Past geoscience projects

Several geoscience projects completed by the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) are described below. To access other GSQ projects, reports and data, visit the GSQ Open Data Portal.

The Thomson Orogen project

Started in 2011, the Thomson Orogen project was a collaboration between GSQ, the Geological Survey of New South Wales, Geoscience Australia and several universities.

It aimed to better understand the geological development of eastern Australia through a variety of methodologies including logging of the core and cuttings, and geochronological, geochemical and geophysical techniques.

Access the Thomson Orogen data and Thomson Orogen report.

Southern Thomson Orogen collaborations

In 2015, GSQ collaborated with Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of New South Wales on a project focusing on the southern region of the Thomson Orogen.

This project involved new regional airborne electromagnetic data, magnetotelluric data, geochemistry, geochronology and structural and mineral systems studies. The work guided a drilling program which was completed in September 2017.

Reports and publications from this project are available from Geoscience Australia, the GSQ Open Data Portal and QSpatial.

North West Queensland Mineral and Energy Province study

Completed in December 2010, the North West Queensland Mineral and Energy Province study has improved geological understanding through geological mapping and geophysical data acquisition programs.

The North-West Queensland Mineral and Energy Province report and data package is available on the GSQ open data portal.

Deep crustal seismic surveys 2014–15

Four deep crustal reflection seismic lines were acquired by the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) from 2014 to 2015 in western Queensland.

These new lines, together with seismic surveys collected over the past 10 years, now form a continuous backbone of reflection seismic data through one of Queensland's most prospective mineral hosting regions.

Visit the GSQ Open Data Portal and search for 'seismic' to access seismic survey data.

Prospectivity studies

A targeted 3D prospectivity study in the Mount Dore and Quamby area of North West Queensland was conducted from 2011 until 2013.

Results for the project were released in August 2013 as the 3D mineral potential of the Quamby area.

National Geochemical Survey of Australia

Completed in June 2011, GSQ collaborated with Geoscience Australia and geoscience agencies throughout Australia to conduct a survey of Australia's background geochemical concentration levels and patterns.

You can access the project data, geochemical atlas and reports for Queensland from the GSQ Open Data Portal.