Insights into the structure of the Australian Crust, results from ANSIR?s Seismic Reflection Profiling Program

Abstract

ANSIR, the National Facility for Earth Sounding, has been responsible for the acquisition of 30 regional deep seismic reflection surveys across many different Australian geological regions and structural environments. The seismic data has provided exciting new images of the Australian Crust at depth. Each survey has produced the unexpected and has usually dispelled some `sacred-cow' in geological understanding of the depth-dimension of that region. ANSIR's deep seismic reflection equipment provides both high quality whole-of-crust images of the Australia continent as well as detailed district and mine scale seismic images. These seismic surveys are providing a clear picture of the architecture of a region and providing information to develop tectonic models a region. In particular, the seismic data is successfully imaging the major basement geological units and structures and therefore providing the necessarydepth constraints to construct 3D geological models ofa region. The seismic data is suggesting possible mineral systems that have operated and allowing explorers to assess the potential of an area for mineral deposits.