The Geological Survey of NSW developed a Seamless Geology of UTM Zone 56 during 2014 as part of a project to develop a seamless vector geology dataset of the best available geological mapping data covering the whole of NSW.The overarching aims of the Statewide Seamless Geology Project were to: (i) compile the different original scales, formats and rock unit naming conventions into a consistent, statewide format; (ii) edge-match the geology across existing map sheets; and (iii) interpret the basement geology under cover. The resulting geodatabase comprises a series of layers which include: (i) solid basement geology; (ii) cover rocks (defined as undeformed and unmetamorphosed); (iii) Mesozoic igneous rocks; and (iv) Cenozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks. The project was divided into 3 major stages corresponding to the UTM zones which divide New South Wales. This dataset includes the seamless geology layers from the NSW portion of UTM Zone 56 (ie.east of 150 degrees longitude to the coast).

Pseudocolour image of the concentration of thorium in parts per million within in the upper 20 centimetres of the ground. Cooler colours indicate lower abundances of thorium and warmer colours represent higher abundances. Variations in thorium values are caused varied mineral compositions in host rocks and soils. This statewide image was generated by merging many individual airborne radiometric surveys.

Geophysics survey data has been reported to the NSW government and released under the requirements of the NSW Mining Act 1992. Contained within this vector file is the location of surveys and acquisition parameters. These surveys use uncommon techniques.

The Geochemistry (Whole Rock) data set contains information about the chemistry of rocks sampled in New South Wales and held by the Geological Survey of NSW (GSNSW). The data has been captured from analyses conducted by the GSNSW and from other work including academic research & collaborative projects, mineral exploration reports and geoscientific publications. The database contains geochemical analyses on nearly 27,000 rock samples which have been collected from field work and drilling activities which date back to the nineteenth century. There are also a small number of assay & hydro-geochemical results. It is an important dataset as the whole rock analysis of rocks for major and trace elements allows classification of the lithology of a rock and provides insight into the conditions in which the rocks formed as well as their economic potential.

Gravity gradiometry data has been reported to the NSW government and released under the requirements of the NSW Mining Act 1992. Contained within this vector file is the location of surveys and acquisition parameters.

Core library samples that have been scanned by the NSW Hylogger. The HyLogger system acquires information on rock, ore and alteration minerals in drillcore, chips and pulps that are often difficult or impossible for the human eye to interpret correctly. Reflected light from the samples is broken into hundreds of different wavelengths by several spectrometers, allowing the recognition of unique spectral signatures for each mineral. This technology is also used on cores from petroleum and carbon dioxide (CO2) geosequestration wells to obtain mineralogical data that may complement porosity and permeability studies. X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence instruments are used for rapid characterisation of a wide range of geological materials and for validating HyLogger data. The GSNSW offers a number of HyLogger scanning services to industry and academia. Each service requires a level of investment by the client and offers different periods of confidentiality.

Ground surveyed gravity data has been reported to the NSW government and released under the requirements of the NSW Mining Act 1992. Contained within this vector file is the location of surveys and acquisition parameters.

This layer shows the boundaries of each airborne gravity survey acquired by the NSW Government. Details on the spacing and age of the gravity data within each project area are in the attributes. The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at time of writing (April 2017). Because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date. The information contained in this publication may not be or may no longer be aligned with government policy nor does the publication indicate or imply government policy.

Many airborne magnetic/radioelement surveys have been acquired by the NSW government through the NSW Exploration, Discovery 2000 and New Frontiers Initiative funding. Others have been acquired jointly with Geoscience Australia (formerly AGSO). Contained within this vector file are details on each of the surveys and some acquisition parameters, which will help locate survey data stored digitally. Not all of these surveys have both radioelement and magnetic data.Some project areas have grids that have been merged from private exploration company data (that are open file). These are attributed as "private" exploration company data in the shapefile. The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at time of writing (December 2016). Because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date. The information contained in this publication may not be or may no longer be aligned with government policy nor does the publication indicate or imply government policy.

The New South Wales 1:1 500 000 scale geology has been compiled from numerous geological maps and regional geological synthesis datasets from the Geological Survey of New South Wales and Geoscience Australia. As part of a project to produce a surface geology map of Australia, Geoscience Australia (Liu et al. 2005) undertook substantial simplification and generalisation of these datasets to produce a seamless geology dataset of New South Wales at 1:1 000 000. This 1:1 000 000 geology dataset has been further simplified, generalised and updated by the Geological Survey of New South Wales to produce the present data set at 1:1 500 000