CSIRO Maps Australia's Surface Minerals From Space
A new hyperspectral map shows the mineral makeup of the continent's surface and is free to download through CSIRO's XT Portal.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Geography
CSIRO has unveiled a hyperspectral map showing the mineral makeup of Australia's surface, built from satellite imagery. The mineral map layer can be downloaded and viewed for free through CSIRO's XT Portal.
Why it matters
Australia is seeking to strengthen supplies of critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies, advanced manufacturing and national resilience. The technology also has wider applications for agriculture and environmental monitoring.
The map combines imagery from Italy's PRISMA, Germany's EnMAP and NASA's EMIT satellite missions, with the team processing hundreds of terabytes of data across more than 200 spectral bands versus 14 previously. Challenges such as cloud cover and data quality were addressed, though the source does not detail how the remaining mineral layers will be released.
The players
CSIRO
Australia's national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, which developed the hyperspectral mapping workflows and operates the XT Portal.
The details
CSIRO developed automated workflows to combine imagery from three satellite missions and addressed challenges such as cloud cover and data quality to build a continent-wide mineral data set. One of the first hyperspectral maps shows aluminium sheet silicate mineral abundance across Australia.
Timeline
11 November 2026: CSIRO unveils the hyperspectral mineral mapping tool.
The Big Picture
The map extends CSIRO's XT Portal by adding a free mineral data layer that moves beyond the 14-band satellite imagery previously available. It shifts the scale of surface mineral mapping from localised surveys toward a continent-wide dataset.
The mineral data could help shape future exploration and resource planning as Australia works to secure critical minerals for clean energy. Because the layer is free to view and download, researchers, students and the public can access it directly through the XT Portal.
The takeaway
Free access to continent-scale mineral data lets anyone examine Australia's surface geology directly. It is a practical starting point for anyone studying resource potential or land characteristics.
Further reading
For more on how the continent's landforms and resources are studied, explore Geography coverage.
