PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The world’s largest survey of airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data has been collected across all of Western Australia through Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program and the Western Australian government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme led by the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA).

This data collection will increase the understanding of the state's geology and resource potential, offering industry important insights to inform more targeted surveying, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said.

“This data will deepen our understanding of groundwater, minerals, including critical minerals, and hydrogen storage which are all essential in our transition to net zero emissions by 2050,” King said.

“This data is already being used by industry and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation to progress exploration for rare earth element-bearing clays and other minerals which will be key to our clean energy future. 

“As we strive towards our new net zero economy, we have already seen this data be used to map salt for hydrogen storage, uncovering great potential for the development of multiple caverns underground in salt deposits.”

Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Bill Johnston congratulated GSWA and Geoscience Australia for successfully completing this complex project.

“The survey is a major achievement that will keep Western Australia at the forefront of geoscientific understanding,” Johnston said.

“Exploration is the lifeblood of our resources sector, and I am confident the AEM survey’s data will help uncover the state’s next big discovery. It’s encouraging to see that exploration companies are already using survey data to target in-demand battery and critical minerals such as nickel, graphite and rare earth elements.”

Several companies have already used the survey’s early-release AEM data to target basement anomalies identified in the survey lines.

Earlier this year, Buxton Resources located an unidentified bedrock conductor at its Narryer nickel/copper/platinum group elements project in the West Kimberley. 

While Mamba Exploration has located targets at its Copper Flats project in the East Kimberley and Torque Metals has found anomalies that may indicate nickel mineralisation at its Paris project in the Eastern Goldfields. 

King said the Australian government was committed to working with state and territory governments to super-charge Australia’s transition to becoming a clean energy superpower.

“This work with Western Australia is critical to our ongoing transition and is just one way we are delivering on that commitment.”

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy for Western Australia has welcomed the completion of the AEM survey, with CEO Rebecca Tomkinson saying exploration was fundamental for the resources sector and access to data was the basis for that.

“This survey also supports ongoing innovation in data collections to ensure greater knowledge for industry and government.

“Exploration and the resources projects that follow it underpin vital investment in Australia, particularly in regional areas. Ongoing support and funding from government is important in encouraging innovative approaches to exploration, as well as the ability to enable broad access to data,” she added.