<div>Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future (EFTF) 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. This leads to a strong economy, resilient society and sustainable environment for the benefit of all Australians. This includes supporting Australia’s transition to net zero emissions, strong, sustainable resources and agriculture sectors, and economic opportunities and social benefits for Australia’s regional and remote communities. The Exploring for the Future program, which commenced in 2016, is an eight year, $225m investment by the Australian Government.</div><div><br></div><div>This record contains geological notes on layered geology interpretation of twenty-nine 1:250 000 Sheet areas in eastern Queensland. The geology maps generated as part of this work were not released as a separate product but incorporated into the national layered geology product of Sanchez et al. (2024). There are five layers interpreted; pre-Neoproterozoic, Neoproterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Preparation of these layers involved figuratively peeling off successively older rocks and identifying and outlining the rocks thereby revealed. The notes provide comments on the rocks comprising each layer, and explain how the identity of the revealed rocks was arrived at where this is not obvious. The Cenozoic time slice was extracted from the 1:1 000 000 scale outcrop geology (Raymond et al., 2012) after removing the surficial deposits and without further interpretation.&nbsp;</div>

<div>This study was commissioned by Geoscience Australia (GA) as part of the Exploring for the Future program to produce a report on the organic petrology for rock samples from drill holes of the Birrindudu Basin, Northern Territory, Australia. A suite of 130 drill core samples from 6 drill holes was analysed using standard organic petrological methods to identify the types of organic matter present, assess their relative abundances and determine the levels of thermal maturity attained by the sedimentary organic matter using the reflectance of organoclasts present. </div>

<div> A key issue for explorers in Australia is the abundant sedimentary and regolith cover obscuring access to underlying potentially prospective rocks. &nbsp;Multilayered chronostratigraphic interpretation of regional broad line-spaced (~20&nbsp;km) airborne electromagnetic (AEM) conductivity sections have led to breakthroughs in Australia’s near-surface geoscience. &nbsp;A dedicated/systematic workflow has been developed to characterise the thickness of cover and the depth to basement rocks, by delineating contact geometries, and by capturing stratigraphic units, their ages and relationships. &nbsp;Results provide a fundamental geological framework, currently covering 27% of the Australian continent, or approximately 2,085,000&nbsp;km2. &nbsp;Delivery as precompetitive data in various non-proprietary formats and on various platforms ensures that these interpretations represent an enduring and meaningful contribution to academia, government and industry.&nbsp;The outputs support resource exploration, hazard mapping, environmental management, and uncertainty attribution.&nbsp;This work encourages exploration investment, can reduce exploration risks and costs, helps expand search area whilst aiding target identification, and allows users to make well-informed decisions. Presented herein are some key findings from interpretations in potentially prospective, yet in some cases, underexplored regions from around Australia.&nbsp;</div> This abstract was submitted & presented to the 8th International Airborne Electromagnetics Workshop (AEM2023) (https://www.aseg.org.au/news/aem-2023)

<div>This guide and template details data requirements for submission of mineral deposit geochemical data to the Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) database, hosted by Geoscience Australia, in partnership with the United States Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Canada. The CMiO database is designed to capture multielement geochemical data from a wide variety of critical mineral-bearing deposits around the world. Samples included within this database must be well-characterized and come from localities that have been sufficiently studied to have a reasonable constraint on their deposit type and environment of formation. As such, only samples analysed by modern geochemical methods, and with certain minimum metadata attribution, can be accepted. Data that is submitted to the CMiO database will also be published via the Geoscience Australia Portal (portal.ga.gov.au) and Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative Portal (https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/cmmi).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>

During 2021–2024 Geoscience Australia conducted regional seismic mapping across the offshore Otway Basin that extended into the frontier deep-water region. This work was part of a broader pre-competitive study undertaken in support of petroleum exploration. Seismic horizons and faults were interpreted on three regional data sets, including: over 18 000 line-km of new and reprocessed data compiled for the 2020 offshore Otway Basin seismic program; over 40 000 line-km of legacy 2D seismic data; and the Otway 3D Megamerge dataset. This digital dataset (publication date 5 August 2024) updates and replaces a previously released dataset (publication date 16 May 2022). This updated dataset includes 8 surface grids and 11 isochron grids generated from the following seismic horizons (in ascending stratigraphic order); MOHO (Mohorovičić discontinuity), TLLCC (top laminated lower continental crust), Base (base Crayfish Supersequence), EC2 (base Eumeralla Supersequence), LC1 (base Shipwreck Supersequence), LC1.2 (base LC1.2 Sequence), LC2 (base Sherbrook Supersequence), and T1 (base Wangerrip Supersequence). Fault polygons created for all surfaces (except for MOHO, TLLCC, and LC1.2) are also included in the dataset. Maps generated from the dataset depict deep-water Cretaceous depocentres, and trends in crustal thinning and rifting during the Cretaceous. This revised map package has underpinned updates to regional structural elements, including a revision of the boundary between the Otway and Sorell basins.

<div><strong>Output Type: </strong>Exploring for the Future Extended abstract</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Short Abstract: </strong>The increasing demand for mineral, energy and groundwater resources to support sustainable development and achieve net zero carbon targets in the face of climate change necessitates a deeper understanding of Earth’s resources and geological processes. Traditional 2D geological maps, while valuable for synthesizing and communicating geoscientific information, are limited in depicting the full extent and depth of geological units, which is crucial for effective resource exploration and management. Here, we present the Layered Geological Map of Australia (LGMA) dataset, the world’s first layered geological model at the continental scale. It integrates diverse geological, geochemical and geophysical datasets to create a comprehensive, machine-readable 3D geological framework spanning Australia's surface and subsurface. The dataset contains approximately 185,000 polygons representing the extent of around 7,600 geological units grouped into five chronostratigraphic layers corresponding to major Era boundaries (Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, Neoproterozoic and pre-Neoproterozoic). Standardised and consistent chrono-lithostratigraphy for each geological unit were captured through the Australian Stratigraphic Units Database (ASUD) and linked to the layered geology map to provide an attribute-rich dataset that can be queried and visualised in Geographic Information System (GIS) software or 3D modelling packages. The LGMA represents a significant advancement in Australian geoscience towards a 3D geological model of Australia, offering a foundational resource for academia, government, and industry alike.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Citation: </strong>Sanchez, G., Liu, S., Steward, A.J., Bonnardot, M.A., Beyer, E.E., Czarnota, K., Highet, L.M., Woods, M., Brown, C.E., Clark, A., Connors, K., Wong, S. &amp; Cloutier, J., 2024. First continental layered geological map of Australia. In: Czarnota, K. (ed.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://doi.org/10.26186/149391</div>

<div>The groundwater and surface water systems associated with the Upper Darling River Floodplain (UDF) in arid northwest New South Wales form part of the Murray-Darling Basin drainage system, which hosts 40% of Australia’s agricultural production. Increasing water use demands and a changing regional climate are affecting hydrological systems, and consequently impacting the quality and quantity of water availability to communities, industries and the environment.</div><div>As part of the Australian Government’s Exploring for the Future program, the UDF project is working in collaboration with State partners to collect and integrate new data and information with existing hydrogeological knowledge. The goal is to provide analyses and products that assist water managers to increase water security in the region, with a focus on groundwater resources. </div><div>As part of this project we are assessing the occurrence of, and geological controls on, potable water resources within the Darling Alluvium (DA), which comprises unconsolidated sediments (<140 m thick) associated with the modern and paleo-Darling River. The DA’s relationship to the underlying Eromanga, Surat (Great Artesian Basin) and Murray basins is also important, particularly in the context of potential groundwater sources or sinks, and connection between low and high quality groundwater resources. At least one major fault system is known to influence groundwater flow paths and control groundwater-surface water interaction.</div><div>Data collection across the project area has commenced, with an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey already complete, and new geophysical, hydrochemical and hydrodynamic data being acquired. Preliminary interpretation of the new AEM data in conjunction with existing geological and hydrogeological information has already revealed the major paths and geometries of the paleo-Darling River, given important insights into potential fault controls on groundwater flow paths, and shown variation in the thickness, distribution and character of the DA, which has direct implications for groundwater–surface water connectivity.</div><div><br></div>

<div>GeoInsight was an 18-month pilot project developed in the latter part of Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future Program (2016–2024). The aim of this pilot was to develop a new approach to communicating geological information to non-technical audiences, that is, non-geoscience professionals. The pilot was developed using a human-centred design approach in which user needs were forefront considerations. Interviews and testing found that users wanted a simple and fast, plain-language experience which provided basic information and provided pathways for further research. GeoInsight’s vision is to be an accessible experience that curates information and data from across the Geoscience Australia ecosystem, helping users make decisions and refine their research approach, quickly and confidently.</div><div><br></div><div>Geoscience Australia hosts a wealth of geoscientific data, and the quantity of data available in the geosciences is expanding rapidly. This requires newly developed applications such as the GeoInsight pilot to be adaptable and malleable to changes and updates within this data. As such, utilising the existing Oracle databases, web service publication and platform development workflows currently employed within Geoscience Australia (GA) were optimal choices for data delivery for the GeoInsight pilot.&nbsp;This record is intended to give an overview of the how and why of the technical infrastructure of this project. It aims to summarise how the underlying databases were used for both existing and new data, as well as development of web services to supply the data to the pilot application.&nbsp;</div>

As part of Geoscience Australia's Exploring for the Future program, the East Tennant region, which is centred on the Barkly Roadhouse in the Northern Territory, was identified as having favourable geological and geophysical indicators of mineral systems potential. Potentially prospective stratigraphy in the East Tennant region is completely concealed beneath Mesoproterozoic to Quaternary cover sequences. Prior to 2020 basement rocks in the East Tennant region were only known from a handful of legacy boreholes, supported by geophysical interpretation. In order to test geophysical interpretations and obtain additional samples of basement rocks for detailed analysis, a stratigraphic drilling campaign was undertaken in the East Tennant region as part of the MinEx CRC’s National Drilling Initiative. Ten stratigraphic boreholes were drilled through the cover sequences and into basement for a total of nearly 4000 m, including over 1500 m of diamond cored basement rocks to be used for scientific purposes. Inorganic geochemical samples from East Tennant National Drilling Initiative boreholes were taken to characterise cover and basement rocks intersected during drilling. Two sampling approaches were implemented based on the rocks intersected: 1) Borehole NDIBK04 contained localised sulphide mineralisation and elevated concentrations of several economically-significant elements in portable X-ray fluorescence data. In order to understand the geochemical variability and distribution of elements important for mineral system characterisation, the entire basement interval was sampled at nominal one metre intervals. This spacing was reduced to between 0.5 and 0.25 m from 237 m to 263 m to better understand a more intense zone of mineralisation, and 2) Samples from boreholes NDIBK01, NDIBK02, NDIBK03, NDIBK05, NDIBK06, NDIBK07, NDIBK08, NDIBK09 and NDIBK10 were selected to capture lithological and geochemical variability to establish bulk rock geochemical compositions for further interpretation. Attempts were made to sample representative, lithologically consistent intervals. A total of 402 samples were selected for analysis. Sample preparation was completed at Geoscience Australia and Bureau Veritas, with all analyses performed by Bureau Veritas in Perth. All samples were submitted for X-ray fluorescence (XRF), laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), FeO determination, and loss on ignition (LOI). Samples from borehole NDIBK04 also underwent total combustion C and S, and Pb collection fire assay by ICP-MS for determination of Au, Pt and Pd concentrations. This data release presents inorganic geochemistry data acquired on rock samples from the ten East Tennant National Drilling Initiative boreholes.

This study was commissioned by Geoscience Australia (GA) to produce a report on seal capacity of select samples from wells in the Officer Basin of Western Australia and South Australia. Plugs were taken from the Giles-1, Yowalga-3, Vines-1 and Birksgate-1 wells and analysed via mercury injection capillary pressure testing. Results demonstrate that the analysed samples are capable of sealing very large columns of both methane and carbon dioxide.