Geological Survey of the Sau River Region, Western New Guinea

An area of approximately 800 square miles in the Western Highlands of New Guinea was mapped during a reconnaissance geological survey in 1959. The dataset describes non-metamorphic Jurassic marine sediments, Cretaceous volcanics, and an Eocene to Pliocene sequence of marine sediments and volcanics, all folded and faulted. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in June 2026.

Use Cases

• Map regional geological structures based on described northwest trending folds and faults.
• Identify potential mineral exploration targets based on described gold, platinum, and copper mineralization.
• Study the stratigraphic sequence based on described Jurassic, Cretaceous, Eocene, and Pliocene rock units.
• Analyze the relationship between intrusive plutons and mineralization based on the described large basic pluton.

Strengths

• Covers a specific area of approximately 800 square miles.
• Describes a detailed geological sequence from Jurassic to Pleistocene periods.
• Identifies specific mineral occurrences including gold, platinum, and copper.

Limitations

• Data is from a single reconnaissance survey in 1959; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Reconnaissance geological survey

Time Range

Survey conducted in 1959.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 09:00:57.942944

Geography

Sau River and environs, Western Highlands of New Guinea.