Exploring for the Future (EFTF) is an Australian Government program led by Geoscience Australia (GA), in partnership with state and Northern Territory governments. The EFTF program (2016-2024) aims to drive industry investment in resource exploration in frontier regions of onshore Australia by providing new precompetitive data and information about their energy, mineral and groundwater resource potential. Under the EFTF program, GA’s National Hydrogen Project and in collaboration with Minerals Resources Tasmania (MRT) undertook a study of hydrogen and helium potential of south-east Tasmania with the sampling of cores from Glenorchy 1 in the surrounds of Hobart. This well was selected based on the availability of core and historic reports of hydrogen-rich natural gases from petroleum exploration wells in the region. Sampling of cores was done at MRT’s Core Repository in Hobart. Geoscience Australia commissioned a fluid inclusion stratigraphy (FIS) study on the downhole samples. Here, volatile components ostensibly trapped with fluid inclusions are released and analysed revealing the level of exposure of the well section to migrating fluids. Integration of thin section (TS) preparations reveal the extent of gas and fluid trapping within fluid inclusions while microthemometry (MT) gives an estimation of fluid inclusion trapping temperature. For Glenorchy 1, FIS analysis was performed on 173 cores between 6 m and 613.9 m base depth, together with 8 samples prepared for TS and 1 sample for MT. To support this study, lithostratigraphic tops were compiled by MRT. The results of the study are found in the accompanying documents.

Exploring for the Future (EFTF) is an Australian Government program led by Geoscience Australia (GA), in partnership with state and Northern Territory governments. The EFTF program (2016-2024) aims to drive industry investment in resource exploration in frontier regions of onshore Australia by providing new precompetitive data and information about their energy, mineral and groundwater resource potential. Under the EFTF program, GA’s National Hydrogen Project and in collaboration with Minerals Resources Tasmania (MRT) undertook a study of hydrogen and helium potential of south-east Tasmania with the sampling of cores from Jericho 1 on Bruny Island. This well was selected based on the availability of core and historic reports of hydrogen-rich natural gases from this well and petroleum exploration wells in the region. Sampling of cores was done at MRT’s Core Repository in Hobart. Geoscience Australia commissioned a fluid inclusion stratigraphy (FIS) study on the downhole samples. Here, volatile components ostensibly trapped with fluid inclusions are released and analysed revealing the level of exposure of the well section to migrating fluids. Integration of thin section (TS) preparations reveal the extent of gas and fluid trapping within fluid inclusions while microthemometry (MT) gives an estimation of fluid inclusion trapping temperature. For Jericho 1, FIS analysis was performed on 179 cores between 87 m and 640.6 m base depth, together with 7 samples prepared for TS and 1 sample for MT. To support this study, lithostratigraphic tops were compiled by MRT. The results of the study are found in the accompanying documents.

<div>The soil gas database table contains publicly available results from Geoscience Australia's organic geochemistry (ORGCHEM) schema and supporting oracle databases for gas analyses undertaken by Geoscience Australia's laboratory on soil samples taken from shallow (down to 1 m below the surface) percussion holes. Data includes the percussion hole field site location, sample depth, analytical methods and other relevant metadata, as well as the molecular and isotopic compositions of the soil gas with air included in the reported results. Acquisition of the molecular compounds are by gas chromatography (GC) and the isotopic ratios by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). The concentrations of argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen (N₂) and oxygen (O₂) are given in mole percent (mol%). The concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), helium (He), hydrogen (H₂) and methane (C₁, CH₄) are given in parts per million (ppm). Compound concentrations that are below detection limit (BDL) are reported as the value -99999. The stable carbon (¹³C/¹²C) and nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) isotopic ratios are presented in parts per mil (‰) and in delta notation as δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>Determining the individual sources and migration pathways of the components of natural gases found in the near surface are useful in basin analysis with derived information being used to support exploration for energy resources (petroleum and hydrogen) and helium in Australian provinces. These data are collated from Geoscience Australia records with the results being delivered in the Soil Gas web services on the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery portal at https://portal.ga.gov.au which will be periodically updated.</div>