Dunedin scientists have created an innovative geological map covering parts of East Otago, making it easier to find precious metals, roading materials and water in the area.
Earth scientists Dr Adam Martin, Dr Simon Cox and Belinda Smith Lyttle, at GNS Science, combined satellite data with ground-based fieldwork to make the map.
GNS Science has just published the map and illustrated text, covering 864sqkm of East Otago and including the Strath-Taieri Plain, Rock and Pillar Range and Middlemarch township.
Dr Martin, the map's lead compiler, was happy and felt a "real sense of completion'' at the conclusion of the three-year project.
This was the first GNS map of its kind in New Zealand to utilise recent geophysics data, he said.
This data reports the magnetic characteristics of various rocks in the area, including their relative electromagnetic resistance or conductivity.
In Otago's case, this data was gleaned from Otago Regional Council-supported scientific recordings undertaken during helicopter flights over the area in 2007.
Dr Martin said the new map would be important for anyone who was interested in groundwater, finding new mineral or resource deposits, such as aggregate for roading, and understanding natural hazards.
The map was five times more detailed than the previously published GNS Qmap of the area and provides new insights into the area's geological history.
