b'Canberra observed results for the period 2005 through 2021. The future looks good for minerals.The investment in offshore exploration has not recovered, but the war in Europe has yet to make an impact. The graph represents the original data from 2005 - 13 and seasonally adjusted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from 2013 (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/mining/mineral-and-petroleum-exploration-australia/dec-2021).Figure 2 shows which sectors attracted the most investment, and gold once again dominated the numbers once again.Petroleum exploration in the doldrumsThe petroleum exploration expenditure Figure 1.Quarterly investment in mineral and petroleum exploration 2005-2021. is still in the doldrums because of the paucity of any significant offshore investment. This might change because of the situation in eastern Europe, but the cost of offshore exploration has increased substantially as the easy to reach areas are explored. The good news is that the onshore exploration has continued to increase, mainly because of the search for natural gas.As we go to press the cost of 98 unleaded petrol has risen in one month from $2.00/l to $2.30 /l and the inflationary impact will be significant.Figure 2.Breakdown of quarterly investment of the main commodities, unsurprisingly gold is the dominant mineral. The numbers have been seasonally adjusted by the ABS (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/mining/mineral-and-petroleum-exploration-australia/dec-2021).The ASEG in social mediaHave you liked/followed/subscribed to our social media channels? We regularly share relevant geoscience articles, events, opportunities and lots more. Subscribe to our Youtube channel for recorded webinars and other content. Email our Communications Chair Millicent Crowe at Communications@aseg.org.au for suggestions for our social media channels.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianSocietyOfExplorationGeophysicistsLinkedIn company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/australian-society-of-exploration-geophysicists/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASEG_newsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsVEu1pVw_BdYOyi2avLgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aseg_news/ 25 PREVIEW APRIL 2022'