Product catalogue
A multifaceted approach to investigating hydrogeological complexities in the Koolpinyah Dolostone Aquifer, Howard East, Northern Territory
Groundwater is an essential part of Darwin’s water supply mix, and is sourced from Howard East Borefield (HEB) and McMinns Borefield in the Koolpinyah Dolostone Aquifer (KDA), east of Darwin. Previous work suggested that electrical conductivity anomalies observed in airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data within 8 km of HEB may be caused by saline groundwater within the KDA that is separated from HEB by geological features that effectively compartmentalise the aquifer. Nevertheless, concerns grew that increased groundwater use may result in migration of saline groundwater towards HEB, which could compromise the groundwater resource. We collected hydrochemistry, including isotopes, time-series groundwater salinity and AEM data to better understand the complexities of the KDA. These data are presented here, along with a hydrodynamic analysis undertaken by the Northern Territory Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which shows that drawdown is occurring more rapidly from the NE of HEB and that dykes ~8 km NE of HEB act as barriers to groundwater flow. We show that groundwater sampled on the NE side of these dykes has a seawater composition. We use new AEM data to map the elevation of the top of unweathered dyke material and to characterise AEM conductors proximal to HEB. Our mapping reveals that the top of the unweathered portion of these dykes is commonly below sea level. We also show that AEM conductors proximal to HEB are more likely mineralised clays than saline groundwater within the aquifer. Drilling is required to confirm these results. Our findings contribute to building a robust conceptual understanding of the KDA and will inform future modelling of the groundwater system.
<b>Citation:</b> Haiblen, A.M., Symington, N.J., Woltmann, M.J., Ray, A., Gow, L.J., Leplastrier, A. and McGrath, E.S.B., 2020. A multifaceted approach to investigating hydrogeological complexities in the Koolpinyah Dolostone Aquifer, Howard East, Northern Territory. In: Czarnota, K., Roach, I., Abbott, S., Haynes, M., Kositcin, N., Ray, A. and Slatter, E. (eds.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, 1–4.
Simple
Identification info
- Date (Creation)
- 2020-01-22
- Date (Publication)
- 2020-06-17T06:15:46
- Citation identifier
- Geoscience Australia Persistent Identifier/https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/133625
- Citation identifier
- Digital Object Identifier/http://dx.doi.org/10.11636/133625
- Cited responsible party
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Author Haiblen, A. M.
Author Symington, N. J.
Author Woltmann, M. J.
Author Ray, A.
Author Gow, L. J.
Author Leplastrier, A.
Author McGrath-Cohen, E. S. B.
- Purpose
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EFTF Extended Abstract
- Status
- Completed
- Point of contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Point of contact Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice Point of contact Haiblen, A.
Resource provider Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division
- Spatial representation type
- Topic category
-
- Geoscientific information
Extent
Extent
))
- Maintenance and update frequency
- As needed
Resource format
- Title
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Product data repository: Various Formats
- Website
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Data Store directory containing the digital product files
Data Store directory containing one or more files, possibly in a variety of formats, accessible to Geoscience Australia staff only for internal purposes
- theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
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EARTH SCIENCES
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- Project
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EFTF
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- Project
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Exploring for the Future
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- Keywords
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Groundwater
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- Keywords
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Koolpinyah Dolostone Aquifer
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- Keywords
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Groundwater systems
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- Keywords
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Published_External
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Resource constraints
- Title
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
- Alternate title
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CC-BY
- Edition
-
4.0
- Access constraints
- License
- Use constraints
- License
Resource constraints
- Title
-
Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
Distribution Information
- Distributor contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Distributor Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice
- OnLine resource
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Extended Abstract for download (pdf) [454kb]
Extended Abstract for download (pdf) [454kb]
- Distribution format
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pdf
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Resource lineage
- Statement
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New groundwater and surface water chemistry, salinity monitoring, airborne electromagnetic and borehole geophysical data were collected as part of Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program. We assess these new data, along with groundwater level data and pumping data analyses undertaken by the Northern Territory Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Power Water Corporation. Our findings contribute to building a robust conceptual understanding of the Koolpinyah Dolostone Aquifer in the Howard East area.
Metadata constraints
- Title
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Australian Government Security Classification System
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
Metadata
- Metadata identifier
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urn:uuid/21f4ae25-114c-4784-8e26-e80cf695da87
- Title
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GeoNetwork UUID
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
- Contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Point of contact Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice Point of contact Haiblen, A.
Type of resource
- Resource scope
- Document
- Name
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GA publication: Extended Abstract
Alternative metadata reference
- Title
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Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with
uuid
- Citation identifier
- eCatId/133625
- Date info (Creation)
- 2019-04-08T01:55:29
- Date info (Revision)
- 2019-04-08T01:55:29
Metadata standard
- Title
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AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-3
- Title
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Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014
- Edition
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Version 2.0, September 2018
- Citation identifier
- https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/122551