Product catalogue
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
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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
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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 Ransley, T.R.
Resource provider Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division
- Spatial representation type
- Topic category
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- 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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surface water
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- Keywords
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groundwater dependent ecosystem
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- Keywords
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spring
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- Keywords
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Burdekin River
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- Keywords
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basalt
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- Keywords
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McBride
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Nulla
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remote sensing
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- Keywords
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hydrochemistry
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- Keywords
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hydrogeology
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- Keywords
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LiDAR
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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
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4.0
- Access constraints
- License
- Use constraints
- License
Resource constraints
- Title
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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) [5 MB]
Extended Abstract for download (pdf) [5 MB]
- Distribution format
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pdf
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Resource lineage
- Statement
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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
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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/8a866a9e-1d60-4ff1-9385-474d2f39bbc5
- 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 Ransley, T.R.
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/133647
- 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