Summary of results. Joint NTGS-GA geochronology project: Pedirka Basin

Abstract

SHRIMP geochronology project under the National Collaboration Framework agreement. New U-Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronological results were derived from six samples of sedimentary rocks collected from two petroleum exploration drillholes (CBM 107-001 and CBM 107-002) that intersect the Pedirka Basin in the southeastern corner of the Northern Territory.

Geologically, this is a region in the Simpson Desert that encompasses several superimposed intracratonic sedimentary basins, which are separated by regional unconformities extending over areas of adjoining Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales. In the southeastern corner of the Northern Territory, the Pedirka Basin is one of three stacked basins. The exposed Mesozoic Eromanga Basin overlies the late Palaeozoic to Triassic Pedirka Basin, which is largely restricted to the subsurface, and in turn overlies the Palaeozoic pericratonic Warburton Basin (Munson and Ahmad 2013).

As the Pedirka Basin is almost entirely concealed beneath the Eromanga Basin, our current understanding of the geology in this southeastern corner of the Northern Territory is constrained by a limited number of exploration drillholes and 2D seismic coverage (Doig 2022).

The samples described herein were collected to aid in defining the chronostratigraphy and sedimentary provenance characteristics of the Pedirka Basin.