The Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations (GDC) round 18 program supported exploration across a diverse range of commodities and geological settings, generating more than 14,000 metres of drilling and geophysical surveys covering approximately 7,000 km², as well as geochemical and innovative exploration programs designed to improve targeting in areas where geology is concealed.
Highlights include complementary regional gravity and geochemical programs by GSW Resources in the Aileron Province, which built on high-resolution magnetic data to refine targets for concealed carbonatite and other intrusive systems prospective for critical minerals. At Walker River in the McArthur Basin, greenfields drilling intersected a thick, previously untested Balma Group succession and identified stratabound zinc mineralisation, providing new evidence for sediment-hosted base-metal prospectivity in this underexplored part of the basin. In the Murphy District, 1,424 km² of high-resolution airborne hyperspectral data provided new mineral and alteration mapping across a comparatively underexplored region. At Palm Valley, reprocessing approximately 95 km of legacy 2D seismic data significantly improved imaging at and below producing gas intervals and increased confidence in geological interpretation.
Iluka Resources' Supplejack Ground Gravity Survey also added new gravity coverage across the southeastern margin of the Birrindudu Basin, improving understanding of basin architecture and structure beneath shallow cover. The timing is particularly relevant for explorers, with recent Geoscience Australia research confirming high potential for unconformity-related rare earth element deposits in the broader Birrindudu–Halls Creek region along the WA–NT border. The new gravity dataset adds another layer of information to support exploration targeting in this under explored part of the Territory.
The results and data generated through these projects are now publicly available, extending the benefits of the GDC program beyond the individual projects and contributing to a better understanding of the Territory’s geology and resource potential.
Explorers can access drill core and samples from completed GDC projects through NTGS core facilities in Darwin and Alice Springs. The newly available material provides an opportunity to examine the geology first-hand, investigate results from previous exploration and build on the knowledge generated through the GDC program.
The GDC program provides up to $4 million annually through Resourcing the Territory to address geoscientific knowledge gaps, advance exploration activity and support the discovery and development of resources in the Northern Territory. Find out more about the GDC program.
Read the GDC Round 18 Summary Report 2025–26 to explore results from the completed projects and access GEMIS links to the reports and datasets.
To find out more about the NTGS core facilities and available GDC drill core and samples, or to arrange a visit, contact the NTGS core facilities in Darwin or Alice Springs.