Progress of the Northern Territory Exploration Initiative

Abstract

During 1999-2003, significant additional funding is being made available to the Northern Territory Geological Survey through the Northern Territory Exploration Initiative. Airborne geophysics is the cornerstone of the Initiative. The allocation of substantial expenditure to this activity recognises its importance to the early exploration protocols of project generation and area selection. The adoption of semi-regional airborne survey specifications is considered adequate for qualitative district-scale geological interpretation. In its desire to attract and maintain global client contact, NTGS is focused on developing efficient mechanisms for access to and delivery of its spatial data and information over the Internet. Excellent early progress has been made using located geophysical imagery with the implementation of an image web server. The production of territory-wide geological and magnetic maps was a key output achieved early in the life of the Initiative. The establishment of the Interpreted Geology map series, initially focused on poorly exposed mineralised terrains, provides explorers with basement geology derived largely from airborne geophysical data as part of the integrated multidisciplinary approach adopted by all NTGS regional geoscientific studies.