The Value of Earth Observations from Space to Australia report (2015, ACIL Allen Consulting) examines the use of Earth observations from space (EOS) in seven key application areas: weather forecasting; ocean observation; monitoring land use and landscape change; agriculture; water; natural hazards and insurance; and onshore mining. Through a series of detailed case studies, the report establishes the value of the contribution of EOS in each application area and to the Australian economy as a whole.

Australian Mining History Association (Charters Towers July 2014): Offshore resource potential is clear with strong prospects identified, international certainty of tenure exists through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the regulatory/legal system is well established, yet future offshore mineral prospects remains elusive. Deep sea mining's blue sky potential has been spruiked for so long it genuinely qualifies as mining history, but remains limited to future prospects. Historical targets have included diamonds, polymetallic nodules, cobalt on seamounts, base and precious metal rich hydrothermal vents, construction materials, coal and deep leads of tin or gold extending from onshore areas. Australia's seabed jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is over 16 million square kilometres, twice the area of Australian land. The Commonwealth Offshore Minerals Act 1994 relates to the exploration and production of these commodities, but in contrast to the offshore petroleum sector little activity has been recorded. Offshore resource potential is clear with strong prospects identified, international certainty of tenure exists through UNCLOS and the regulatory/legal system is well established, yet future offshore mineral prospects remains elusive. This is despite Australia based companies engaging in exploration and proposing developments in the South Pacific. Having identified the problem of lack of commercial interest, could government take actions to rectify the situation and encourage positive economic outcomes stemming from sustainable and environmentally responsible resource development in Australia's world scale offshore regime

Economic analysis of natural hazards (wind, flood and storm surge) Australia wide. See more info in: http://www.garnautreview.org.au/

map showing location of currently producing oil and gas fileds and potential future producing fields. Location and extent of oil and gas pipelines (existing and proposed) is also shown.

The Exploring for the Future Program facilitated the acquisition of major geoscience datasets in northern Australia, where rocks are mostly under cover and the basin evolution, mineral, energy and groundwater resource potential are, in places, poorly constrained. In an effort to support sustainable, regional economic development and build stronger communities in these frontier areas, integration of new and legacy data within a consistent platform could enhance the recognition of cross-disciplinary synergies in sub-surface resource investigations. Here we present a case study in the South-Nicholson Basin, located in a poorly exposed area between the prospective Mt Isa Province and the McArthur Basin. Both regions host major base metal deposits, contain units prospective for energy resources, and hold significant groundwater resources in the overlying Georgina Basin. In this study, we interpret a subset of new regional-scale data, which include ~1 900 km of deep seismic reflection data and 60 000 line kilometres of AusAEM1 airborne electromagnetic survey, supplemented with legacy information. This interpretation refines a semi-continental geological framework, as input to national coverage databases and informs decision-making for exploration and groundwater resource management. This study provides a 3D chronostratigraphic cover model down to the Paleoproterozoic basement. We mapped the depth to the base of intervals corresponding to geological eras, as well as deeper pre-Neoproterozoic superbasin boundaries to refine the cover model. The depth estimates, based on the compilation, interpretation and integration of geological and geophysical datasets, inform the basement architecture controls on evolution of the basin, with several key outcomes: 1) expanded mapped size of the South Nicholson Basin, potentially, increasing prospectivity for hydrocarbons and basin-hosted mineralisation, 2) improved stratigraphic unit correlations across the region, 3) identification of major crustal structures, some of which are associated with mineralisation and springs, and 4) improved basin architecture definition, supporting future investigation of groundwater resources.

Geoscience Australia, CSIRO, and the Australian Space Agency collaboratively developed a 2-page A4 flyer to promote education and careers in space to students and teachers. The flyer showcases Australia's unique capability in the space sector, far beyond astronomers and astronauts. It also lists QR codes of several Australian educational resources on a diversity of space topics for preschoolers through to university students. It is designed to be shared virtually or in person with stakeholders interested in promoting space science literacy and careers.

This report presents palynological data compiled and analysed as part of Geoscience Australia’s ‘Assessing the Status of Groundwater in the Great Artesian Basin’ project, commissioned by the Australian Government through the National Water Infrastructure Fund – Expansion. Diverse historic nomenclature within the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) Jurassic‒Cretaceous succession in different parts of the GAB makes it difficult to map consistently GAB resources across borders, at a basin-wide scale, in order to provide a geological and hydrogeological framework to underpin effective long-term management of GAB water resources. The study undertaken by MGPalaeo, in collaboration with Geoscience Australia, examined 706 wells across the GAB and compiled 407 wells, having Jurassic‒Cretaceous succession, with reviewed palynology data (down to total depth). This initial palynology data review allowed identification of new data samples from 20 wells (within the 407 wells) in Queensland and South Australia to fill data and knowledge gaps within the Jurassic‒Cretaceous GAB succession. This study resulted in: 1) a summary compilation of existing palynology data on 407 wells selected to create a regional framework between the Surat, eastern Eromanga and western Eromanga basins, to help regional correlations across the GAB, 2) a review of several different palynology zonation schemes and adaptation to a single consistent scheme, applying the scheme of Price (1997) for the spore pollen zonation and Partridge (2006) for the marine zonation, 3) updated stratigraphic charts across the Surat, Eromanga and Carpentaria basins, 4) identification of data and knowledge gaps, and 5) sampling of new palynology data to help fill some data and knowledge gaps identified in 13 key wells in the Surat Basin and 10 key wells in the Eromanga Basin. In the Surat Basin the new sampling program has targeted units within: the Evergreen Formation, Hutton Sandstone, Springbok Sandstone, Gubberamunda Sandstone, Orallo Formation, Mooga Sandstone, Bungil Formation. In the Eromanga Basin the sampling program targeted units within: the Poolowanna Formation, Hutton Sandstone, Adori Sandstone, Algebuckina Sandstone, Namur Sandstone and Hooray Sandstone. The study undertaken by MGPalaeo, in collaboration with Geoscience Australia, provides updated biostratigraphic information compiled in a standardised chronostratigraphic framework across the Surat, Eromanga and Carpentaria basins that mostly comprise the GAB. This work allows comparison of various geological, lithological, hydrogeological schemes. It provides links between various lithostratigraphic units, with different nomenclature, across jurisdictions. It also links these units to some key regional chronostratigraphic markers that can be used to generate consistent surfaces that correlate to aquifer and aquitard boundaries. The compilation of legacy and newly sampled and analysed palynology data allows refinement of a regional chronostratigraphic framework that can be used to map a common Mesozoic play interval scheme across all the resource types, for basin-scale assessments of groundwater, hydrocarbons, carbon capture and storage, and mineral potential. From this correlation of time equivalent geological units deposited in different environments, it is then possible to map internal lithological variations in stratigraphic facies within sequences that influence hydraulic properties and connectivity within and between aquifers across the GAB. The updated geometry and variability mapping within and between aquifers will help refine the conceptual hydrogeological model, to assess how aquifers and aquitards are connected within the GAB. The revised conceptual hydrogeological model can facilitate an improved understanding of potential impacts from exploitation of sub-surface resources in the basin, providing a basis for more robust water balance estimates.

This animation shows how Airborne Electromagnetic Surveys Work. It is part of a series of Field Activity Technique Engagement Animations. The target audience are the communities that are impacted by our data acquisition activities. There is no sound or voice over. The 2D animations include a simplified view of what AEM equipment looks like, what the equipment measures and how the survey works.

The Australian Government, through the National Water Infrastructure Fund – Expansion, commissioned Geoscience Australia (GA) to undertake the project ‘Assessing the Status of Groundwater in the Great Artesian Basin’ (GAB). The project commenced in July 2019 and will finish in June 2022. The aim of the project is to develop and evaluate new tools and techniques to assess the status of GAB groundwater system to support responsible management of basin water resources. A critical relationship exists between sediment depositional architecture and groundwater flow within and between GAB aquifers, and their connectivity with underlying and overlying aquifers. Little is known about lateral and vertical facies variation within the hydrogeological units and potential compartmentalisation and connectivity across the GAB. To improve the understanding of distribution and characteristics of Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments across the Eromanga/Galilee/Surat basins region, GA is compiling, processing and correlating a variety of well log data. Correlations have been made between geological units of similar age using palynological data from 322 key wells along 28 regional transects to standardise lithostratigraphic units, which are currently described using varying nomenclature, to a single chronostratigraphic chart across the entire GAB. The distribution of generalised sand/shale ratios calculated for 236 wells in the Surat and Eromanga basins are used to estimate the thickness of sand and shale in the different formations, with implications for formation porosity and the hydraulic properties of aquifers and aquitards. This study highlights regional lithological heterogeneity in each hydrogeological unit, and contributes to our understanding of connectivity within and between aquifers. This report and associated data package provide a first phase of data compilation on 322 key wells in the Surat and Eromanga basins to assist in updating the geological framework for the GAB. A data gap analysis and recommendations for building on this initial work are also provided.

This animation shows how passive seismic surveys Work. It is part of a series of Field Activity Technique Engagement Animations. The target audience are the communities that are impacted by our data acquisition activities. There is no sound or voice over. The 2D animation includes a simplified view of what passive seismic equipment looks like, what the equipment measures and how the survey works.