This is an article written as a contribution to the IEA GHG R&D Programme's quarterly newsletter (for publication in the June 2009 edition), at the invitation on the IEA GHG R&D Programme. It describes the release of Australia's offshore acreage for greenhouse gas storage.

The 42 element, 1190 sample Mobile Metal Ion subset of the National Geochemical Survey of Australia database was used to develop and illustrate the concept of Degree of Geochemical Similarity of soil samples. Element concentrations were unified to parts per million units and log(10)-transformed. The degree of similarity of pairs of samples of known provenance in the Yilgarn Craton were obtained using least squares linear regression analysis and demonstrated that the method successfully assessed the degree of similarity of soils related to granitoid and greenstone lithologies. Exploratory Data Analysis symbol maps of all remaining samples in the database against various reference samples were used to obtain correlation maps for not only granitoid- and greenstone-related soil types, but also to distinguish between for example samples derived from marine vs regolith carbonate. Likewise, the distribution of soil samples having a geochemical fingerprint similar to mineralised provinces (e.g., Mt Isa) can be mapped and this can be used as a first order prospection tool. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the method to produce robust results without undue influence from either single elements with anomalous concentrations or elements with a high proportion of censored values.

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) dinoflagellate cysts from the Timor Sea, offshore north-western Australia include several undescribed forms. Of these, three genera, Hadriana, Mombasadinium and Striatodinium, and seven new species described as new. The new dinoflagellate cyst species are Craspedodinium swanense, Cribroperidinium corrugatum, Gonyaulacysta fenestrata, Hadriana cincta, Oligosphaeridium swanense, Striatodinium lineatum and Striatodinium ottii. The genus Craspedodinium and the species Indodinium khariense are emended. The species formerly known as Indodinium? parvelatum is transferred to the new genus Mombasadinium and is also emended. All these new dinoflagellate cyst taxa have stratigraphical utility in the Kimmeridgian Dingodinium swanense Zone of Australia.

Phallocysta granosa sp. nov. is described from the Timor Sea, Australia. This new dinoflagellate cyst has stratigraphical utility in the Bathonian (Mid Jurassic) Caddasphaera halosa and Wanaea verrucosa zones.

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Three Aptian and Albian (Lower Cretaceous) dinoflagellate cysts from coastal basins along the western margin of Australia are described. Two are new species, Cannosphaeropsis australis and Ovoidinium striatum, while Craspedodinium indistinctum Cookson & Eisenack 1958 is redescribed and emended. These dinoflagellate cyst taxa have stratigraphical utility in the Aptian and Albian of Australia and Papua New Guinea.

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single page item on stratigraphy issues relevant to Australian geologists. This column discusses international discussions on the global stratotype section and point (GSSP) concept, new developments in stratigrphic classification and upcoming opportunities to showcase Australian examples in 2012. Journal ISSN 0312 4711