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Geological and bioregional assessment: Stage 2 Baseline Analysis
The geological and environmental baseline assessment for the Beetaloo GBA region synthesises knowledge about the geology and prospectivity of shale gas resources, water resources, protected matters and risks to water and the environment.
The report is separated into six chapters:
- About the region – Introduces the natural and human environments of the Beetaloo GBA region and summarises the legislative and regulatory controls governing water and gas resource development.
- Geology and gas resources – Defines the stratigraphic and structural characteristics that may influence shale gas prospectivity, extraction and potential environmental risks.
- Water resources – Describes the current conceptual understanding of surface water and groundwater systems, including water quality, as well as the interactions that occur between surface water and groundwater. This section includes an assessment of water resources available for future drilling and hydraulic fracturing for shale gas development.
- Protected matters – Describes the environmental and cultural knowledge in the region, with an emphasis on Matters of National Environmental Significance and Matters of Territory Environmental Significance. Landscape classification is used to systematically define geographical areas with similar physical or hydrological characteristics.
- Potential impacts – Identifies the potential hazards associated with all life-cycle stages of shale gas development, and defines a set of causal pathways which represent the logical chain of events, either planned or unplanned, that may link shale gas development activities with potential impacts on water and the environment.
- Qualitative assessments – Assesses three issues important to the community, government and industry: screening of drilling and hydraulic fracturing chemicals, hydraulic fracturing and well integrity.
A shorter plain English summary of the baseline analysis report is also available for download on this page.
The ‘Geological and environmental baseline assessment for the Beetaloo GBA region: Geological and Bioregional Assessment Stage 2 Baseline Analysis is available via the product download to the left, and is supported by six technical appendices below.
Technical appendices
Last updated:
28 October 2021
