Document Actions
Northland's vast minerals potential
26 October 2011 - The second stage of one of New Zealand’s first extensive high-resolution regional geological and geophysical aeromagnetic surveys has started, with detailed interpretation of the data expected to highlight Northland's possibly vast minerals potential.
Source: NZP&M and Neil Ritchie
Perth-based geophysical airborne survey contractor Aeroquest recently completed the Northland survey, covering all 13,590 square kilometres of the region with fixed-wing, low-altitude aircraft, and collecting a total of 77,600 kilometres of data. GNS Science is now part way through comprehensive interpretation of the data, after which we plan to make the survey results freely available.
Previous GNS mineral resource assessments of Northland have highlighted the potential for a wide variety of new and known mineral deposits and resources. We expect an escalation of mineral exploration investment as a direct consequence of the Northland survey, something that will provide genuine opportunities for economic growth in a region with an estimated $47 billion in potential mineral resources (Source: Christie and Barker; Mineral resource assessment of Northland; GNS Science Report 2007/6)
The region has a wide variety of rocks and potential mineralised occurrences, which provide strong magnetic and radiometric contrasts, making them particularly suitable for mapping using state-of-the-art aeromagnetic methods to produce high resolution data quality and knowledge of the sub-surface geology.
The Northland survey is expected to provide a new set of seamless data for use in a variety of land and resource management and commercial applications. The magnetic and radiometric data will also provide valuable information on geological structures and likely locations of mineral deposits, including copper and gold-bearing volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits and epithermal gold-silver deposits.
Region-wide geophysical data is now available for many resource-rich countries throughout the world, though the Northland survey (in partnership with the Far North District Council, Northland Regional Council, and Enterprise Northland) is one of the first, though hopefully not the last, for New Zealand.
