This map is part of a series which comprises 50 maps which covers the whole of Australia at a scale of 1:1 000 000 (1cm on a map represents 10km on the ground). Each standard map covers an area of 6 degrees longitude by 4 degrees latitude or about 590 kilometres east to west and about 440 kilometres from north to south. These maps depict natural and constructed features including transport infrastructure (roads, railway airports), hydrography, contours, hypsometric and bathymetric layers, localities and some administrative boundaries, making this a useful general reference map.

Vertical geochemical profiling of the marine Toolebuc Formation, Eromanga Basin - implications for shale gas/oil potential The regionally extensive, marine, mid-Cretaceous (Albian) Toolebuc Formation, Eromanga Basin hosts one of Australia's most prolific potential source rocks. However, its general low thermal maturity precludes pervasive petroleum generation, although regions of high heat flow and/or deeper burial may make it attractive for unconventional (shale gas and shale oil) hydrocarbon exploration. Previous studies have provided a good understanding of the geographic distribution of the marine organic matter in the Toolebuc Formation where total organic carbon (TOC) contents range to over 20% with approx. half being of labile carbon and convertible to gas and oil. This study focuses on the vertical profiling, at the decimetre to metre scale, of the organic and inorganic geochemical fingerprints within the Toolebuc Formation with a view to quantify fluctuations in the depositional environment and mode of preservation of the organic matter and how these factors influence hydrocarbon generation thresholds. The Toolebuc Formation from three wells, Julia Creek-2 and Wallimbulla-2 and -3, was sampled over an interval from 172 to 360m depth. The total core length was 27m from which 60 samples were selected. Cores from the underlying Wallumbilla Formation (11 samples over 13m) and the overlying Allaru Mudstone (3 samples) completed the sample set. Bulk geochemical analyses included %TOC, %carbonate, %total S, -15N kerogen, -13C kerogen, -13C carbonate, -18O carbonate, and major, minor and tracer elements and quantitative mineralogy. More detailed organic geochemical analyses involved molecular fossils (saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons, and metalloporphyrins), compound specific carbon isotopes of n-alkanes, pyrolysis-gas chromatography and compositional kinetics. etc.

The southwest margin is a complex and relatively poorly studied part of Australia's offshore continental region and includes the Southern Carnarvon, Perth and Mentelle basins, as well as the Naturaliste and Wallaby plateaus. A series of seismic profiles are interpreted, in conjunction with potential field data, to reassess the nature of the continent-ocean boundary (COB) across the region. Results highlight how the structural architecture of the margin varies significantly along strike according to the following criteria: a) the relative orientation of the margin with respect to the initial extension direction, b) the nature and extent of break-up related magmatism and c) the nature and width of the continent-ocean transition zone. Margin segmentation is directly linked to the location of major oceanic fracture zones as well as to the location and geometry of the major Palaeozoic to Mesozoic basins. Furthermore, the correlation between margin segmentation and structural trends of underlying Proterozoic Pinjarra Orogen suggests some basement control on margin evolution. The revised COB interpretation is combined with recent Indian Ocean plate reconstructions incorporating potential field data from the abyssal plains of west Australia and east Antarctica, including the Early Cretaceous southwest Australian margin. Comparisons between this model and recent basin scale sequence stratigraphic studies across the region provide new insights into Mesozoic basin evolution, including the relative timing of break-up within each basin. In addition, the model illustrates the possible impacts of Valanginian to Aptian transform margin development on the tectonic and thermal evolution of the northern Perth Basin depocentres.

After CO2 is injected into the saline aquifer, the formation water inside the porous media becomes more acidic. This will significantly affect the original chemical equilibrium underground, and induce or speed up various processes of dissolution and precipitation depending on the reservoir pressure, temperature and salinity of formation water. The Early Cretaceous Gage Sandstone has been identified as a potential reservoir unit suitable for large-scale CO2 storage in the offshore southern Perth Basin. This study assesses the contribution of mineralisation trapping to CO2 storage capacity of the Gage Sandstone through a comprehensive geochemical modelling.

TBC

The 'River Murray Corridor (RMC) Salinity Mapping Project', provides important new information in relation to salinity hazard and management along in a 20 km-wide swath along a 450 km reach of the River Murray. The project area contains iconic wetlands, national and state forest parks, irrigation and dryland farming assets and the Murray River, significant areas of which are at risk from increasing salinisation of the River, the floodplain, and underlying groundwater resources. The project utilised a hydrogeological systems approach to integrate and analyse data obtained from a large regional airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey (24,000 line km @ 150m line-spacing in a 20 km-wide swath along the Murray River), field mapping, and lithological and hydrogeochemical data obtained from drilling. New holistic inversions of the AEM data have been used to map key elements of the hydrogeological system and salinity extent in the shallow sub-surface (top 20-50 m). The Murray River is known to display great complexity in surface-groundwater interactions along its course. Electrical geophysical methods (such as AEM) are able to map surface-groundwater interaction due to the contrast between (electrically resistive) fresh water in the river, and (electrically conductive) brackish to saline groundwater in adjacent sediments. The location of significant river flush zones is influenced both by underlying geology and the location of locks, weirs and irrigation districts. The study has also identified significant areas of high salinity hazard in the floodplain and river, and quantified the salt store and salt load across the floodplain. The study has also identified sub-surface factors (including saline groundwater, shrinking flush zones, declining water tables) linked to vegetation health declines.

To be included in the conference proceedings, expanding on abstract submitted for oral presentation (Geocat No. 73253)

Indonesia is very prone to natural disasters, especially earthquakes, due to its location in a tectonically active region. In 2009, the 02 September 2009 Tasikmalaya and the 30 September 2009 earthquakes, with magnitude Mw 7.0 and 7.9, which are an intraslab earthquake, caused the deaths of thousands of people, severe infrastructure destruction and considerable economic loss. Then, the 02 October 2009 Kerinci earthquake, with magnitude Mw 6.6, is a crustal earthquake killed 3 people and destroyed hundreds of houses. Thus, both intraslab and crustal earthquakes are important sources of earthquake hazard in Indonesia.

Like many of the basins along Australia's eastern seaboard, there is currently only a limited understanding of the geothermal energy potential of the New South Wales extent of the Clarence-Moreton Basin. To date, no study has examined the existing geological information available to produce an estimate of subsurface temperatures throughout the region. Forward modelling of basin structure using its expected thermal properties is the process generally used in geothermal studies to estimate temperatures at depth in the Earth's crust. The process has seen increasing use in complex three-dimensional (3D) models, including in areas of sparse data. The overall uncertainties of 3D models, including the influence of the broad assumptions required to undertake them, are generally only poorly examined by their authors and sometimes completely ignored. New methods are presented in this study which will allow estimates and uncertainties to be addressed in a quantitative and justifiable way. Specifically, this study applies Monte Carlo Analysis to constrain uncertainties through random sampling of statistically congruent populations. Particular focus has been placed on the uncertainty in assigning thermal conductivity values to complex and spatially extensive geological formations using only limited data. As a case study these new methods are then applied to the New South Wales extent of the Clarence-Moreton Basin. The geological structure of the basin has been modelled using data from existing petroleum drill holes, surface mapping and information derived from previous studies. A range of possible lithological compositions was determined for each of the major geological layers through application of compositional data analysis. In turn, a range of possible thermal conductivity values was determined for the major lithology groups using rock samples held by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI). These two populations of values were then randomly sampled to establish 120 different forward models, the results of which have been interpreted to present the best estimate of expected subsurface temperatures, and their uncertainties. These results suggest that the Clarence-Moreton Basin has a moderate geothermal energy potential within an economic drilling depth. This potential however, displays significant variability between different modelling runs, which is likely due to the limited data available for the region. While further work could improve these methods, it can be seen from this study that uncertainties can provide a means by which to add confidence to results, rather than undermine it.

The same as paper