Reading the Regolith: Mapping the Landscape and Developing an Understanding of the Contribution of Soil Biota to Regolith Formation in Northern Australia

Anna E. Petts; Steven M. Hill

doi:10.1071/ASEG2006ab131

ISSN: 2202-0586
E-ISSN:

oa Reading the Regolith: Mapping the Landscape and Developing an Understanding of the Contribution of Soil Biota to Regolith Formation in Northern Australia
Authors Anna E. Petts^a and Steven M. Hill^b
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^a CRC LEME, Department of Geology & GeophysicsUniversity of Adelaide, , Adelaide, South Australia, , 5005, [email protected] ^b CRC LEME, Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Adelaide, , Adelaide, South Australia, , 5005, [email protected]
Publisher: Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Source: ASEG Extended Abstracts, Volume 2006, Issue ASEG2006 - 18th Geophysical Conference, Dec 2006, p. 1 - 6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/ASEG2006ab131
- Published online: 01 Dec 2006

Abstract

The Tanami region of northern Australia is highly prospective for mineral exploration, however exploration has been hampered by the extensive development of regolith. Understanding the relationship between the regolith, landscape, groundwater, biota and the mineralised rocks is the key to developing more effective exploration strategies. Ongoing research combines regolith-landform mapping, geobotanical analysis and geozoological studies with geophysics and hydrogeochemistry to develop an understanding of the nature of current regolith-forming processes.

Outputs of the project include an established geozoological framework that considers surficial termite-regolith-landform relationships and characteristics, to reflect the depth of transported cover in regolith-dominated terrains. The poor understanding of the role of termites in regolith formation and in the generation of surface geochemical anomalies in Northern Australia will be addressed in future research. Regolith mapping is the key to establishing a good geozoological framework, a necessary first step in improving this understanding.

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References

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Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): geochemical exploration; regolith-landform mapping; Tanami Desert; termitaria

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