The Splinter Rock clay-hosted REE prospect, located northeast of Esperance within the east Albany–Fraser Orogen in Western Australia, has emerged as one of the most scientifically compelling regolith-hosted REE systems in the country (Figure 1). A multidisciplinary study led by CSIRO has produced the first integrated geological, geophysical, mineralogical, and geochemical characterisation of this emerging clay-hosted REE district.

In a world where major mineral discoveries are increasingly elusive and hidden beneath cover, Geoscience Australia has crafted a powerful lens into the Earth’s potential—mineral systems-based prospectivity mapping. This approach, backed by decades of data and a deep understanding of geology, is turning Australia into a frontier once again, particularly in the hunt for Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) deposits.