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Million dollar booster backs Queensland exploration

Dr Anthony Joseph Lynham, member for Stafford

A million-dollar injection will boost exploration growth in Queensland’s prime north-west metals and south-west gas zones.

Minister for State Development and Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dr Anthony Lynham today announced $1.035 million for four geoscience projects.

Speaking at a Queensland Exploration Council breakfast in Brisbane, Dr Lynham said the projects were targetted because they had the highest potential to impact on exploration effectiveness and success.

“They will focus on developing new exploration techniques and geoscientific information to help mineral and energy-related explorers attract investment and better target exploration opportunities,” he said.

“The current investment climate for explorers is extremely constrained so the Queensland Government is playing its part to assist the exploration needed to develop the mineral and energy projects of the future.”

Three projects are near Cloncurry in north-west Queensland and the fourth focuses on gas in the Surat basin. They are:

Cloncurry

– A $90,000 program to develop advanced geochemical detection methods to help explorers better target and discover deep ore bodies

– A $400,000 program to develop a powerful new suite of geophysical tools, maps and datasets that can be used to lower exploration risk and significantly increase exploration success for copper and gold in the Mount Isa Eastern Succession

– A $345,000 program to use advanced computer simulation to predict significant structural sites of new mineralisation in north-west Queensland, which will be then be validated by ground surveys.
Surat Basin

– A $200,000 program of subsurface geological data modelling and surface mapping to better understand Surat Basin geology, manage aquifer contamination risks and ensure environmentally-sustainable gas extraction.

– Dr Lynham said the Cloncurry region projects would help discover the next generation of mines in the state’s North West Minerals Precinct.

– Dr Lynham said the Queensland Exploration Council and the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies nominated the funded projects.

 

“This will help attract exploration investment back to Queensland, and support ongoing resource sector growth, jobs, royalties and other significant economic benefits the resource sector delivers for Queensland,” he said.

The grants follow last month’s release of 11,000 square kilometres of land for petroleum and gas exploration tenders.

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