EGPR 2 South Gippsland Extractives Pilot Project: review of geoscience data and implications for extractives resource identification.
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Product description:Executive Summary:The South Gippsland Local Government Area (LGA) is a significant contributor of sand extractive products to the Melbourne Supply Area (MSA). The Geological Survey of Victoria completed a review of geoscience information over a pre-defined area that contains six existing sand extractives operations in the northwest of the LGA. The objectives were to evaluate sand extractive resource prospectivity and to determine the possibility of completing a sand extractive resource estimate. The review concluded that there is insufficient scale-appropriate geoscience data to identify sand resource potential and estimate sand resources in the study area. Both within the study area, and more regionally, discrepancies exist regarding the distribution of prospective sand-bearing units – laterally and vertically. Additional uncertainties are associated with the lack of any extractives industry resource estimates, reliable extractives operation production data, and extractives-specific borehole data. A larger scale investigation of regional sand resource prospectivity, beyond the study area, was completed to understand the geological controls on sand unit distribution. Lithological data from downhole logs were collated and interpolated to determine sand sheet thickness as a proxy for regional scale sand prospectivity. Additional interpretation of remote sensing imagery (light detection and ranging data – LiDAR) and geophysical datasets (e.g., radiometrics) was also undertaken to improve constraints on the distribution of the sandbearing units and assess techniques that may better distinguish between different sandbearing units across the region. The results from the sand sheet thickness interpolation and geological interpretation indicate that sand resource potential increases northwest and southeast outside the study area, and that cumulative sand sheet thickness appears to be strongly controlled by the location of a regional fault network. A targeted program of geoscience data acquisition and interpretation would provide the necessary data to support extractive prospectivity analysis. Early scientific evidence-based decision making is key to defining areas of high extractives resource prospectivity. This highlights the need for geoscience data and interpretations to drive the methodology for identification of areas that may be of strategic importance in terms of future extractive resources. Future work to constrain the areas of high sand prospectivity should involve new generation geological mapping to determine the distribution of the sand-bearing units, along with ground geophysical surveys to predict overburden thickness and sand quality. Follow-up reconnaissance-style drilling would confirm sand lithological characteristics and provide samples for mineralogical, geochemical, and physical testwork. Bibliographic Reference: Duncan R.J., Cairns C.P., Say M.M., Keeling S.M., Taylor D.H., Cayley R.A., & Skladzien P.S., 2019. South Gippsland Extractives Pilot Project: review of geoscience data and implications for soft rock (sand) extractives resource identification. Geological Survey of Victoria Extractives Geoscience Project Report 2. Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. Download: The downloadable version of this report is supplied in PDF format (11.7 MB). Related products:
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