Explore all projects and activities

The Energy Resources Assessment work evaluated the prospectivity of energy resources in central Australia, namely the Pedirka and western Eromanga basins.

Hydrogen studies aimed to understand Australia’s underground hydrogen storage potential, estimate natural (geological) hydrogen resources and develop tools, such as the Hydrogen Economic Fairways Tool (HEFT), to aid decision-makers in the hydrogen sector.

Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with CSIRO, conducted a 4-year study under the Exploring for the Future Program (2020-24) to investigate the potential for carbon (CO2) storage and CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) in residual oil zones (ROZ) in Australia.

A world-first national compilation of known occurrences of Australia’s alkaline and related igneous rocks from the Archean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.

The surface of the Australian continent can provide valuable insights into the environmental, economic and agricultural landscape of the country, enabling informed decision-making for a range of industries. The National Geochemical Framework study primarily focuses on the rich archive of samples and data housed at Geoscience Australia.

Informing resource development projects across Australia.

Supporting mineral exploration in Australia.

Improving geological knowledge of the Delamerian Orogen region of western New South Wales.

Supporting new opportunities for mineral exploration in the Curnamona Province.

Communities, industries and the environment in the upper Darling-Baaka River region have been impacted by recent droughts and floods. During periods of low flow in the Darling-Baaka River, groundwater has the potential to be an alternative water source for towns, agriculture and mining.

The South Nicholson National Drilling Initiative (NDI) Carrara 1 stratigraphic drill hole was completed in late 2020, as a collaboration between Geoscience Australia, the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) and the MinEx CRC. NDI Carrara 1 is the first drill hole to intersect the as yet undifferentiated Proterozoic rocks of the newly discovered Carrara Sub-basin.

High-resolution seismic reflection data in the Surat and Galilee geological basins, Queensland, suggests Neogene faults are present in both basins, and that these structural features may compartmentalise the groundwater systems and provide potential pathways for inter-aquifer leakage.

The Upper Burdekin project highlighted the complexity of the basalt aquifers, located west of Townsville in north Queensland, with many features contributing to their heterogeneous and anisotropic character.

The project provided baseline data to inform groundwater prospectivity analysis, support the development of holistic water and salinity management strategies and inform water allocations.

The Northern Stuart Corridor project investigated areas around the northern half of the Northern Territory close to the Stuart Highway. It included 2 project areas: the Daly River Basin and Howard East area selected due to their high-value groundwater resources.

The East Kimberley project built a greater understanding of groundwater systems in the onshore Bonaparte Basin within the Keep River Plains in the Northern Territory (NT) to enable informed decision-making for agricultural development.

Australia is the driest inhabited continent and the highest per capita user of water. As such, the Groundwater Sector plays a critical role in national water security, contributing $6.8 billion per year to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Barkly Seismic survey was located in an area of northern Australia that had very little exploration in the past, and currently has no mineral or energy production.

Geoscience Australia acquired deep crustal seismic reflection data in the Kidson Sub-basin (southern Canning Basin) between mid-June and late August 2018 to better understand the subsurface geology of this highly prospective region.

The South Nicholson Basin region has the potential to host major petroleum and base metal mineral resources.

The Northern Australia Hydrogeochemical Survey (NAHS) is the culmination of a multi-year, regional groundwater sampling program between Tennant Creek and Mt Isa in the Northern Territory.

The Northern Australia Geochemical Survey (NAGS) project is a low-impact, low-density geochemical survey, designed to determine the regional distribution of chemical elements within soils.

The Tennant Creek to Mount Isa region hosts known mineral deposits in exposed Proterozoic rocks, most notably iron oxide copper-gold mineral systems in the Tennant Creek area, and basin-hosted base metals (zinc, lead) and uranium in the McArthur Basin.

The Tennant Creek to Mount Isa region hosts known mineral deposits in exposed Proterozoic rocks, most notably iron oxide copper-gold mineral systems in the Tennant Creek area, and basin-hosted base metals (zinc, lead) and uranium in the McArthur Basin.

The Coompana Province, located between the Gawler Craton to the east, the Musgrave Province to the north and the Madura Province to the west, straddles the South Australian-Western Australian border along Australia’s southern coastline.

The Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP) is a collaborative, national survey that acquires long-period magnetotelluric (MT) data across Australian continental.

The Australian Passive Seismic Array Project (AusArray) is a collaborative, national survey between government and academia that acquires passive seismic data.

Compiling a layered seamless subsurface (solid geology) map of Australia for the geological eras: Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, Neoproterozoic and pre-Neoproterozoic.

The Geochronology and Isotopic Mapping component of the Exploring for the Future program provided key isotopic datasets in both tabulated compilations, and map form for visualisation with other geological datasets.

Approximately 80 % of the Australian landmass is blanketed post-mineralisation sedimentary cover and regolith. The cover presents a challenge to successful exploration.

AusAEM is the world’s largest airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey undertaken. AusAEM started in 2017 in northern Australia and continues to be extended across the continent.

The Geoscience Knowledge Sharing project supported the Exploring for the Future program in establishing relationships and enhancing our engagement with the diverse stakeholders and communities, where the program operated, including remote and First Nations Australian communities, farmers and rural towns.

The Enhanced Data Delivery project supported the Exploring for the Future program in digital transformation and data infrastructure, building on the robust and flexible systems developed through other innovative programs across Geoscience Australia.

Australia’s Future Energy Resources project investigated the national potential for new sediment-hosted energy resources, including oil, natural gas and hydrogen, that can support Australia’s transition to net zero emissions by 2050.

The National Groundwater Systems project improved understanding of Australia’s groundwater resources to better support responsible groundwater management and secure groundwater resources into the future.

This project laid the foundations for a national view of Australia’s surface and subsurface geology, underpinning our understanding of the continent’s mineral, energy and groundwater potential.

The Barkly–Isa–Georgetown project focused on the undercover regions between Tennant Creek, Mount Isa and Georgetown, delivering new data and knowledge on the mineral and energy potential in these areas and maximising opportunities for resource sector investment in the region.

The Officer–Musgrave–Birrindudu project investigated the energy and groundwater potential of the Officer Basin, the adjoining Musgrave Province and nearby Birrindudu Basin.

The Darling–Curnamona–Delamerian project delivered new data and knowledge to assess mineral and groundwater potential and support water management across western New South Wales and Victoria, eastern South Australia and northwest Tasmania.