TBA

A short article describing the outcomes of the Tasman Frontier Petroleum Industry Workshop held at Geoscience Australia on 8 and 9 March 2012.

The Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics (BMR) did a reconnaissance seismic survey in the central portion of the Bowen Basin in November, 1960. The objectives of the survey were to determine the structure of the Basin and the thickness of sediments by traversing from the western margin of the Basin near Anakie to the eastern margin east of Duaringa. Two other seismic surveys conducted in this Bowen Basin are Cooroorah Anticline seismic survey in 1959 (survey L037) and 254km seismic survey near the towns of Duaringa and Blackwater (survey L129).

Processed Stacked and Migrated SEG-Y seismic data and section images for the Youanmi Deep Crustal Seismic Survey. This survey was conducted under a National Geoscience Agreement with the Western Australia Geological Survey. Funding was through the Onshore Energy Security Program and Western Australia's Exploration Incentive Scheme. The objective of the survey was to image the northwest Yilgarn Craton to the Ida Fault crossing the Meekatharra structural zone, a focus of gold mineralization. Data are supplied as SEG-Y files, TIFF and PDF images. Raw data for this survey are available on request from clientservices@ga.gov.au

Abstract: The Tasman Frontier region is a vast submerged continental fragment of over 3,000,000 sq km between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. It hosts a number of unexplored sedimentary basins, some of which may share a common geological origin with the Taranaki and Gippsland basins, where petroleum production is established. The Tasman Frontier database is a compilation of all digital seismic reflection data that can be made publicly available. The database contains c. 100,000 km of seismic lines that have been modified to common segy format with uniform header information so that they can be easily loaded into a computer workstation. The project is a collaborative initiative between GNS Science, Geoscience Australia and Service Géologique de Nouvelle-Calédonie. GNS Science Report 2012/01, which contains the database as a supplement, can be obtained from GNS Science (gns.cri.nz). The report outlines the exploration history and geological setting of the region, gives a technical description of the database, and specifies licence terms and registration instructions for users.

Extended abstract version of the abstract (Geocat#73747) submitted in March 2012 and accepted for an oral presentation at the symposium.

Geoscience Australia is currently conducting a study under the National CO2 Infrastructure Plan (NCIP) to assess suitability of the Vlaming Sub-basin for CO2 storage. It involves characterisation of the potential seal, the Early Cretaceous South Perth Shale (SPS), by integrating seismic and well log interpretation into a sequence stratigraphic framework. The SPS, conventionally described as a regional seal deposited during a post-rift thermal subsidence phase, consists of a series of prograding units deposited in a deltaic to shallow marine setting. Mapping of the SPS has revealed differences in the geometries of progradational sequences between the northern and southern areas, related to the type and distance to the sediment source as well as the seafloor morphology. In the northern area, deltaic progradation and aggradation occurred over a flat topography between the two uplifted blocks. The succession is composed of prograding sequences commonly exhibiting sigmoidal to oblique geometries, prograding from the north-east to south-west. In the southern area the topography is more complex due to the presence of several paleotopographic highs associated with pre-existing structures. These sequences are sigmoidal to oblique in cross section. They were deposited in fan shaped lobes, successively infilling paleotopographic lows. Direction of the progradation is from southwest to northeast. The thickness of the SPS varies from 200 m between topographic highs to 700 m in the lows. Sedimentary facies are interpreted to vary from sandy delta front to muddy slope and prodelta deposits. These findings will be used in a 3D geological model for assessing CO2 storage potential.

Australian Governments over the past decade have acquired thousands of kilometres of high-quality deep-seismic reflection data. The deep-seismic reflection method is unique among imaging techniques in giving textural information as well as a cross sectional view of the overall crust, including the character of the middle crust, lower crust, Moho, and any upper mantle features. Seismic reflection data can be readily integrated with other geophysical and geological data to provide an unsurpassed understanding of a region's geological history as well as the mineral and energy resource potential. Continental Australia is made up of four main elements (blocks), separated by orogens. Most boundaries between the elements are deeply rooted in the lithosphere, and formed during amalgamation of Australia. Major boundaries within the elements attest to their individual amalgamation, mostly prior to the final construction of the continent. Many of Australia's mineral and energy resources are linked to these deep boundaries, with modern seismic reflection providing excellent images of the boundaries. All of the seismic surveys have provided new geological insights. These insights have significantly advanced the understanding of Australian tectonics. Examples include: preservation of extensional architecture in an otherwise highly shortened terrane (Arunta, Yilgarn, Mt Isa and Tanami), unknown deep structures associated with giant mineral deposits (Olympic Dam, Yilgarn, Gawler-Curnamona), as well as the discovery of unknown basins, sutures and possible subduction zones (Arunta, North Queensland, Gawler-Curnamona). These new insights provide not only an improved tectonic understanding, but also new concepts and target areas for mineral and energy resources.

Initial 2D seismic survey using mini-vibroseis with high frequency band 10 - 150Hz. This seismic survey is part of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) projects.

The 2005 Tanami Seismic Survey was carried out from May to July for a research consortium consisting of Geoscience Australia, Geological Survey of Western Australia, Northern Territory Geological Survey, Newmont Mining and Tanami Gold. The Australian National Seismic Imaging Resource (ANSIR) was responsible for seismic data acquisition, as well as for field QC and preliminary in-field processing. The survey consisted of 720 line km along four regional deep seismic traverses, aimed at providing orthogonal three-dimensional control on the regional fault geometry. Raw data for this survey are available on request from clientservices@ga.gov.au