The Exploring for the Future (EftF) Groundwater Program: Successful Application of Airborne Geophysics within a Multi-physics, Inter-disciplinary Approach for Rapid Mapping and Assessment of Groundwater Systems and Resources in Frontier Palaeozoic Sedimentary Basins and Cenozoic Paleovalleys in Northern Australia

Thursday, 13 June 2019: 10:55
Davie West Building, DW103 (Florida Atlantic University)
Ken Lawrie1, Donna Cathro1, Neil Symington1, Christian Seiler1, Niels B Christensen2, Larysa Halas1, Kokpiang Tan1, Stephen Hostetler1, Chris Harris-Pascal1, Andrew McPherson1 and Ross S Brodie1, (1)Geoscience Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia, (2)Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Abstract:
The development of Northern Australia has been identified as a national priority by the Australian Government. The latter has provided Aus$100.5M to Geoscience Australia over 4 years (2016-2020) to manage the Exploring for the Future (EftF) program designed to increase investment in minerals, energy and groundwater resources, primarily in Northern Australia.

Groundwater resources and water banking/aquifer storage play a critical role in underpinning economic development across Northern Australia due to the limitations posed by the scarce and seasonal nature of rainfall and surface water, the limited availability of surface dam sites, and high evaporation rates that rapidly deplete surface storages. The EftF Program includes Aus$30.8M for groundwater-related investigations, recognizing that there are major gaps in our knowledge of Northern Australia’s groundwater systems and resources.

As part of the EftF Groundwater Program, new data acquisition in ‘frontier’ sedimentary basins within priority infrastructure ‘fairways’ has included approximately 32,000-line km of airborne electromagnetics (AEM) data in 10 priority geographic areas (Figure 1). These datasets have enabled rapid identification of potential targets, facilitated land access and environmental clearances for targeted ground geophysics, drilling, borehole geophysics, pump testing, and broader hydrogeological investigations and assessments.

Overall, the role of AEM within a multi-physics, inter-disciplinary approach has been critical in enabling the rapid identification and assessment of significant new potential groundwater resources within Palaeozoic sedimentary basins in the Fitzroy Basin (WA), Bonaparte Basin (WA-NT), Wiso Basin (NT), and Southern Georgina Basin (NT). Airborne geophysical data have also helped define the extents of a new groundwater resource for the town of Alice Springs (NT).

The EftF Program has been facilitated by using supercomputing research infrastructure, as well as novel mathematical and statistical approaches, including machine learning, to devise data acquisition strategies, and to assist with data fusion and analysis. This novel methodology results in more targeted geophysical investigations, and significant cost savings compared to previous regional groundwater investigations.

Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>