Poster abstract submission for the AGU2013 Meeting

Poster for abstract submitted to the 2013 DLR TerraSAR-X science team meeting to be held in Oberpfaffenhoffen in Germany, 10-12 June 2013. Abstract GeoCat # 75845

The Early Cretaceous Gage Sandstone and South Perth Shale are a prospective reservoir-seal pair in the Vlaming Sub-basin. Plays include post-breakup pinch-outs of the Gage Sandstone against the Valanginian Unconformity with the South Perth Shale forming a top seal. The Gage reservoir has core porosities of 9.5-23.9% and permeabilities from 52-1340 mD. It was deposited in palaeotopographic lows of the Valanginian breakup unconformity and is the lowstand component of the thick deltaic South Perth (SP) Supersequence. To characterise the reservoir-seal pair, a sequence stratigraphic analysis was conducted by integrating 2D seismic interpretation, well log analysis and new biostratigraphic data. Palaeogeographic reconstructions for the SP Supersequence were derived by mapping higher-order prograding packages and documenting changes in relative sea level and sediment supply. High resolution reconstructions of the Gage reservoir were based on seismic facies mapping. The Gage reservoir forms part of a sand-rich submarine fan system and ranges from canyon-confined inner fan deposits to middle fan deposits on a basin plain. Directions of sediment supply are complex, with major sediment contributions from a northern and southern canyon adjacent to the Mandurah Terrace. The characteristics of the SP Supersequence differ between the north and south due to variations in palaeotopography and sediment supply. Palaeogeographic reconstructions for the SP Supersequence portray a complex early post-rift depositional history in the central Vlaming Sub-basin. They reveal a series of regressions and transgressions leading to infilling of the palaeodepression. APPEA

Fun facts about Antarctica in an Open Day display poster.

Poster prepared for International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress 2013 In this study, AEM mapping validated by drilling has enabled the lateral extents and thickness of the Pliocene aquifers to be identified. The Pliocene in this area dominantly comprises the fluvial Calivil Formation, with the shallow marine Loxton-Parilla Sands restricted to the southernmost part of the area. Post-depositional warping, tilting and discrete offsets associated with neotoectonics are also recognised. Facies analysis indicates the Calivil was deposited in deep braided streams across a dissected sedimentary landscape. Overall, the sequence is fining-upwards, with evidence for progradation over the Loxton-Parilla. Channel fill materials comprise gravels and sands, and local fine-grained units represent abandoned channels and local floodplain sediments. Integration of textural and hydraulic testing data has revealed there are five hydraulic classes within the Calivil,. At a local scale (10s to 100s of metres), there is considerable lithological heterogeneity, however at a regional scale (kms), sands and gravels are widely distributed with particularly good aquifers developed in palaeochannels and at the confluence of palaeo-river systems. Aquifer testing has revealed Calivil to be an excellent aquifer, with high storage capacity, and locally very high transmissivities (up to 50 l/s). Integration of the AEM data with borehole geophysical data (gamma, induction and NMR) and textural and pore fluid data has enabled maps of aquifer properties including groundwater salinity, porosity, storage and hydraulic conductivity to be derived. Overall, the multi-disciplinary approach adopted has enabled rapid delineation of new groundwater resources, and facilitated assessment of the Pliocene aquifers for managed aquifer recharge.

To follow

The flood risk in many urban catchments is poorly understood. Legacy stormwater infrastructure is often substandard and anticipated climate change induced sea level rise and increased rainfall intensity will typically exacerbate present risk. In a Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) funded collaboration between Geoscience Australia (GA) and the City of Sydney, the impacts on the Alexandra Canal catchment in the City of Sydney local government area have been studied. This work has built upon detailed flood hazard analyses by Cardno Pty Ltd commissioned by the City of Sydney and has entailed the development of exposure and vulnerability information. Significantly, the case study has highlighted the value of robust exposure attributes and vulnerability models in the development of flood risk knowledge. The paper describes how vulnerability knowledge developed following the 2011 Brisbane floods was extended to include key building types found in the inner suburbs of Sydney. It also describes the systematic field capture of building exposure information in the catchment area and its categorisation into 19 generic building types. The assessment of ground floor heights from street view imagery using the Field Data Analysis Tool (FiDAT) developed at Geoscience Australia is also presented. The selected hazard scenario was a 100 year Annual Recurrence Interval (ARI) event with 20% increased rainfall intensity accompanied by a 0.55m sea level rise in Botany Bay. The impact from the selected scenario was assessed in terms of monetary loss for four combinations. The combinations consist of two vulnerability model suites (GA and NSW Government) and two floor height attribution methods (assumed 0.15m uniformly and evaluated from street view imagery). It was observed that the total loss is higher in the case of assumed floor heights compared to FiDAT processed floor heights as the former failed to capture increased floor heights for newer construction. However, the loss is lower when only two vulnerability models developed by NSW Government are applied for the entire building stock in the region as two models produced a coarser modelling of the variety in the whole building stock. Abstract & Poster presented at Floodplain Management Association National Conference 2013:<br />http://www.floodplainconference.com/papers2013.php

The Stavely Project is a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of Victoria, which aims to provide a framework for exploration and discovery in the Grampians-Stavely Zone of western Victoria, through the acquisition of pre-competitive geoscientific data. This includes the completion of fourteen stratigraphic drill holes which tested regional geological interpretations and recovered material for detailed geoscientific analysis (Schofield et al., 2015). The new information derived from these stratigraphic drill holes has been incorporated into a 3D geological model which covers a volume of 62 km (E-W) × 94 km (N-S) × 8 km (depth) across the Grampians-Stavely Zone. The focus of this 3D geological model is on the geological units considered to be cover sequences that overly prospective rocks of the Mount Stavely Volcanic Complex. The Mount Stavely Volcanic Complex is considered to be prospective for porphyry Cu-Au and volcanic-hosted massive sulphide mineral systems. Within the volume of interest the units being modelled as cover sequences include the Murray Basin sediments, Grampians Group sediments, Rocklands Volcanic Group and the Newer Volcanic Group basalts. GeoModeller 2014 software was used to create the 3D geological model. GeoModeller utilises an interpolator method for creating 3D geology that is based on potential field theory (Chilès et al., 2004; McInerny et al. 2005). The 3D geological model provides a space where interpretations from multiple datasets can be represented together. Information used to constrain this model includes surface geology (1:50k mapping), stratigraphic drill-holes (VIMP and Stavely), and interpretations from seismic reflection, gravity and magnetic data.

A test item

Assessment of the performance of the Pilbara seismic array for automatic P and S wave detection using a full 3 component analysis.