In the frame of a data communications network between the Landesmuseum Joanneum and Geological Survey of Austria a pilot project for a digital deposit/mining archive was started, exemplified by the Styrian part of the so called "FRIEDRICH-Archive" at the Geological Survey of Austria. The digital archive comprises a specific database with 1744 full-text documents and 698 images of scanned maps. This digital archive was also the initial point for a centralised documentation of mining maps in the archives of the Geological Survey in close cooperation with the Austrian mining authority.

Within the frame of the Styrian Mineral Resources Plan respectively in the course of state- and country-cooperation in respect to mineral raw materials and energy research an extensive program was carried out between 1978-1992 in producing maps illustrating the natural environments for various Styrian counties. The following subject areas are covered: geology including raw-materials geology, engineering geology, hydrogeology and hydrology, pedology, climatology and vegetation. The data are documented on maps 1:25.000 or 1:50.000, in geological sections and tables and commented upon in the text. The goal of these maps is to offer an instrument for avoiding and solving conflicting demands with respect to land-use and land-management.

The crocodylian remains stored in the collection of the Provincial Museum Joanneum (Graz, Austria) are reviewed. Previous descriptions, geographical and stratigraphical provenance and collection history are discussed. The most important area from which these fossils come from - the Wies-Eibiswald coal-mining district - is briefly discussed. Preliminary taxonomical considerations concerning the type material of Enneodon ungeri PRANGNER, 1845, Diplocynodon steineri (HOFMANN, 1887a) and Diplo­cynodon styriacus (HOFMANN, 1887a) are provided.

The huge minerals demand of China led to tremendous problems in the supply with mineral raw materials worldwide. The paper deals with the main reasons and the problems arising. The situation of minerals supply of the European Union and Austria are discussed in detail. The Austrian Mineral Resources Plan is an important tool to solve the problems regarding minerals supply with special emphasis to construction materials.

On behalf of the Styrian Government, a team of specialists of the Montanuniversity of Leoben, Karl-Franzens University of Graz and the Landesmuseum Joanneum founded a working group, later the "Vereinigung für Lagerstättenforschung in Leoben" to investigate the potential on mineral resources in Styria. Between 1974 and 2004, about 149 projects were carried out in the main areas of metallic raw materials, industrial minerals, construction materials as well as coal and geothermal energy. All results are compiled in the "VALL-Archive", available in analogue and digital form. For a wider overview and further decisions in future the links to other archives like the "FRIEDRICH-Archive", the "Metallogenetic Map of Styria", the "digitised geological map of Styria", a "catalogue of mining dumps" as well as the "Natur­raum­potentialkarten der Steiermark" are given.

In the framework of a nationwide research project "Mining/Dump Inventory" 4486 mining sites (ores, industrial minerals, energy resources) were recorded by means of a GIS-based information and documentation system. Detailed space-related data of all Austrian mining sites are now available for the first time. The inventory of the Styrian mining sites covers 990 entries, among them 625 ore mining sites, 159 industrial mineral mining sites (asbestos, talc, graphite, magnesite, salt, gypsum, baryte) and 206 energy resources mining sites (anthracite, brown and hard coal).

The Province of Styria, geologically dominated by alpine mountainous domains, Quaternary and Neogene basins, hosts a great number (ca. 600) but mainly small mineral occurrences and deposits. After World War II rising labour costs, increased environmental standards and the global availability of mineral resources caused a continuous reduction of the domestic mine operations. Actually the following quantity of deposits of "bergfreie" and "bundeseigene" mineral commodities (these terms are related to the Austrian Mining Law) are worked: Iron ore (1), magnesite (5), talc/leukophyllite (2), grafite (1), gypsum/anhydrite (2), salt (1), clay (11), limestone (21) and diabase (1). Only the magnesite and talc deposits are of "world class" importance. Additionally the Austrian Mine Statistics (ÖMH) indicate the following numbers of operations of construction materials ("grundeigene" mineral commodities): limestone (24), dolomite (8), quartz and pegmatite (1), quartzite (10), basaltic rocks (6), serpentinite (3), gneiss (2), schist/phyllite (1), gravel/sand/debris (54) and trass (1). As the future accessibility to potential mine areas will be difficult the Austrian plan for raw materials supply indicate potential mine areas and recommend them as areas important for mineral resources supply to the land planning authorities.

The access to mineral occurrences becomes more and more difficult, mostly because of their neglectance in land use planning. The prime purpose of the Austrian Mineral Resources Plan is the identification of mineral occurrences, the harmonization of mineral occurrences with other relevant conflicting land use regulations and to safeguard mineral protection zones in land use planning as a proper base for future generations.

More than 15.000 objects of deposits are kept in collections of the Landesmuseum Joanneum and in a process of digitalising.

The specifically targeted exploration of Styria for mineral resources has a long tradition. Beginning from the times of Archduke JOHANN a chain of initiatives can be found, so one rightfully can say that exploration of Mineral resources has taken place permanently in Styria. The last link in this chain is the work done by the "Vereinigung für Angewandte Lagerstättenforschung in Leoben" (VALL) (Association for applied research of mineral deposits, Leoben), whose 30-years of activity will be presented in the following.

The government of Styria offers a great number of digital maps with different content in the internet. A digital geological map of Styria is available too and any detail can be presented with a dynamic legend.

Because of the increased demand for drinking water the Finzenquelle in the Raab gorge was several times centre of geological and hydrogeological investigations during the last decades. The origin of the spring waters was not absolutely cleared. During the construction work of the tapping of the Finzenquelle in November and December 2007 it became clear that the major amount of the spring waters has its origin in the karst aquifer of the Schöckel limestone. A small amount infiltrates from the Raab river into the karst aquifer about 0,4km in the north of the spring and flows through corrosive extended joints to the Finzenquelle.

The numerous Austrian mineral occurrences have been documented by mineral content, shape, size and geologic-tectonic setting. Mineral occurrences with similar properties have been defined as "metallogenetic districts". In Styria 48 of such districts were distinguished. Based on the printed map, an interactive mineral information system was developed, allowing a simultaneous display of different information layers, such as geology, mineral occurrences, geochemistry, geophysics. This system is the first mineral information expert tool worldwide.

Extensive archive and field work was executed to document and - whenever possible - to quantify stock flows relevant to environment which are related to abandoned and active mining sites in Styria. The analysis of the results of this study shows, that stock flows related to mining activities before the 20th century play a minor role compared to those of the recent past. Huge displacements of material were connected to the mining of lignite, iron ore and magnesite in the 20th century.