MinEx CRC

The Geological Survey of New South Wales (GSNSW) is a major participant in the NDI program, committing $16 million to the program over 10 years.

In NSW, the program focuses on several areas in the state’s central and far west (Figure 1 below), where Group 1 minerals (metals) potentially exist under a layer of younger barren geology. These areas are:

• Cobar
• Mundi (Broken Hill)
• Forbes-Dubbo

Figure 1: MinEx CRC focus areas in NSW

GSNSW will undertake legacy data compilation, geological mapping and sampling, airborne electromagnetic and other geophysical surveys, hydrogeochemistry, biogeochemistry, and stratigraph drilling from 2019 to 2028. Drilling is planned from 2023 to 2026 and will avoid sensitive areas such as state significant aquifers and national parks.

Mining of metals such as nickel, copper, zinc, silver and gold provide significant economic and social benefits to the state.

High-tech and critical metals including platinum, cobalt, scandium and lithium are also key to many emerging advanced-technology industries, such as the manufacture of smart phones and renewable energy technologies. These metals play an important role in our modern and smart, sustainable energy way of life.

As it is unlikely there are any significant new metalliferous mineral deposits left to discover at the surface in NSW, new data needs to be collected to enable the detection of deposits that may exist deeper underground. The various activities undertaken by MinEx CRC will contribute to the understanding of these mineral deposits in NSW.

GSNSW will consult landholders, local communities and other government agencies before and during major activities in each area.

Where possible community information sessions will be held in local town centres so all community members can find out more about activities in their area. The dates and venues of these sessions will be posted to this website as they are confirmed. Where face-to-face sessions are not possible or practical, online webinars will be used.

Online webinar - Geoscience activities in the Cobar-Lake Cargelligo area (October 2020).

Online information session – Mundi MinEx CRC airborne electromagnetic (AEM) Survey (February 2021)

Online information session – Cobar MinEx CRC airborne magnetic and radiometric (AMR) survey (May 2021)

Landholders and landholder interest groups who are directly impacted by MinEx CRC activities will also be consulted individually, either through face-to-face meetings or via telephone.

In August 2018, the Governor of NSW declared five Mineral Allocation Areas (MAAs) for Group 1 minerals in NSW – Dubbo, Mundi, Forbes, North Cobar and South Cobar.

These MAAs were revoked in January 2021 allowing companies to apply for ground (i.e. exploration licences) at any time.

Geophysics and 3D models

• Mundi AEM Survey data (via MinView)
• Cobar AEM Survey interpretation report and data package
• Cobar AEM Survey data (via MinView)

Cobar AEM infill (via MinView)

• Company infill A data (via MinView)
• Company infill D data (via MinView)
• Company infill E data (via MinView)
• Company infill F data (via MinView)
• Cobar AMR Survey data (via MinView)
• Cobar AMR complany infill data (via MinView)
• 3D model reports of the North Cobar and South Cobar areas (data here)

Geological mapping and sampling

• New work (to Dec 2021) in the South Cobar region

New geochronology:

• U-Pb (zircon) – magmatic and provenance data
• Ar/Ar (micas, feldspar) – thermal evolution and deformational history in western NSW
• Palynology and biostratigraphy in western NSW

Hydrogeochemistry

• Forbes hydrogeochemistry report
• Forbes hydrogeochemistry data (via MinView). Also Tools > Data download > Hydrogeochemistry
• Cobar hydrogeochemistry report
• Cobar hydrogeochemistry data (via MinView – also Tools > Data download > Hydrogeochemistry)

Mineral systems & drillhole data

• Cobar Basin mineral systems model (report)
• HyLoggerTM data (via the AuScope Data Portal)
• Cobar Basin downhole drillhole and waterbore data (via MinView). Also Tools > Data download > Cobar Drillholes

Other reports and publications

• Paleolandscape report of the Cobar region, NSW
• Ultrafine+ soil geochemistry report in the Cobar Basin
• GSNSW workplan report for the MinEx CRC focus areas

Audit and gaps reports for the North Cobar, South Cobar, Mundi, Forbes and Dubbo focus areas