Access keys | Skip to primary navigation | Skip to secondary navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer |
Problems viewing this site

Go directly to QDEX

QDEX information and publication fast links

Interactive Resource and Tenure Maps

For help with QDEX
phone (07) 3237 9759
or email QDEX Support

For help with IRTM
phone (07) 3896 9875
or email IRTM Support

Smart Exploration

Smart Exploration commenced in 2005 as a four year $20 million program to stimulate exploration investment in Queensland. The program targeted the following high priority areas with high potential for the discovery of additional mineral and energy resources.

Mount Isa region

The Mount Isa region in North-West Queensland has yielded successful mining operations for base and precious metal deposits for over 100 years. Current Smart Exploration activities in the Mount Isa Project include updated geological mapping, new gravity, magnetics and radiometrics data, and the acquisition of deep crustal seismic profiles and remote sensing hyperspectral (mineral mapping) data.

Drummond Basin

The Drummond Basin Project in central Queensland has the potential for uncovering significant gold deposits as indicated by the Vera Nancy and Pajingo gold mines located south-west of Charters Towers. The region is prospective for epithermal-style gold mineralisation and currently contains Queensland's largest operating gold mine (Vera Nancy). New data acquisition and assessment will upgrade the knowledge of mineralisation in these complex geological environments.

Bowen and Surat Basins

The Bowen and Surat Basins Project is focussed on major energy provinces in the south/central part of the State with abundant reserves of coal and coal seam gas. Detailed geological mapping will complement new geophysical data to highlight exploration targets.

Rawdon Corridor (South-East Queensland)

Airborne magnetic and radiometric data have been acquired over an area to the south-west of Childers near the currently operating Mount Rawdon gold mine. This data acquisition will complement a mapping program which will improve the geological understanding of the area, and its potential to host undiscovered mineral resources.

The area contains Queensland's second largest operating gold mine, new developments at Goondicum, and the northern extension of the Gympie Group. The area is highly prospective for minerals of all types including mesothermal and epithermal gold and porphyry deposits.

Smart Mining - Future Prosperity

The Smart Mining - Future Prosperity program is a four-year program that commenced in September 2006 to provide new geoscientific data, provide financial assistance to explorers in frontier and under-explored areas of Queensland, improve access to land and promote mining and non-traditional careers among women.

A$27.48 million was allocated to the Queensland Department of Mines and Energy (DME) as the lead agency to manage the program.

The package of DME initiatives which is designed to increase and accelerate investment in Queensland exploration and mining includes:

Industry grants

  • Collaborative Drilling Collaborative Drilling (A$6 million) - to accelerate exploration drilling activities
  • Cluster Formation (A$800 000) - to assist exploration companies through the sharing of drilling and geophysical resources
  • Industry Network (A$480 000) - to promote access to a network of specialist services and support industries for exploration.

Native title

Land access (A$1.2 million) - facilitate access to land subject to native title or under the control of trustees under the 'Aboriginal Land Act 1991'.

Geoscience data acquisition

The Smart Mining - Future Prosperity program initiative also focuses on geoscientific data acquisition (A$19 million) in frontier and lesser ­explored areas of Queensland.

Key work programs under this initiative include:

  • Airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys - Charters Towers, Normanton, Cape York, and Cooper Basin areas
  • Gravity surveys - Charter Towers, Westmoreland, Normanton, Cape York- Hodgkinson and Cooper Basin areas
  • Deep crustal seismic reflection surveys - Mount Isa-Georgetown-Charters Towers, Cooper Basin
  • Hyperspectral (airborne infra-red) surveys over the following areas - Mount Isa, Charters Towers-Clermont, Georgetown, Hodgkinson Basin
  • Magnetotelluric surveys coincident with deep crustal seismic reflection surveys.
  • New databases - physical rock properties, diamond indicator minerals, geochronology, whole rock geochemistry, geothermal information
  • Improved internet delivery of geoscientific data
  • Prospectivity analysis over priority areas
  • Analysis of Queensland geothermal energy potential
  • Promotion of geoscientific data.

Current data acquisition includes the commencement of airborne geophysics and gravity surveys at Cape York.

Data acquisition programs are being undertaken in partnership with Australia's premier geoscientific research organisations.

Geoscience Australia and the National Research Facility for Earth Sounding (ANSIR) participate in the deep crustal seismic survey, while the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and HyVista Corporation are involved with hyperspectral surveys.

Other collaborative projects are being undertaken with universities and research organisations.

For more information contact:

Geological Survey of Queensland

Block A 80 Meiers Road Indooroopilly Qld 4068

or the geological information hotline
+61 7 3006 4666 (9.00am to 4.00pm EST on working days)

or email the Geological Information Hotline

^ Back to top
Last Updated 24 September 2009