AusAEM: imaging the near-surface from the world’s largest airborne electromagnetic survey

Real advances in understanding geology for mineral, energy and groundwater resource potential of the Australian continent will come from unveiling what lies at depth, especially in the extensive under-explored regions that are obscured by cover. In this context, airborne electromagnetics (AEM) is a geophysical method at the forefront in addressing the challenge of exploration undercover. In collaboration with the state and territory geological surveys, Geoscience Australia has led a national initiative whose goal is to acquire AEM data at 20 km line spacing across Australia. This initiative, AusAEM, represents the world’s largest AEM survey flown to date; it has covered ~2.5 million km2, a substantial part of northern Australia, and is providing new insights in areas that have not been extensively explored. Regional models of subsurface electrical conductivity derived from AusAEM data support a range of applications that include geological mapping, mineral and petroleum exploration, watershed management and environmental studies. Citation: Ley Cooper, A.Y.. and Brodie, R.C.., 2020. AusAEM: imaging the near-surface from the world’s largest airborne electromagnetic survey. In: Czarnota, K., Roach, I., Abbott, S., Haynes, M., Kositcin, N., Ray, A. and Slatter, E. (eds.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, 1–4.