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Abstract
The New Frontiers exploration initiative of the NSW government has implemented the analysis of regional geophysical datasets for the Ana Branch, Pooncarie, Booligal, Balranald, Hay and Deniliquin 1:250 000 map sheet areas. The aspiration is to encourage exploration in regional areas by extrapolating the geology beneath covered areas using regional aeromagnetic, gravity, radiometric, landsat, seismic and borehole stratigraphy datasets.
The Hay 1:250 000 map sheet area is the first to be interpreted over the Murray Basin, and was interpreted using TMI and 1VD aeromagnetic data. Outcomes of this interpretation are:
• Diatremes (or volcanic plugs) intrude the basement unit. The cover over modelled diatremes ranges from 300–500 m in thickness and no drilling has been conducted to investigate anomalies. Similar clusters of interest are seen in the Balranald 1:250 000 map sheet area.
• Silurian–Devonian granodiorite basement ranging from 300–700 m deep and contains many NNW–SSE trending dykes.
• Structurally intriguing elongated granites with metamorphic aureoles occur in the south west.
• 300–700 m of poorly consolidated fluvial/alluvial sands, including the Pliocene Loxton–Parilla Sands, contain economic heavy minerals placers. Many are magnetically detectable and clearly visible in the Balranald sheet area with one magnetic strandline occurring within the Hay sheet area.
This study is expected to increase exploration interest in the diatremes in the relatively unexplored Hay region.
Technical Area: Geophysics in Government Surveys