Surface Geochemistry Samples from Expired Exploration Licenses

Surface geochemistry samples from expired mineral exploration and mining licenses in Australia, collected since 1965. The dataset includes soil and stream sediment samples, typically from weathered profiles at depths of approximately 10-40 cm, managed by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. It was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of surface geochemistry to identify mineral anomalies for exploration targeting.
• Correlate sample depth and type (e.g., soil vs. stream sediment) with geochemical signatures.
• Map historical exploration activity by integrating license expiry dates with sample locations.

Strengths

• Data collection spans over 50 years, starting from 1965.
• Includes multiple geospatial file formats (SHP, WFS, WMS, DWG) for integration.

Limitations

• Specific sample count, column names, and analytical measurements are unknown.
• Sample depth and type (soil, sediment) are not standardized, creating a continuum with borehole data.

Provenance

Source

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, derived from the SITES Oracle RDBMS.

Collection Method

Compiled from company reports submitted for expired mineral Exploration and Mining Licences.

Time Range

Samples collected since 1965.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Australia (inferred from platform data_gov_au).