Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of Discovery Day 2025!

We were delighted to share updates on current geoscience initiatives, emerging opportunities, and the broader energy and resources landscape in South Australia. The conversations, questions, and insights from attendees are what make Discovery Day such a meaningful gathering for our community.

Since 2016, Discovery Day has been an integral part of the Geological Survey of South Australia's calendar, and we hope you can join us again this year.

Thank you for joining us again this year!

Our theme for 2025

“South Australian Geoscience: Innovation, Insight, and Impact”

The program for this year’s event will be a diverse showcase of new information on the geology and commodity potential of South Australia.

Come, learn, discuss, act.

View the program

Take a look at the program, presentations, and previews of some of our speakers.

Mitchell Bockmann
Mitchell completed his PhD on “The early Mesoproterozoic tectonic and thermal evolution of the eastern Gawler Craton” at the University of Adelaide and joined the GSSA in 2022.

Mitchell currently works as a Senior Geologist in the Mineral Systems and Resources Team.

Join Mitchell as he discusses Magnetite, and an updated stratigraphic framework for this important iron oxide mineral in South Australia.

Yanbo Cheng
Yanbo is a Senior Mineral Systems Geoscientist at Geoscience Australia, with extensive experience in mineral systems, regional mineral potential assessment, and economic geology.

He has worked in Australia, Norway, and China, with previous experience as an academic researcher exploration geologist and exploration geologist.

Join Yanbo as he talks through the Delamerian region and its mineral systems.

Joanne Ciancio
Joanne recently started as a Graduate Geologist with the GSSA in the Mineral Systems and Resources team. Completing her Bachelor of Science majoring in geology in 2023, Joanne’s first experience in industry involved summer vacation work with Santos Ltd.

In early 2025, Joanne worked as a geological research assistant at the Adelaide University on REE deposits. Joanne has an enthusiasm for South Australian geology, field work, geological research and a budding interest in petrography.

Join Joanne as she discusses her journey so far as the first GSSA graduate geologist in 15 years.

Jack Percival
Jack specialises in the study of mountain-building processes, working with various disciplines including structural geology, metamorphic petrology, and geochronology.

Currently, Jack is working within the Regional Geoscience team at the GSSA helping to develop detailed geological maps of the crystalline basement of the Gawler Craton.

Join Jack as he talks through remote mapping in the Northern Gawler Craton - Ooldea to Oolgelima.

Jonathan Irvine
Jonathan has been part of the team since 2012, providing geospatial and data management support across the GSSA in the delivery of pre-competitive minerals exploration data.

Jonathan is currently the Team Lead of the Geospatial and Publications team within the GSSA, where he has been applying his geospatial background into the recently completed South Australian Discovery Mapping Project.

Join Jonathan as he discusses a modern approach to geological mapping.

Claire Wade
Joining our team in 2006, Claire is a Senior Geologist with the GSSA who has been involved in regional geology and mapping projects.

With roles in the Mineral Systems Footprints and Regional Geology teams, Claire has contributed in areas of geochemistry, isotope geochemistry, and geologic evolution in South Australia.

Join Claire as she discusses the Northern Gawler National Drilling Initiative, and recent results from the campaign.

Session 1 - State of play
Welcome to Country
Uncle Mickey

Opening address
Paul Martyn, Department for Energy and Mining

GSSA Director’s 2025 highlights
Bronwyn Camac, Department for Energy and Mining

More and easier - Improving access and availability of geoscience data
Christie Gerrard, Department for Energy and Mining

Upstream energy in South Australia: a 2025 update
Chris Cubitt, Department for Energy and Mining

My graduate journey with GSSA
Joanne Ciancio, Department for Energy and Mining

Session 2 - New geoscience: Tools and applications

Results of the Northern Gawler NDI drilling campaign to date
Claire Wade, Department for Energy and Mining

Rare earth elements secondary prospectivity of mine waste in South Australia
Francesco Colombi, Environmental Geochemistry International (EGi)

Update on GSSA’s Paleovalley mapping: Paleovalley characteristics and mineral potential of the northwestern Gawler Craton
Baohong Hou, Department for Energy and Mining

HyLogger Review 2025 - transitioning to a new era
Alicia Caruso, Department for Energy and Mining

Monazite U-Th-Pb age mapping: a tool to understand complex metamorphism
Alex De Vries Van Leeuwen, Department for Energy and Mining

SA Geology: Laying the groundwork for an integrated approach to geological mapping
Jonathan Irvine, Department for Energy and Mining

Session 3 - New geoscience: Tectonics through time

Curnamona Cube
Graham Heinson, Adelaide University

Remote Mapping in the Northern Gawler Craton: Ooldea to Oolgelima
Jack Percival, Department for Energy and Mining

Paleo to Mesoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the Coober Pedy Domain (northern Gawler Craton)
Rashed Abdullah, Department for Energy and Mining

The Penong Complex: a new unit with big implications for the Nuyts Domain
Mark Pawley, Department for Energy and Mining

Updated stratigraphic framework for magnetite deposits in the Gawler Craton
Mitchell Bockmann, Department for Energy and Mining

Session 4 - The geoscience of our commodities

Delamerian mineral systems and mineral potential
Yanbo Cheng, Geoscience Australia

An introduction to the Mineral Database (MinDep), a key to unlocking information of the state’s prospectivity
Rhiannon Lord, Department for Energy and Mining

Data Metallogenica - The value of representative geological collections
Peter Keller, Department for Energy and Mining

GSSA’s new ventures across the Eyre Peninsula
Carmen Krapf, Department for Energy and Mining

Closing remarks

Experience the future of Carbon Storage with the FluidFlower

We were thrilled to also host the FluidFlower, an extraordinary centerpiece that was showcased at Discovery Day. This cutting-edge, experimental flow rig is part of the University of Adelaide’s new Geomodelling Laboratory, made possible by a groundbreaking $10M partnership with BP for GeoEnergy research and innovation.

Created in collaboration with the University of Bergen, the FluidFlower is a one-of-a-kind exhibit that brings to life the fascinating science of geological carbon storage. We watched as a live CO₂ injection experiment took place right before our eyes, simulating processes that represent centuries of deep underground carbon storage. This interactive display makes complex scientific concepts more accessible to everyone - scientists, engineers, policymakers, and the general public alike - by visualising how carbon dioxide can be safely and securely stored in the earth.

Stay updated

Further details will continue to be released in the lead up to the conference.

Make sure you remain up to date by keeping an eye on this webpage, as well as our:

Previous Discovery Day events

Session 1 - Looking ahead: Initiatives and commodities

Welcome to Country
Cliffy Wilson, Kuma Kaaru

Opening address
Paul Heithersay, Department for Energy and Mining

Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity Initiative, Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of South Australia working together
Karol Czarnota, Geoscience Australia

GSSA Director’s 2024 highlights
Bronwyn Camac, Department for Energy and Mining

Magnesium and Manganese opportunities in South Australia for facilitating the increasing global Critical Minerals demand
Carmen Krapf, Department for Energy and Mining

An update on natural hydrogen exploration in South Australia
Chris Cubitt, Department for Energy and Mining

Session 2 - The sedimentary search space

Linking South Australia’s geology - fostering new workflows through digital report data (Officer Basin Case Study)
Sam Connell, Department for Energy and Mining

Paleovalleys and sedimentary characteristics of the northwestern Gawler Craton
Baohong Hou, Department for Energy and Mining

A new turbidite play in the Otway Basin - The value of revisiting the rocks
Sharon Tiainen, Department for Energy and Mining

Play mapping workflow; a practical example from the onshore Otway Basin, South Australia
Paul Strong, Department for Energy and Mining

Stack ‘em, hack ‘em and smack ‘em: Seismic stories of basins building an orogen
Tom Wise, Department for Energy and Mining

Narrowing the search space: A wrap up of the sedimentary Copper project
Adrian Fabris, Department for Energy and Mining

Session 3 - Core, copper and complexities

Keynote: A Beautiful Science
Lee Harrop

Unravelling complex basement geology via SADM: an example from the Mount Woods Domain, Gawler Craton
Rashed Abdullah, Department for Energy and Mining

Just how relevant is the IOCG model to the Curnamona Province?
Tobias Schlegel, CSIRO

Where are South Australia’s Carbonatites?
Mitchell Bockmann, Department for Energy and Mining

Northern Gawler National Drilling Initiative
Claire Wade, Department for Energy and Mining

Session 4 - Making time and space for mineral systems

Refining Uranium exploration models with field data
Steve Hore, Department for Energy and Mining

HyLogger Hy-lights 2024
Alicia Caruso, Department for Energy and Mining

Geochronology of the Middleback Range metasediments and implications for the Hutchison Group stratigraphy
Mario Werner, Department for Energy and Mining

Aeromagnetic Character and Kinematics of the Yarlbrinda Shear Zone, Eastern Nuyts Domain
Frank Rarity, Department for Energy and Mining

Polymetamorphism and gold (re)mobilisation in the central-western Gawler Craton
Alex Van Leeuwen, Department for Energy and Mining

Watch the Discovery Day presentations from 2023

Watch the Discovery Day presentations from 2022