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Hydrogeology of the McBride and Nulla basalt provinces in the Upper Burdekin region, north Queensland

We present a multifaceted hydrogeological investigation of the McBride and Nulla basalt provinces in the Upper Burdekin region, north Queensland. The project aims to better understand their key groundwater system processes to inform future development and water management decisions. This work, carried out as part of the Exploring for the Future Upper Burdekin Groundwater Project, has shown that basalt aquifers in each province are typically unconfined where monitored. Groundwater recharge is widespread but highly variable, largely occurring within the boundaries of the basalt provinces. Groundwater salinity based on electrical conductivity is <1000 μS/cm in the McBride Basalt Province (MBP) and up to 2000 μS/cm in the Nulla Basalt Province (NBP). Groundwater levels have been declining since 2011 (following major flooding in Queensland), showing that the study period covers a small fraction of a longer-functioning dynamic groundwater system. The basalt provinces contain distinct lava flows, and the degree of hydraulic connectivity between them is unclear. Despite similarities in their rock properties, the geometry of lava emplacement leads to different groundwater flow regimes within the two basalt provinces. Radial flow away from the central high elevations towards the edges is characteristic of the MBP, while regional flow from west to east dominates the NBP. Basalt aquifers in both provinces support a range of groundwater-dependent ecosystems, such as springs, some of which sustain flow in tributaries of the Burdekin River. Where streams intersect basalt aquifers, this also results in direct groundwater discharge. Springs and perennial tributaries, particularly emanating from the MBP, provide important inflows to the Burdekin River, especially in the dry season. This work has highlighted that management of MBP and NBP groundwater sources is crucial for maintaining a range of environmental assets in the region and for ensuring access for existing and future users.


<b>Citation:</b> Ransley, T.R., Dixon-Jain, P., Cook, S.B., Lai, E.C.S., Kilgour, P., Wallace, L., Dunn, B., Hansen, J.W.L. and Herbert, G., 2020. Hydrogeology of the McBride and Nulla basalt provinces in the Upper Burdekin region, north Queensland. 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)
2020-06-30T03:27:07
Citation identifier
Geoscience Australia Persistent Identifier/https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/133647

Citation identifier
Digital Object Identifier/http://dx.doi.org/10.11636/133647

Cited responsible party
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details
Author

Ransley, T.R.

Author

Dixon-Jain, P.

Author

Cook, S.B.

Author

Lai, E.C.S.

Author

Kilgour, P.L.

Author

Wallace, L.

Author

Dunn, B.

Author

Hansen, J.W.L.

Author

Herbert, G.

Purpose

EFTF Extended Abstract

Status
Completed
Point of contact
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details
Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)

Voice
Point of contact

Ransley, T.R.

Resource provider

Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division

Spatial representation type
Topic category
  • Geoscientific information

Extent

Extent

N
S
E
W


Maintenance and update frequency
As needed

Resource format

Title

Product data repository: Various Formats

Website

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
  • EARTH SCIENCES

Project
  • EftF

Project
  • Exploring for the Future

Keywords
  • groundwater

Keywords
  • surface water

Keywords
  • groundwater dependent ecosystem

Keywords
  • spring

Keywords
  • Burdekin River

Keywords
  • basalt

Keywords
  • McBride

Keywords
  • Nulla

Keywords
  • remote sensing

Keywords
  • hydrochemistry

Keywords
  • hydrogeology

Keywords
  • LiDAR

Keywords
  • Groundwater Systems

Keywords
  • Published_External

Resource constraints

Title

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

Alternate title

CC-BY

Edition

4.0

Website

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

Access constraints
License
Use constraints
License

Resource constraints

Title

Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem

Edition date
2018-11-01T00:00:00
Website

https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Classification
Unclassified
Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8

Distribution Information

Distributor contact
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details
Distributor

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)

Voice
OnLine resource

Extended Abstract for download (pdf) [5 MB]

Extended Abstract for download (pdf) [5 MB]

Distribution format
  • pdf

Resource lineage

Statement

This study presents key results from the Upper Burdekin Groundwater Project, conducted as part of Exploring for the Future (EFTF) initiative. The study presents a multifaceted hydrogeological investigation of the McBride and Nulla basalt provinces in the Upper Burdekin region, North Queensland. Field investigations were carried out between 2017-2019 to collect hydrogeological, hydrochemical, geological and geophysical data. Data acquired for the project and associated value-added products are discoverable and available for public use via the EFTF portal ( https://portal.ga.gov.au/).

Metadata constraints

Title

Australian Government Security Classification System

Edition date
2018-11-01T00:00:00
Website

https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Classification
Unclassified

Metadata

Metadata identifier
urn:uuid/8a866a9e-1d60-4ff1-9385-474d2f39bbc5

Title

GeoNetwork UUID

Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8
Contact
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details
Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)

Voice
Point of contact

Ransley, T.R.

Type of resource

Resource scope
Document
Name

GA publication: Extended Abstract

Alternative metadata reference

Title

Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with

uuid

Citation identifier
eCatId/133647

Metadata linkage

https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/5167d912-6784-4371-9938-3931e84ca6f1

Metadata linkage

https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/8a866a9e-1d60-4ff1-9385-474d2f39bbc5

Metadata linkage

https://ecat.ga.gov.au:80/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/8a866a9e-1d60-4ff1-9385-474d2f39bbc5

Date info (Creation)
2019-04-08T01:55:29
Date info (Revision)
2019-04-08T01:55:29

Metadata standard

Title

AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014

Metadata standard

Title

ISO 19115-1:2014

Metadata standard

Title

ISO 19115-3

Title

Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014

Edition

Version 2.0, September 2018

Citation identifier
https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/122551

 
 

Spatial extent

N
S
E
W


Keywords

Burdekin River EftF Exploring for the Future Groundwater Systems LiDAR McBride Nulla basalt groundwater groundwater dependent ecosystem hydrochemistry hydrogeology remote sensing spring surface water
theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
EARTH SCIENCES

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