21 December 2009
Australia's Identified Mineral
Resources 2009
© Geoscience Australia
Compiled by Geoscience Australia from information gathered from the mining and mineral processing industries, the review shows that Australia has the world's largest resources of mineral sands (rutile and zircon), nickel, silver, uranium, zinc, lead and brown coal.
It also ranks in the top six worldwide in identified resources of bauxite, black coal, copper, gold, iron ore, industrial diamond, ilmenite, lithium, manganese ore, niobium, tantalum and vanadium.
The report shows that during 2008, Australia's economic demonstrated resources of most mineral commodities increased as a result of the discovery of new deposits as well as on-going drilling and re-assessment of known deposits by the minerals industry.
Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2009, is available as a free download and other fundamental data on the minerals sector can be obtained from the Australian Atlas of Mineral Resources, Mines and Processing Centres.
18 December 2009
A scientist who has spent many years defining the legal limits of Australia's marine jurisdiction and representing Australia on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has been honoured by his old alumni.
Dr Phil Symonds
© Geoscience Australia
Having been awarded an Honorary DSc recently from the University of Sydney, he becomes one of only a handful of scientists to be awarded two such distinctions.
As part of a team in Geoscience Australia, Dr Symonds lead the preparation of the technical case supporting the definition of the outer limit of Australia's extended Continental Shelf which led to the CLCS confirming the outer limit of Australia's continental shelf to give it jurisdiction over an additional 2.5 million square kilometres beyond 200 nautical miles from its territorial sea baseline.
The award also recognises his ongoing assistance to smaller island nations in the Pacific region in the preparation of their submissions.
The Chief Executive Officer of Geoscience Australia, Dr Neil Williams said the contribution Dr Symonds has made to exploring, understanding and managing Australia's maritime jurisdiction during his 40 years with Geoscience Australia and its predecessors has been invaluable.
"He has played a significant role in achieving a significant social and economic benefit for all Australians and continues to provide a valuable contribution through his membership on the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf," he said.
"He is a mentor, teacher and example to scientists in Australia and throughout the world and his role as visiting professor to the Faculty of Law at the University of Wollongong will ensure he provides a valuable legacy for the future understanding of Australia's role in the international law of the sea," Dr Williams said.