Federal Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson has announced the release of a radiometric map of Australia, designed to give mining companies and mineral explorers a greater understanding of the country’s energy and mineral potential.
“Geoscience Australia’s Radiometric Map will be a powerful addition to information used by companies exploring for energy and mineral commodities,” Ferguson said.
“It will create fresh opportunities for scientists and explorers to relate the geochemical patterns indicated by radiometric data in a specific area to similar patterns observed in another region of Australia.”
Created after a world first whole-of-continent geophysical survey, the map gives a clear picture of low-level natural radiation emitted by potassium, uranium and thorium across Australia.
The map is a tool that could become of particular use at as the director of the Northern Territory Geological Survey, Dr. Ian Scrimgeour, travels overseas to promote NT as a preferred mineral exploration investment destination.
Scrimgeour will next month attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference in Toronto.
“PDAC is one of the world’s largest mining and exploration conventions and I look forward to travelling there as part of an Australian delegation to discuss investment opportunities in the Territory,” Scrimgeour said.
“Toronto is seen as one of the major mining finance capitals of the world and it’s important that we try and direct some of the exploration capital raised in Canada to projects in the NT.”
Scrimgeour will also deliver a presentation in Tokyo in order to promote NT to potential Japanese explorers.
According to Ferguson, the radiometric map is designed to increase the ease of such exploration research, which will in turn help the mining industry and national economy.
“This type of technology is particularly important for Australia because of this country’s strong reliance on the mining and exploration industry for its economic future,” he said.