atomic Energy Agency. Safety Glossary, Terminology used in Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection-2007 Edition.Jones H.A. and Hockey, 1964.The Geology of part of’ Southwestern Nigeria.Geological Survey, Nigeria bulletin, 31.Kearey P., Brooks M. and Hill I., 2002. An Introduction to Geophysical Exploration.3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 262.Milsom J., 2003. Field Geophysics: The geological field guide series, John Milsom University College, London. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Third edition, 51-70.MontajTM Tutorial, 2004. Two - Dimensional frequency domain processing of potential field data.Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), 2009. Geological map of Nigeria prepared by Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, 31, ShetimaMangono Crescent Utako District, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria.Omosanya K.O., Ariyo S.O., Kaigama U., Mosuro G.O., and Laniyan T.A., 2015. An outcrop evidence for polycyclic orogenies in the basement complex of Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Geography and Geology, 7(3), 24-34.Oyawoye, M.O., 1972. The Basement Complex of Nigeria.In African Geology. T.F.J. Dessauvagie and A.J. Whiteman (Eds) Ibadan University Press, 67-99.Oyinloye A.O., 2011. Geology and Geotectonic Setting of the Basement Complex Rocks in Southwestern Nigeria: Implications on Provenance and Evolution. Earth and Environmental Sciences, 98-117. ISBN: 978-953-307-468-9.Rahaman M.A., 1981. Recent Advances in the Study of the Basement Complex of Nigeria.First Symposium on the Precambrian Geology of Nigeria, Summary.Rahaman M.A., Emofureta W.O. and Vachette M., 1983. The potassic-grades of the Igbeti area: Further evaluation of the polycyclic evolution of the Pan-African Belt in South-western Nigeria. Precambrian Resources, 22, 75-92.Woakes M., Rahaman M.A., Ajibade A.C., 1987. Some Metallogenetic Features of the Nigerian Basement. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 6(5), 655-664.

In the early days of settlement in South Australia, Torrens proposed the now widely accepted Torrens Title System for control and registration of land ownership. The system called for fixed land boundaries which entailed traversing these boundaries with, at first a circumferentor and chain, and in later years a theodolite and chain. From the outset it was evident that a Gunter's chain was not suitable for the very long lines encountered, because it was too short and too easily caught by sticks and bushes along the boundaries roughly axed through the Australian Inland. Thus the minds of Australian surveyors of the last century turned towards finding a suitable replacement for their Gunter's chains and in due course the steel tapes now used for most cadastral and many engineering surveys in Australia and New Zealand came into being.

How far are Australia's most important ecosystems (our range of habitats for plants and animals) represented by scientifically adequate samples protected as national parks and reserves? This question was asked by the Terrestrial Conservation Section of the International Biological Programme as part of its world wide investigation. The Australian Academy of Science is concerned with Australia's international relations in science and has accepted responsibility for Australian participation in the International Biological Programme. The Academy also has a continuing interest in the scientific knowledge and research which would lead to conservation of our unique flora and fauna. Consequently, when the Academy established a National Committee for the International Biological Programme, under the Chairmanship of Sir Otto Frankel, F.R.S., F.A.A., it also established a Subcommittee for Section CT, Conservation of Terrestrial Communities. We were fortunate that Professor R. L. Specht, Professor of Botany in the University of Queensland, accepted the position of Chairman of the Subcommittee. Professor Specht, in association with one of Australia's great scientific conservationists, the late Sir John Cleland, published papers on flora conservation in South Australia which surveyed the conservation status of both the major plant communities and the endemic plants in the national parks and nature reserves in which they occurred. Their survey provided a basis for suggesting areas which should be incorporated into new reserves, to prOVide, where necessary, for complete conservation coverage of the plant communities and hence for other biota in the state. Subsequently, Professor Specht, as President of the Victorian National Parks Association, initiated a comparable survey in Victoria, which has since been published (Frankenberg 1971), and later he organized similar activity in Queensland. When the Convener of the CT Section (Mr. E. M. Nicholson) of the International Biological Programme (IBP) visited Australia in 1964, he considered that these projects could form an excellent basis for Australia's contribution to the IBP/CT programme. Since the listing of individual plant species would be impossible on a world or on a national scale, it was agreed that plant "communities" rather than species would form the basis of the IBP compilations, though, whenever possible, animals were to be considered as well. Data from the surveys in different countries were to be collated at an international level at the Monks Wood Experimental Station in England. Professor Specht and his Committee worked on the Australian project with great enthusiasm. The Committee consisted of members from all States, from Papua New Guinea, and members of Commonwealth instrumentalities. All of the work has been done in an honorary capacity by people with other responsibilities. No special funds were available. Such a survey is an immense task in a country of roughly 3 million square miles (7.7 X 106 km2 ), much of which is floristically relatively unexplored. Further, since all States continue to form new parks and reserves, the task of listing the protected flora and fauna needs constant revision. The work on listing the national parks has been carried out largely by Dr. J. G. Mosley of the Australian Conservation Foundation who has been most active in keeping the information up-to-date and in stimulating interest in the important question of tenure and management of existing parks and reserves. This report, which is the culmination of seven years' work, set out to examine the extent to which scientifically adequate samples of all the main types of ecosystems and their variants are protected in national parks and reserves in Australia. The work of the Subcommittee has been extensive and productive and the Academy of Science is grateful to those who took part. It is hoped that this type of work will continue as the result of the Academy's proposals for a biological survey in Australia. Rutherford Robertson (President, Australian Academy of Science)

ar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica) were counted throughout New Zealand and on the east coast of Australia during the 2019–2020 austral summer, in the first attempt to assess the total population of the subspecies baueri on the southern hemisphere non-breeding grounds. Survey coverage in New Zealand was nationwide (158 sites surveyed); surveys in Australia covered 314 sites between Great Sandy Strait in southern Queensland, and the Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. Areas north of Great Sandy Strait were either partially counted or were not visited over this survey period. Partial surveys were excluded from the survey results. The total number of godwits counted was 116,446. If allowance is made for an additional ~10,000 birds expected to have been present in northern Queensland (based on previous surveys), the total population of baueri in New Zealand and Australia would have been about 126,000. The 2019 breeding season was very successful, with the highest recorded number of juvenile birds since 2011 and 2012.

To assess dental caries trends in indigenous children in South Australia, 2001-2010; and contribution by area-level socioeconomic status (SES), remoteness and water fluoridation status. This study is a part of the Child Dental Health Survey (CDHS) is an ongoing national surveillance survey in Australia including children enrolled in the School Dental Services (SDS). Postcode-level adjusted mean deciduous and permanent caries experience was estimated at each year. Time trend of dental caries experience was estimated using mixed effect models. Area-level socioeconomic status, remoteness, water fluoridation status were independent variables in the models. There was a significant upward trend of dental caries experience over the 10 years. Dental caries experience of indigenous children living in low SES areas had nearly one more deciduous tooth and a half permanent tooth with caries than indigenous children living in higher SES areas. The remote postcodes showed higher levels of decay in deciduous dentition (+1.25 teeth) compared with others regions. The dental caries trend increased in South Australian indigenous children over the study period, and was associated with area-level SES and remoteness. The increasing trend in dental caries in indigenous children is important evidence to inform policies to improve oral health.

The Geological Survey of South Australia and Geoscience Australia are pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition phase of the 1.67 million line kilometre Gawler Craton Airborne Survey (G...

The Environment Protection Act 1993 of South Australia (the Act) was proclaimed in 1995 and is the primary environmental regulatory tool to control the potential adverse environmental impacts generated from industrial activities in the state, including the waste industry. In recent times, regulation has not kept pace with rapid changes in waste management in the more non-traditional waste reuse and recycling areas. In particular, the development of alternative resource recovery initiatives is rapidly increasing, including alternative fuels and proposed reuse by application of wastes including industrial residues to land. These issues have generally been addressed by the Environment Protection Authority in South Australia (EPA) on a case-by-case basis through a process of demonstration and assessment of the risks and suitability of individual proposals. Although the process was sound in each case, there was no officially published position or guidelines through which the broader industry has been advised by the EPA of the expectations and requirements incumbent upon them in order to undertake such activities. As part of the resolution of this matter, a programme was commenced in 2007 to address the issues and options for improving waste management practices and the regulatory system that controls these emerging activities in South Australia. This paper will discuss these issues, the inherent limitations and the manner in which the identified gaps are being addressed, with the difficult task of bringing the often conflicting expectations and viewpoints of the regulator, the public and the industry together.

The Otway Basin is one of the best-known Mesozoic rift basins that span the southern coastline of Australia. The onshore portion of the basin covers nearly 10,000 km2 in South Australia (SA), from which both oil and gas have been produced. In 2023, the Department for Energy and Mining conducted an integrated geological, chemostratigraphic, geochemical and geophysical study, which identified intervals of potential hydrocarbon source rocks as well as potential suitable reservoirs, with the information used to prepare a petroleum systems model of the onshore Otway Basin in SA. The model showed significant hydrocarbon generation in the Penola Trough as expected, but also, for the first time, it appears that significant hydrocarbons may have been generated and expelled in the lightly explored Robe and Tantanoola Troughs. Subsequently, the Geological Survey of South Australia conducted play analysis of eight potential hydrocarbon reservoir intervals in the region, to understand the distribution of reservoirs, seals, mature source rocks and potential hydrocarbon migration pathways, to aid hydrocarbon exploration in the region. This process required review of the initial gross depositional environment mapping, with iteration further highlighting prospectivity; the Casterton Formation is presented as an example. Maps for the Lower Sawpit Shale are presented as an example of the play analysis process.

Presented on 27 May 2025: Session 8 The Otway Basin is one of the best-known Mesozoic rift basins that span the southern coastline of Australia. The onshore portion of the basin covers nearly 10,000 km2 in South Australia (SA), from which both oil and gas have been produced. In 2023, the Department for Energy and Mining conducted an integrated geological, chemostratigraphic, geochemical and geophysical study, which identified intervals of potential hydrocarbon source rocks as well as potential suitable reservoirs, with the information used to prepare a petroleum systems model of the onshore Otway Basin in SA. The model showed significant hydrocarbon generation in the Penola Trough as expected, but also, for the first time, it appears that significant hydrocarbons may have been generated and expelled in the lightly explored Robe and Tantanoola Troughs. Subsequently, the Geological Survey of South Australia conducted play analysis of eight potential hydrocarbon reservoir intervals in the region, to understand the distribution of reservoirs, seals, mature source rocks and potential hydrocarbon migration pathways, to aid hydrocarbon exploration in the region. This process required review of the initial gross depositional environment mapping, with iteration further highlighting prospectivity; the Casterton Formation is presented as an example. Maps for the Lower Sawpit Shale are presented as an example of the play analysis process. To access the Oral Presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Community attitudes towards marine parks in South Australia

Geoscience Australia and State and Territory Geological Surveys have systematically surveyed most of the Australian continent over the past 40 years using airborne gamma-ray spectrometry to map potassium, uranium and thorium elemental concentrations at the Earth?s surface. The quality of the radiometric data acquired over this period varies markedly. Early surveys (prior to about 1990) were flown with a line spacing of about 1500 m and a 16 litre detector at a flying height of 150 m agl. Later surveys have been flown with a detector volume of 32 litres and a line spacing of 500 m, or closer, and flying heights of 100 m, or better. The use of high-performance survey aircraft have now enabled flying heights to be lowered to heights of 60-80m for regional surveys and even lower for detailed surveys. For early surveys, the results were usually reported in units of counts per second. Thus the magnitudes of these data values depend on both the instrumentation used in the survey (such as crystal volume) and the survey parameters (such as nominal flying height). This means that the results from early surveys that used different instrumentation and survey parameters are not directly comparable. Also, even where survey acquisition systems were calibrated to report results as equivalent concentrations of the radioelements, limitations in the calibration of these instruments and temporal variations in radiation output from the earth often result in mis-matches between surveys along their common boundaries. These problems limit the usefulness of the gamma-ray spectrometric data, as surveys are not easily combined into regional compilations, and quantitative comparisons between radiometric signatures from different surveys are difficult. The solution is to adjust all of Australia?s public-domain gamma-ray spectrometric data to a common datum. This will enable surveys to be easily merged into larger regional compilations, and thus facilitate the recognition and interpretation of broad-scale regional features in the data. This paper describes the adjustment of Australia?s National Radioelement Database to a common datum. We have used an Australia-wide Airborne Geophysical Survey (AWAGS) to adjust all the public-domain radiometric surveys in Australia to the International Atomic Energy Agency?s (IAEA) Global Radioelement Datum. The levelled database has been used to produce the first ?Radiometric Map of Australia? - levelled and merged composite potassium (% K), uranium (ppm eU) and thorium (ppm eTh) grids over Australia at 100 m resolution. Interpreters can use these grids to reliably compare the radiometric signatures observed over different parts of Australia. This enables the assessment of key mineralogical and geochemical properties of bedrock and regolith materials from different geological provinces and regions across the continent.

In 1974, the Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics completed a 15-year systematic reconnaissance gravity survey of Australia with stations spaced at 11 km. The 1976 Gravity Map of Australia was a seminal product; half a century later, the data still provide the only coverage for substantial parts of the continent.In 2005, the Geological Survey of Western Australia, supported by Geoscience Australia, commenced a program of regional ground gravity surveys with 2.5 km station spacing, a sixteen-fold improvement of resolution over the ‘first generation’ BMR data. In 2013, GSWA declared its aim of completing ‘second-generation’ reconnaissance gravity coverage of WA by 2020.In 2016, with 45% of the State yet to be surveyed in the north and east, and ground access issues slowing progress and making uniform coverage increasingly difficult, GSWA and GA undertook the first government-commissioned regional aerogravity survey in Australia, using the Sander Geophysics AIRGrav system. The 38,000 line-km survey covering 84,000 km2 in the East Kimberley region was flown at 2.5 km line-spacing for compatible spatial resolution with GSWA’s regional ground surveys.We compare airborne with ground gravimetry in the context of the East Kimberley project and conclude that, for reconnaissance surveys: aerogravity costs now approach those of ground surveys; spatial resolution is equivalent; data precision is not a critical factor; and airborne and ground data can be merged seamlessly for interpretation.Consequently, new aerogravity surveys were commissioned over 264,000 km2 of northern WA in the Tanami, northeast Canning and Kidson regions.