The McArthur Basin: NTGS’ approach to a frontier petroleum

basin with known base metal prospectivity

Dorothy Close

Director Regional Geoscience

The McArthur Basin – world class • Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic basin

hosting the world class McArthur River Pb-Zn-Ag deposit (173.3 Mt @ 11.14% Zn, 4.74% Pb, 48.5 g/t Ag) in the Barney Creek Formation

• Frontier unconventional petroleum basin – flows at Glyde-1 of 3.33 mmscf/d equiv at 125 psi (45 min test) from fractured Coxco Dolostone Member

Stratigraphy with known base metal and petroleum potential

• Palaeoproterozoic McArthur Group

• Mesoproterozoic RoperGroup

McArthur River Pb-Zn-Ab

Stratigraphic correlations – within McArthur Basin

Wilton Package = Roper Group

Glyde Package = McArthur Group/ Habgood Group

Favenc package = Nathan Group

The greater McArthur Basin • Stratigraphic correlations with Birrindudu

Basin and Tomkinson Province

Wilton Package equiv = Tijunna Grp + Renner Grp Favenc Package equiv = Wattie + Bullita Grps Glyde Package equiv = Limbunya Grp + Namerinni Grp

The greater McArthur Basin – undercover extent

Represents over 20% of the Territory’s geology

Wilton Package + equivalents

Glyde Package + equivalents

Data challenges

• Excellent 1:250k geological mapping • Extremely limited data at depth

Outputs/datasets to improve understanding of the greater McArthur Basin and its potential

Produce 3D model • Potential field inversion &

modelling – basin evoluiton • Improve understanding and

characterisation of stratigraphy – at surface and at depth

• Tools: mapping, HyLogger, seismic data, new wells

Analysis of carbonaceous shales – hydrocarbon & metallogenic potential • Collate existing data and

analyses • Undertake standard suite

analysis where required

Continual outputs – plea for data • Basin-wide to greater Basin-wide approach • Ongoing updates to 3D model – with regular public

release • Ongoing updates to resource datasets – with regular

public release • Collaboration and consultation with industry • 4 year objective to produce a complete revision of the

‘greater McArthur Basin’

NTGS/CODES/CRA McArthur field trip 1996

Proposed joint field trip through the type stratigraphy of southern McArthur Basin