AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Hard Rock Caverns for the Energy Industry - A Technical and Economic Overview

This report delivers a comprehensive technical and economic evaluation of hard rock caverns for gas storage, addressing Australia’s need for sustainable energy solutions as it transitions to a low carbon future. Authored by Lane Power &amp; Energy Solutions, the report explores the technical aspects, construction, operation, and global practices of these underground storage facilities. The analysis centers on proven cavern construction techniques that involve pre-planning and site preparation, precise excavation using advanced equipment, and structural reinforcement to ensure long-term integrity. Economically, the report highlights a preliminary cost profile for unlined hard rock caverns, with significant capital expenditures (CapEx) estimated at $120 million for a 1-million-barrel cavern and $187.5 million for a 2-million-barrel facility, reflecting the labor and equipment intensity of excavation. While the initial CapEx for underground storage may exceed that of surface storage, the operational expenditures (OpEx) are significantly reduced thanks to the inherent protection provided by a cavern's isolation from surface conditions. From an operational perspective, this study outlines essential factors, including the hydraulic containment principle and required permeability properties of potential host lithologies, while outlining risks such as hydrogen embrittlement and overpressurization and providing potential mitigation strategies. The report also offers a global perspective including unlined caverns, like the Jurong Rock Caverns in Singapore with a capacity of 9.3 million barrels and the ammonia storage in Gibbstown, NJ with a capacity of 186,000 barrels, as well as lined storage caverns such as Skallen in Sweden, with a capacity of 252,000 barrels, serving as operational benchmarks. These global cases and practices underscore the versatility and reliability of hard rock caverns as storage solutions. In conclusion, this report presents hard rock storage caverns as a strategic asset, enhancing energy security and decarbonization objectives. It encourages stakeholders to leverage the report’s insights to explore customized, sustainable gas storage solutions.

Tags: Hydrogen Assessments, Published_External, Resource geoscience, Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity, Rock cavern, ammonia storage, cost, underground hydrogen storage
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Spatially-balanced designs that incorporate legacy sites



A robust scientific conclusion is the result of a rigorous scientific process. In observational ecology, this process involves making inferences about a population from 20 a sample. The sample is crucial, and is the result of implementing a survey design. A good survey design ensures that the data from the survey is capable of answering the research question. An even better design, such as spatially balanced designs, will also aim to reduce uncertainty as far as budgets will allow.


In many study areas, there are `legacy sites', that already have a time-series observed, and return visits to these sites are beneficial to enhance examination of temporal variability. We propose a method to incorporate these legacy sites into the survey effort whilst also maintaining spatial balance. This is the first formal method to perform this task.


Simulation experiments indicate that incorporating the spatial location of legacy sites increases spatial balance and decreases uncertainty in inferences (smaller standard errors in mean estimates). We illustrate the process using a proposed survey of a large marine reserve in South-Eastern Australia, where quantification of the reserve's biodiversity is required.


Our approach allows for integration of legacy sites into a new spatially-balanced 35 design, increasing efficiency. Scientists, managers and funders alike will benefit from this methodology { it provides a tool to provide efficient survey designs around established ones. In this way, it can aid integrated monitoring programs. An R-package that implements these methods, called MBHdesign, is available from CRAN.


Citation: Foster, S.D., Hosack, G.R., Lawrence, E., Przeslawski, R., Hedge, P., Caley, M.J., Barrett, N.S., Williams, A., Li, J., Lynch, T., Dambacher, J.M., Sweatman, H.P.A. and Hayes, K.R. (2017), Spatially balanced designs that incorporate legacy sites. Methods Ecol Evol, 8: 1433-1442. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12782

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, Published_External, balanced acceptance sampling, environmental sampling, quasi-random, spatial balance, survey design, unequal probability sample
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Australian mean land-surface temperature

The mean land-surface temperature represents an important boundary condition for many geothermal studies. This boundary is particularly important to help constrain the models made to analyse resource systems, many of which are shallow in nature and observe relatively small thermal gradients. Consequently, a mean land-surface temperature map of the Australian continent has been produced from 13 years of MODIS satellite imagery, for the period 2003–2015. The map shows good agreement with independent methods of estimating mean land-surface temperature, including borehole surface-temperature extrapolation and long-term, near-surface ground measurements. In comparison to previously used methods of estimating mean land-surface temperature, our new estimates are up to 12 °C warmer. The MODIS-based method presented in this study provides spatially continuous estimates of land-surface temperature that can be incorporated as the surface thermal boundary condition in geothermal studies. The method is also able to provide a quantification of the uncertainties expected in the application of these estimates for the purposes of thermal modelling.
Citation: Marcus W. Haynes, Frank G. Horowitz, Malcolm Sambridge, Ed J. Gerner, Graeme R. Beardsmore, Australian mean land-surface temperature, Geothermics, Volume 72, 2018, Pages 156-162, ISSN 0375-6505, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2017.10.008.

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, MODIS, Published_External, heat flow, land-surface temperature, sinusoidal regression
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Ambient noise tomography of Australia: application to AusArray deployment

Over the past two decades, the use of seismic ambient noise has shown great potential in imaging the structure of the crust and lithospheric mantle. However, few datasets have been specifically collected to study mineral systems. Here, we present results from Geoscience Australia’s ‘AusArray’ deployment, acquired as part of the ‘Exploring for the Future’ program. This aimed to assess lithospheric structure and mineral system potential in undercover terranes, and comprised 120 portable broad-band stations installed across Northern Australia.
Using this data, we perform cross-correlation of background seismic noise, from which we extract Rayleigh wave dispersion curves. These allow us to image crustal structure between Tennant Creek and Mount Isa, and we present shear wave velocity maps at 4 - 30 s periods. Key features include: (i) A strong low-velocity anomaly (2.5 km/s) at ~2–4 km depth, delineating the outline of the newly-discovered Carrara sub-basin, prospective for hydrocarbons and base metals; and (ii) a near-vertical high-velocity anomaly (3.5 km/s) north of Mount Isa, extending from the near surface down to ~12 km and merging with northeast-trending anomalies, believed to reflect compositional variations within the mid-crust potentially associated with base metal deposits. All software to compute cross-correlations, estimate phase velocities and generate seismic tomography models is available through Geoscience Australia’s open-source software package, HiPerSeis, obtainable from https://github.com/GeoscienceAustralia/hiperseis.
Presented at the 202 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting (online)

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, Published_External
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Evaluating the performance of soil flux surveys and inversion methods for quantification of CO2 leakage

Understanding the near surface migration patterns and rates of efflux of CO2 is important for developing effective monitoring and verification programs for the geological storage of CO2. Soil flux surveys are a well-established technique for characterising surface CO2 emission sources from controlled release sites, CO2storage sites or natural  CO2seeps. The performance of four interpolation methods; arithmetic mean (AM), two minimum variance unbiased estimators (MVUE), and a newly developed geostatistical cubic surface were evaluated using 21 soil flux surveys conducted over two controlled release experiments in 2012 and 2013, at the Ginninderra controlled release facility, Australia. Data was binned to approximate a regular sampling grid for improved performance of the whole-of-field AM and MVUE averaging techniques. The AM and MVUE methods were highly sensitive to deviations in the statistical distribution of the data, and performed inconsistently across the two experiments. These two methods proved ill-suited for application to CO2 leak quantification due to their inflexible sampling and distribution requirements. The cubic technique provided the best net emission estimates across both experiments, and when applied at different bin sizes, estimating the true release rate to within 20% for the 2012 experiment and 45% below the release rate for the 2013 experiment. The cubic method is well-suited for CO2 leak quantification because it is not limited by assumptions of the data’s spatial or statistical distribution. Net H2O emissions of 29 kg/d were observed coincident with the high CO2 flux zones in the field. The interpolation methods were applied with similar results on soil flux surveys taken from a natural seepage site in Qinghai, China. Gravity currents appear to describe the observed soil flux and soil gas behavior at Ginninderra, i.e. the observed lateral migration of CO2in the subsurface. Subsurface migration was also strongly influenced by the relative depth of the groundwater. Thus the low water table and greater vadose zone in the 2013 experiment is suspected to facilitate greater lateral CO2 migration and explain the poor closure of the CO2 balance. 
Citation: I.F. Schroder, P. Wilson, A.F. Feitz, J. Ennis-King, Evaluating the Performance of Soil Flux Surveys and Inversion Methods for Quantification of CO2 Leakage, Energy Procedia, Volume 114, 2017, Pages 3679-3694, ISSN 1876-6102, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.1499.

Tags: Carbon Dioxide - CO2, EARTH SCIENCES, Published_External, controlled release, emissions, flux, interpolation, monitoring, quantification
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
The new normal for geoscience in a post-COVID world: connecting informed people with the Earth

We consider how our society can use data, information and knowledge of the Earth under a broad definition of geoscience to better connect with the Earth system.  This is important in our changing world, in particular how geoscience contributes to our response to the societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, informed decisions utilizing the best geoscience data and information provide key parts of our economic, environmental and cultural recovery from the pandemic. The connection to country and more widely connection to our planet and the greater Earth system that comes from personal experience has been especially challenged in 2020. Much of Australia’s population have been encouraged to stay in our homes, first because of major fires and more recently in response to isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic. Although domestic travel became increasingly allowable, international travel has been restricted for much longer.  This has increased the importance of trusted data and information initially from domestic locations and for more extended time between countries that are now less accessible. We discuss ways that geoscience governs our discovery and use of minerals, energy and groundwater resources and builds resilience and adaptation to environmental and cultural change. A broad definition of geoscience also includes positioning and location data and information, such as through integrated digital mapping, satellite data and real-time precise positioning. Important here is sharing, with two-way exchange of data, information and knowledge about the Earth, through outreach in geoscience education programs and interactions with communities across Australia, into neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific, and across the world. An aspiration is for geoscience to inform social license through evidence-based decisions, such as for land and marine access, for a strong economy, resilient society and sustainable environment. At Geoscience Australia, we have developed a ten years strategic plan (Strategy 2028) that guides us to be a trusted source of information on Australia’s geology and geography for government, industry and community decision making. This will contribute to a safer, more prosperous and well-informed Australia and its connection to neighbouring countries, such as in Asia, as well as people that are better connected to country and our planet.
Citation: Hill, S., Thorne, J., Przeslawski, R., Mouthaan, R., Lewis, C. The 'new normal' for geoscience in a post-COVID world: connecting informed people with the Earth. Thai Geoscience Journal Volume 2 (2) 2021, p30-37 021 ISSN-2730-2695; DOI-10.14456/tgj.2021.3

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, Published_External, community education and outreach, earth system science, environment, geoscience, mapping, resource
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Modelled differences of coral life-history traits influence the refugium potential of a remote Caribbean reef

Remote populations can influence connectivity and may serve as refugia from climate change. We investigated two reef-building corals (Pseudodiploria strigosa and Orbicella franksi) from the Flower Garden Banks (FGB), the most isolated, high-latitude Caribbean reef system, which, until recently, retained high coral cover. We characterized coral size-frequency distributions, quantified larval mortality rates and onset of competence ex situ, estimated larval production, and created detailed biophysical models incorporating these parameters to evaluate the source–sink dynamics at the FGB from 2009 to 2012. Estimated mortality rates were similar between species, but pre-competency differed dramatically; P. strigosa was capable of metamorphosis within 2.5 d post-fertilization (dpf) and was competent at least until 8 dpf, while O. franksi was not competent until &gt;20 dpf and remained competent up to 120 dpf. To explore the effect of such contrasting life histories on connectivity, we modeled larval dispersal from the FGB assuming pelagic larval durations (PLD) of either 3–20 d, approximating laboratory-measured pre-competency of P. strigosa, or 20–120 d, approximating pre-competency observed in O. franksi. Surprisingly, both models predicted similar probabilities of local retention at the FGB, either by direct rapid reseeding or via long-term persistence in the Loop Current with larvae returning to the FGB within a month. However, our models predicted that short PLDs would result in complete isolation from the rest of the Caribbean, while long PLDs allowed for larval export to more distant northern Caribbean reefs, highlighting the importance of quantifying larval pre-competency dynamics when parameterizing biophysical models to predict larval connectivity. These simulations suggest that FGB coral populations are likely to be largely self-sustaining and highlight the potential of long-PLD corals, such as endangered Orbicella, to act as larval sources for other degraded Caribbean reefs.
Citation: Davies, S.W., Strader, M.E., Kool, J.T. et al. Modeled differences of coral life-history traits influence the refugium potential of a remote Caribbean reef. Coral Reefs 36, 913–925 (2017). 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1583-8

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, Flower Garden Banks, Published_External, biophysical model, connectivity, coral, pelagic larval duration, pre-competency
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
The tectonostratigraphic history of the Proterozoic Northern Lawn Hill Platform, Australia: an integrated intracontinental basin analysis

The Northern Lawn Hill Platform (NLHP) comprises an area of approximately 16,000 km2 in north-central Australia. Thick packages of Proterozoic strata outcrop in the region, although large areas are also covered by younger strata. The packages contain basin sediments and igneous rocks that span ∼400 m.y. We present a regional synthesis of approximately 150 m.y. of the tectonostratigraphic history of the area which hosts several world-class base metals deposits. The interpretation is based primarily on a sequence stratigraphic and structural interpretation of seismic data, a common approach in the petroleum resource sector, but rare in analyses of mineral resources. Models of subsurface geology and a basement template are provided using observed geopotential data that are iteratively calibrated with other data. Geochronological, palaeomagnetic, geochemical and sequence stratigraphic investigations on outcrop and drill core also are integrated into the history. The seismic data allow separated outcrop belts to be confidently correlated for the first time. Geochronological data control the basin history delineated by this interpretation. Palaeomagnetic data allow the results presented here to be extrapolated regionally and globally. Although considered to be deposited on entirely intracontinental lithosphere, the basin phases record significant fluctuations in the volume and geometry of accommodation space for sedimentation. Multiple pulses of deformation are recorded by changing depositional geometries. We propose a history of re-activation of a basement template and speculate on geodynamical mechanisms for accommodation space fluctuations and geometric variability. The detailed understanding of the basin evolution of the NLHP gained by integrated basin analysis provides a powerful tool for predictive fluid flow models as an aid to resource exploration. It should also provide a useful analogy in understanding tectonic processes and basin evolution of other similar aged intracontinental basins.
Citation:Scott, D.L., Bradshaw, B.E.,Tarlowski, C.Z.1998. The tectonostratigraphic history of the Proterozoic Northern Lawn Hill Platform, Australia: an integrated intracontinental basin analysis, Tectonophysics, Volume 300, Issues 1–4, Pages 329-358.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0040-1951(98)00253-4.

Tags: Earth Sciences, External Publication, Published_External, Scientific Journal Paper, geology, geophysics, intracontinental basin evolution, mineralisation, sequence stratigraphy
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
A regolith lead isoscape of Australia

We present the first national-scale lead (Pb) isotope maps of Australia based on surface regolith for five isotope ratios, 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/206Pb, and 208Pb/206Pb, determined by single collector Sector Field-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry after an Ammonium Acetate leach followed by Aqua Regia digestion. The dataset is underpinned principally by the National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) archived floodplain sediment samples. We analysed 1219 ‘top coarse’ (0-10 cm depth, &lt;2 mm grain size) samples, collected near the outlet of 1098 large catchments covering 5.647 million km2 (~75% of Australia). This paper focusses on the Aqua Regia dataset. The samples consist of mixtures of the dominant soils and rocks weathering in their respective catchments (and possibly those upstream) and are therefore assumed to form a reasonable representation of the average isotopic signature of those catchments. This assumption was tested in one of the NGSA catchments, within which 12 similar ‘top coarse’ samples were also taken; results show that the Pb isotope ratios of the NGSA catchment outlet sediment sample are close to the average of the 12 sub-catchment, upstream samples. National minimum, median and maximum values reported for 206Pb/204Pb were 15.558, 18.844, 30.635; for 207Pb/204Pb 14.358, 15.687, 18.012; for 208Pb/204Pb 33.558, 38.989, 48.873; for 207Pb/206Pb 0.5880, 0.8318, 0.9847; and for 208Pb/206Pb 1.4149, 2.0665, 2.3002, respectively. The new dataset was compared with published bedrock and ore Pb isotope data, and was found to dependably represent crustal elements of various ages from Archean to Phanerozoic. This suggests that floodplain sediment samples are a suitable proxy for basement and basin geology at this scale, despite various degrees of transport, mixing, and weathering experienced in the regolith environment, locally over protracted periods of time. An example of atmospheric Pb contamination around Port Pirie, South Australia, where a Pb smelter has operated since the 1890s, is shown to illustrate potential environmental applications of this new dataset. Other applications may include elucidating detail of Australian crustal evolution and mineralisation-related investigations.&nbsp;
Citation: Desem, C. U., de Caritat, P., Woodhead, J., Maas, R., and Carr, G.: A regolith lead isoscape of Australia, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1383–1393, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1383-2024, 2024.

Tags: Australia's Resources Framework - ARF, EARTH SCIENCES, EFTF – Exploring for the Future, Exploration Geochemistry, Exploration geochemistry, GEOCHEMISTRY, Isotope Geochemistry, Published_External, SOIL SCIENCES, environmental management, isotope geochemistry
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data