December 2003

The December issue of AusGeo News showcases some of Geoscience Australia's marine and coastal work, which is proving an important reference for waterway management and for marine-park planning. Stories include:

• the surprise discovery of reefs in the Gulf of Carpentaria;
• nutrient input in coastal waterways and why estuaries are green or clean;
• huge sediment increases in Western Australian estuaries over the past 200 years; and
• big advances in mapping lake bottoms and offshore areas that can be used, among other things, to distinguish habitats.

Other articles in Issue 72 include: Mutant pollen; GeoRef and Marine Sediment databases; our new 3D theatre; Australia's bid to host the prestigious International Geological Congress in 2012; and product news.

Download a pdf copy of AusGeo News Issue 72 or subscribe to this free publication.

A new 1:1 million scale digital geological dataset of Tasmania is the first part of a new national compilation of the outcrop geology of Australia being carried out at Geoscience Australia. The new data will provide the most detailed and current geological map of the entire nation for explorers, resource managers and land use decision-makers.

The new Tasmanian dataset is generalised slightly from the 1:500 000 scale digital "Geology of Tasmania" map released by Mineral Resources Tasmania in 1999. All geological units and lines are described with stratigraphic, lithological and age information, with standardised descriptions that will be incorporated into the national coverage.

Similar 1:1 million scale datasets of Victoria and south Queensland are also nearing completion.

The dataset can be downloaded free, or ordered on CD in ESRI and Mapinfo formats from the Geoscience Australia Sales Centre. It is also available from Mineral Resources Tasmania.