Geological mapping at the geological survey of western Australia - Exploration, mining and the future

The traditional printed geological map series of the Geological Survey of Western Australia is expanding into large, seamless GIS-based geoscience databases. These will integrate, in digital form, all available geological, geochemical, geophysical, mineral occurrence, and mineral and petroleum exploration activity data from each geological terrain within the Stare. Information generated by the exploration and mining industry, other government agencies, and by university research groups will be included subject to field validation. Such databases will allow customers to generate a wide range of map produces to their own requirements. The information contained within these databases will form the basis for well constrained regional tectonic models that interpret the observed sequence of deposition, magmatism, deformation, metamorphism and mineralisation. These models can be applied at all scales: predicting the mineralisation potential of underexplored areas of the State; providing new insight into the geology of areas of known mineralisation, lending to new discoveries; or contributing to improved, more efficient and safer mine designs.