Reading the Regolith: Mapping the Landscape and Developing an Understanding of the Contribution of Soil Biota to Regolith Formation in Northern Australia

Abstract

The Tanami region of northern Australia is highly prospective for mineral exploration, however exploration has been hampered by the extensive development of regolith. Understanding the relationship between the regolith, landscape, groundwater, biota and the mineralised rocks is the key to developing more effective exploration strategies. Ongoing research combines regolith-landform mapping, geobotanical analysis and geozoological studies with geophysics and hydrogeochemistry to develop an understanding of the nature of current regolith-forming processes. Outputs of the project include an established geozoological framework that considers surficial termite-regolith-landform relationships and characteristics, to reflect the depth of transported cover in regolith-dominated terrains. The poor understanding of the role of termites in regolith formation and in the generation of surface geochemical anomalies in Northern Australia will be addressed in future research. Regolith mapping is the key to establishing a good geozoological framework, a necessary first step in improving this understanding.