Many airborne 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.

This layer shows the boundaries of ground gravity surveys acquired by the NSW government. Details on the spacing and age of the gravity station 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 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.

Please view Matthews and Sheldon (2024) for full description and instructions: Contact Sam at samuel.matthews@regional.nsw.gov.au if you have any difficulty accessing the paper.

All airborne geophysics 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.

The Critical Mineral Analysis Project data set contains the analysis of a representative collection of the Geological Survey of New South Wales (GSNSW) existing rock and analytical powder collections to support the exploration for critical minerals. Existing pulps and powders from whole rock igneous rocks and mine dump samples were submitted for geochemical analysis to ensure the application of modern analytical techniques with significantly improved precision, detection limits for an extended range of trace elements, including the full complement of rare earth elements. Suites of mineral and rock samples from the Economic Rock and Mineral Collection were also selected for analysis from a variety of deposits, deposit types and regions across NSW. These comprise mineralised rocks and drillcore billets, and aggregates of ore minerals.

The drilling dataset contains the location and summary information of non-confidential drillholes related to the activities of the mineral, coal and petroleum industries, as well as government drilling programs. The primary source of the drilling data is from company exploration reports submitted to the Department as part of the statutory reporting requirements on exploration licences.  Much of the data has been compiled from hard copy reports; however, the more recent data (post 2000) has been taken direct from the digital reports and associated data files.  In addition to the industry data, the database also contains stratigraphic holes and resource definition drilling completed by the Department.  Approximately 8% of the drillholes are physically held (either wholly or in part) at the Department’s core library facilities across the state, the main core library located at Londonderry NSW.  This dataset relates only to open file information, all confidential records are withheld.

Depth contours derived from the NSW Basement Elevation Model.

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).

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.

This is a preliminary low-resolution, pseudocolour image of airborne acquired Bouguer gravity with a histogram-equalised colour stretch. Cooler colours indicate lower Bouguer gravity values and warmer colours represent higher values. Bouguer gravity compensates for variations in latitude, 'free-air' elevation and Bouguer correction (assuming a crustal density of 2.67 T/m³). This image shows airborne gravity data from a survey that is ongoing. The Department of Customer Service has contracted two experienced specialist companies to fly the airborne survey. Final data will be available in 2024 at a higher resolution. Preliminary data should not be used in geological interpretations.