AuScope fund to unlock the secrets of Curnamona Province
Professor Graham Heinson, Director of the Mawson Geo Centre, and Deputy Director IMER, at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide, in collaboration with the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n National ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Melbourne, have recently been funded $1 Million by AuScope, the Earth Sciences NCRIS Capability to undertake a major new geophysics program across the Curnamona Province in South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and New South Wales.Ìý The project will also include the State Geological Surveys of South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and New South Wales, the federal agency Geoscience ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥, and industrial partners from the space technology and mineral exploration sectors.
The Curnamona Province is a greenfields environment for mineral exploration due to extensive and deep sedimentary cover.Ìý As shown in the map below, the team will collect two world-class data sets for the research, government and industrial communities:
- Curnamona Cube.Ìý 200 MT and 200 seismic sites in a 20 km grid across the Curnamona Province over two years (yellow triangles). Survey dimensions 300 km by 300 km will generate data and models infrastructure from the surface to a depth of 300 km;
- Curnamona Telescope Super Site.Ìý As a pilot Super Site, we will establish a small grid of long-deployment MT, passive seismics and heat-flow needle probes close to the Kalkaroo deposit (Ka in figure).
The Curnamona is one of the great frontier opportunities for exploration undercover in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥.Ìý Very little exploration has been undertaken relative to similar areas in the eastern Gawler Craton and the Mount Isa Province.Ìý Data and model outputs will be a globally unique resource: an entire Province defined geophysically, from the surface to the base of the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n continental plate.Ìý The Curnamona Cube framework dataset and associated models for the entire Province will be of significant national benefit.
Figure: The extent of the Curnamona Province (and sub-Provinces, black lines).Ìý Yellow triangles show the MT and passive seismics sites proposed for the Curnamona Cube program.Ìý The blue outline is of Lake Frome, which is a dry salt lake.Ìý Mines and major deposits are shown as white stars (BH - Broken Hill; Ka – Kalkaroo, NP – North Portia, Mu – Mutooroo, 4M – Four Mile).Ìý The Curnamona Telescope Super Site potentially is located at Kalkaroo.