The land geology of the southwest Pacific is now comparatively well known and areas of mineral and energy potential have been identified. The offshore potential, upon which the smaller island nations will largely depend, has yet to be identified. Regional prospecting programs are at present being carried out under the auspices of CCOP/SOPAC, and have this year culminated in a major resource study funded by the governments of Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. This research is aimed principally at an assessment of the petroleum potential of the region and could have important economic implications for the southwest Pacific.

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