WAMT is a 10-year project acquiring long-period magnetotellurics (LPMT) data across Western Australia. This project is being undertaken alongside the department's passive seismic project (WA Array), with LPMT measurements collected at sites coincident with WA Array on a 40 km × 40 km grid across the state.
The MT method measures the naturally occurring electric and magnetic fields associated with the interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with the Sun’s solar activity. Different types of MT instruments, including audio, broadband and long-period systems, acquire data across different frequency ranges, enabling imaging from the near surface through the crust and into the upper mantle. The LPMT measurements collected throughout WAMT will be used to generate 3D models of the Earth’s conductivity distribution from depths of 10s to 100s of kilometres. This animation shows how MT surveys work.
Data acquired during the WAMT project will also contribute to the national survey called the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP), which is collecting MT data across the rest of Australia. This national dataset will aid in identifying regions with mineral and energy resource potential and improve our understanding of Australia’s geology and tectonic evolution.
Contracted MT specialists will undertake field work, initial data quality assurance / quality control and data processing. The department’s project team will then model and interpret the data in conjunction with the WA Array passive seismic project. Using survey sites that coincide with WA Array will improve efficiency and reduce costs, particularly in remote parts of the state where helicopter access is required.
WAMT Progress
The project commenced in March 2024, approximately 18 months after WA Array. This required data acquisition to begin in the Phase 2 region, which spans from Geraldton across to Leonora and Laverton, and continuing south through the Goldfields to Esperance.
View the locality map for WA Array/WAMT test sites in Phase 2.
Since March 2024, 178 sites through Phase 2 and the southern half of Phase 1 have been completed. The associated data and models as part of our First Data Release are available in MAGIX for download.
Data collection through Phase 3 and the remainder of Phase 1 was undertook between October 2025-July 2026 and will be released in September 2027.
Map of WA Array/WAMT test locations in Phase 1.
Map of WA Array/WAMT test locations in Phase 3.
Future work for the project will focus on the continued collection of new MT data beginning with Phase 4 in September 2026. The project aims to collect data at a rate of approximately 100 to 160 sites per year, with time-series data, processed data, models and reports released progressively throughout the project. The data and associated products are freely available to industry, other research organisations and the general public.
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