Raw Materials / Mineral Resources

The department of Mineral Resources carries out geological research on occurrences and deposits of mineral resources in Austria.

With a varying degree of intensity, the activities focus on all types of mineral resources including ores, coal, hydrocarbons, industrial minerals and rocks as well as construction raw materials. The work of the department of Mineral Resources represents fundamental research and includes the following tasks:

• Management of archives, data and rock collections.
• Official statements for proceedings under the Mineral Raw Materials Act “Mineralrohstoffgesetz”.
• Processing the resource geological content of geological maps and writing mineral resources related contents for explanatory notes of geological maps.
• Investigation of the Austrian territory with respect to exploitable deposits and collection, processing and documentation of results.
• Provision of up-to-date, georeferenced information and transfer of scientific knowledge and expertise to decision makers in governments and industries as well as to scientific institutions and universities.
• Reply to inquiries, dissemination of information and public relations.

The department’s mode of operation is project-oriented and based on a high competency in database and GIS technologies (GIS = Geographic Information Systems) as well as long-term experience in the fields of statistics, development of evaluation systems and model building. Furthermore, the project-based work has led to a broad range of expertise and to interdisciplinary methods of operation. Beside the focus on mineral occurrences and deposits, activities also cover aspects of geochemistry, hydrogeology, engineering geology, environmental geology and the analysis of natural environments. For all these geoscientific aspects, mineral resources and mineral deposit, research is essential and enriching.