A new ‘downward-looking telescope’ could unlock Australia’s hidden mineral wealth.
The Australian Academy of Science is proposing the development of the cutting edge telescope with the ability to peer at least 300 kms beneath the Earth’s surface.
The proposal is one of several in a 10-year plan for Australian Geoscience just launched by the Academy’s National Committee for Earth Sciences.
The search for new sources of mineral resources is being spurred by the global shift to technology, clean energy and electrified mobility that rely on copper and and other specialty metals.
The Committee’s Chair, Professor Sue O’Reilly AM FAA, said one of the challenges for Australia is to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to know how and where to explore for the critical resources needed for the country’s future.
“A piece of infrastructure like this would transform our minerals sector by making deep Australia visible,” Professor O’Reilly said.
“It would give us a new understanding of the vertical makeup of the continent and allow us to direct our mineral exploration efforts in the two-thirds of Australia that aren’t currently cost-effective to explore.”