Project activity AusLAMP
The Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP) is a collaborative, national survey that acquires long-period magnetotelluric (MT) data across the Australian continent.
It aims to provide significant additional information about Australia’s geodynamic framework as well as valuable precompetitive data for resource exploration. While the project has been active since November 2013, significant progress has been made under Geoscience Australia's Exploring for the Future program. This page discusses that work – you can read more information on the broader AusLAMP project on the Geoscience Australia website.
Anyone who has used a compass to find magnetic North has made use of the fact that planet Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field. This magnetic field is changing all the time due to processes taking place both inside the Earth (long, slow changes) and on the Sun (short, rapid changes). These changes cause electric currents to flow in the Earth. Magnetotelluric sensors measure these magnetic-field and electric-field changes to estimate the electrical conductivity of geological structures.
AusLAMP is systematically acquiring magnetotelluric data across Australia on a 0.5 degree latitude/longitude grid. That’s equivalent to around a 55 km site spacing, or roughly 3,000 sites across the country.
- Watch an animation on How MT surveys work (2:17 min)
Installing AusLAMP sensors
A current map showing the locations of the magnetotelluric stations across Australia
AusLAMP assists with:
• understanding the geological make up of Australia
• understanding how geological processes work
• mapping geological hazards, such as historic earthquakes
• analysing risks to Australia's electricity infrastructure
• helping to identify mineral and energy resource potential on a broad regional scale.
Under the Exploring for the Future program, data acquisition across the states of Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia has been completed and work in New South Wales is nearing completion. Data from 370 sites were also acquired in northern Australia during the first 4 years (2016-2020) of Geoscience Australia's Exploring for the Future program.
All publicly released AusLAMP data/interpretation and models are available on the Geoscience Australia website and via the Exploring for the Future Data Delivery Portal. Read more about the AusLAMP project.
Magnetotelluric data collection equipment being deployed on site in the Northern Territory
Outputs
The following AusLAMP data and publications have been produced under the Exploring for the Future program. To see the full list of AusLAMP outputs, please visit the AusLAMPpage on the Geoscience Australia website.
Collaboration
AusLAMP is a collaboration between Geoscience Australia, the state and Northern Territory geological surveys, universities, AuScope and other research organisations.
Exploring for the Future AusLAMP activities are funded by Geoscience Australia with supplementary funding and in-kind contributions from the Geological Survey of Queensland and in-kind contributions from the Northern Territory Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Western Australia.
Geoscience Australia acknowledges the landholders, communities and First Nations people who have supported our work in rural, regional, and remote Australia to produce AusLAMP datasets.
Related information
Lithospheric structure and melting processes in southeast Australia: New constraints from joint probabilistic inversions of 3D magnetotelluric and seismic data
Manassero, M.C., Özaydın, S., Afonso, J.C., Shea, J.J., Ezad, I.S., Kirkby, A, Thiel, S., Fomin, I., Czarnota, K. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Volume 129, Issue 3. (2024)
A regolith lead icoscape of Australia
Desem, C.U., de Caritat, P., Woodhead, J., Maas, R., Carr, G. Earth System Science Data, Vol.16, Issue 3. (2024)
Solid Geology Mapping
Our understanding of the geological history and resource potential of Australia has been underpinned by over half a century of surface geological mapping.
