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Electrical Conductivity Structure Derived from Magnetotelluric Data in the South-Eastern Mount Isa Region

Created 17/10/2025

Updated 17/10/2025

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Geoscience Australia in partnership with State and Territory Geological Surveys has applied the magnetotelluric (MT) technique to image Australia’s resistivity structure over the last decade. As part of the Mount Isa Geophysics Initiative program, MT data were collected at 138 sites along a 690 km transect in the South-Eastern Mount Isa. Geoscience Australia undertook data analysis and data inversion to create the most plausible resistivity model. 2D and 3D data modelling were undertaken using well-verified algorithms. The 2D and 3D resistivity models derived from the MT data show some consistent features that are likely to be the real subsurface geology. The near-surface conductive layer resolved by the MT models represents the Carpentaria and Eromanga sedimentary basins reasonably well, in terms of resistivity and thickness. The MT models reveal a predominant crustal-scale conductor, which is interpreted to be part of the Carpentaria Conductivity Anomaly. A number of localised zones of enhanced conductivity are also detected within the crust. These conductors correspond to known major faults identified by seismic and geological data. One of the faults, i.e. the Cork Fault, marks the tectonic boundary between the Mount Isa terrane and the Thomson Orogen. The geometries of these conductive bodies suggest that the enhanced conductivity may be caused by deformation or mineralisation associated with faulting. Some of these faults linking into the middle and lower crust are considered as the primary factors in the partitioning of mineralisation in the region. Results from the magnetotelluric data provide new insights into the understanding of the complex crustal structure where little geological history is known.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Electrical Conductivity Structure Derived from Magnetotelluric Data in the South-Eastern Mount Isa Region
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/54e8d1ac-188e-422a-bd4a-78a25b6bb857
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        140.0,
        -24.0
      ],
      [
        144.5,
        -24.0
      ],
      [
        144.5,
        -19.0
      ],
      [
        140.0,
        -19.0
      ],
      [
        140.0,
        -24.0
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Electrical Conductivity Structure Derived from Magnetotelluric Data in the South-Eastern Mount Isa Region". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/electrical-conductivity-structure-derived-from-magnetotelluric-data-in-the-south-eastern-mount-