AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
The Upper Darling Baaka groundwater project - an integrated approach to groundwater system understanding

Communities and ecosystems along the Darling-Baaka River have been impacted by critical water shortages and water quality issues including high salinity, algal blooms, and fish kills due to declining surface water flows. The river, characterised by naturally variable flows, is the primary water source for the region. However, extraction and a meteorological drying trend associated with climate change have caused significant declines in discharge since post-settlement agriculture and industry began. Given these challenges, utilising lower salinity groundwater within the surrounding Darling Alluvium could supplement or provide an alternative to the current water surface water supply. This study enhanced understanding of the spatial extent, quality, and usability of groundwater in the Darling Alluvium.

This study combined ground and airborne geophysical data, groundwater and surface water levels, hydrochemistry, lithology, and remote sensing data to delineate groundwater systems and understand the geological and hydrological controls on their occurrence. The integration of high-resolution datasets enabled mapping of the key factors controlling occurrence and quality of groundwater aquifers, namely basement topography and hydrostratigraphy, groundwater-surface water dynamics, and inter-aquifer connectivity. On this basis the study area can be sub-divided into regions with distinctive aquifer distribution and quality, recharge mechanisms, and pressure gradients between aquifers.

The findings of this study have direct implications for key management questions, including the location and quantity of potentially useable groundwater, risks from groundwater extraction such as mobilising saline groundwater, and potential impact on river flows and groundwater dependent ecosystems.

Presented at the 52nd Congress of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH2025)

Tags: EFTF – Exploring for the Future, Groundwater hydrology, Hydrogeology, International Association of Hydrogeologists 52nd Congress, Published_External, Upper Darling Floodplain
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Preliminary report on magnetite deposit, Gulgong, New South Wales

At the request of  Australian Magnetite Pty. Ltd. of Melbourne and with the approval of the New South Wales Mines Department a geophysical survey was carried out over a lease held by that Company near Gulgong, New South Wales, in the Parish of Puggoon in the County of Bligh. The area is situated about 7 miles north of Gulgong where the Company operates a mill for crushing, fine grinding and concentrating magnetite ore. The pulverized, concentrated magnetite is used in the heavy liquid separation and cleaning of coal. The present supply of magnetite ore comes from the magnetite mine at Tallawang, about 12 miles from Gulgong. As a results of increasing difficulties in mining this deposit, the best part of which has already been stoped out, Australian Magnetite Pty. Ltd. is desirous of opening up and developing a new and suitable deposit in order to ensure the necessary continuous supply of ore to the mill. The deposit of magnetite in the Parish of Puggoon is partly exposed in outcrops and in a trench, and is probably of lens-like form. It occurs in a Silurian formation. The task set for the geophysical survey was to determine the full extent of the deposit and its approximate shape before a decision was made on a position for a new opencut.

Tags: AU-NSW, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geophysics, mineral deposits, resource assessment
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
The global Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) Database - a review and update

Critical minerals are essential to modern technologies and national security yet supply chains remain vulnerable to disruption. Identifying and assessing these resources is challenging, particularly because public data on their concentrations is often limited, especially for byproducts in ores mined primarily for other commodities. To address this, the Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI), a collaboration among the U.S. Geological Survey, Geological Survey of Canada, and Geoscience Australia, was established in 2019.  

A key output of the CMMI is the Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) database, a comprehensive resource designed to enhance understanding of global critical mineral distributions. As of May 2025, this database includes a compilation of over 20,000 high-quality multielement geochemical analyses of ore and related samples, representing over 100 deposit types across 10 distinct deposit environments (Hofstra et al., 2021). This database employs a novel, consensus-based classification scheme developed by CMMI (https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20211049), enabling robust comparisons of geochemical signatures from ore deposits globally.  

The CMiO database supports the assessment of both primary and byproduct critical mineral potential. For example, analysis of data from porphyry copper-molybdenum-gold deposits allows for quantification of potential byproduct recovery of elements like tellurium, selenium, and rhenium. Similarly, the database aids in understanding differential enrichment of critical minerals, such as cobalt and rare earth elements, within various types of iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) and iron-oxide-apatite (IOA) groups of deposits, informing exploration and resource assessment efforts.   

The CMiO database is a vital, steadily expanding data source for researchers, industry, and governments seeking to understand and secure future critical mineral supplies. An interactive map, the downloadable dataset (https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/cmmi), and a set of data analysis and visualisation tools are publicly available.  CMMI invites submission of high-quality geochemical data for well-characterized ore samples to support the continued growth of the CMiO database.  A submission guide is available at: https://doi.org/10.26186/149408.

Presented at the 2025 Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) Conference

Tags: Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative, Critical Minerals in Ores, Inorganic Geochemistry, Inorganic geochemistry, Ores, Published_External, cmio, cmmi, critical minerals, mineral systems
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Mentelle Basin Survey (GA-0293/SS08/2005) - Bathymetry grids

The Mentelle Basin survey GA-0293, SS08/2005 was acquired by Geoscience Australia onboard the RV Southern Surveyor from the 28th of September to the 19th of October 2005. This deep water rift basin (up to 4500m depth) is located offshore from Fremantle on the SW Australian margin. The objectives of the survey was to study deep water marine habitats and to assess the petroleum potential of the Mentelle Basin. The swath data collected covered a new area of seabed that revealed the extents of the blind submarine canyons and completed the coverage of the Perth Canyon and filled the remaining gaps with high resolution swath bathymetry data.

This dataset is not to be used for navigational purposes.

Tags: AU-WA, AusSeabed, HVC_144641, Marine Data Bathymetry Grid, Marine Geoscience, Published_External, bathymetry, continental shelf, marine, marine survey
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
L103 Officer Basin seismic survey, WA, 1972

Current geological surface mapping of the Officer Basin, W.A., by BMR has given an incomplete picture because the area is largely covered by flat-lying Permian fluvioglacials or lateritized Cretaceous rocks and the outcrops give no indication of the structure and composition of the sediments in most of the basin. The geological boundaries within the basin and at its margins are ill-defined, and the only reliable shallow
subsurface information available from geophysical and well data is along the northern part of the basin near Warburton Mission. A seismic survey in the Officer BaSin, W.A., is planned to operate from mid-July to December 19720 The survey is to be conducted along a NE-SW line roughly following the road between Lake Throssell and Warburton Mission at the two margins of the basin. It will consist of a series of combined refraction and reflection probes located along the road. The operations will start with two probes near the centre of the basin, and the location of subsequent probes will depend on the progressive assessment of results. The results will be tied to those from the earlier seismic surveys in the northern part of the basin.

Tags: AU-WA, HVC_144637, Published_External, Seismic Data seismic survey, Seismology and Seismic Exploration, geophysics, petroleum exploration, seismic reflection, seismic refraction, seismic velocity
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Data security for water security

Good groundwater governance requires good data. Geoscience Australia recently concluded the Exploring for the Future program (EFTF), an eight-year, $225 million national-scale program. A key facet of EFTF was improved water security for households, agriculture and industry. The groundwater component of EFTF involved over 60 people collecting data (e.g. 76,803 line-km of AEM, 58 bores drilled, 179 downhole geophysical surveys, 395 SMR soundings and 344 hydrochemistry samples) across more 300,000 km2 of Australia and resulted in more than 70 technical reports and data releases. The Australian Government is continuing to invest in long-term understanding of groundwater through the 35-year, $3.4 billion Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity Initiative.

For science to support decision-making, data confidence is paramount. The development of any groundwater product involves data handling by multiple people, from acquisition, processing, and integration, through interpretation, storage and delivery. Without controls, various factors may lead to close coupling of datasets to individuals along the development pathway which can result in downstream issues requiring resolution. This and other issues become even more important when dealing with multi-generational programs in which data quality needs to be assessable by people not yet born as well as technologies not yet developed.

Using the “wrong” datasets to develop products can lead to frustrating delays and reprocessing, and subtle faults in those products. This presentation explores some of the things that can go wrong with data handling in multi-person activities in multi-year programs, and discusses the role of transparency in the product development process.

Presented at the 52nd Congress of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH2025)

Tags: EFTF – Exploring for the Future, Groundwater, Groundwater hydrology, Published_External, data management, governance
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Evidence for a Permian petroleum system in the Timor Sea region, northwestern Australia

Petroleum exploration in the Timor Sea region, Bonaparte Basin, has focussed on plays that are charged and sealed by Mesozoic sediments. However, there is increasing evidence that Palaeozoic oil and gas have contributed to the hydrocarbons found in this area. Geochemical appraisal of the palaeo-oil column at Torrens-1 on the Londonderry High, the gas/condensate reserves in the Petrel and Tern fields in the Petrel Sub-basin, and the gas accumulation at Kelp Deep-1 on the Sahul Platform in the Zone of Co-operation, have revealed that these hydrocarbons are most likely generated from organic-rich Permian sediments.

Oil stains and fluid inclusion oil from the Permian Highland Bay and Fossil Head formations at Torrens-1 have similar biomarker compositions indicating a terrestrial source affinity. Carbon isotope values from bulk and compound-specific analyses show that the Fossil Head-reservoired oil is enriched in 13C (13Csat=-26.1 ‰). Despite having lost its lower molecular weight hydrocarbons, the n-alkane isotope profile exhibits a strong negative slope and is similar to the Petrel and Tern condensates reservoired in the Hyland Bay Formation. Onshore in the Petrel Sub-basin, Weaber-4 oil has an isotopic signature enriched in 13C, as observed at Petrel and Tern. These data are distinct from those of the Carboniferous-sourced Barnett/Turtle oils (offshore Petrel Sub-basin) which have  13Csat values in the order of -28 ‰.

Dry gas from Kelp Deep-1 in the Hyland Bay Formation has an isotopic composition in keeping with generation from land-plant-rich source rocks, and its stratigraphic and structural position is suggestive of a Permian origin.

Presented at the 2000 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Bali

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, petroleum exploration
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Pacific area: drilling results

A total of thirteen rotary cored bores were sunk by the Bureau approximately one mile south of the village of Teralba in the Parishes of Teralba and Awaba, Northumberland County. The Great Northern Seam in places is sufficiently thick for open cut mining but the coal is generally of very poor quality and the overburden to coal ratio much too high to warrant further drilling. Continued prospecting of the Fassifern Seam in this area is not warranted, because of the very poor quality of the coal in this seam. This report contains an account of the operations, and describes the results of the geological investigations. The results of drilling are detailed in the accompanying plates and bore logs.

Tags: AU-NSW, GA Publication, Geology, Published_External, Record, commodities, geology, mineral deposits, mining, resource assessment
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Geochemistry of drill core samples from the Stuart Shelf region, South Australia

The Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program is an Australian government initiative aimed at stimulating investment in resource exploration and development. It operates multiple interconnected projects, such as the Australia’s Resources Framework (ARF), a continental-scale endeavor to enhance understanding of Australia's geology and resource potential. A module of ARF, the Geochemistry for Basin Prospectivity (G4BP), studies Australian basins with prospective base metal mineral systems. 



The current report focuses on the Neoproterozoic segment of the Stuart Shelf region in South Australia, a part of the Adelaide Rift Complex. This research is conducted collaboratively with the Geological Survey of South Australia, examining sediment-hosted copper potential in the rift complex.



The Adelaide Rift Complex is a geological formation that underwent extensive sedimentation from the Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian, particularly within the rift zone. Stuart Shelf sediments overlay Mesoproterozoic magmatic and Paleoproterozoic metasediment layers. The complex hosts multiple copper deposits, which are usually associated with movement of basinal brines that leach metals from lower basinal layers or rift-related volcanic rocks.



To improve understanding of the geology of the Stuart Shelf and related copper mineralisation, two primary objectives were set: 



1. Geochemical fingerprinting and baseline data collection: This involves compilation and reanalysis of existing data, along with new data collection aimed at providing comprehensive geochemical data for stratigraphic units within the Stuart Shelf.



2. Identification of mineral system components: Utilising data from the first objective, this phase aims to identify potential metal and fluid sources and potential sites of metal deposition. 

In conjunction with these efforts, a GA-GSSA geochemical sampling project is underway, tying geochemistry to lithostratigraphic units and facies. The newly acquired geochemical data will be integrated into the overall GSSA-CSIRO project to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the sediment-hosted stratabound mineral system.



Tags: EFTF – Exploring for the Future, Geochemistry, Inorganic Geochemistry, Published_External, Stuart Shelf, mineral systems
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Micropalaeontological examination of rock samples from the Cape Vogel area, Papua

One hundred and seven rock specimens from the Cape Vogel area, Papua were submitted by J.E. Thompson for micropalaeontological examination. This collection consisted of Siltstones, tuffaceous sandstones and limestones of these, Sixty-two were unfossiliferous and in this report only those which were fossiliferous are described in detail. The majority of specimens were siltstones and tuffaceous sandstones, few of which contained good faunal assemblages. It has, therefore, not been possible to say definitely whether some of them are Pliocene ("h" stage) or Upper Miocene ("g" stage) in age. More definite age could be determined from the assemblage larger foraminifera found in the few limestones. The places where the samples were taken are shown in the accompanying locality map.

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, PG, Published_External, Record, palaeontology
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Radioactive surveys, Katherine - Darwin area, Northern Territory: report for quarter ending 31st March, 1954

Operations of the Radioactive Section have been restricted during this quarter due to the "wet" season and lack of staff. Drilling operations at the Ella Creek Prospect were completed and operations commenced at the Edith River Prospect. No encouraging results were disclosed at either prospect. Other work has been limited to inspection of reported new discoveries and geophysical work in the Rum Jungle area.

Tags: AU-NT, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geology, geophysics, mineral exploration, prospectivity, radiometrics, uranium
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Preliminary report on the use of electric logging in connection with coal exploration in the Cessnock-Muswellbrook district

As a result of a suggestion that electric logging might be employed successfully in coal exploration, a Geophysicist from Melbourne visited Field Headquarters, Muswellbrook and ran electric logs in holes which are being drilled in this district. The equipment consisted of a Widco Logger with one movable electrode capable of measuring Resistivity to a depth of 500 feet. An adaption has been made to this equipment to enable Self Potential to be measured. The details of work done are listed in Table 1 and the results of the logging as compared with the usual method of core-logging are summarized briefly hereunder.

Tags: AU-NSW, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geology, geophysics, mineral exploration
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Bauxite of Manus Island, Territory of Papua and New Guinea

Bauxite was found on Manus Island in 1952 by J.E. Thompson, Senior Resident Geologist, Territory of Papua and New Guinea, at three separate localities. At Lepatuan a dacite flow overlies bedded tuffs and both have been bauxitized. The former parent rock yields a porous granular bauxite containing about 1 percent silica, 55 percent alumina, 10-13 percent ferric oxide and 1 percent titania. Bauxite developed on the tuffs is nodular in character, and consists of gibbsite nodules embedded in soft clay-like bauxite. The composition of one sample of this bauxite is 11.7 percent silica, 51.0 percent alumina, 10.8 percent ferric oxide and 1.0 percent titania. The bauxite is forming at the present day by direct alteration of the dacite without an intervening clay zone, but the tuffs are kaolinized in the first stage of alteration. It is of high significance that bauxite can develop on small flat elevated areas (50 acres at Lepatuan) during the present weathering cycle. Essential conditions for bauxitic alteration to take place appear to be - (a) high mean temperature, high rainfall and dense vegetation, (b) relatively flat terrain, and (c) elevation above immediate surroundings to ensure adequate ground-water movement. Total resources of bauxite at Lepatuan are about 600,000 tons, and possible reserves are negligible at the other localities. Difficulties of access and distance from markets militate against commercial exploitation of the deposit, but prospects of finding more bauxite in the islands of the volcanic arcs of Bismark Archipelago cannot be lightly dismissed.

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, PG, Published_External, Record, mineral deposits, mineralogy, resource assessment
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Probabilistic tsunami inundation assessment from a near-field earthquake source

Tsunamis are a destructive and dangerous hazard for coastal communities. To prepare for future events, Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (PTHA) can be used to estimate the frequency and severity of tsunamis. Large-scale PTHAs have been developed by modelling a suite of tsunami events to robustly represent all possible earthquake-generated tsunamis (Behrens et al., 2021). The 2018 Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (PTHA18) is a global PTHA that serves as a database of offshore tsunami frequency and wave data (Davies &amp; Griffin, 2018). In this presentation, we will demonstrate the efficient conversion of offshore PTHA18 data to onshore probabilistic inundation data (Figure 1) through the modelling of a stratified random sample of tsunami events. The town of Vanimo in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is used as a case study.  

We consider the tsunami threat to the north coast of PNG from earthquakes generated in the New Guinea subduction zone. PNG does not currently have a comprehensive tsunami warning system. However, in the case of the New Guinea trench, ground shaking from a large earthquake may provide communities with some warning and, should this occur, PNG government advice is to evacuate to locations 800 m from the coastline (Kawata et al., 1999). Results suggest that this directive is a safe one and inundation further than 800 m inland is estimated to occur with a very low frequency. Evacuation to this distance from the coast may, however, not be achievable within the short period of time between a large earthquake on this trench and the resulting tsunami. Tsunami arrival times are estimated to be &lt;10 min at an average frequency of roughly once in 300 years (Annual Exceedance Probability of 0.333). For Vanimo specifically, this guidance may be best followed in combination with evacuation to at least 5 m elevation. This allows for evacuation to the high elevation Vanimo peninsula (Figure 1) which is close to population centres on the isthmus, and is estimated to be inundated less frequently than other sites within 800 m of the coastline.   

The offshore PTHA maximum water levels above Mean Sea Level (MSL) show a positive linear correlation with onshore maximum water levels. Linear regression data for every 10x10m cell in the model domain shows how the elevation features influence tsunami wave amplification. The linear regression coefficient at the coastline (0 m elevation) is between 1 and 1.6 with R2 varying between 0.8 and 0.95. Shoaling is apparent in the nearshore and amplification is greater on the exposed, seaward side of the Vanimo peninsula than in more sheltered locations. Such variation makes a good case for applying comprehensive probabilistic inundation as opposed to simpler methods. Conclusions may be applicable to other locations with a near-field source. 

Presented at the 24th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM2021)

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, coastal hazard, disaster risk reduction, probabilistic inundation, probabilistic tsunami hazard assessments, tsunami
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data