Authors / CoAuthors
Schroder, I.F. | de Caritat, P. | Wallace, L. | Trihey, J.M. | Boreham, C. | Tobin, J. | English, P.E. | Sohn, J. | Palatty, P. | Coghlan, R.A. | Flower, C. | Maher, P. | Main, P.T. | Thorose, M. | Long, I. | Byass, J. | Jinadasa, N.
Abstract
Exploring for the Future (EFTF) is a four-year (2016-20) geoscience data and information acquisition program that aims to better understand on a regional scale the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources concealed under cover in northern Australia and parts of South Australia. Hydrogeochemical surveys utilise groundwater as a passive sampling medium to reveal the chemistry of the underlying geology including hidden mineralisation. These surveys also potentially provide input into regional baseline groundwater datasets that can inform environmental monitoring and decision making. Geoscience Australia, as part of the Australian Government’s EFTF program, undertook an extensive groundwater sampling survey in collaboration with the Northern Territory Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Queensland. During the 2017, 2018 and 2019 dry season, 224 groundwater samples (including field duplicate samples) were collected from 203 pastoral and water supply bores in the Tennant Creek-Mt Isa EFTF focus area of the Northern Territory and Queensland. An additional 38 groundwater samples collected during the 2013 dry season in the Lake Woods region from 35 bores are included in this release as they originate from within the focus area. The area was targeted to evaluate its mineral potential with respect to iron oxide copper-gold, sediment-hosted lead-zinc-silver and Cu-Co, and/or lithium-boron-potash mineral systems, among others. The 2017-2019 surveys were conducted across 21 weeks of fieldwork and sampled groundwater for a comprehensive suite of hydrogeochemical parameters, including isotopes, analysed over subsequent months. The present data release includes information and atlas maps of: 1) sampling sites; 2) physicochemical parameters (EC, pH, Eh, DO and T) of groundwater measured in the field; 3) field measurements of total alkalinity (HCO3-), dissolved sulfide (S2-), and ferrous iron (Fe2+); 4) major cation and anion results; 5) trace element concentrations; 6) isotopic results of water (δ18O and δ2H), DIC (δ13C), dissolved sulfate (δ34S and δ18O), dissolved strontium (87Sr/86Sr), and dissolved lead (204Pb, 206Pb, 207Pb, and 208Pb) isotopes; 7) dissolved hydrocarbon VFAs, BTEX, and methane concentrations, as well as methane isotopes (δ13C and δ2H); and 8) atlas of hydrogeochemical maps representing the spatial distribution of these parameters. Pending analyses include: CFCs and SF6; tritium; Cu isotopes; and noble gas concentrations (Ar, Kr, Xe, Ne, and 4He) and 3He/4He ratio. This data release (current as of July 2021) is the second in a series of staged releases and interpretations from the Northern Australia Hydrogeochemical Survey. It augments and revises the first data release, which it therefore supersedes. Relevant data, information and images are available through the GA website (https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/133388) and GA’s EFTF portal (https://portal.ga.gov.au/).
Product Type
document
eCat Id
133388
Contact for the resource
Point of contact
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia
Point of contact
Resource provider
Digital Object Identifier
Keywords
- ( Project )
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- Exploring For The Future
- ( Project )
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- EFTF
- ( Theme )
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- Hydrogeochemistry
- ( Discipline )
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- groundwater
- ( Discipline )
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- isotopes
- ( Project )
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- Northern Australia Hydrogeochemical Survey
- ( Project )
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- NAHS
- ( Product )
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- metadata
- ( Product )
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- analysis
- ( Discipline )
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- QAQC
- ( Place )
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- laboratory
- ( Place )
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- Beetaloo
- ( Place )
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- Tennant Creek
- ( Place )
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- South Nicholson
- ( Place )
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- McArthur River
- ( Place )
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- Lake Woods
- ( Place )
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- East Tennant Creek
- ( Discipline )
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- chemistry
- ( Product )
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- majors
- ( Product )
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- trace element
- ( Product )
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- dissolved gas
- ( Project )
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- noble gas
- ( Place )
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- northern territory
- ( Place )
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- queensland
- ( Place )
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- NT
- ( Place )
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- QLD
- ( Process )
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- method
- ( Product )
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- dataset
- ( Process )
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- standard
- ( Process )
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- duplicate
- ( Instrument )
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- ICP-MS
- ( Discipline )
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- dating
- theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
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- EARTH SCIENCES
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- Published_External
Publication Date
2020-07-27T23:08:07
Creation Date
2020-01-15T00:00:00
Security Constraints
Legal Constraints
Status
completed
Purpose
For providing the breadth of hydrogeochmical data collected as part of the Northern Australia Hydrogeochemical Survey, along with the metadata (sampling methods, laboratory analysis and QA/QC) to support its use.
Maintenance Information
asNeeded
Topic Category
geoscientificInformation
Series Information
Record
Lineage
This is version 2 of the full data release (2021), and includes additional analytes and some minor data corrections from the Version 1 product released in 2020. This product supersedes the interim data release of Wallace et al. (2018) - Northern Australia Hydrogeochemical Survey: Data release, Preliminary Interpretation and Atlas – Tennant Creek, McArthur River and Lake Woods regions (http://dx.doi.org/10.11636/Record.2018.048). The Lake Woods component of the data builds on and supports the published work of Caritat et al. (2019) - Groundwater geochemistry, hydrogeology and potash mineral potential of the Lake Woods region. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08120099.2018.1543208)
Parent Information
Extents
[-20.715, -13.3255, 131.8359, 141.1523]
Reference System
Spatial Resolution
Service Information
Associations
Source Information