Not only has it revealed the nickel potential of a vast area and stimulated unprecedented exploration activity in the search for nickel, but also, by confirming one point of similarity between the Western Australian and Canadian Archaean rocks, it has directed attention to other Archaean environments common to both, such as the acid volcanic environment with its potential for copper-zinc deposits.

In a different setting, the discovery of the first large deposits of phosphate in Australia by Broken Hill South Ltd., in 1966, near Duchess, northwest Queensland was the result of a systematic search of sedimentary basins guided by knowledge of the sedimentary, tectonic and palaeogeographic environments in which phosphate occurs elsewhere (Russell, 1967 ). When once the initial discovery confirmed the correctness of the approach and defined the locally favourable conditions more closely, several other discoveries in similar geological settings quickly followed over a wide area. Several features of the conduct of this model exploration program illustrate the valuable role that Government organizations, in this case the Bureau of Mineral Resources, and the Geological Survey of Queensland, are playing in supporting the mineral exploration activities of private companies.

The Bureau of Mineral Resources wisely maintains a reference library of drill cores and cuttings from Government-subsidized wells drilled in the search for oil and gas.

A crucial step in the investigations was the decision to examine these samples for phosphate, which subsequently was recognized. Thus, samples originally taken for one purpose proved to be of great value for an entirely different one. Having by this means identified formations with phosphate potential, the four-mile geological maps of the region were used to select specific areas where these formations outcropped. Field reconnaissance resulted in the almost immediate discovery of outcropping phosphate —a remarkable tribute both to the accuracy of the mapping of the formations and to the value of regional mapping in general.

Research Mining companies in Australia are showing increased interest in applied geological research groups to support the operating exploration teams. The principal objectives of a United States based group, but also applicable here, are neatly stated by Mitcham (1969) as:

1. Improved or new conceptual models for various types of ore bodies and their settings.
2. Definition of better places for deployment of exploration efforts.
3. Improved or new data gathering techniques.
4. Improved or new interpretive techniques.
5. Up-grading performance of exploration personnel through educational publications, seminars and workshops.