b'IndustryNewsThe growing role of onshore seismic data in Australiabeen our involvement in the innovationincluding gold, iron ore and battery and implementation of new technologies.metals - are also strong. Mining has While we also specialise in non-seismicprovided strength to the Australian geophysics and marine seismic services, aeconomy through times of depressed current highlight, which we discuss in thisgas export revenue and COVID-19. The article, is the recent advancement in landmining sector has also spearheaded seismic technology. the implementation of new seismic technology in recent years, and is Overview currently acquiring far more seismic data than the petroleum sector. More There are many reasons to be optimisticthan half of Total Seismics work scope about the future of Australias onshoreto date has been from the mining sector.exploration sector. Current infrastructureHigh quality land seismic imaging is likely and long-term market outlooks are strongto be important in the future for other for Australias petroleum, metallurgicalsubsurface applications including CO 2Neil Millar coal, minerals and renewable industries,sequestration, groundwater mapping neil.millar@totalseismic.com and the Government is continuing toand the imaging shallow geology for assist industry by investing hundredscivil and environmental applications of millions of dollars exploring for new(Figure 1). Most States are undertaking Tier 1 resources in Australias frontierCO 2sequestration research, some regions. Additionally, recent landrelated to ambitious energy initiatives seismic technology developments aresuch as Victorias hydrogen export transforming the value of onshore seismicproject. Seismic data is also expected data and its importance for all sectors. to be important for future advances Twenty years of intensive political debatein tunnelling technology. There is has failed to deliver a clear message onan increasing use of passive seismic national energy policy, although one thingtechniques including Total Seismics that has become clear is that natural gasPre-emptive Mine Geohazard Location will have to play a critical role in providing(PMGL) technology, which provides baseload power, should the countrypractical, whole-of-mine, life-of-mine continue in transitioning away fromgeohazard event detection years ahead of David Dorlingthermal coal. The good news for explorersmining. Geoscience Australias incredibly david.dorling@totalseismic.com is that natural gas is plentiful in Australia,diverse nationwide Exploring for the Future and that there is a comprehensive andprogramme also has positive long-term expanding nationwide pipeline network.implications for the land seismic sector.Total Seismic is an ASEG Corporate PlusThe domestic demand for gas is already Sponsor. The ASEG gratefully acknowledgeshigh due to export commitments, andLightweight nodal receiverstheir sponsorship, and has invited thema number of independent gas supplyIn addition to this promising backdrop, to inform ASEG Members, via the pages ofmodels show that a domestic gasone recent development in land seismic Preview, about some of the services theyshortage is on the horizon. This settingtechnology is transforming the value of provide provides natural gas exploration andseismic data: the arrival of lightweight production operators with significantnodal receivers (Figure 2). These were opportunities to be rewarded for theirbrought to Australia in 2017, and now Introduction investments. Importantly, for the land seismic sector, Australias onshore gasa number of domestic seismic crews Total Seismic has provided integratedbasins are underexplored relative to otherare each able to provide over 20 000 geophysics, project delivery andwestern countries. nodes. Whilst nodal receivers have capability improvement services to thebeen around for a decade or so, the petroleum, coal, minerals and renewablesAustralias current market conditionslatest nodes are much smaller and sectors since forming in 2016. One of theand infrastructure for metallurgicallighter, largely due to developments most rewarding aspects of this work hascoal and a range of key minerals in battery technology. Importantly for Figure 1.The cost of onshore seismic has reduced significantly in Australia in recent years, resulting in a diversification of seismic applications.OCTOBER 2020 PREVIEW 14'