Basement type interpreted by Geognostics with support from government, academia and industry. The basement type describes the geological processes that has produced each basement block

Map blocks and map units are based on a system originally devised by the British Ordinance Survey. Each 1:1 million scale map sheet is subdivided into 3456 graticular map blocks, each measuring 5’ of latitude by 5’ of longitude. These map blocks are further subdivided into 25 1’ by 1’ map units. A map unit is approximately 3 square kilometres in size. Map blocks and map units are used in New South Wales to define certain types of titles. Petroleum exploration titles (PELs) are applied for and granted as a series of map blocks (Map sheet, block number), and mineral exploration titles, which tend to be smaller in size, are defined as a list of map units.

This data set is modified from the Australian Geological Provinces Database (Geoscience Australia) and contains descriptions and spatial extents of the fundamental geological elements of NSW. Province types include sedimentary basins, tectonic provinces such as cratons and orogens, igneous provinces, and metallogenic or mineral provinces. At its simplest, a province may describe a sedimentary basin and its fill (e.g. the Sydney Basin). However, provinces may also be defined by a complex history of tectonics, metamorphism, magmatism, or metallogenesis. Provinces outlines, including their subsurface extent, are compiled at around 1:1 million scale. Descriptions of the provinces include age and geological history, parent-child hierarchy, constituent stratigraphic units and relations to surrounding provinces.

Identifies Opal Prospecting Blocks in the State of NSW as defined by Part 10, Division 1, Section 224 of the Mining Act 1992 No. 29.

The NSW Government has ruled out considering a significant proportion of the state’s coal regions for proactive release under the Strategic Release Framework for Coal and Petroleum Exploration. In these mapped areas, new coal exploration can continue to occur directly adjacent to an existing coal title, if an exploration licence applicant meets approval requirements. If a coal exploration licence is granted, an operator is not permitted to access the land unless they have an access arrangement with the landholder. The grant of a coal exploration licence is not a guarantee of mining. An operator would still need to obtain development consent under the planning framework.

This layer shows a depth slice from a 3D resistivity model of the crust derived from an inversion of the AusLAMP NSW long period MT data.

In 2023, the Geological Survey of NSW (GSNSW) engaged Geognostics to perform a review and update of the previous OZ SEEBASE 2021. Previous SEEBASE® studies of NSW basins undertaken by Frogtech Geoscience were undertaken over 15 years ago, and significant new data have been acquired since that time (drillholes, gravity, magnetics, seismic, etc.), along with on-going research and consolidation of statewide interpretations undertaken by the Geological Survey of NSW (GSNSW; i.e., the Seamless Geology Map of NSW by Colquhoun et al., 2022).

Recent exploration results, in the form of drilling intercepts and resource figures, are presented along with resource figures for operating mines on this map. The information is sourced from selected exploration results and resource calculations published in company reports available to the public.

Mineral Resource Areas (MRAs) are areas where NSW local councils has been notified in accordance with Ministerial Direction 1.3 under Section 9.1(2) of the EP&A Act 1979. The direction requires councils to consult with DRNSW if proposed Local Environment Plans (LEPs including planning proposals and re-zonings) are likely to prohibit or restrict development of coal, petroleum, mineral and extractive resources. The direction requires the state government to notify local councils of the locations of current operations and resources of state or regional significance. MRAs should also be used when undertaking the compatibility test required in accordance with Clause 13 of the Mining SEPP. The test must be carried out for any proposed development in the vicinity of existing mines, quarries and petroleum production facilities or resources of state or regional significance.

The Central NSW 10 metre grid package is a dataset containing best available open-file geophysical data spanning twelve 1:250,000 geological mapsheets, from Cobar in the northwest to Bathurst in the southeast. Available within the package are merged grids and high resolution imagery providing excellent geophysical coverage of the region. Gridded products include: • Digital Elevation Model (DEM) • Total Magnetic Intensity (TMI) • Total Magnetic Intensity Reduced to The Pole (TMI RTP) • Total Magnetic Intensity Reduced to The Pole First Vertical Derivative (TMI RTP 1VD) • Total Magnetic Intensity Reduced to The Pole Second Vertical Derivative (TMI RTP 2VD) • Total Magnetic Intensity Reduced to The Pole Tilt Angle Filter (TMI RTP Tilt) • Potassium Percentage (Kperc) • Thorium Parts Per Million (Thppm) • Uranium Parts Per Million (Uppm) • Radiometric K-Th-U Ternary (KThU) • Radiometric Dose Rate (Dose) • Thorium divided by Potassium (ThdivK) • Uranium divided by Potassium (UdivK) • Uranium divided by Thorium (UdivTh) • Uranium Squared divided by Thorium (U2divTh) • Isostatically Corrected Bouguer Gravity (Iso Grav) Images for each grid are also available, with the addition of: • DEM (Terrain) • TMI RTP overlaid on TMI RTP Tilt • Iso Grav overlaid on TMI RTP Tilt