Australian Offshore Mineral Locations Map, August 2006
Dataset Identification:
Resource Abstract:
The Australian Offshore Mineral Locations map shows mineral occurrences and deposits within Australia's 200 nautical mile
exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf. Australia will have one of the largest marine jurisdictions in the
world (14.4 million square kilometres) if the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf agrees to Australia's
submission on the outer limit of its extended continental shelf. This is greater than Australia's total land area (13.6 million
square kilometres), including Antarctica. The Offshore Mineral Locations map sheds light on the mineral prospectivity in this
exciting, but poorly known frontier. It should serve also to ensure mineral values are considered in marine planning and decision
making. The Australian Offshore Mineral Locations map draws together data from published and unpublished marine research surveys
as well as reports from federal and state government records. Mineral locations shown include manganese nodules and crusts,
shellsand, construction aggregate, heavy mineral sand, phosphorites, diamonds, tin, copper, gold and coal. Types of mineralisation,
some interpreted from limited information, provide an insight into the nature of the depositional settings. Bathymetry shows
the variable physiography of the seafloor that surrounds Australia. For the first time it is possible to identify features
such as the contextual setting of manganese crusts and nodules on the East Tasman Plateau and South Tasman Rise, and shellsand
and cobalt crust on the edge of the Ceduna Terrace where it descends to the South Australian Abyssal Plain. Insets and images
on the map show further detail, mineral specimens and operational aspects associated with exploration and recovery of marine
minerals. The map is the result of a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia, CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship
and Division of Exploration and Mining, and each of the State and Northern Territory Geological Surveys. The Australian Offshore
Mineral Locations data can be viewed online by using Geoscience Australia's Australian Marine Spatial Information System (AMSIS).
AMSIS contains more than 80 layers of Australian marine information which can be viewed and integrated with mineral locations
data to create maps to meet specific requirements.
Citation
Title Australian Offshore Mineral Locations Map, August 2006
Metadata standard for this record:
ANZLIC Metadata Profile: An Australian/New Zealand Profile of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2005, Geographic information - Metadata
standard version:
1.1
Metadata record identifier:
a05f7892-ed23-7506-e044-00144fdd4fa6
Metadata record format is ISO19139-2 XML (MI_Metadata)