The Coompana Project is a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of South Australia, co-funded by Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future Programme and the South Australian Government’s PACE Copper Initiative. The Coompana Project aims to provide new precompetitive geological, geophysical and geochemical data in the under-explored Coompana Province in South Australia. The pre-drilling geophysics program was undertaken to assist the drilling process by reducing the uncertainty associated with intersecting the targeted stratigraphy. Seismic data were acquired at eight proposed drilling sites for the Coompana Drilling Program in February 2017. Seismic data were collected using vertical and horizontal geophones. An accelerated weight-drop source was tested with metal and plastic strike plates. The plastic strike plate was preferred and used for all sites. P-wave reflection images were used to images subsurface layers and estimate bedrock depth at each drill site. Horizontal geophone data indicated S-wave data had higher resolution than the vertical geophone P-wave data, but initial testing did not provide good bedrock imaging. Fan shots can indicate zones of low velocity weathering at the near surface. Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves provided near surface weathering profiles. Near surface weathering can be an indication of caves in this limestone environment. The S-wave shot records may indicate the presence of caves with S-wave signal degradation at cave locations, as S-waves do not travel through voids, not noticed at these sites. The seismic reflection method can be used to show subsurface variations and provide bedrock depth estimates, though the bedrock can be difficult to identify. The data is very noisy and data quality changes at different locations. Seismic data quality can be improved with a higher energy source.

Report is result of a rapid geological reconnaissance of the Federal Territory made primarily to locate deposits of limestone and shale, suitable for the manufacture of Portland cement, and other materials likely to be of value in the building of the Federal City.