South Nicholson National Drilling Initiative

NDI Carrara 1

Location of the NDI Carrara 1 stratigraphic drill hole and South Nicholson (L210) and Barkly (L212) seismic survey lines across the South Nicholson region.

The South Nicholson National Drilling Initiative (NDI) Carrara 1 stratigraphic drill hole was completed in late 2020, as a collaboration between Geoscience Australia, the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) and the MinEx CRC. NDI Carrara 1 is the first drill hole to intersect the as yet undifferentiated Proterozoic rocks of the newly discovered Carrara Sub-basin. NDI Carrara 1 is located on the western flanks of the Carrara Sub-basin on the South Nicholson seismic line (17GA-SN1), reaching a total depth of 1751 m, intersecting ca. 630 m of Cambrian Georgina Basin overlying ca. 1100 m of Proterozoic carbonates, black shales and minor siliciclastics.

The NDI Carrara 1 provides unique insights into the energy and mineral resource potential of this frontier region.

Outputs

• As part of the Exploring for the Future program, Geoscience Australia is undertaking a range of investigations into the lithology, stratigraphy and geotechnical properties of NDI Carrara 1 based on wireline data, as well as undertaking a range of analyses on over 400 physical samples distributed through the entire core. These analyses include geochronology, isotope studies, mineralogy, inorganic and organic geochemistry, petrophysics, geomechanics, thermal maturity, and petroleum systems investigations. Routine samples (and planned targeted samples) collected by Geoscience Australia, including planned analyses are available at the downloadable spreadsheet [XLSX 96.5 KB].
• Hylogger data is available at the Northern Territory Geological Survey’s Geoscience Exploration and Mining Information System (GEMIS) webpage.
• Sample and core photos

Data & Publications

• Exploring for the Future - Magnetic susceptibility data from NDI Carrara 1, South Nicholson region, Australia. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Butcher, G., Grosjean, E., Byass, J., Webber, S., Williams, A., Carson, C.J. 2022.
• Exploring for the Future - Rock-Eval pyrolysis data from NDI Carrara 1, South Nicholson region, Australia Destructive Analysis Report. Geoscience Australia, Canberra.
  Butcher, G., Grosjean, E., Jarrett, A. J., Boreham, C.J., Jinadasa, N., Webster, T., Hong, Z., Carson, C.J. 2021.
• Exploring for the Future - Bulk density data from NDI Carrara 1, South Nicholson region, Australia Destructive Analysis Report. Geoscience Australia, Canberra.
  Butcher, G., Grosjean, E., Byass, J., Williams, A., Carson, C.J. 2021.
• Exploring for the Future - Whole rock inorganic geochemistry data release of NDI Carrara 1, South Nicholson region, Northern Territory. Geoscience Australia, Canberra.
  Carson, C.J., Main, P., Champion, D.C., Grosjean, E., Butcher, G., Gilmore, S., Henson, P.A. 2021.
• Exploring for the Future - Quantitative X-Ray diffraction data release of NDI Carrara 1, South Nicholson region, Northern Territory. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Carson, C., Grosjean, E., Butcher, G., Webber, S., Gilmore, S., Henson, P.
• NDI Carrara 1 Sedimentology and Sequence Stratigraphy. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Crombez, V., Delle Piane, C., Dewhurst, D. 2022.
• Report on the biostratigraphy of the Georgina Basin succession in NDI Carrara 1. Laurie, J.R. 2022.
• Source rock type, maturation levels and hydrocarbon potential of a suite of samples from NDI Carrara 1 well, Northern Territory. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Ranasinghe, S.P., Crosdale, P.J. 2022.

Workshops and conferences

• Industry viewing workshop poster, 31 August 2021

Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES), 5 to 6 April 2022

• Exploring for the Future - SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology from NDI Carrara 1 and implications for regional stratigraphic correlations, resource potential and geological evolution of the Carrara Sub-basin. Carson, C.J., Kositcin, N., Henson, P.A., Delle Piane, C., Crombez, V. Grosjean, E.,  Jarrett, A.J.M. and Butcher, G.
• The energy resource potential of the Carrara Sub-basin revealed by new stratigraphic drilling. Grosjean, E., Jarrett, A.J.M. Boreham, C.J., Butcher G., CJ Carson, Bailey, A.H.E., Wang, L., Munson, T.J. and Henson, P.A.