Promotional flyer describing the GA programme in national unconventional hydrocarbon prospectivity and resource assessment commenced in 2011 by the Onshore (Unconventional) Hydrocarbons Section, Basin Resources Group, Energy Division.

Sediments of the Brock's Creek Group and of the Phillips Creek Formation, and volcanics of the Edith River Formation were prospected with carborne radiometric equipment. A comparatively high background count was recorded in the Edith River Volcanics, but no significant radiometric anomaly was found. A geological party prospected ten shear zones south east of the Edith Siding, including a cupriferous one, and a strongly fractured belt near the granite contact. No radiometric anomaly was found. Future prospecting should be directed towards major faults within the sediments.

The airborne scintillometer survey made in the latter half of 1952 revealed a number of anomalies in the Brodribb area. Detailed geological and geophysical work was carried out on this prospect during 1952 (Frankovich 1953) and some costeans were excavated by bulldozer. In 1953 diamond drilling and further geological and geophysical work was undertaken. During 1953, six diamond drill holes, with a total footage of 1583 feet, were drilled in the Brodribb area and were arranged to make an exhaustive test for the occurrence of a primary uranium deposit of importance in the area.

This prospect was discovered by Geologist A.B. Clark on the 3rd September, 1953 at a point 11 miles distant and on a bearing of 33 degrees from the Katherine Post Office. Following its discovery a reservation was taken out on behalf of the Bureau of Mineral Resources to protect the area. Detailed geological and geophysical investigations have since been undertaken in the area, and costeaning by hand labour and bulldozer has also been done. The examination and testing of the prospect is not yet complete but a summary of the information concerning the prospect available at 31st October 1953 is given below.

Iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineral systems occur globally and range in age from Archean to Mesozoic or younger. An assessment for IOCG mineral system potential has been undertaken in the southern Arunta Region, incorporating the southern Aileron and northern Warumpi provinces. The assessment has been undertaken in a GIS-based environment using a mineral systems approach. This approach recognises four key system components: (1) sources of metals and fluids, (2) fluid-flow drivers, (3) fluid-flow pathways and architecture, and (4) depositional sites and mechanisms. For each of these key system components, mappable criteria were developed as proxies for mineralising processes in order to identify potential IOCG mineral systems. The locations of known deposits and prospects were not used for generating the assessment of IOCG potential. However, they are used as a validation of the results. The assessment largely reproduces the locations of known IOCG-style mineralisation, and predicts additional potential in a number of other areas, many of which are obscured by recent sedimentary cover. An approximately east-west-trending belt of broad IOCG potential has been identified, along with local regions of high potential where favourable criteria occur.

Oil and gas discoveries in Australia's offshore basins are concentrated on the North West Shelf (Northern Carnarvon, Browse and Bonaparte basins) and Bass Strait (Gippsland, Otway and Bass basins). While discoveries have been made in a few regions outside these areas (e.g. Perth Basin), a large proportion of Australia's offshore basins remain exploration frontiers. However, the decline in oil production from the North West Shelf and Bass Strait basins since 2000 has led to an increasing exploration interest in the frontier basins. In order to improve our knowledge of the offshore frontiers and encourage exploration to these areas, from 2003-2011, Geoscience Australia was funded by the Australian Government to undertake a series of pre-competitive data acquisition and analyses programs in frontier basins around the Australian margin. This Record presents a comprehensive inventory of the geology, petroleum systems, exploration status and data coverage for 35 frontier basins, sub-basins and provinces, that draws on the results of those pre-competitive data programs, as well as exploration results and the geoscience literature. The Record also provides an assessment of the critical science and exploration questions and issues for each area. The results of each basin assessment are summarised in a prospectivity ranking. The availability of data and level of knowledge in each area is reflected in a confidence rating for that ranking. While the prospectivity of some areas is widely acknowledged to be high (e.g. Ceduna Sub-basin), the perception of prospectivity in many basins is negatively affected by the amount or quality of data available; in these basins, the acquisition of new data or targeted research could make a significant difference to the understanding of petroleum potential and likelihood of success. Therefore, recommendations for future work that could assist in addressing key knowledge or data gaps are included in each basin assessment.

The Capel and Faust basins are located over the northern part of the Lord Howe Rise, a large offshore frontier region containing a number of basins with untested petroleum prospectivity. Recent data acquisition by Geoscience Australia has significantly improved geological knowledge of these basins. Given the diversity of acquired data, comparative sparseness of data coverage, lack of deep drilling control, and complexity of geological structure, effective data integration and analysis methods were essential for a meaningful geological interpretation of the Capel and Faust basins. By using the 3D visualisation and modelling environment provided by GOCAD, the datasets were captured, processed and interpreted to create an integrated 3D model that enabled key geological and prospectivity questions to be answered. This presentation summarises the construction methodology and the resulting geological and prospectivity implications of the Capel-Faust 3D geological model.

Full paper version of conference abstract entitled 'Geology and evolution of the Capel and Faust basins: implications for petroleum prospectivity of offshore frontier basins between Australia and New Zealand' (Geocat 70266) and conference poster (Geocat 70800).

The Capel and Faust basins are located on the northern Lord Howe Rise in water depths of 1300-2500 m. Geoscience Australia recently completed a geological study and assessed the petroleum prospectivity of the area, based on new seismic, potential field, multibeam bathymetry and rock sample data. The data sets were acquired under Australian Government initiatives aimed at providing pre-competitive information to industry. Existing data coverage in these remote frontier basins is sparse and the DSDP 208 drill hole provides the sole well control. The interpretation of seismic data has confirmed the existence of large depocentres containing a maximum total sediment thickness of over 6 km. The early syn-rift megasequence is inferred to Comprise Early Cretaceous volcanics and volcaniclastic sediments, with possible coal and lacustrine sediments. The late syn-rift megasequence is likely to be a Late Cretaceous non-marine to shallow marine clastic succession. The post-rift megasequence is a Late Cretaceous to Holocene marine succession that becomes increasingly calcareous. In some areas, the syn-rift sediments overlie an older (?Mesozoic) pre-rift basin succession. Two major extensional episodes are recognised and appear to be related to distinct breakup stages of the eastern Gondwana margin. Potential source rocks may occur in the pre-rift and syn-rift sections. Basin modelling indicates that the deeper depocentres have reached the oil or gas window and that expulsion could have occurred from the Early Cretaceous onward. Fluvio-deltaic, shoreline and turbiditic sandstones may provide potential reservoirs in the syn-rift and the lower post-rift sections. There is considerable potential for stratigraphic and fault-related traps, and large anticlinal structures have been identified. Similar large depocentres appear to also occur over the central and southern Lord Howe Rise, highlighting the exploration potential of this vast frontier region.

The generation of economic growth through mineral development activities can play an important role in supporting developing countries to achieve positive economic objectives. This report assesses the geoscience capability of 138 developing countries in four continent regions as identified by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These countries are assessed using eleven sub-categories which can be grouped into four broad categories including: geological, geoscience survey capacity, socio-political risk, and geological aid. The comprehensive data compiled are largely presented graphically to facilitate ready comparisons between countries and continents. Recommendations for targeting and future structuring programs for maximum program impact are provided. The report utilises and synthesises both international information available to the public and commercial information obtained by Geoscience Australia. It has been prepared for the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx). The report will be published online by AusAID and as a GA Record.