Program themes

Improve the quality and resolution of regional-scale geophysical datasets

A review and audit of existing regional-scale government-acquired aeromagnetic and radiometric data across the Northern Territory in 2022 identified quality inadequacies in some legacy surveys. The findings from this review will used to determine a multiyear program of quality improvement, including the design and prioritisation of future airborne magnetic and radiometric acquisition programs.

In 2023, the Pedirka Basin (southeastern corner of the NT) was selected for to improve regional-scale ground gravity resolution from 11 km spacing down to 2 and 4 km spacing. In 2024, the Pine Creek Orgoen will be the focus of a large-scale ground gravity acquisition. In 2025, the West Arnhem ground ground survey is planned.

Outputs

• The NTGS Pedirka Ground Gravity Survey covers an area of approximately 61,000km² stretching from the NT, QLD and SA borders to almost 150 km southeast of Alice Springs. The dataset comprises over 11, 000 gravity stations at 2 km and 4 km station spacing. The survey The data can be downloaded through GEMIS.
• Geoscience Australia and NTGS have collaboratively acquired the Northwest Northern Territory Seismic Survey (L214) across the Birrindudu Basin and into the northern Tanami region. The survey was collected in 2023 and comprises a total of 900-line kilometres over four lines. The raw data can be requested through the Geoscience Australia's website.

Pine Creek Orogen

The Pine Creek Orogen, a polymetallic province with historical gold and iron ore production, is prospective for a wide range of commodities, including critical minerals as listed in the  Critical Minerals of the Northern Territory 2024.

Projects will deliver an improved knowledge of the geological framework of the Pine Creek Orogen and provide context to the diverse mineral systems and commodity potential. These projects will redefine stratigraphy and tectonic evolution, and develop understanding of the variable mineral systems of the province, plus assess the potential for secondary prospectivity at historic mines across the Pine Creek region.

Outputs

• Reanalysis to the full suite of 72 major and trace elements for 736 legacy Geoscience Australia igneous geochemical pulps from across the Central Domain of the Pine Creek Orogen. The ‘Compilation of pre-competitive Northern Territory Geological Survey geochemistry’ is published as DIP042.
• Assessment of secondary prospectivity of mine waste at selected sites across the Central Domain, investigating mine waste at gold and polymetallic gold deposits including NTGS Record 2023-015: Assessment of mine waste secondary prospectivity: Mount Bonnie and Iron Blow,  NTGS Record 2023-014: Assessment of mine waste secondary prospectivity: Brocks Creek and Mount Todd as a potential source for critical minerals. The project is being undertaken by the MIWATCH group at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland.
• Compilation of industry-submitted geophysics datasets across the Central Domain into a digital information package (DIP), including regional, camp and prospect surveys such as MT, ANT, IP and AEM is currently underway.
• Construction of 3D geological model to reinterpret the main mineralised area of Central Domain through integration of open-file geophysical and geological data. The project is currently underway and is being undertaken by the Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland.
• Acquisition of regional-scale ground gravity across the Pine Creek Orogen is planned for 2024. It will increase the current resolution of 11 km spacing to predominantly 2 km spacing, with potentially even closer spacing through industry collaboration infill.

Warramunga Province

The Tennant Creek area was once the third largest gold producing region in Australia through its endowment of high-grade copper–gold bearing ironstones. The area continues to deliver new discoveries of high-grade gold deposits and copper systems, as well as indications for potential cobalt, magnetite and bismuth resources through reprocessing of existing mine waste. The prospective geology of the Tennant Creek mineral field extends under cover to the west, incorporating the copper–gold and lead–zinc potential of the Rover Field. To the east of the Tennant Creek mineral field, recent pre-competitive geoscience data from drilling funded under Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program and the Territory’s Resourcing the Territory program (2018-2022) has seen an increase in exploration in the IOCG targets concealed beneath the younger Georgina Basin.

Outputs

• An improved understanding of the geological framework and the diverse mineral potential (orthomagmatic copper–nickel, ironstone-hosted copper–gold–cobalt–bismuth and sediment-hosted lead–zinc) of the Rover field to the west. NTGS Record 2023-010: This record is available to download through GEMIS.
• Production of a series of Mineral Deposit Atlases including a 3D compilation of available data by Sustainable Minerals Institute for the major deposits in the Tennant Creek mineral field and Rover field. DIP023 contains a regional compilation and geological interpretation of the Rover field. Mineral Deposit Atlases competed to date comprise DIP024–27, covering the Rover 1, Explorer 108, Curiosity and White Devil deposits respectively; and DIP37–40, covering Juno, Northern Star, Geko Corridor and Nobles Nob deposits respectively. series of DIPs is available to download through GEMIS.
• Compilation of industry submitted geophysics datasets across the Tennant Creek mineral field and Rover field published as DIP032, includes airborne magnetic (+/- radiometric), ground gravity, airborne electromagnetic, ground magnetic, ground electromagnetic, resistivity/induced polarisation, downhole, and other geophysical surveys.
• Assessment of secondary prospectivity of mine waste is being undertaken at selected sites within the Tennant Creek mineral field including Peko and TC8 as a potential source for critical minerals such as cobalt and bismuth. The project is being undertaken by the MIWATCH group at the Sustainable Minerals Institute.

Greater McArthur Basin

The informally named greater McArthur Basin includes Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic successions of the McArthur and Birrindudu basins, and the Tomkinson Province. These depositional areas are interpreted to have been contiguous at time of deposition and to be interconnected at depth beneath younger cover of Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic rocks. NTGS continues to improve the knowledge of the architecture of the stacked basin sequences, depositional history, and environment in the greater McArthur Basin, including its minerals and energy prospectivity.

Outputs

• A systematic stratigraphic study of the late Palaeoproterozoic (1660–1600 Ma) Glyde package has improved stratigraphic correlation across the greater McArthur Basin. The record is available through GEMIS. The Glyde package includes the prospective McArthur Group, host to the Pb–Zn McArthur River mine and Teena deposit plus conventional hydrocarbons. This publication complements an equivalent study on the overlying Mesoproterozoic (ca 1500–1320 Ma) Wilton package (Munson 2016) that includes the Kyalla and Velkerri formations, host to unconventional hydrocarbons.
• Formal definition of younger sequences (post Wilton package) in the Beetaloo Sub-basin of the McArthur Basin has allowed correlation to the Neoproterozoic stratigraphy (Kiana Group) of the overlying Georgina Basin. The record is available through GEMIS.

Birrindudu Basin

The Birrindudu Basin remains the least explored extent of the greater McArthur Basin. A range of geoscience projects will assist in extending stratigraphic correlations, basin architecture, depositional history and environment, and resource potential from the better-known eastern section of the greater McArthur Basin.

Outputs

• Geoscience Australia and NTGS have co-funded the Northwest Northern Territory Seismic Survey comprising over 700 km of seismic data across the Birrindudu Basin and linked to existing seismic lines from the Beetaloo Sub-basin to the Tanami Region. This is the first seismic data acquired in the Birrindudu Basin and will provide insight to the concealed relationship with the greater McArthur Basin and Tanami Region, including fault controls within the Basin. The raw data is available to request through Geoscience Australia.
• Extensive investigations by NTGS, CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and University of Adelaide on drillholes from the Birrindudu Basin, housed at NTGS’s Core Facility in Darwin, has provided a consistent suite of information of the subsurface geology to assist in interpreting the Northwest Northern Territory Seismic Survey. These investigations include a systematic characterisation of the sedimentary facies and petrophysical signature of the Birrindudu Basin succession, available through GEMIS.
• Detailed and systematic facies analysis of selected drillholes in the Birrindudu Basin provides a next stage analysis of potential sediment-hosted copper minerals systems in this frontier area. Partner releases include fluid inclusion petrography and microthermometry for selected drillholes; stratigraphic reconstructions of bulk volatile chemistry from fluid inclusions; plus geochronology of targeted formations. NTGS is currently using this data to construct 3D surfaces incorporating downhole interpretation with results from the new seismic data to improve understanding of the Basin architecture.

Amadeus Basin

Whilst the Amadeus Basin has produced oil and gas for over 30 years, it remains under explored for sediment-hosted mineral systems. In addition, with the move to a low emission’s future, indications of the Amadeus Basin’s naturally occurring hydrogen and critical resource helium, plus potential geological storage opportunities presented by the extensive salt bearing formations, has renewed exploration focus on this Basin.

Outputs

• Much of the Amadeus Basin has not been systemically mapped since the first edition BMR geological series maps from the 1960s. NTGS is undertaking a systematic updating of the 1:250 000 geological series outcrop maps to revise the stratigraphy seamlessly across the Basin. The Henbury 1: 250 000 second edition geological series map was released in 2023, with Lake Amadeus and Bloods Range 1:250 000 maps due this year. Second edition geological mapping of the Rodinga 1:250 000 will continue this seamless updating of stratigraphy and structure into the eastern Amadeus Basin in 2024.
• Utilising the updated surface geological mapping, the NTGS has released a 1:500 000 seamless interpreted geology (pre-Mesozoic) map of the western Amadeus Basin and accompanying explanatory notes.
• Geological outcrop mapping will continue across the Amadeus Basin with mapping on the 2nd edition Rodinga 1:250 000 geological series mapsheet, which will also culminate in the release of the East Amadeus Basin 1:500 000 interpreted geology map.
• Through collaboration with University of Adelaide, novel isotopic dating techniques will provide improved accuracy in constraining depositional age of formations within the eastern Amadeus Basin and assist with correlating stratigraphy across the Basin.

Warburton/Pedirka/Eromanga basins

The stacked Palaeozoic basins in the southeast corner of the Northern Territory are mostly concealed beneath Quaternary sediments and hence, are underexplored. In collaboration with Geoscience Australia, through the Australia’s Future Energy Resources project under the Exploring for the Future program, and with the South Australia Department of Energy and Mines, NTGS has undertaken new data acquisition and targeted studies to improve knowledge of the framework and resource potential of these stacked basins.

Outputs

• New geochronology has indicated correlation between the Cambrian–Ordovician strata of the Amadeus Basin, Warburton Basin and Thomson Orogen in Queensland. This record is avilable through GEMIS.
• Petroleum geoscience data compiled from 1537 samples within the stacked west Warburton, Pedirka and Eromanga basins is published as DIP034.
• The lithostratigraphy of the Perdirka Basin has been significantly updated and available to download through GEMIS.  An assessment of the petroleum systems in the Perdirka Basin within the Northern Territory has identified good to excellent source rocks, excellent reservoirs and fair to good seals. This abstract is available through GEMIS.
• To complement the reprocessed 2D seismic over the Pedirka–Simpson Basin across the Northern Territory and Queensland border undertaken by Geoscience Australia (2022) through the Exploring for the Future program, NTGS has acquired 2 to 4 km-spaced ground gravity through the Pedirka Ground Gravity Surve, available to download through GEMIS.

NTGS is commissioning a series of products to assess the Northern Territory’s potential for geothermal energy through Hot Dry Rocks Pty Ltd, and to assess the capacity for geological storage of carbon, hydrogen and compressed air in selected Northern Territory onshore basins through CSIRO.

Collaborative research projects are proposed with the University of Adelaide and University of Western Australia to improve our understanding of key critical minerals, including understanding of lithium–caesium–tantalum (LCT) pegmatites in the Pine Creek Orogen, Aileron and Irindina provinces; cobalt- and bismuth-rich systems in the Tennant region; and potentially rare earth elements within phosphorites in the Georgina Basin.

The expanded exploration grants program supports the re-analysis of existing samples for untested commodities such as critical minerals.

Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable (FAIR) principles inform decision making

Work is underway to implement FAIR principles across the acquisition and delivery of online systems and databases.

Industry data capture

The major program to capture all remaining legacy open-file exploration drilling and geochemistry data across the Northern Territory (NT), commenced with the McArthur Basin, Tennant Creek and Barkly regions, and has moved into the Pine Creek Orogen.

The captured data is providing explorers with immediate access to a complete and spatially located dataset of all historic drilling and geochemistry in the area. This is an important pre-competitive dataset to allow industry to rapidly assess and interpret past exploration in the area. With data capture across the Tennant Creek, Barkly and Gulf regions nearly complete, the program is now focussing on the Pine Creek region.

Data is progressively released as part of the Territory-wide Drilling and Geochemistry GIS datasets available for download in MapInfo tab, KML, ESRI shapefile and csv file formats through STRIKE, the NTGS Digital Information Package DIP001 or via the NT-wide geoscience datasets webpage.

AGES

NTGS hosts the Territory's premier technical exploration conference Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES) held every April in the Alice Springs.

Events and presentations

To find out more about NTGS presence and participation at other events, visit events and presentations.

Resource potential

NTGS promotes the mineral and energy potential of the Territory with up-to-date news, factsheets, data and publications and industry activity.

NTGS provides high-quality geoscience data and publications free-of-charge to explorers through GEMIS and STRIKE.

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