A delegation of provincial ministers visited South Australia’s Drill Core Library, a global benchmark in the digital preservation and public use of geological data for mining, oil, and gas.
By Panorama Minero
As part of a technical and institutional agenda focused on international knowledge exchange, San Juan’s Minister of Mining, Juan Pablo Perea, and Minister of Production, Labor and Innovation, Gustavo Fernández, conducted an official visit to the Drill Core Library operated by the Government of South Australia—one of the world’s most advanced public geological libraries for subsurface data management and preservation.
Located in Tonsley, the facility stores more than 7 million meters of drill core collected over seven decades of exploration across southern Australia, spanning mining and hydrocarbons. Its distinctive feature is an open-access policy: the data is digitized, georeferenced, and made freely available through the public portal SARIG (South Australian Resources Information Gateway), a key tool for researchers, government agencies, and private-sector stakeholders.
During the visit, the San Juan officials reviewed the library’s data management system, which includes spectrometry, high-resolution imaging, and infrared analysis. This level of documentation not only enables precise regional geological mapping but also allows for the re-evaluation of previously discarded exploration zones—now reinterpreted using advanced modeling and artificial intelligence.
The South Australian model also stands out for its inter-institutional integration: it merges data science, public policy, and private-sector collaboration under clear standards of transparency and sustainability.
The knowledge gathered during the visit may inform future developments in San Juan related to geological data management—an often-overlooked yet essential foundation for improving exploration efficiency, guiding investment, and building a mining industry rooted in evidence-based planning and long-term vision.
