Government-sponsored geophysics in Tasmania

Abstract

Since the late 1970s the Tasmanian Geological Survey has been involved in a number of small geophysical projects which were either targetted at specific problems or intended to provide an incentive for exploration. In the East Coast Coal Project, gravity and magnetic data were used to optimise drilling for coal under as much as 600 metres of dolerite, and later to provide ground information for mine planning. One of the incentives to mineral exploration was the Mt Read Volcanics Project, which included an evaluation of the geophysical signatures of all types of western Tasmanian metallic mineralisation and the applicability of geophysical techniques in the search for these deposits. A later project in northeastern Tasmania involved the acauisition and interpretation of high resolution data to promote an under-explored gold province, with the subsequent pegging of 95% of the area offered.