Recent highlights of Geoscience Australia’s geophysical programmes, as conducted under the Australian Government’s Exploring for the Future (EFTF) project, and in collaboration with our State and Territory survey partners, are summarised below. Details of all current and recently completed programmes and survey locations can be found in and the tables that follow this section.
Forbes-Dubbo and Yathong airborne electromagnetic surveys (AEM) and Yathong airborne magnetic and radiometric (AMR) survey.
Geoscience Australia (GA), in collaboration with the New South Wales (NSW) Government’s Geological Survey of NSW, recently completed the acquisition of over 15 000 line-km of airborne AEM data over four blocks within the Cobar-Yathong areas of NSW (). This survey was fully funded by the Government of NSW. Additionally, acquisition of the Yathong region airborne magnetic and radiometric (AMR) survey () is nearly complete. Acquisition is along east–west lines spaced 200 m apart and north–south lines spaced 2 km apart.
Figure 1. 2021-2023 geophysical surveys – in progress, released or for release by Geoscience Australia as part of EFTF, and in collaboration with State and Territory agencies. Projects that are partially or wholly funded by state government agencies are identified by the bracketed contributors. Background image of national magnetics compilation (first vertical derivative of the reduced to pole magnetics), Geoscience Australia, 2019 (see http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/144725).
Figure 2. Location of the Yathong (left) and Forbes-Dubbo (centre) AEM surveys, and the Yathong Airborne Magnetic and Radiometric Survey (right).
These surveys are currently undergoing quality assurance and quality control checks prior to a release of the data by the end of 2023. For further information on these surveys, please contact Astrid Carlton, Senior Geophysicist - Geological Survey of NSW, at [email protected]
NTGS Pedirka ground gravity survey
Geoscience Australia (GA), in collaboration with the Northern Territory (NT) Government’s Geological Survey (NTGS), have recently acquired ground gravity in the southeast corner of the NT adjacent to the Queensland and South Australian borders. This survey was fully funded by the Northern Territory Government and was helicopter assisted. Gravity data was acquired on a 4 x 4 km grid over an area of 61 370 km2, with infill in selected areas at 2 km spacing. Approximately 13 000 gravity stations were acquired. The data are currently undergoing quality assurance and quality control checks prior to a release by the end of 2023. For further information on these surveys, please contact Tania Dhu, Senior Geophysicist – Northern Territory Geological Survey, at [email protected]
GSV Shepparton Numurkah ground gravity survey.
Geoscience Australia in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Victoria (GSV), have started acquisition on the Shepparton Numurkah ground gravity survey in central north Victoria. This survey is fully funded by the Government of Victoria survey and is infilling the existing ground gravity network at approximately 500 m spacing along existing public roads and tracks. As part of this survey previous survey nodes and base stations have been included to assist merging of the new gravity stations with existing gravity data. This survey is currently approaching 50% completion, with acquisition expected to continue into 2024.
For further information on this survey please contact Suzanne Haydon at [email protected].
Northwest Northern Territory seismic data
The Birrindudu Basin is a frontier basin, highly prospective yet underexplored for mineral and energy resources. While it contains Proterozoic rocks, similar in age to those which are prospective for mineral and energy commodities in the McArthur Basin, South Nicholson region and Mount Isa Province to the east, it remains comparatively poorly understood. The Northwest Northern Territory (NWNT, L214) Seismic Survey was designed to correlate well characterised areas of the basin with adjacent gravity lows to the west and to the complex geology of the Tanami Region to the south, in order to better characterise the regional crustal architecture and identify concealed sedimentary basins to better understand the energy, minerals and groundwater potential across the region. This survey was co-funded by the Northern Territory Government. Four lines of deep crustal seismic data were collected in August and September 2023 comprising a total of 900 line-km. The seismic data will be processed starting in November and field data will be released in late 2023. The processed data will be publicly available in the second quarter of 2024.
Figure 3. Vibroseis trucks operating at night on the Northwest Northern Territory seismic survey. Data was collected at night to allow the cleanest possible data collection with the least amount of wind and traffic noise.
For further information on the Northwest Northern Territory Seismic Survey and the Officer-Musgrave-Birrindudu Project, please contact Paul Henson Director – Onshore Energy Systems Section, at [email protected].
Donna Cathro
Geoscience Australia