Precompetitive Review covers AuScope’s $45 million funding boost

Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite. Image USGS

AuScope had a significant win late last year with news of $45 million in funding under the Research Infrastructure Investment Plan, covering the period June 2023 to June 2027. This was in addition to a renewal of its operational funding of $45 million for 2024 to 2028 via the Department of Education’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

AusLAMP

A $45 million funding boost for AuScope will be used to accelerate a number of major geoscience infrastructure projects, including national coverage of AusLAMP by mid-2027.

AuScope CEO Tim Rawling told Precompetitive Review part of the additional funding would be used to complete national coverage of AusLAMP by mid-2027, albeit on a grid spacing of 100 km compared to the half degree or about 55 km spacing to date.

He said the historical rate of the AusLAMP rollout suggested it would take another 10 to 15 years to complete national coverage, with large parts of WA, Queensland and the NT still to be completed, and some regions in NSW.

“AusLAMP is a really high value dataset, not just for mineral exploration but also for risks associated with space weather, which is now an important application of MT data in the US. MT is being used to select sites for telecommunications and other infrastructure away from conductive crust.

“In Australia, mineral exploration is still the primary justification for us, given the important contribution AusLAMP has made to understanding the lithosphere and locating regions of greater prospectivty.

By switching to a 100 km grid, we can complete national coverage on a scale that is still relevant for mineral explorers and identify high value regions that could be infilled by the state geological surveys or companies,” Tim said.

There are many examples of AusLAMP paving the way for infill programs of huge value for mineral explorers, including infill of the Burra and Curnamona conductors. Even without infilling the 55 km grid, Geoscience Australia has produced exciting 3D conductivity models of northern Australia and the Cloncurry/Georgetown region.

The Crystal Brook-Broken Hill railway line, near Mingary. Image: Trevar Skillicorn-Chilver

EarthBank

Another big positive for mineral explorers is an additional $14 million in funding for AuScope’s EarthBank project, which supports the AuScope Geochemistry Network and its remarkable AusGeochem portal and community of data scientists.

“We will be investing in new analytical facilities like the CAMECA ion microprobe we recently put in at Curtin and growing the network of facilities beyond Macquarie, Melbourne and Curtin universities. We have money for new instruments but will be seeking co-investment to make it a truly national program.”

– Tim said.

CoastRI

AuScope’s new funding will also support its participation in the Coastal Research Infrastructure (CoastRI) program, which could have a fascinating spin-off benefit for mineral exploration.

Tim said one of CoastRI’s projects is the development of large, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones that can carry larger payloads and fly for many hours.

“The platform we’re investing in will be used to monitor coastal change, but it is being built on our existing EarthDrone capability, which is an agile platform that can support use in mineral exploration. We’re looking at the possibility of drones taking off and landing so they can take geophysical measurements such as MT while the battery is recharging”.

“This is in conjunction with a huge amount of work taking place around the world on miniaturisation of sensors, including gravity sensors that could potentially be flown out on a drone.”

The project is led by Steve Mickelthwaite of the University of Queensland who is also looking at making current drone technology more accessible to mineral explorers. Collecting data with a drone currently requires a CASA licence. The UQ-led project plans to set up a training facility to provide CASA licensing for companies with frequent drone use in exploration, as well as a rent-a-pilot scheme.

Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. Image: Zac Porter

International drilling

The new AuScope funding will also support Australia’s involvement in two big international drilling programs – the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), which began with Project Mohole in the 1960s, and the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP).

Australia has been involved with IODP for many years through the ANZIC consortium of 19 universities and scientific organisations in Australia and NZ, but only recently joined ICDP. Both programs address big questions across many fields of science, but include drilling into ocean ridges to better understand the environment that creates VHMS deposits.

 
 
 
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