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You are here: Minerals / Licensing & Regulation / Exploration
Mineral Exploration in South Australia
Minerals are the property of the Crown in South Australia, and access to land for exploration is
gained through provisions of the Mining Act 1971 and Regulations under the Act.
The regulation, administration and technical procedures relating to mineral exploration are dealt
with by the Department of State Development's Minerals Resources Division.
All explorers wishing to carry out exploration activities in South Australia should be familiar with the
rules and regulations under which they can apply for an exploration licence and undertake
exploration and mining activities within South Australia.
On this page:
Exploration Release Area (ERA)
Home Forms & Guidelines Drill Core Library Geoscience Library Public Notices Press & Events
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Industry overview PACE 2020 Geological Survey of SA Publications & Information
Access to Land Licensing & Regulation Mines & Developing Projects Opal Mining
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Narrower Wider
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Exploration Guidelines
Applying for Work
Approval
Exploration Reporting
Frequently asked
questions about
prospecting in SA
Consultants and
tenement managers
Mining Operations
Extractive Minerals
Underground Mine or
Quarry Manager's
Certificates in South
Australia
Fossicking in South
Australia
Requirements for exploration licence applications
Understanding dryland farming and mineral exploration
Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR)
Exploration Compliance Reports (ECR)
Exploration reporting and templates
Forms
Where to find more information

Exploration Release Area (ERA)
New exploration release areas - East Gairdner relinquished tenements area
10 separate ERAs covering approximately 9000 km
2
immediately east of Lake Gairdner in the central-
eastern Gawler Craton have been made available.
More information...
including the geology of the area, access to data from
the former ELs, exploration potential and geoscientific
datasets
Amendments to the Mining Act (Section 29) have resulted in a change to the way that
expired, surrendered or cancelled exploration licence (EL) areas may be released for application.
Upon the expiry, surrender, partial surrender or cancellation of an EL and completion of related
statutory processes in accordance with the Mining Act 1971, areas may be identified for release to
the open market. Areas identified for release will be released as Exploration Release Areas (ERAs)
and published on a regular basis via the Government Gazette, in the Public Notices section on the
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and published on a regular basis via the Government Gazette, in the Public Notices section on the
Department of State Development's minerals website, and displayed on the South Australian
Resources Information Geoserver (SARIG).
No applications for an ERA will be accepted within a moratorium period of approximately 1 month
from the date of publishing. EL applications will only then be accepted during a period of five days
(Monday to Friday) at the end of the moratorium period.
Following the closure of the application period:
If no EL applications are received the area will revert to vacant/open ground.
If one EL application is received, it will be processed via established EL application
procedures.
If multiple EL applications are received during the 5 day period, then valid applications will
proceed to be assessed by an assessment panel.
Applying for an ERA
Application must be made online via SARIG (preferred method) or via Form 29ERA (.pdf 384.7kb) or
eForm 29ERA (.docx 636kb). These templates and online functionality have been developed to
assist applicants in addressing the pre-defined assessment criteria as outlined in the Mineral
Resources Division Regulatory Guideline MG17, and to facilitate efficient assessment and processing
by the Department of State Development.
An ERA application must be submitted during the specified Application Week and be accompanied
by the statutory EL application fee.
For further information on the ERA process and procedures refer to Regulatory Guideline MG17:
Mineral exploration release areas (ERAs) - policies and procedures (.pdf 388.4kb).
ERA status
Information about the assessment status of an ERA can be found in Information Sheet M53 Mineral
exploration release areas (ERAs) (.pdf 311.3kb) or by querying ERAs in SARIG.
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Requirements for exploration licence applications under section 29 of the Mining
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Requirements for exploration licence applications under section 29 of the Mining
Act 1971
An exploration licence (EL) is the principal title issued for exploration in the state. An EL authorises
the licensee, subject to the Mining Act 1971, Mining Regulations 2011 and conditions of the licence,
to explore for all minerals and/or opal other than extractive minerals (i.e. building construction
materials).
Applicants for an exploration licence must:
have a registered office in Australia before submitting the application
submit the application including map of the area applying for
pay the application fee
nominate the principal mineral(s) the applicant is applying for
submit a proposed program of exploration with phased and costed expenditure
provide a statement of and evidence for the financial resources available
provide evidence of available and appropriately experienced technical personnel capable of
carrying out the proposed exploration.
Applicants proposing to apply for an exploration licence in South Australia should read the more
detailed information on applying for an exploration licence or download Requirements for
exploration licence applications under section 29 of the Mining Act 1971 (.pdf)
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Understanding dryland farming and mineral exploration
These companion reports provide information for farm businesses and the mineral exploration
industry in South Australia to assist with a mutual understanding of each other's needs and
imperatives.
Understanding mineral
exploration: information for farm
businesses and the community in
South Australia (15.8Mb) provides
an overview the business and
Understanding dryland farming:
information for mineral explorers
in South Australia (.pdf 9.5Mb)
gives an overview of the cycle of
farming in the dryland regions of
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cycle of mineral exploration in
South Australia.

South Australia.
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Program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR)
Amendments to the Mining Act that came into force on 1 July 2011 require the holder of an EL to
have an approved program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR) in place prior to
the commencement of any exploration activities on an EL (Mining Act 1971 Part 10A, and Mining
Regulation 114).
A PEPR should identify all relevant environmental, social and economic impact events that may
result from the proposed exploration activities and how each of the identified impacts will be
managed or avoided.
Low impact exploration and generic PEPR
The Department of State Development has developed a Minerals General Determination Generic
program for environment protection and rehabilitation - low impact mineral exploration in South
Australia (.pdf) which must be adhered to unless an alternative low impact exploration PEPR has
been developed and approved by the Minister.
Minerals regulatory guideline MG8 Guidelines: program for environment protection and
rehabilitation (PEPR) for low impact mineral exploration in South Australia (pdf) explains what a
'PEPR' is, how the generic PEPR was developed and relevant legislative requirements that need to
be considered when conducting low impact activities.
Other exploration activities
For all other activities (not within the scope of the generic PEPR) a PEPR in accordance with Part
10A of the Act is required. Under Regulation 114 (Transitionary Provisions) an exploration work
approval (EWA) for drilling/use of declared equipment, or a declaration of environmental factors
(DEF) for exploration in sensitive areas (in accordance with EL conditions) will be deemed to be a
PEPR until 1 July 2014 unless otherwise required by the Minister. Applications for approval of an
EWA/DEF/PEPR should be submitted in line with existing guidelines and procedures.
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It is intended that over the next 3 years a PEPR as required under the Act will eventually replace
the current EWA and DEF formats. Guidelines and determinations for the development of this PEPR
are currently being developed by DMITRE.
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Exploration compliance reports (ECR)
Exploration Rehabilitation Photo Reports, Annual Exploration Rehabilitation Status Reports and
Exploration Environmental Management Reports previously requested as a condition of the
Drilling/Use of Declared Equipment approval will now be called Exploration Compliance Reports
(ECR). This change is designed to provide greater consistency with the Mining Act and regulations.
The timing of a submission for an ECR has also been amended to provide consistency with existing
EL reporting requirements (i.e. Annual Technical Reports and agreed joint reporting arrangements).
A Determination for the submission of a Exploration Compliance Report is currently under
development and will come into force as of 1 July 2012. The Determination will provide greater
clarity regarding:
the type of exploration activities that trigger the requirement for an Exploration Compliance
Report;
when an Exploration Compliance Report must be submitted (e.g. in accordance with existing
EL reporting requirements); and
the content of an Exploration Compliance Report.
Until 1 July 2012, Exploration Compliance Reports will continue to be requested as a condition of
the PEPR approval (previously known as the Drilling/Use of Declared Equipment approval).
A template for the submission of a Compliance Report is also under development.
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Exploration reporting and templates
Exploration reporting guidelines and templates to assist Exploration Licence holders in the
preparation and submission of statutory reports and notifications for Mineral Exploration Licences in
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South Australia.
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Forms
Submission of the appropriate forms required under the Mining Act 1971 is vital when holding an EL
and proposing, conducting and finishing an exploration program.
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More information
Information sheets: includes information on exploration licence applications and procedures
Minerals regulatory guidelines: guidelines for complying with the requirements of the Mining Act and
regulations
SARIG (South Australian Resources Information Geoserver): free online access to current tenement
information, EL application lodgement service, geoscientific data, open file company reports,
publications and reference materials
Resource Information Centre: customised hardcopy maps, plans of tenement, geology, geophysical
data, geoscientific datasets and GIS packages
Consultants and Tenement Managers: companies that can assist with management of mining
tenements, preparation of reports and advice on environmental and land access issues


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Page URL: http://minerals.pir.sa.gov.au/licensing_and_regulation/exploration
Page Last Modified: August 18, 2014