Geological Survey of New South Wales

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The Geological Survey of New South Wales (abbreviated GSNSW) is the highest state authority in the field of geosciences in the Australian state of New South Wales . The headquarters are in Maitland and there are other offices in other locations.

development

The establishment of the geological service was preceded by some basic geoscientific exploration work. Gold and coal discoveries initiated early fieldwork. In 1797, Lieutenant Shortland reported the accidental discovery of coal in the Newcastle area. The discovery of copper, tin and iron ore deposits encouraged the Governor of New South Wales to set up a geological survey. The geologist William Branwhite Clarke (1798-1878) worked between 1851 and 1853 as a government advisor. Together with the government geologist Samuel Stutchbury (1798-1859) he operated mineralogical and geological studies in New South Wales. This work laid the foundation for the later establishment of the geological service and formed the basis for the first geological map of New South Wales, which was published in 1880 by the Department of Mines .

Title of the official report The Copper-Mining Industry of New South Wales from 1899

The government of the former colony of New South Wales set up the Geological Survey of New South Wales in 1875 because they hoped to find more mineral resources. Charles Smith Wilkinson (1843-1891), the former government geologist of Victoria , was appointed director. In 1874 he had drawn up a first geological map of a part of the colony, which appeared in print in 1878.

The First World War created high demands on the exploration and extraction of mineral resources. After that, the research focus in the work of the Geological Survey of New South Wales changed to water extraction. The agency initiated the five Interstate Conferences on Artesian Water between 1912 and 1928 , in which geologists from today's states of Victoria, Queensland , South Australia , Western Australia and Tasmania participated.

The Second World War created an increasing demand for raw materials such as copper , molybdenum , bismuth , tungsten as well as quartz and coal. The geological service provided the government with comprehensive advisory services.

In the 1970s, the role of the geological service changed from a previously advisory role to a broad-based scientific research. During this time, numerous cooperation programs with universities and ministries from several countries were created. From this situation a new geological map was issued on a scale of 1: 1,000,000 and in 1974 a tectonic map followed on the same scale. The further development of computer and storage capacities made it possible to process a growing amount of geodata in the 1970s and 1980s. This enabled more differentiated analyzes and the modeling of seismic, gravimetric, magnetic and radiometric data. They could later be supplemented with satellite-based, high-resolution examination results. This development led to digital geospatial data and its modern products. The last hand-made geological manuscript map was created here in 1993.

tasks

The Geological Survey of New South Wales' performance profile includes:

  • geological mapping
  • geophysical surveys
  • mineralogical works including their occurrence
  • Land use report
  • Expert opinion on the exploration of deposits
  • geoscientific information services

Web links

further reading

  • J. Adrian: Charles Smith Wilkinson and the Geological Survey of New South Wales, 1875-1891 . in: Geological Society of Australia, Earth Sciences History Group Newsletter, Vol. 15 (1992), pp. 7-10