To unlock the potential of one of the largest underexplored onshore areas in Australia, the Exploring for the Future Officer-Musgrave project is delivering a wide array of publicly available new analyses and data. The collection of new AEM data, as well as the reprocessing of existing industry acquired AEM data is expected to improve the understanding of groundwater systems in the Officer-Musgrave region. New regional scale data acquisition and analysis, including stratigraphic, petrophysical and geomechanical studies from existing wells, focus on advancing understanding of petroleum systems elements and assist the exploration and evaluation of conventional and unconventional petroleum resources. Here we provide an overview of available new datasets and insights into the stratigraphy of the Officer Basin. Further analysis is underway including well log digitisation, fluid inclusion analysis and a petrographic report on Officer Basin wells. This work is expected to further improve geological knowledge and reduce the energy exploration risk of the Officer Basin, a key focus of this program. <b>Citation: </b>Carr L. K., Henson P., Wang L., Bailey A., Fomin T., Boreham C., Edwards D., Southby C., Symington N., Smith M., Halas L. & Jones T, 2022. Exploring for the Future in the Officer Musgrave region. In: Czarnota, K. (ed.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/146988

Geoscience Australia commissioned reprocessing of selected legacy 2D seismic data in the Officer Basin in South Australia as part of the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program. Reprocessing of these data occurred between April 2021 and August 2021. This seismic data release package contains reprocessed data from five surveys acquired between 1966 and 1987. In total it contains approximately 1425 km of industry 2D reflection seismic data comprising of 25 lines from 5 separate vintages. The seismic surveys include the Serpentine Lakes Reconnaissance Survey, 1966; the Everard Survey, 1974; the Marla Bore Survey, 1984; the Ungoolya, Giles and Marla-Byilkaoora Surveys, 1985; and the Amoco Officer Basin Survey, 1987 and cover areas within the Officer Basin in South Australia. The objective of the seismic reprocessing was to produce processed 2D land seismic reflection datasets using the latest processing techniques to improve continuity and data quality over legacy processing. In particular, the purpose of the reprocessing was to image the structure and stratigraphic architecture of the Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic Officer Basin in this area. All vintages except the 1966 Serpentine lakes survey were processed to Pre-stack Time Migration as well as Post-Stack Time Migration. The 1966 Serpentine Lakes Survey was processed only to Post-Stack Time Migration. <b>The Velseis data package is available on request from clientservices@ga.gov.au - Quote eCat# 145905</b>

<div>Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program provides precompetitive information to inform decision-making by government, community and industry on the sustainable development of Australia's mineral, energy and groundwater resources. By gathering, analysing and interpreting new and existing precompetitive geoscience data and knowledge, we are building a national picture of Australia’s geology and resource potential.</div><div><br></div><div>The Paleo to Mesoproterozoic Birrindudu Basin is an underexplored frontier basin located in northwestern Northern Territory and northeastern Western Australia. The Birrindudu Basin is a region of focus for the second phase of the EFTF program (2020–2024) as it contains strata of similar age to the prospective McArthur Basin, South Nicholson region and Mount Isa Province, but remains comparatively poorly understood.</div><div><br></div><div>Geoscience Australia have undertaken (via the service provider, FIT, Schlumberger) Fluid Inclusion Petrography and Microthermometry analysis of samples for the drillhole 99VRNTGSDD1, Birrindudu Basin, located in the northwest Northern Territory (Company reference number MT#F1230005c).</div><div><br></div><div>This eCat Record accompanies the report containing the results of fluid inclusion stratigraphy on this drillhole (eCat record 148973).</div>

Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program provides precompetitive information to inform decision-making by government, community and industry on the sustainable development of Australia's mineral, energy and groundwater resources. By gathering, analysing and interpreting new and existing precompetitive geoscience data and knowledge, we are building a national picture of Australia’s geology and resource potential. The Paleo to Mesoproterozoic Birrindudu Basin is an underexplored frontier basin located in northwestern Northern Territory and northeastern Western Australia. The Birrindudu Basin is a region of focus for the second phase of the EFTF program (2020–2024) as it contains strata of similar age to the prospective McArthur Basin, South Nicholson region and Mount Isa Province, but remains comparatively poorly understood. Geoscience Australia have undertaken (via the service provider, FIT, Schlumberger) stratigraphic reconstructions of bulk volatile chemistry from fluid inclusions from an mineral exploration drillhole LBD2, Birrindudu Basin, located in the northwest Northern Territory This ecat record releases the final report and raw data files (*.LAS) by FIT Schlumberger. Company reference number FI230005a.

Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program provides precompetitive information to inform decision-making by government, community and industry on the sustainable development of Australia's mineral, energy and groundwater resources. By gathering, analysing and interpreting new and existing precompetitive geoscience data and knowledge, we are building a national picture of Australia’s geology and resource potential. The Paleo to Mesoproterozoic Birrindudu Basin is an underexplored frontier basin located in northwestern Northern Territory and northeastern Western Australia. The Birrindudu Basin is a region of focus for the second phase of the EFTF program (2020–2024) as it contains strata of similar age to the prospective McArthur Basin, South Nicholson region and Mount Isa Province, but remains comparatively poorly understood. Geoscience Australia (in collaboration with the Northern Territory Geological Survey) acquired around 700 line-kms of deep crustal reflection seismic data across northwest Northern Territory encompassing not only the frontier Birrindudu Basin but adjacent highly prospective regions, such as the Tanami. This ecat record releases the final survey route shapefiles, noting that some segments were not acquired due to site access restrictions. Seismic field data will be published in the near future release following completion of in-house QA/QC protocols

This service delivers airborne electromagnetics (AEM) derived conductivity grids for depth intervals representing the top 22 layers from AEM modelling in the West Musgrave region (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147969). The grids were generated from the AEM conductivity models released as part of the Western Resource Corridor AusAEM survey (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147688), the Earaheedy and Desert Strip AusAEM survey (https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/145265) and several industry surveys (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/146278) from the West Musgraves region. The AEM conductivity models resolve important subsurface features for assessing the groundwater system including lithological boundaries, palaeovalleys and hydrostatigraphy.

This service delivers airborne electromagnetics (AEM) derived conductivity grids for depth intervals representing the top 22 layers from AEM modelling in the West Musgrave region (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147969). The grids were generated from the AEM conductivity models released as part of the Western Resource Corridor AusAEM survey (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147688), the Earaheedy and Desert Strip AusAEM survey (https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/145265) and several industry surveys (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/146278) from the West Musgraves region. The AEM conductivity models resolve important subsurface features for assessing the groundwater system including lithological boundaries, palaeovalleys and hydrostatigraphy.

This service delivers airborne electromagnetics (AEM) derived conductivity grids for depth intervals representing the top 22 layers from AEM modelling in the West Musgrave region (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147969). The grids were generated from the AEM conductivity models released as part of the Western Resource Corridor AusAEM survey (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147688), the Earaheedy and Desert Strip AusAEM survey (https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/145265) and several industry surveys (https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/146278) from the West Musgraves region. The AEM conductivity models resolve important subsurface features for assessing the groundwater system including lithological boundaries, palaeovalleys and hydrostatigraphy.

<div>Previous work by the SA government and CSIRO[i] highlighted the value of integrating AEM data with other geological and hydrogeological data to model palaeovalley groundwater systems and develop regional hydrogeological conceptualisations. This allows better-informed water supply decisions and management for communities in remote parts of Australia where these systems provide the only available and long-term water resource. The Exploring for the Future Musgrave Palaeovalley module seeks to apply similar work flows across the western Musgrave Province and adjacent Officer and Canning basins.</div><div>Open file mineral exploration AEM data from 11 surveys in WA and SA flown between 2009 and 2012 were re-processed and inverted to produce conductivity models and a suite of derived datasets. Geoscience Australia’s Layered-Earth-Inversion was used as a single standard processing and inversion method to improve continuity and data quality.</div><div>These legacy AEM data, originally for mineral exploration, have been incorporated with DEM-derived landscape attributes, previous palaeovalley mapping and available bore lithologies to model palaeovalley base surfaces. This presentation will provide an example from four blocks of AEM data to show how repurposing data from mineral exploration, public bore data and landscape analysis can be used to identify palaeovalley systems which provide critical water supplies for remote and regional communities and industry[ii].</div><div>This approach can be used to model palaeovalley systems from a range of geoscientific and other datasets. The Exploring for the Future Musgrave Palaeovalley module has acquired ~23,000 line km of AEM across parts of WA and the NT at line spacings of 1 and 5 km. This new precompetitive data will be used to model palaeovalley system geometry and integrate with new and existing AEM, drilling, landscape, groundwater chemistry and surface geophysics data to test hydrogeological conceptualisations of these groundwater systems.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> [i] Costar, A., Love, A., Krapf, C., Keppel, M., Munday, T., Inverarity, K., Wallis, I. &&nbsp;Sørensen, C. (2019). Hidden water in remote areas – using innovative exploration to uncover the past in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. MESA Journal 90(2), 23 - 35 pp.</div><div>Krapf, C., Costar, A., Stoian, L., Keppel, M., Gordon, G., Inverarity, K., Love, A. &&nbsp;Munday, T. (2019). A sniff of the ocean in the Miocene at the foothills of the Musgrave Ranges - unravelling the evolution of the Lindsay East Palaeovalley. MESA Journal 90(2), 4 - 22 pp.</div><div>Krapf, C. B. E., Costar, A., Munday, T., Irvine, J. A. & Ibrahimi, T., 2020. Palaeovalley map of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (1st edition), 1:500 000 scale. Goyder Institute for Water Research, Geological Survey of South Australia, CSIRO.</div><div>https://sarigbasis.pir.sa.gov.au/WebtopEw/ws/samref/sarig1/wci/Record?r=0&m=1&w=catno=2042122. </div><div>Munday, T., Taylor, A., Raiber, M., Sørensen, C., Peeters, L. J. M., Krapf, C., Cui, T., Cahill, K., Flinchum, B., Smolanko, N., Martinez, J., Ibrahimi, T. &&nbsp;Gilfedder, M., 2020a. Integrated regional hydrogeophysical conceptualisation of the Musgrave Province, South Australia, Goyder Institute for Water Research Technical Report Series 20/04, Goyder Institute for Water Research, Adelaide.</div><div>Munday, T., Gilfedder, M., Costar, A., Blaikie, T., Cahill, K., Cui, T., Davis, A., Deng, Z., Flinchum, B., Gao, L., Gogoll, M., Gordon, G., Ibrahimi, T., Inverarity, K., Irvine, J., Janardhanan, Sreekanth, Jiang, Z., Keppel, M., Krapf, C., Lane, T., Love, A., Macnae, J., Mariethoz, G., Martinez, J., Pagendam, D., Peeters, L., Pickett, T., Robinson, N., Siade, A., Smolanko, N., Sorensen, C., Stoian, L., Taylor, A., Visser, G., Wallis, I. &&nbsp;Xie, Y., 2020b. Facilitating Long-term Outback Water Solutions (G-Flows Stage 3): Final Summary Report. Goyder Institute for Water Research, Adelaide, http://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/376125?index=1. </div><div>[ii] Symington, N. J., Ley-Cooper, Y. A. &&nbsp;Smith, M. L., 2022. West Musgrave AEM conductivity models and data release. Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/146278.&nbsp;</div> This Abstract was submitted/presented to the 2022 Sub 22 Conference 28-30 November (http://sub22.w.tas.currinda.com/)

This report presents groundwater level information collected during Geoscience Australia’s Musgrave Palaeovalley Project. The Musgrave Palaeovalley Project was conducted as part of Exploring for the Future (EFTF), an Australian Government funded geoscience data and information acquisition program. The eight-year, $225 million program aims to deliver new geoscience data and knowledge to inform decision-making by government, community, and industry on the sustainable development of Australia's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources.</div><div>Groundwater level data was collected during two hydrogeochemical surveys undertaken in March and May 2023 based around the remote communities of Warburton, Kaltukatjara, Wanarn, Blackstone and Jameson in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Sixteen bores were measured for their groundwater levels. The results are contained herein and within the attached CSV file.