Searching the deep earth: the future of Australian resource discovery and utilisation

The 2010 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank participants propose that future exploration success can be realised through an innovative, well-defined and nationally coordinated strategy. 

They recommend bringing together the relevant expertise into a coherent, collaborative research network, working within a well-designed strategic framework or ‘roadmap’, to address the fundamental needs of the exploration industry. 

The proposed road map would be underpinned by the following six initiatives:

1. A national map of the depth and character of the cover of Australia that will prioritise new areas for exploration and new directions for research.
2. A national map of the deep crust and adjacent upper mantle that will employ innovative methods to acquire new geophysical and geochemical data. This map will be supported by a competitive crustal drilling program to constrain the interpretations resulting from these new data.
3. A national ‘distal footprints’ program to detect the far-field signatures of giant ore systems in ancient land surfaces now buried by cover.
4. A national four-dimensional (3D plus time) metallogenic map that relates Australia’s major mineral deposits to the geodynamic contexts in which they formed.
5. A national research network to bring the exploration community together and ensure we understand and exploit the available synergies.
6. A national education and technology transfer program to foster rapid uptake and application of the results and ensure exploration success.

These initiatives will open up new frontiers for mineral exploration and enable the private sector to undertake Australia’s next phase of exploration competitively. 

The data and knowledge created through these initiatives will also assist in further defining our water, energy and land resources.