4.6 GEOLOGY, SOILS, MINERAL RESOURCES, AND PALEONTOLOGICAL ...
Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory · Geology and mineral resources of the...
Transcript of Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory · Geology and mineral resources of the...
Ahmad M and Munson TJ (compilers)
Northern Territory Geological SurveySpecial Publication 5
Chapter 1: Introduction
Geology and mineral resourcesof the Northern Territory
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: Ahmad M and Scrimgeour IR, 2013. Chapter 1: Introduction: in Ahmad M and Munson TJ (compilers). ‘Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory’. Northern Territory Geological Survey, Special Publication 5.
DisclaimerWhile all care has been taken to ensure that information contained in this publication is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of its information. The Northern Territory of Australia gives no warranty or assurance, and makes no representation as to the accuracy of any information or advice contained in this publication, or that it is suitable for your intended use. You should not rely upon information in this publication for the purpose of making any serious business or investment decisions without obtaining independent and/or professional advice in relation to your particular situation. The Northern Territory of Australia disclaims any liability or responsibility or duty of care towards any person for loss or damage caused by any use of, or reliance on the information contained in this publication.
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Introduction
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION M Ahmad and IR Scrimgeour
Current as of January 2013
The Northern Territory of Australia covers an area of about 1.35 million km2 and comprises ninety 1:250 000-scale topographic mapsheets. First Edition geological mapping of these mapsheets was completed in the early 1970s by the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR), later renamed the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) and now known as Geoscience Australia (GA). From 1970 to 1990, BMR and the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) jointly conducted Second Edition mapping of selected regions. Subsequently, NTGS took over the principal role of mapping throughout the Territory and Second Edition mapping of selected regions of the NT is ongoing. Many economically important regions have also been mapped at 1:100 000-scale.
For over a century since the pioneering work of early explorers such as HYL Brown (Figure 1.1), numerous government geologists have contributed towards the current understanding of the geology and mineral resources of the NT. Their observations are detailed in numerous geological maps, reports, explanatory notes, bulletins and records. Apart from these government data, there are a large number of publications and reports from academia and mineral and petroleum exploration companies, much of which is held by the Minerals and Energy Information Centre of the NT Department of Mines and Energy.
Since the 1970s, many new developments have taken place in the geological sciences. These include high-quality airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys, new more advanced geochronological techniques, precise and fast geochemical analytical methods and the development of digital technology, which now plays a pivotal role in the collation, processing, interpretation and delivery of
large number of Territory-wide maps and digital datasets that have been published since this time, the NT has lacked an overarching document that described the NT’s geology and resource potential. Although detailed reports are available on individual geological mapsheets and on
of available information dealing with the geology and mineral resources of the entire NT into a single publication. The overall aim is to provide industry, government and academia with a detailed reference point to the complex geological provinces of the NT and its associated mineral resources and exploration potential.
LAYOUT OF VOLUME
The relationship between geological time, geological provinces and mineral and petroleum systems is of fundamental importance and has guided the layout of this publication. The volume is subdivided on the basis of geological provinces, which are organised in ascending order with reference to the geological timescale. Mineral deposits within each province are divided on the basis of commodity. The petroleum geology of all basins with hydrocarbon potential is also described.
Chapters 2 and 3 cover Territory-wide topics; they respectively describe the geological framework of the NT and summarise the major commodities. Chapter 4 looks at the oldest known rocks within the NT, which are basement inliers of Archaean age within the Pine Creek Orogen and Tanami Region. Chapters 5–21 describe the NT’s Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic orogenic provinces and overlying basins. Chapters 22–38 describe the Neoproterozoic to Palaeozoic basins and other provinces, including the Neoproterozoic–early Palaeozoic Centralian Superbasin, late early Cambrian Kalkarindji Province, and the orogenic Irindina Province of the Arunta Region. Palaeozoic basins that extend into the Mesozoic (Bonaparte and Pedirka basins) are also included in this group. Chapters 39–42 describe the NT’s Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins.
Each chapter has a date of currency, which records the time at which compilation of each chapter ceased and editing and formatting commenced. This date may vary by as much as two years between chapters. For this reason, there may be some inconsistency between the currency of information between chapters.
Figure 1.1
geological map of the NT in 1898, as well as 14 publications. Image courtesy of State Library of South Australia.
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HISTORY OF GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY
1865–1945: Early investigations
The history of geological investigations in the Northern
of BT Finniss’s surveying party found a few specks of gold at the Finniss River, southwest of Darwin. Gold was also found at Tumbling Waters to the south of Darwin Harbour in 1869 by members of Surveyor General Goyder’s party. In 1863, administration of the Northern Territory was transferred from NSW to South Australia and from 1889, South Australian Government geologists made several investigations of the geology and mineral endowment of the Northern Territory. In 1870, a hole dug for the construction of a telegraph pole at Yam Creek, north of Pine Creek, yielded alluvial gravel containing coarse gold and this led to major gold rush in the Pine Creek area. Prospecting and mining activities increased rapidly and by
tin at Bynoe and Mount Wells, copper at Daly River, and silver-lead-zinc at Mount Evelyn and McArthur River. In
made at about this time, including mica at Harts Range in the 1880s (Joklik 1955), alluvial gold at Arltunga in 1887, and reef gold in the same area shortly thereafter (Hossfeld 1937). Gold was discovered in the Tanami Region in 1900 (Davidson 1905).
the geology of the NT. Other mapping and geological investigations during this early period included those of Tennyson Woods (1864, 1886, 1889), Etheridge (1902, 1904), and Playford (1900, 1904). Between 1889 and 1911, HYL Brown (Figure 1.1), South Australian Chief Government Geologist, made numerous visits to the Territory and produced 14 reports covering the geology of its many mineral provinces. He also produced a series of reconnaissance geological maps of the Northern Territory through the 1890s and early 1900s, including
and Winnecke 1898, Figure 1.2), and a revised version published a decade later (Brown 1908, Figure 1.3).
In 1911, the Commonwealth Government took over administration of the Northern Territory from South Australia and appointed HI Jensen as the Chief Government Geologist, a position he held until 1916. Geological investigations were conducted on many of the mineral
Government Geologist, HA Ellis, examined many mineral
and maps. Although gold was recorded by HYL Brown from
Tennant Creek in 1895, it was not until 1933 that a gold
WG Woolnough, Commonwealth Geological Advisor, carried out an extensive examination of the Tennant Creek
development, based on geological investigations at that time (Crohn 1976).
In 1935, the Aerial, Geological and Geophysical Survey of Northern Australia (AGGSNA) was jointly sponsored by the Commonwealth, Queensland and WA governments. From 1935–1941, AGGSNA carried out geological and geophysical surveys over most of the known mineral-bearing areas of the NT including the Brocks Creek, Maranboy, Pine Creek and Daly River
map of the Northern Territory (Hossfeld 1953) was essentially based on AGGSNA mapping activities during this period.
See Jones (1987) for a detailed account of the history of geological investigations and mineral exploration activities in the NT prior to 1946.
1946–1978: BMR era
In 1946, the Commonwealth Government established the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR). The discovery of uranium at Rum Jungle in 1949 provided much needed
Figure 1.2. Geological map of the Northern Territory of South Australia (Brown and Winnecke 1898), showing rock formations along main tracks and isolated parts of coastline (Image courtesy of National Library of Australia).
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Figure 1.3. Northern sheet of revised Geological map of the Northern Territory of South Australia (Brown 1908, image courtesy of University of Queensland Library). Large stretches of NT coastline had been mapped since previous 1898 edition (Figure 1.1). Manganese outcrops, noted on Groote Eylandt by HYL Brown during this survey, were the subject of follow-up investigations half a century later by PR Dunn and PW Crohn, leading to the discovery of a world-class manganese deposit in this area.
impetus for geological investigations by BMR in this area and from 1950–1953, several separate investigations were conducted on the uranium occurrences. At about the same time, PS Hossfeld compiled a preliminary geological map of the entire Northern Territory (Figure 1.4) and discussed the stratigraphic relationships, lithology and structure (Hossfeld 1953). In 1952, BMR set up a regional
staff whose main aim was to carry out regional geological mapping. Systematic regional mapping of all of the NT commenced in 1953, resulting in the publication of First Edition 1:250 000-scale geological maps and explanatory notes through the 1960s and early 1970s. At the same time, the Resident Geological Section of the Northern Territory Administration (NTA) conducted geological investigations of local relevance. Until 1956, this section was run by geologists on secondment from BMR. However, from 1956 onwards, the NTA employed its own
Alice Springs. In 1956, the number of geological staff was increased to eight and Norman James Mackay was appointed Senior Resident Geologist. The work in those years included the supervision of geologists in Darwin and Alice Springs, the inspection of prospects, some involving
drilling programs, and the location of water bores for various station properties. In 1960, Peter W Crohn (Figure 1.5) was appointed as the BMR Senior Resident Geologist after his return from an Antarctic mission and he was involved in the discovery of the Groote Eylandt manganese deposits. In 1965, Crohn was succeeded by Dick Dodson who led the Darwin Uranium Group and
Woodcutters lead-zinc deposit in 1967, while looking for the extensions of Rum Jungle-style uranium deposits (Wilkinson 1996).
In 1970, the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) was created as a part of the Mines Branch of the NTA and ten geological positions were transferred from BMR to NTGS. Peter Crohn returned to Darwin to head the newly created geological section and Dick Dodson went back to Canberra. During his time Crohn expanded the project scope to include studies of minerals, groundwater, engineering geology, construction materials, geochemistry and geophysics. In 1976, he was appointed Director of Mines, a position he held until 1979. BMR continued to carry out regional investigations, whereas NTGS’s main functions involved mineral deposit
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map of the NT (Figure 1.6) awaited the culmination of First Edition 1:250 000-scale mapping and was compiled by D’Addario et al (1976).
During this period, a number of major world-class mineral discoveries were made (see Commodity Reviews), including uranium at Rum Jungle (1949) and in the East Alligator River Region (1969); zinc-lead-silver at McArthur River; manganese at Groote Eylandt (1960); bauxite at Gove (1949); and gold at Tennant Creek. Oil and gas accumulations were discovered in the Amadeus Basin in the mid-1960s.
1978–1998: NTGS following Self-Government
In 1978, after the NT was granted Self-Government, NTGS became part of the NT Department of Mines and Energy. In 1979, Paul Le Messurier was appointed as the Director of NTGS (Figure 1.7). Under Le Messurier’s leadership, NTGS was reorganised into Regional Mapping, Metalliferous, Geophysics, Engineering Geology, Petroleum Geology, Environmental and Geoscience Information sections. NTGS functions changed from local mine site, groundwater and engineering investigations to regional geological mapping, geophysical surveys, environmental
and metallogenic studies. The Environmental section was involved in the mapping of National Parks and the
in Alice Springs and RBM Thompson was appointed as the
appointed as Assistant Director, Northern Region in 1982 and was followed by CA Mulder in 1987, when Hosking departed NTGS. To meet NTGS’s new responsibilities, staff were increased to a total of 38 professional, technical and
NTGS geologists carried out joint investigations in the Pine Creek Orogen and Arunta Region. Subsequently, NTGS took over the sole responsibility of mapping, commencing
1982, NTGS had a staff of 25 geologists and 24 supporting
In 1978, the Australian Science and Technology Council (ASTEC) carried out a review of BMR that
major recommendations of this review was that BMR should relinquish responsibility for the completion and revision of the 1:250 000-scale map series throughout Australia. However, it was considered that until the NT developed its own capability, BMR would continue to be
Figure 1.4. Preliminary geological map of the entire Northern Territory compiled by Hossfeld in the early 1950s. Note that because of extensive deformation, high-grade metamorphism and a paucity of geochronological information, the Arunta Region, and Musgrave and Irindina provinces are placed in the Archaean (‘Archaeozoic’). Image courtesy of National Library of Australia.
Figure 1.5. PW (Peter) Crohn, Senior Resident Geologist NT (1960–1965), Chief Government Geologist NT (1969–1978). Peter led the geological investigation at Groote Eylandt
expanded the functions of the NTGS from minesite studies to minerals, groundwater, engineering geology, construction materials, geochemistry and geophysics.
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responsible for mapping at this scale, in cooperation with the NT Government. These recommendations were a turning point in the history of NTGS and by 1981, it had assumed a greatly increased responsibility for geological mapping in the NT, as BMR gradually withdrew from such activities. The number of 1:100 000-scale mapping projects in which NTGS was participating increased from eight in 1979–1980 to eighteen in 1980–1981.
Huckitta and Kulgera areas in 1981 and involved a total of twenty 1:100 000 mapsheets. This led to the commencing of a long-term commitment to airborne geophysical programs that resulted in an average of one 1:250 000 mapsheet being
geological map and explanatory notes (DARWIN1; Pietsch
1 Names of 1:250 000 and 1:100 000 mapsheets are in large and small capital letters respectively, eg BARROW CREEK, DARWIN.
Figure 1.6compiled by D’Addario et al (1976). Scanned image courtesy of National Library of Australia.
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1983), and by 1985, NTGS was conducting geological investigations across large areas of the Northern Territory, including the McArthur Basin, Tennant and Arunta regions and Musgrave Province. In 1987, a special initiative of $1 million was provided by the Territory Government to accelerate geological programs; this led to the publication of mineral commodity and petroleum basins studies as well as a mineral occurrence map of the Northern Territory.
In 1995, CA Mulder (Figure 1.8) was appointed as the Director of NTGS, a position he held until his retirement in 1998. During the 1990s, NTGS undertook major regional mapping campaigns, particularly in the McArthur Basin, Musgrave Province and Tennant Region.
During this period, a number of major mineral discoveries were made and important new mines opened in the Pine Creek Orogen, McArthur Basin and Tanami regions (see Commodity Reviewsa number of other gold mines in the PCO; several mines in
class Callie gold mine in the Tanami Region; the Woodcutters base metals mine in the PCO; the world-class McArthur River base metals mine in the McArthur Basin; and the Nabarlek and
and gas accumulations were also discovered in the offshore Bonaparte Basin.
1998–present: Modern exploration initiatives
In June 1997, Ross Fardon and Associates Pty Ltd completed a review of NTGS and recommended several changes, including in-house printing of maps and reports, the targeting of geological problems rather than mapsheet areas, and an improvement in information technology and data handling capacity (Fardon 1997). In November 1998, the Minister of Mines and Energy announced that the Northern Territory Government would provide $16 million in additional funding to NTGS over a period of four years under the NT Exploration Initiative (NTEI). Dr RD (Dennis) Gee (Figure 1.9) joined NTGS as Director in October 1998 to lead the exploration initiative and to re-focus the geological survey in line with the recommendations of the ACIL Tasman review. The appointment of Dennis Gee, combined with additional funding through the NTEI, provided the catalyst for a change in direction for NTGS, resulting in exploration-focused, state-
enhancing the mineral potential of the NT, the collection and interpretation of geophysical data, and the development of a range of digital databases. A highlight of the NTEI was the coverage of vast areas of the NT, particularly in the south, with 400 m line-spaced airborne magnetics and radiometrics. Mapping activity was focused on the Tanami Region, Arunta Region and Victoria, McArthur, South Nicholson, Georgina and Birrindudu basins.
The NTEI was followed by the four-year (2003–2007), $15.2 million exploration initiative Building the Territory’s Resource Base, led by RG Brescianini (Director from
Figure 1.10), which included $13 million for new geoscience programs. Following a review of the success of these two initiatives (ACIL Tasman 2007), the Government announced a new Bringing Forward Discovery initiative, initially for four years, then extended to seven
Figure 1.7. P (Paul) Le Messurier, Chief Government Geologist and Director of NT Geological Survey (1979–1994). Under Paul’s leadership, NTGS was reorganised into Regional Mapping, Metalliferous, Geophysics, Petroleum Geology, Environmental and Geoscience Information sections. NTGS functions changed from local minesite, groundwater and engineering investigations to regional geological mapping, geophysical surveys and metallogenic studies.
Figure 1.8. CA (Lex) Mulder, Director of NT Geological Survey (1995–1998).
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Bringing Forward Discovery included a focus on improving the gravity coverage of the NT, as well as a program of collaborative industry grants for drilling and geophysics in areas with a paucity of geological knowledge (Geophysical and Drilling Collaborations program). Dr IR Scrimgeour (Figure 1.11)was appointed Director in late 2006 and has led Bringing Forward Discovery since its inception. Throughout the period from 2003–2011, NTGS was particularly focused on regional studies in the Arunta Region, Pine Creek Orogen and Georgina Basin, and on developing systems for improving the internet accessibility of data and information. Throughout the initiatives, specialist expertise has been brought in to NTGS programs through collaboration, particularly with Geoscience Australia and CSIRO.
of direct relevance to exploration, Dennis Gee initiated the Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES) in 2000, to enable the annual reporting of NTGS results to the exploration industry. The abstracts volumes from these annual forums provide a detailed record of the progress of NTGS programs since 2000.
1:250 000 maps and thirty-one 1:100 000-scale geoscience maps, along with hundreds of associated published reports, records and external publications. Revised Second Edition 250 000-scale geological maps are now available for a large part of the Territory (Figure 1.12), and the NT has nearly complete coverage of 1:250 000-scale fully attributed geological map GIS tiles. Succeeding supervisors of regional mapping programs since the inception of NTGS have been DL Dundas, G DeRoss, BA Pietsch, IR Scrimgeour and
Figure 1.10. RG Brescianini, Chief Government Geologist and Director of NT Geological Survey (2002–2006).
Figure 1.9. RD (Dennis) Gee, Chief Government Geologist and Director of NT Geological Survey (1998–2002). In a brief period of four years, Dennis focused NTGS staff to exploration-oriented
on enhancing the mineral potential of the NT, the collection and interpretation of geophysical data, and the development of a range of digital databases.
Figure 1.11. Dr IR Scrimgeour, Chief Government Geologist and Director NT Geological Survey (2006–present).
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DF Close. M Ahmad supervised the Metalliferous section from 1981 and became Chief Geoscientist in 2005. CA Mulder supervised the Environmental section from 1982 to 1987. The Geophysical section has had B Simmons, TLF Findhammer and RG Brescianini as supervisors, and the Petroleum Geology section has been headed by P Sinicia, D Pegum
geological maps and data to industry in digital formats. To lead these changes, Tracey Rogers was appointed in 2000 to head the Geoscience Information section of NTGS (now the Geoscience Knowledge Management program). Following a review of NTGS in 2004, the traditional subdivision into Regional Mapping, Metalliferous, Petroleum and Geophysics sections were combined into the Regional Prospectivity group, which undertakes all new geoscience programs in NTGS.
Since 2000, a large number of Territory-wide maps and digital datasets have been produced. There are NT-wide
stitches of geophysical and remotely sensed data, including magnetics (Figure 1.13), radiometrics, elevation, gravity and ASTER2
the NT’s geochemical and geochronological datasets. Many of these datasets were used to compile the 1:2.5 million-scale geological map of the Northern Territory (Figure 1.14) and associated stratigraphic correlations by Ahmad (2000). This digital map is revised, as and when new information becomes available, and three subsequent revisions have been published. The geological map is accompanied by a Regolith Map of the NT (Craig 2006) and a Metallogenic Map of the NT that depicts the distribution of mineral occurrences and deposits (Khan et al 2010).
The exploration initiatives since 1999 have contributed to a major exploration boom in the Northern
a dramatic increase in mineral exploration expenditure in the Northern Territory, from $41.5 million in 2003 to $228.4 million in 2011. The boom has seen a shift in commodity focus for explorers in the Territory, resulting
2 Radiometer.
MOUNTYOUNG
BATHURSTISLAND
JUNCTION BAY
HODGSONDOWNSLARRIMAH
VICTORIA RIVERDOWNS
DALY WATERS TANUMBIRINI
BRUNETTEDOWNS
BEETALOO
SOUTH LAKEWOODS
NEWCASTLEWATERS
WINNECKECREEKBIRRINDUDU
TANAMI EAST GREEN SWAMPWELL
ALCOOTA
RODINGA
FINKE
SIMPSONDESERTNORTH
DESERTSIMPSON
SOUTH
HALE RIVER
McDILLS
TANAMI
MARUMBA
FOG BAY
THE GRANITES
ALROY
DELAMERE
WATERLOO
LIMBUNYA
HELEN SPRINGS
TENNANT CREEK
BONNEY WELL FREW RIVER
ELKEDRABARROW CREEK
HUCKITTA
KATHERINE
MOUNT
MILINGIMBI GOVE
MOUNT DOREEN
RANGES AYERS ROCK KULGERA
HERMANNSBURG
HIGHLANDROCKS
LANDER RIVER
HAY RIVER
CALVERT HILLS
PINE CREEK
DOWNSBAUHINIA
PORT KEATS
DARWIN
ISLANDMELVILLE
CAPE SCOTT
ROBINSON RIVER
AUVERGNE
RIVERALLIGATOR
LAKE MACKAY
HENBURYLAKE AMADEUS
NAPPERBY
ALICE SPRINGS CREEKILLOGWA
FERGUSSONRIVER
EVELYNMOUNT
WAVE HILL
RIVERSANDOVER
MOUNT LIEBIGMOUNT RENNIE
BLOODS RANGE
MOUNTSOLITAIRE
RANKEN
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PORT LANGDON
CAPE BEATRICE
TOBERMOREY
MOUNT THEO MOUNT PEAKE
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ARNHEM BAY
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Special map: refer to list below to obtain titleA
3rd edition map3
2nd edition mapMetallogenic study/map
NTGS map BMR/AGSO map
2
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C Urapunga - Roper RiverD Arnhem Bay - GoveE Wessel Islands - Truant Island
F Cobourg Peninsula - Melville IslandG Northwestern Musgrave BlockH Litchfield North Special InterpretedG Litchfield South Special Interpreted
B Blue Mud Bay Special
Figure 1.12. Coverage of 1:250 000-scale geological mapping of the Northern Territory, as of February 2013.
Figure 1.13. Seamless airborne magnetic map of the Northern Territory.
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such as rare earths, phosphate, iron ore, mineral sands and vanadium, along with a major uranium exploration boom from 2007–2010. There has also been an increased focus
previously under-explored provinces such as the Arunta Region. Important discoveries over this period include the Barrow Creek-1 phosphate deposit in the Georgina
Basin, the Mount Peake vanadium magnetite deposit in the Aileron Province, Myrtle zinc deposit in the McArthur Basin and a number of rare earth element discoveries, including Nolans Bore, Stromberg and Charley Creek. A number of mines commenced operations, including several heavy mineral sands mines in the Tiwi Islands, the Bootu Creek manganese mine, and a number of new
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TANAMIREGION
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Greywacke,shale,siltstone
Sandstone,shale
Sandstone,dolostone,magnesite
Granite,gneiss,schist,BIF
KAKADU AND NAMOONA GROUPS
Greywacke,shale,siltstone,hematiticshales
Greywacke,shale,siltstone
Felsicvolcanics
Felsicvolcanics
Felsicvolcanics
Sandstone,conglomerate,greywacke
Bimodalvolcanics,dolostoneSandstone,conglomerate
Sandstone Sandstone
Dolostone,shale
Dolostone,limestone,sandstone
Sandstone,dolostone,shale
Sandstone,shale
Mudstone,shale
Sandstone,shale,mudstone
Sandstone,limestone
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Sandstone,flood basalt
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QUATERNARY
CAMBRIAN
SILURIAN
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ORDOVICIAN
CARBONIFEROUS
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JURASSIC
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Sandstone
Dolostone
Sandstone
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Note : Chronometric scale is non-linear.
McARTHUR ANDBALMA GROUPS
NATHAN ANDMT RIGG GROUPS
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TERTIARY
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Units not exposed
Sand, clay, calcrete and lacustrine limestone in inland palaeodrainage;fluvial sandstone and siltstone on Bathurst and Melville Islands
70
0Sand, silt and clay in coastal esturies
PINE CREEKOROGEN
Siltstone,shale,sandstone
GRAN
ITE/
GNEI
SS
WATTIE ANDBULLITA GROUPS
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CARPENTARIA BASINS
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SCHI
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Tuff, shale, phyllite, chert
Carbonaceous shale,BIF,shale,dolostone
Maficvolcanics
Maficvolcanics
Dolostone,shale,sandstone
Dolostone,shale,siltstone,chert,sandstone
Dolostone,shale,siltstone,sandstone
Quartzite, sandstone,conglomerate, dolostone,limestone, salt
Siltstone, dolostone,limestone, sandstone,diamictite
Sandstone, limestone,siltstone
Sandstone,conglomerate,mudstone
Sandstone, conglomerate
Sandstone,limestone,shale, coal,diamictite
Sandstone,shale,limestone
Sandstone,shale,coal
Shale,sandstone
Shale,sandstone
Sandstone,shale,coal
Sandstone,shale,coal
ALICE SPRINGS OROGENY 400-300
MUSGRAVE OROGENY 1200-1160
PETERMANN OROGENY 570-530
Conglomerate,sandstone,mudstone,diamictite
HEAVITREE, BITTER SPRINGS
* *
LP1
LP3
P4
P5
P6
P7
P8
P9
P10
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
Migmatitic metapelite,metabasite, gneiss, calc-silicate,marble, quartzite
Amphibolite
LARAPINTA EVENT 480-460
PIONEER, OLYMPIC,PERTATATAKA
Felsic and pelitic gneiss/schist,orthoquartzite,amphibolite,migmatite,calc-silicate
MUSGRAVEBLOCK
b1
Limestone, sandstone
Felsic andmafic gneiss,schist,quartzite
Sandstone,conglomerate,siltstone,shale,coal,diamictite
BIF,carbonaceousshale,siltstone,chert,sandstone,dolerite
WARE GROUP STRANGWAYS COMPLEX
LANDER ROCK FORMATIONKILLI KILLI FORMATION
1N5
2N5
Felsic andmafic gneiss,metavolcanics,metapelite
Greywacke,siltstone,shale,schist,gneiss
Sandstone,siltstone
Greywacke,siltstone,shale
Sandstone,volcaniclasticsandstone
TJAUWATA GROUP
CHEWINGS OROGENY1590-1570
2000
b6
f66d6g
f7
7d7g
g8 b8
b9 d9g9
g5
f5
f4
g4
d4
d5b5
f9
Bimodal volcanics,sandstone,quartzite,conglomerate,red-beds
Schist,slate,siltstone,calc-silicate,amphibolite,quartzite
CENTRALIAN SUPERBASIN
STRANGWAYSEVENT 1730-1700
STAFFORD EVENT1810-1800
YAMBAH EVENT1780-1760
b7
rArA
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
M6
M6b
M7
M8
M9
D7
D9
D6b
T5f
T5
T4
N4
Y4
Y5
N5f
V6
V7
V8
9L9V
L8
L7
L6b
L6
M10 D10
V10
ARUNTAREGION
AMADEUS, NGALIA, DALY,GEORGINA AND WISO BASINS
C
D
SS
D
P
T
K K
Pn
RUM JUNGLE ANDNANAMBU COMPLEXES
SOUTHNICHOLSON
BASIN
SOUTH NICHOLSONGROUP
2A5
1A5
A6
U8
U9
A10
A10d
HARTS RANGE COMPLEX
BUKALARA SANDSTONE,WESSEL GROUP
TENNANTREGION
AUVERGNE,FITZMAURICE ANDTIJUNNA GROUPS
MADDERNS YARD, YAYAAND IWUPATAKA
COMPLEXES
PARGEE SANDSTONE,TOLMER AND
BIRRINDUDU GROUPSPETERS CREEK VOLCANICS,
WIRE CREEK SANDSTONE
REYNOLDS RANGE GROUP,CADNEY METAMORPHICS
BUSTARD, EDITH RIVERAND EL SHERANA
GROUPS
OORADIDGEE ANDLOWER HATCHESCREEK GROUPS
D6
?1500
?2050
LIEBIG OROGENY1640-1630
TANAMI EVENT 1830
TENNANT EVENT1850-1840
NIMBUWAH EVENT1860-1850
DEAD BULLOCK FORMATION
A7
BARRAMUNDI OROGENY1860-1840
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
QUEENSLAND
NEW SOUTH WALES
TASMANIA
VICTORIA
A U S T R A L I A
NORTHERNTERRITORY
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
RIVE
R
KING
Wildman
River
Rive
r
Dry
Rive
r
SOUTH ALLIGATORRIVER
KATHERINE
RIVE
R
Jim Jim Creek
Murgenella
Cree
k
Napp
erby
Cree
k
CoopersCreek
RIVER
FINKE
RIVER
IngallanC
keer
Elsey
Cree
k
Birdum
Creek
McMinn Creek
Waterhouse
Rive
r
Newcastle Creek
PALMER
RIVER
HANSON
RIVER
ROPER RIVER
King
River
HANSON
CREE
K
LAKEWOODS
Tomkinson Creek
Cattle
Cree
k
Flying Fox
Creek
Goom
adee
rRi
ver
Stra
ngwa
ysRi
ver
Attack Creek
Bootu
Creek
McKinlay Creek
Mainoru
River
Mann
River
HUGH
RIVER
Taylo
rCr
eek
HODG
SON
RIVER
JalboiRiver
Liver
pool
Rive
r
Wycliffe Creek
WILTON
RIVER
TODD
Muller
Creek
Goss
ereviR
ARNOLD
RIVER
Cadell
Rive
r
Atta
ckCr
eek
BLYT
HRI
VER
Lago
onCr
eek
Imim
bar
Cree
k
Tanu
mbirini
Cree
k
Mounta
inCr
eek
GoyderCreek
FINKE
RIVER
Annie
Creek
ELKEDRA RIVER
GLYDE
RIVER
GOYDERRIVER
Woolen River
COX
RIVER
WalkerRiver
HALERIVER
Rose
River
Gulbuwangay River
SANDOVERRIVER
BUNDEY
RIVER
Frew
Rive
r
RIVER
PrenticeLake
Cresswell Creek
LIM
MEN
BIG
HTREVI R
KoolatongRiver
Maidjunga
revi
R
Playford River
MC AR
THUR
RIVER
Rosie
Creek
Boree Creek
Brunette
BattenCreek
Puzzle
Creek
DYLG
ERE
VIR
Illogwa
Creek
Buchanan Creek
Cato
River
The
Flet
cher
PLENTYRIVER
WEA
RYAN
RIVER
RANKEN
RIVER
FOEL
SCHE
RIVER
Fish Hole Creek
ROBINSO
N
RIVE
R
Lorne
Cree
k
HAY
RIVER
Manners
Creek
Gord
on
Creek
James
River
Carrara River
CALVERT
RIVER
Marqua
Creek
Herbert
River
South Nicholso
n
Rive
r
GoldCreek
FIELDRIVER
Milne
River
Bran
chCr
eek
Settle
ment
Creek
Running
Creek
Negri
River
Mistake
Cree
k
Behn
River
KEEP
RIVE
R
Stirling
Creek
Stur
tCree
k
Maud
Creek
Leichhardt
Creek
Bullo
River
MOYLE
RIVER
Snake
Creek
L A K EN E A L E
Hooker
Creek
West B
aines
River BA
INES
RIVE
R
Giles or Wattie
Creek
East B
aines
River
VICTORIA
RIVER
FITZMAURICE RIVER
VICTO
RIA
RIVER
DALY RIVER
Ikymbon River
WIC
KHAM
RIVER
Depot
Cree
k
Tjipripu
River
FishRevi r
L A K EA M A D E U S
BattleCreek
VICTORIA
Gregory Creek
Angalarri
Rive
r
WinneckeCreek
RIVER
Armstr
ong
River
Johnstonre
viR
TownshendCreek
Delamere
DALY
RIVER
Cattle
Cree
k
FLORARIVER
DeeringCreek
Aroo
na
Creek
Mathison
CreekMARY
RIVER
LANDER
RIVER
EAST ALLIGATOR
Allig
ator
Wtse
Cr
Ck
NONGRALAKE
LAKEBUCK
LAKELEWIS
TARRABOOLLAKE
RIVER
ADELAIDE
LAKEMACKAY
JUNCTION BAY
FOG BAY DARWIN MILINGIMBI
TRUANT ISLAND
GOVE
PORT LANGDONPINE CREEKCAPE SCOTT
PORT KEATSKATHERINE URAPUNGA ROPER RIVER
PELLEWMOUNT YOUNGLARRIMAHDELAMEREAUVERGNE
WATERLOODALY WATERS TANUMBIRINI ROBINSON RIVER
WALLHALLOW CALVERT HILLSBEETALOO
HELEN SPRINGS
LIMBUNYA
BIRRINDUDU
TANAMI TANAMI EAST TENNANT CREEK
LANDER RIVER
MOUNT PEAKE BARROW CREEK
ALROY
FREW RIVER
RANKEN
AVON DOWNS
ELKEDRA
TOBERMOREYHUCKITTA
HAY RIVER
ALCOOTA
ALICE SPRINGS
NAPPERBY
HERMANNSBURG
LAKE AMADEUS HENBURY RODINGA
AYERS ROCK KULGERA FINKE
MOUNT THEO
MOUNT DOREENLAKE MACKAY
MOUNT RENNIE
BLOODS RANGE
MOUNT LIEBIG
HALE RIVER
McDILLS
WAVE HILL
BONNEY WELL
BLUE MUD BAYMOUNT EVELYN
BATHURST ISLAND
ARNHEM BAY
MELVILLE ISLAND COBOURG PENINSULA
ALLIGATOR RIVER
WESSEL ISLANDS
CAPE BEATRICE
MOUNT MARUMBA
FERGUSSON RIVER
HODGSON DOWNS
VICTORIA RIVER DOWNS BAUHINIA DOWNS
NEWCASTLE WATERS
BRUNETTE DOWNS MOUNT DRUMMONDWINNECKE CREEK SOUTH LAKE WOODS
GREEN SWAMP WELL
MOUNT SOLITAIRE
SANDOVER RIVER
THE GRANITES
HIGHLAND ROCKS
ILLOGWA CREEK
PETERMANN RANGES
SIMPSON DESERT NORTH
SIMPSON DESERT SOUTH
Younger basins Central Australianplatform cover
North Australianplatform cover Orogenic domains Archaean basement
inliers
MURPHYINLIER
LAWN HILLPLATFORM
ARAFURA BASIN
DALY BASIN
PINE CREEKOROGEN
MONEY SHOALBASIN
DAVENPORTPROVINCE
TENNANT
REGION
CARPENTARIABASIN
ARNHEMINLIER
BONAPARTEBASIN
ORDBASIN
VICTORIA-BIRRINDUDU
BASIN
WISO BASIN
McARTHUR BASIN
CARPENTARIABASIN
DUNMARRABASIN
IRINDINAPROVINCE
NGALIA BASIN
ARUNTA
REGION
WARRAMUNGAPROVINCE
TANAMI
REGION
AMADEUS BASINEROMANGA BASIN
CANNING BASIN
WARUMPI PROVINCE
MURRABA BASIN
PEDIRKA BASIN
SOUTHNICHOLSON
BASIN
GEORGINA BASIN
HALLSCREEK
OROGEN
VICTORIA-BIRRINDUDU
BASIN
AILERON PROVINCE
WOLFE CREEKBASIN
MUSGRAVE PROVINCE
AMADEUS BASIN
AMADEUS BASIN
EROMANGA BASIN
MURRABA BASIN
AILERON PROVINCE
AILERON PROVINCE
AILERON PROVINCE
TOMKINSONCREEK
PROVINCE
Qa
Qa
Qa
M6b
PnK
K
K
Qa
Qa
Qa
Qa
QaQa
Qa
Qa
Qa
Qa Qa Qa
QaQa
Qa
Qa
Qa
Qa
Cz
Cz
Cz
Cz
K
K
K
K
K
K KK
K
K
KK
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
g9
g9
P10L 2
P10L 2
P10L 3
P10L 3
P10L 4
P10L 2
P10L 2
P10L 3
P10L 4
P1
P1
P2P3
P2
P3
P3
P3
P4
P3
P4
P4
P4
P4
P4
P4
P4
P5
P5
P5
P5f
P5f
P5f
T5f
T4
T4
T5
T5
T5
T5f
N5f
g5
g5
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
S
S
S
S
S
C
K
U8
U8
U8 U8
U8
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6
M6b
M6b
M6b
M7
M7
M7
M7
M8
M8M8
M8M8
M8
M8
M8
M9
M9
M9
M9
M9
M10
M10
M10
M10
M10
M10
M10
M10
M6
M6
M6
M9
M8
D6
D6
D6
D6b
D7
D7
D9
--C
--C
--C
--C
--C
--C
--C1
--C1
--C1
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C2
--C3
--CO
--C3
--C3
--C2
--C2
--C3
--C2
Cz
--CO
--C3O
--C2--C3
P10L 2
P10L 3
D
g5
g6
--C1b
M6
P5
d4
d4
d4d4
d4
d4
d4
d4
d6 d4
d6
d6 d6
d6
d6
d6
d6
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b--C1b
Ar
Ar
Ar
V6
V6
V6
V7
V8
V9
V9
V9
V9
V9
V10
V10
V10
V10
d4
P4
g6
--C1
P10L 1
d9U8
P10L 3
P10L 4
d9
d9
d9
d9
d9
d9d9
g6
T5
T5
T5
b5
D6
Cz
D6
--C1b
d9
D10
Y4
M10
Y4
f6L7
L6L6b
L8L7
Y4L6Y5
f6
g6
K
Cz
Cz
M10
M9
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
Cz
b8
K
K
Qa
K
P4
f5
P1
Pn
g5
g5
g5
d4
d4
Pn
d4
f4
f4
b2
M6
Qa
--C3
Qa Qa
K
f6
f6
f6
f6
d9
f5
d9
P4
Pn
Pn
M10
d9
b9
L9
f4
g4
M7
M6bPn
T5f
T5f
f4
f4
T5f
d9
g6
g4
g4
g6
g5
O
P10L 1
P10L 1
OO
O
Cz
g6
O g4
Cz
Cz
g5 g5
K
K
CzCz
K
Kg4 K
g5
g5
g5--CO
g5
K
OK
g5
KK
g5
K
g5
g5
g4
g5
g4
g5
--C1
P10L 4 P10L 4
P10L 4
N4d5
M10
f6
Y5
M6
M6
M6
b1
b1
O
O
Cz
--C1b
--C1b
--C1b
g5g5
g5
g5
g5
g5
g5
g5
D
g6
g6
g6
g6
g6
P
1A5
2A5
2A5
2A5
2A5
1N5
1N5
2N5
N5f
b6
b6
2N5
1N5
2N5
2N5N5f
2N5
A6
g6
g6
g6
g6
g6
P10L 2 P10L 1
A102A5
A6
A6d5
d5
d6
A7
A7
A7
d5
N4
A10d
K
g7g7
g7
g7
g9
g9
U9
P10L 1
P10L 3
OS
OP10L 4
P10L 1
f9
f7
b7
d7
d7
P10L 1
P10L 4
P10L 1
Cz
SO
--CP10L 4
g5
f7
T5
g5
g5
g5
g6
1N5
N4Ar
g6
1A5
g6
g8
g6
d5
P10L 1
N4g5
A6
A6
g8 g7
D
--COOP10L 1
g6 g5
g6
A6
g6
g6
g8
P10L 4
1A5g5
1A5
T5
1A5
d5g5
d5
1A5
T5
g6
P10L 4d6
d6
g5
g5
g5
N4
A6
d7
d7
P10L 1
CP10L 1P10L 1
1A5
1A5
g6
g6
2A5
2A5
2A5
1N5
g5
A6
P10L 3
D
P10L 3
d5
d5
OP10L 3
P10L 3
P10L 11A5
SIR EDWARD PELLEW GROUP
MARIAISLAND
GROOTEEYLANDT
GULF
OF
CARPENTARIA
CAPEDON
MELVILLEISLAND
BATHURSTISLAND
TIMOR
SEA VAN DIEMEN GULF
BEAGLE
GULF
JOSEPH
BONAPARTE
GULF
ARAFURA SEA
PERON ISLANDS
WESSEL ISLANDS
A6
STUART
HIGHWAYSTUART
HIGHW
AY
HIGHWAY
HIG
HW
AY
CARPENTARIA
HIGHWAY
ROPER
HIGHWAY
PLENTY
SANDOVER
HIGHWAY
BARKLY
HIGHWAY
TABL
ELAN
DS
YAW
HGI
H
HIGHWAY
BUNTINE
VICTORIA
HIGHW
AY
LASSETER
TANAMI
ARNHEM
HIGHWAY
KAKADU
HIG
HW
AY
HIGHWAY
BUCHANAN
ROAD
KATHERINE
Cooinda
Minjilang
Jabiru
Hermannsburg
Oenpelli
Mataranka
Birdum
Larrimah
Kulgera
Daly Waters
Warruwi
Ti-Tree
Dunmarra
Elliott
ALICE SPRINGS
Barrow Creek
Wauchope
TENNANT CREEK
Maningrida
Wycliffe Well
Finke
Ngukurr
Ramingining
Milingimbi
Galiwinku
Numbulwar
Gapuwiyak
Borroloola
Angurugu
Umbakumba
Yirrkala
Kaltukatjara(Docker River)
Wadeye
Tanami
Palumpa
Peppimenarti
Pularumpi
Lajamanu
NguiuParu
Milikapiti
Yulara
Kalkarindji
Daguragu
Pickertaramoor
Curtin Springs
Yuendumu
Kunparrka(Haasts Bluff)
Papunya
Burrundie
Pine Creek
DARWIN
TimberCreek
CurungAli-
Murenella
Bulman
Nhulunbuy
Alyangula
Milyakburra
BarungaMaranboy
AdelaideRiver
Renner Springs
Newcastle Waters
Rabbit Flat
Top Springs
Hart Range
Areyonga
GEOLOGICAL MAP of the NORTHERN TERRITORY
SCALE 1:2 500 000
SCALE 1 : 10 000 000
GEOLOGICAL REGIONS
SYMBOLS
Geological boundary.........................
Main road..........................................
Secondary road.................................
Albers Equal Area ProjectionCentral Meridian 133°30' EAST
Standard Parallels 13°30' and 23°30' SOUTHGeocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94)
Watercourse......................................
1:250 000 geological map sheet.......
Railway..............................................
SIMPSON DESERT SOUTH
S O U T H A U S T R A L I A
DN
AL
SN
EE
UQ
WE
ST
ER
N
AU
ST
RA
LI
A
132°E
132°E
135°E
135°E
129°E
129°E
138°E
138°E
24°S 24°S
21°S 21°S
18°S 18°S
15°S 15°S
12°S 12°S
26°S 26°S
Oc NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVERNMENT 2006
GEOLOGICAL MAP of the NORTHERN TERRITORY2006 edition
NorthernTerritoryGeologicalSurvey
0 100 200 300 400 500 km
Richard Brescianini, Director, Northern Territory Geological Survey
Central AustralianPlatform Cover
North AustralianPlatform Cover
Archaean BasementInliersOrogenic DomainsYounger basins
50 0 50 100 150 200
WARNING: Colours will fade with prolonged exposure to light
SCALE 1 : 10 000 000
500 km4003000 100 200
High IntensityLow Intensity
TOTAL MAGNETIC INTENSITY
250 km
Compiled: M Ahmad and IR Scrimgeour 2006.Compiled using overlays from the complete coverage of First Edition, and partial coverage of Second Edition 1:250 000 geological maps, published by the Northern Territory Geological Survey and
Geoscience Australia; augmented by preliminary bedrock interpretations in selected areas from high-resolution airborne magnetic surveys. Palaeo-drainages are from information supplied by Natural Resources Division, Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts.
Cartography: IM Burgan.
Produced by the Northern Territory Geological Survey, Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines, Darwin, Australia.Issued under the authority of the Minister for Mines and Energy, the Honourable KONSTANTINE (KON) VATSKALIS, MLA.
This map is available from Minerals and Energy Information Centre, 3rd Floor Centrepoint Building, Darwin. Phone (61) 8 89996443, Fax (61) 8 89995221. Email [email protected].
The recommended reference for this map is: Ahmad M and Scrimgeour IR, 2006. Geological map of the Northern Territory, 1:2 500 000 scale. Northern Territory Geological Survey, Darwin.Northern Territory Government Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines
Fault; thrust.......................................
Figure 1.14
Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory Special publication 5
Introduction
1:10
and re-opened gold mines in the Pine Creek Orogen and Tanami regions. Onshore petroleum activity has also dramatically increased since 2010, with recognition of the potential of many of the Territory’s basins for large resources of unconventional petroleum, especially shale gas.
ECONOMIC OVERVIEW
The Northern Territory hosts a number of world-class mineral deposits, including manganese at Groote Eylandt, bauxite at Gove, phosphate at Wonarah, uranium in the Alligator Rivers region, base metals at McArthur River, and gold in the Tanami, Tennant Creek and Pine Creek areas. The location of operating mines and major developing projects in November 2012 is shown in Figure 1.15. The total value of the available resources at these major deposits is in the order of $150–200 billion with past production of
2010/11, the NT produced mineral commodities valued at
$3.44 billion. These data highlight both the importance of mineral industry to the Northern Territory economy and the prospectivity of the NT.
However, despite its long mining history and the presence of some 3000 known mineral occurrences, the Northern Territory is comparatively under-explored and has a substantial potential for major mineral discoveries of gold, copper, uranium, lead-zinc, platinum group metals, rare earth elements, nickel, manganese, bauxite, phosphate, potash, diamonds, tin, mineral sands, vanadium, tungsten, coal and several other commodities. Many of the NT’s sedimentary basins, both onshore and offshore, are also very prospective for conventional and unconventional petroleum.
The Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic orogenic provinces of the Northern Territory have remarkable mineral potential for a variety of commodities and contain almost 80% of the known mineral occurrences. The most mineralised province is the Pine Creek Orogen, from which 16 different metals have historically been mined. Large uranium deposits are located in the vicinity of Archaean granitic complexes, close to the unconformity with overlying Palaeoproterozoic rocks in the Alligator Rivers and Rum
Au, Sn, Ag-Pb, W, Cu, Bi are clustered in the central part of the Pine Creek Orogen. Gold is the major commodity within this group of metals, followed by tin. Stratabound and stratiform polymetallic deposits are associated with carbonaceous sediments in the Pine Creek Orogen, such as the Pb-Zn-Cu-Ni-Co deposits in the Rum Jungle area. In the Warramunga Province, mineralisation is dominated by Cu-Au-Bi deposits, typically associated with magnetite-chlorite bodies. Mineralisation in late Palaeoproterozoic rocks in the Davenport Province is largely of hydrothermal origin and includes quartz-wolfram lodes and gold-bearing quartz reefs. The NT’s most economically important gold province is the Tanami Region. This area contains the world-class Callie deposit and has produced an estimated 8 Moz of gold over the last two decades. Gold, base metals, rare earth elements, ferroalloys and gemstone occurrences are widespread in the Arunta Region, and include a world-
vanadium-magnetite, tungsten-molybdenum and copper deposits. The Murphy Provincefor uranium and base metals deposits and hosts a number of known prospects. The Arnhem and Warumpi provinces and the NT portion of the Musgrave Province have received little attention from explorers and are arguably the most under-explored Proterozoic terranes on the Australian continent.
Overlying late Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic basinal strata are also highly prospective. McArthur Basin sediments host the giant HYC (McArthur River) Pb-Zn-Ag and several other smaller base metals deposits, including enigmatic copper-bearing breccia pipes at Redbank. The basin is a continuation of the world-famous Carpentaria Zinc Belt, which contains substantial shale-hosted stratiform zinc-lead-silver deposits at Mount Isa, Hilton and Century in Queensland, and at McArthur River and Myrtle in the Northern Territory. Uranium and gold deposits are present in the southeast
Figure 1.15. Mines and undeveloped mineral deposits in the NT, as of November 2012.
C
Mesozoic-Cenozoic Palaeo-MesoproterozoicBasins
Palaeo-MesoproterozoicOrogens ArchaeanNeoproterozoic-
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UNDER FEASIBILITY
Alcan Gove(Al)O
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Mataranka (Lime)
Cosmo Deeps (Au)
Browns Oxide(Cu, Co, Ni)
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Charlie Creek(REO)
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Tom’s Gully(Au)
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(Zircon)
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Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory Special publication 5
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Introduction
of the McArthur Basin and black shale intervals within the basin are very prospective for unconventional petroleum. The southern McArthur Basin also contains diamond-bearing kimberlites at the Merlin deposit. The Roper Group, in the upper part of the McArthur Basin succession, hosts iron ore deposits in the Roper River
in the Beetaloo Sub-basin. The Tomkinson Province and Birrindudu Basin successions are time equivalents of the McArthur Basin, but are relatively poorly explored. Both basins contain minor base metals occurrences, and minor oil shows have been reported from the Birrindudu
hydrothermal manganese mineralisation at Bootu Creek.The NT’s Neoproterozoic to Palaeozoic basins contain
nearly 400 mineral occurrences, mainly of base metals, phosphate and uranium, and many of these basins are
of uranium are hosted by sedimentary rocks of the Amadeus and Ngalia basins. The Amadeus Basin also has considerable potential for conventional and unconventional
Valley, Mereenie and Surprise. The Georgina Basin is a premier target for phosphate exploration and hosts the world-
The offshore Bonaparte Basin is a world-class petroleum province that contains a number of producing oil and gas
Valley-style zinc-lead-silver deposits. Neoproterozoic to Palaeozoic basins that are also prospective for petroleum include the offshore Arafura Basin and the stacked Warburton and Pedirka basins in the southeast of the NT. The Pedirka Basin also contains substantial resources of coal at depth.
The Mesozoic Carpentaria Basin has outstanding potential for manganese. It hosts the giant Groote Eylandt manganese deposits and several under-explored manganese occurrences. The onshore part of the Money Shoal Basin provides much of the construction material (sand, aggregate, dimension stone) for the Darwin region and offshore areas of this basin are very prospective for petroleum. The Eromanga Basin, in the southeastern NT, also has considerable petroleum potential.
The Cenozoic coastline of the Northern Territory
class bauxite deposit at Gove. It also hosts the heavy mineral sands deposits of the Tiwi islands. Inland, in the central and southern parts of the Northern Territory, a number of calcrete- and palaeochannel-style uranium occurrences have been reported.
GEOCHRONOLOGY
One of the most important tools for understanding the geology of the NT is radiometric dating. A large proportion of the NT’s rocks are barren of fossils and are therefore
of NTGS and NTGS-GA geochronology sites in the NT is given in Figure 1.16.
The earliest radiometric age determinations on Northern Territory rocks were made in 1960, when granite and other
rock types from the Pine Creek Orogen were sampled for Rb-Sr, K-Ar, Pb-Pb and U-Pb dating. The results of these early studies were tabulated in Walpole et al (1968). McDougall et al (1965) carried out Rb/Sr and K/Ar dating on sedimentary rocks and granites from the McArthur Basin. In 1972, BMR commenced Rb/Sr geochronological studies to date major tectonic events in the Arunta Region, but most results were not published until early 1980s (Black and Shaw 1995). Black (1977) carried out Rb/Sr geochronology of the granites and sedimentary rocks of the Tennant Region. At the time, it was generally thought that the Rb/Sr system was robust enough to withstand subsequent geological processes, unless melting had taken place.
However, by early 1980, it was realised that both Rb/Sr and K/Ar isotopic systems are easily reset by subsequent tectonothermal events and remain open until lower temperatures are attained, and therefore can record younger ages. Conventional U-Pb zircon geochronology is a most robust technique, but cannot be used for complex zircons containing inherited cores or metamorphic rims. The 40Ar/39Ar technique, an adaptation of the K-Ar geochronological technique, is used for dating K-rich rocks and minerals (via the natural decay of 40K to 40Ar)
A12-115.ai
129°00' 130°30' 132°00' 133°30' 135°00' 138°00'136°30'
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ORDBASIN
REGION
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NGALIA BASIN
AMADEUS BASIN
PEDIRKA BASIN
WARUMPI PROVINCE
MURRABA BASINAILERON PROVINCE
WARRAMUNGAPROVINCE
ARUNTA
REGION
TANAMI
REGION
MUSGRAVEPROVINCE
AMADEUS BASIN
AILERON PROVINCE
CARPENTARIA BASIN
CANNINGBASIN
ARAFURA BASIN
DALY BASIN
MONEY SHOAL BASIN
PINE CREEK OROGEN
EROMANGA BASIN
EROMANGA BASIN
IRINDINAPROVINCE
DAVENPORTPROVINCE
TOMKINSON PROVINCE
ARNHEMPROVINCE
CARPENTARIA BASIN
KALKARINDJI PROVINCE
DALY BASIN
WOLFEBASIN
FITZMAURICEBASIN
PEDIRKA BASIN
Tennant Creek
Yulara
Alice Springs
0 200 km100
Jabiru
Katherine
DARWINNhulunbuy
Borroloola
HALLSCREEK
OROGEN
SOUTHNICHOLSON
BASIN
MURPHYPROVINCE
Mesozoic-Cenozoic
Archaean
Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic basins
Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic orogens
Neoproterozoic-Palaeozoic U-Pb sample
Ar-Ar sample
Figure 1.16. Coverage of Ar-Ar and U-Pb isotopic age determinations in the NT.
Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory Special publication 5
Introduction
1:12
through a step-heating process. The method is more precise and accurate than the Rb/Sr method, but has similar resetting problems due to later thermal events.
The development of SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion Micro Probe) dating in the early 1980s revolutionised geochronology through its ability to rapidly measure the isotopic and elemental abundances in minerals (most commonly U and Pb in zircon) at a micrometre-scale, making it well-suited for the analysis of complex minerals, particularly in metamorphic and igneous rocks. It also has allowed the rapid analysis of the age of detrital zircons from sedimentary rocks. Although limited SHRIMP work was undertaken on behalf of NTGS during the 1990s, it was not until the commencement of the NTGS–GA Geochronology Project under the National Geoscience Accord in 1999
routinely acquired in NTGS projects. Under the NTGS–GA collaboration, GA undertakes SHRIMP geochronology on behalf of NTGS, with the sharing of costs and intellectual property. In addition to the large volume of SHRIMP data generated under this scheme, NTGS has also undertaken Laser Ablation-Induced Coupled Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) geochronology since 2007, particularly for U-Pb analysis of detrital zircons, as well as Lu-Hf isotopic
analysis of zircons to characterise their source. This new geochronological dataset has vastly improved the understanding of the NT’s geological framework, regional correlations and tectonic evolution.
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
Airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys
Coverage of high-quality magnetic and radiometric surveys in the NT is shown in Figure 1.17.
NT commenced in 1935 with the setting up by the Commonwealth Government of the Aerial Geological and Geophysical Survey of Northern Australia (AGGSNA). Very early geophysical surveys were carried out in the Pine Creek, Redbank and Tennant Creek areas. Magnetic surveys in the Tennant Creek area were exceptionally successful in outlining the ironstone-hosted gold-copper-bismuth orebodies that are characteristic of this mining district (Rayner 2007). In the early to mid-1950s, BMR purchased a number of aircraft for the purpose of airborne
airborne radiometric surveys were carried out in 1952 over
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HIGH-RESOLUTION AIRBORNE MAGNETIC AND RADIOMETRIC SURVEYS (150 – 500m spacing)
Koolpin1974
Alligator1976
Exploration Initiative Surveys
Sturt2001
Eromanga2001
Barkly2001
Waterloo2001
Wiso2000
West Arnhem2000
Bauhinia2000
Amadeus Central2000
Mary River2000
South Lake Woods1999
Elkedra1999
Bonney Well1999
Amadeus West1999
Buchanan2002
Rum Jungle1999
Gove1991
Rodinga1990
Georgina2002
Simpson2004
Daly1979
Jinduckin1992
Mitchell Ranges1990
Litchfield North1981
Barrow Creek1981
Huckitta1981
Kulgera1981
Kakadu II1982
Huckitta East 1983
Litchfield South1984
Petermann1985
Kulgera West1986
Petermann East1987
Batten Trough1989
Tanami1989
Marumba1989
Kakadu1988
The Granites1988
Ayers Rock1988
Mackay1998
Mount Theo/Highland Rocks1993Port Keats1994
Urapunga1994
Limbunya1995
Mount Peake1995
Victoria River Downs1998
Alcoota/Alice Springs1997
Napperby/Hermannsburg1997
Robinson River1996
Tennant Creek1998
Birrindudu 1997
Milingimbi1992Helen Springs1993
Roper River1993
Groote Eylandt1993
Jervois2004
Tiwi Islands2006
59 Tanumbirini2007
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NAPPERBY
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JUNCTION BAY
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GOVE
PORT LANGDON
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TANUMBIRINI ROBINSON RIVER
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LANDER RIVER
MOUNT PEAKE
RANKEN
AVON DOWNS
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ALCOOTA
HERMANNSBURG
LAKE AMADEUS HENBURY
FINKE DESERTSIMPSON
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HIGHLAND ROCKS
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MOUNT RENNIE MOUNT LIEBIG
McDILLS
TANAMI
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BLOODS RANGE
MOUNTMARUMBA
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ALLIGATORRIVER
FREW RIVER
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BONNEY WELL
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PORT KEATS
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FOG BAY DARWIN
FERGUSSON
CALVERT HILLS
ARNHEM BAY
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SOLITAIRE
HELEN SPRINGS
PINE CREEK
ALICE SPRINGS
ALROYTENNANT CREEK
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KULGERA
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TOBERMOREY
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Figure 1.17. Coverage of high-quality magnetic and radiometric surveys of the NT.
Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory Special publication 5
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Introduction
the Rum Jungle and Edith River areas of the Pine Creek Orogen (Milligan et al 1994, Wood and McCarthy 1952). Other areas covered by airborne radiometry during the 1950s included Mosquito Creek (Livingstone 1957), Mount Hardy, Nicholson River (Livingstone 1955), Gardiner Range (Muller 1961), Tennant Creek (Spence 1962) and South Alligator Valley (Livingstone 1958). Radiometric
second- and third-order in terms of size and intensity. Most
a mile to two miles by a large DC-3 aircraft at an elevation of about 500 feet (about 150 m). Lighter Cessna and Auster
the initial DC-3 surveys. Both data quality and accuracy has improved since
measurement precision and compensation systems for removing the magnetic effects of survey aircraft. Most of the historic radiometric surveys recorded data using just 4 channels, but radiometric recording of 256 channels of gamma ray data is now a standard. The advent of GPS systems in the 1990s provided much better positioning and the ability to acquire airborne data from much more closely spaced survey lines and lower altitudes than was previously possible. Many of the earlier surveys in the Northern Territory were conducted on a line spacing of 1500 m at altitudes of greater than 150 m, except for some of the smaller and better targeted programs in the Tennant Region, where magnetic surveys were on a line spacing of 160 m. In the sedimentary basins, the line spacing of surveys was usually greater than 3000 m.
less is now standard and most of the early surveys have now been superseded by better-quality closely spaced surveys,
Bonney Well and Jervois surveys, and GA’s Tennant Creek survey, which were all conducted at a spacing of 200 m.
Jungle area, GA has acquired magnetic/radiometric data over a million line km in the Northern Territory. GA’s contribution was fairly regular until 1977 and became
contributions in 1987, 1993 and 1998.
and territories to acquire high-quality airborne regional
CREEK. It covered an area of 17 280 km2 on a line spacing of 500 m, involving a total of 43 042 line km.
From 1981 to 1999, NTGS gradually acquired regional geophysical data at an average rate of coverage of one 1:250 000-scale mapsheet per year. However from 1999, an appreciable acceleration of the airborne program was made
by the NT Government’s three successive exploration initiatives. This has enabled the proportion of the NT covered by modern airborne surveys to rise from 48% in 1998–1999 to more than 90% in 2012 (Figure 1.17).
Numerous geophysical surveys at various scales have
surveys for which it holds digital data.
Gravity surveys
Coverage of high-quality gravity surveys of the NT is shown in Figure 1.18.
In 1960, BMR commenced a helicopter-supported 11 km-spaced regional gravity program for the Australian continent that took 15 years to complete. Until 1998, this was the only
more detailed (4 km line spacing or less) surveys were the 1998 Tennant Creek and 1999 Tanami surveys by Geoscience
improving the gravity coverage of the NT, commencing with the West Arnhem survey (acquired using the airborne GT-1A method) and subsequent helicopter-supported ground gravity
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PORT KEATS
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FOG BAY DARWIN
FERGUSSON
CALVERT HILLS
ARNHEM BAY
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SOLITAIRE
HELEN SPRINGS
PINE CREEK
ALICE SPRINGS
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RODINGA
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LARRIMAH
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Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory Special publication 5
Introduction
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over their areas of interest. As of November 2012, 44% of the NT is covered by gravity surveys at a station spacing of 4 km or less, including the entire Tanami and Arunta regions, and large areas of the Amadeus Basin, northern Georgina Basin and southern McArthur Basin (Figure 1.18).
Other geophysical surveys
Numerous electrical geophysical methods, such as electromagnetic (EM) and induced polarisation (IP) surveys have been used for exploration purposes in the NT, but the use of electrical methods in pre-competitive geoscience is a relatively recent development. The only large pre-competitive EM survey acquired to date is the Pine Creek
in 2008–2009 by GA, under their Onshore Energy Security Program. The survey included 29 900 line-kilometres of new data at various line spacings (555 m, 1666 m and 5000 m) covering 74 000 km2, including large areas of the Pine Creek Orogen (excluding Kakadu National Park) and northwestern McArthur Basin (Craig 2011). Numerous regional-scale AEM surveys have also been acquired under the NTGS Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations program since 2010, particularly in central Australia, were they have been used in uranium exploration programs.
Multispectral and hyperspectral remotely sensed data are increasingly being used to understand the distribution of key minerals at the surface, particularly to understand alteration systems and regolith geology. In 2012, NTGS and CSIRO released sixteen Territory-wide mineral maps, based on a stitch of ASTER multispectral data. Small-scale airborne hyperspectral surveys have also been acquired in key regions of the NT. Incorporation of hyperspectral data into the third dimension is provided by the NTGS HyLoggerTM, which has been acquiring detailed hyperspectral information on drill core from across the NT since 2010.
A number of deep seismic surveys have been acquired by GA, particularly in the southern half of the NT. Notable deep seismic surveys include the Amadeus Basin (1985), Batten Fault Zone (2002), Tanami (2005) and Georgina–Arunta (2009) seismic traverses. These interpreted seismic lines have contributed greatly to the understanding of the NT’s deep crustal structure and tectonic evolution.
DEFINITIONS AND NOMENCLATURE
(1975), Plumb et al (1981) and the American Geological Institute’s Glossary of Geology (Neuendorf et al 2005). The
A craton is a part of the Earth’s crust that has attained stability and has been little deformed for a prolonged period of time. A sedimentary province (or basin) is an accumulation of sedimentary rocks, with or without volcanics, deposited in a subsiding segment of the Earth’s crust. Its lateral boundaries may be structural, depositional, erosional, or interpreted (in the sub-surface), and its vertical boundary is a regionally extensive unconformity. A platform is an area covered by
usually overlying an orogenic domain (or orogen), which is an area characterised by intense deformation and widespread metamorphism. A geological region large two-dimensional geographical area with a cohesive, in some cases complex, geological assemblage that is
regions, and differs from geological province in that it does not include depth/time dimensions. Geological provinces
geological characteristics and ages, that are separated from
For example, the Tennant Region covers a large geographical area containing a wide spectrum of Proterozoic sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks surrounded by younger Phanerozoic basins. This region is subdivided into three
Davenport and Tomkinson provinces. An inlier is a relatively small geological area surrounded by younger rocks, whereas an outlier is a small geological area surrounded by older rocks.
Mapsheet nomenclature and locality reference
Names of 1:250 000 and 1:100 000 mapsheets are in
KOOLPINYAH. Locations cited in this publication are based on Map Grid of Australia (MGA) coordinates and the Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94). The grid zones covered by the Northern Territory are 52 and 53,
-13°00’
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JUNCTION BAY
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TRUANT ISLAND
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KATHERINE URAPUNGA ROPER RIVER CAPE BEATRICE
PELLEWLARRIMAHDELAMEREAUVERGNE
WATERLOO DALY WATERS TANUMBIRINI ROBINSON RIVER
WALLHALLOWBEETALOO
HELEN SPRINGS
WAVE HILLLIMBUNYA
BIRRINDUDU
TANAMI EAST
LANDER RIVER
MOUNT PEAKE
ALROY RANKEN
AVON DOWNS
ALCOOTA
ALICE SPRINGS
NAPPERBY
HERMANNSBURG
LAKE AMADEUS HENBURY RODINGA
FINKE
MOUNT THEO
MOUNT DOREENLAKE MACKAY
MOUNT RENNIE MOUNT LIEBIG
HALE RIVER
MCDILLS
TANAMI
THE GRANITES
HAY RIVER
TOBERMORY
AYERS ROCK KULGERA
BLOODS RANGE
BLUE MUD BAY
FREW RIVER
ELKEDRA
HUCKITTA
BARROW CREEK
BONNEY WELL
CAPE SCOTT
PORT KEATS
MOUNT YOUNG
FOG BAY DARWIN
PINE CREEK
CALVERT HILLS
TENNANT CREEK
ARNHEM BAY
BATHURSTISLAND
MELVILLEISLAND
COBOURGPENINSULA WESSEL ISLANDS
ALLIGATORRIVER
MOUNTMARUMBA
FERGUSSONRIVER
HODGSONDOWNS
BAUHINIADOWNS
NEWCASTLEWATERS
WINNECKECREEK
SOUTH LAKEWOODS
BRUNETTEDOWNS
MOUNTDRUMMOND
GREEN SWAMPWELL
MOUNTSOLITAIRE
HIGHLANDROCKS
SANDOVERRIVER
ILLOGWACREEK
PETERMANNRANGES
MOUNT EVELYN
VICTORIA RIVERDOWNS
SIMPSON DESERTNORTH
SIMPSON DESERTSOUTH
52L
52K
52J
53L
53K
53JA12-338.ai
8700000mN
8 0000
0mE
7 0000
0mE
6 0000
0mE
5 0000
0mE
4 0000
0mE
3 0000
0mE
2 0000
0mE
8 0000
0mE
7 0000
0mE
6 0000
0mE
5 0000
0mE
8600000mN
8500000mN
8400000mN
8300000mN
8200000mN
8100000mN
7900000mN
7800000mN
7700000mN
7600000mN
7500000mN
7400000mN
7300000mN
7200000mN
8000000mN
Figure 1.19. Northern Territory map zones, 1:250k mapsheet coverage, MGA coordinates (red grid) and latitude/longitude coordinates (black grid).
Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory Special publication 5
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Introduction
and L–J, as shown in Figure 1.19. Where possible, grid references are provided as UTM eastings and northings (eg 327668mE 8625341mN) and are theoretically accurate to the nearest metre, although in practice, an uncertainty of up to 100 m or more should be assumed, depending on the vintage of the mapping data. Grid coordinates collected via modern GPS instruments should be accurate to about 5 m.
Stratigraphic nomenclature
The stratigraphic names used in this volume are listed in Geoscience Australia’s Stratigraphic Unit Database (http://www.ga.gov.au/products-services/data-applications/reference-databases/stratigraphic-units.html), which was originally established as the National Register of Stratigraphic Names in 1949. This database is a centralised reference point for all Australian stratigraphic unit information and it provides the primary national standards for geological nomenclature in Australia. Staines (1985) has published a guide to lithostratigraphic nomenclature in Australia on behalf of the Australian Stratigraphy Commission. Most Northern Territory geological units are named in accordance with the International Stratigraphic Guide (Murphy and Salvador 2000). However, there are some cases where informal stratigraphic names have been used and in such cases, the names are not capitalised (eg Inindia beds). Names in single quotes (eg ‘Horn Valley Formation’) have been superceded and are not current.
The naming hierarchy used in this volume for
and metamorphic rocks that preserve stratigraphy), metamorphic rocks and igneous rocks is provided in Table 1.1. Grainsize terminology of clastic rocks follows
the revision of Wright (1992). Igneous rock names follow the nomenclature scheme approved by the International Union of Geological Sciences (Le Maitre et al 1989).
Timescale
The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) 2010 geological timescale is used in this volume. Listed numerical
ages in this timescale are after Gradstein et al (2004) and Ogg et al (2008). Where Australian stage names are used (eg for the Cambrian and Ordovician), they are correlated against the ICS stages.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
thanks to all geologists of government, industry and academia who have advanced the geological understanding of the Northern Territory. It is their painstaking meticulous work that has made this publication possible. Apart from the contributing authors, many other staff of the Northern Territory Geological Survey have made very valuable suggestions and input leading to numerous improvements in the volume.
The seed of this publication was sown during the regime of Dennis Gee at the time of the publication of the 2.5M-scale Geological Map of the Northern Territory in 2001, but actual work on the volume was delayed until late 2005, when then-Director Richard Brescianini recognised the need for such a publication at a time when there was high staff turnover. We are indebted to both Dennis and Richard for pointing us in the right direction.
A great deal of the high-quality, recent U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology data referred to in this volume was collected through the collaborative NTGS-Geoscience Australia (GA) geochronology project since 1999, as part of the National Geoscience Agreement (NGA). GA are acknowledged for
studies of the geology of the NT. A number of colleagues from the state geological
surveys of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, and from the NT Department of Land Resource Management (formerly Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport) have reviewed chapters within this volume and/or have supplied information, images and diagrams. Their valuable contributions to this text are gratefully acknowledged. Many colleagues from the exploration and mining industry have also supplied helpful and constructive comments and information on various sections of the text, as well as a number of images and diagrams.
and mineral resources of the Northern Territory has been greatly enriched by all of the above contributions.
Table 1.1 et al 1993).
Sedimentary rocks, lavas, pyroclastic rocks and metamorphic rocks with preserved stratigraphic layers.
High-grade metamorphic rocks with stratigraphic layers not preserved or not clearly established.
Intrusive igneous rocks and combined intrusive / extrusive igneous bodies.
NO
ME
NC
LA
TU
RE
H
IER
AC
HY
Supergroupeg Woodcutters Supergroup
Supersuiteeg Cullen Supersuite
Groupeg Namoona Group
Complexeg Madderns Yard Metamorphic Complex
Suiteeg Jim Jim Suite, Kalkarindji Suite
Subgroupeg Kombolgie Subgroup
Formationeg Wildman Siltstone
Geographic term + metamorphic termeg Nourlangie Schist
Geographic term + lithological termeg Umbrawarra Leucogranite
Membereg Acacia Gap Quartzite Member
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Introduction
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