National Heat Flow Monitoring Phase 1 & 2
CSIRO Energy personnel using an NCRIS-enabled fibre optic sensor (via AuScope’s Subsurface Observatory) to measure the temperature in a MinEx CRC National Drilling Initiative drill hole in the East Tennant region of the Northern Territory in December 2020. Image: Dr Ludovic Ricard
The AuScope Heat Flow Infrastructure Pilot Project is installing sensors and digital infrastructure to collect and deliver accurate vertical heat flow profiles and ancillary data from both legacy publications and new boreholes drilled during the MinEx CRC-led National Drilling Initiative (NDI). This two-phase project is creating a long-term national heat flow dataset with applications across many research disciplines, including groundwater flow monitoring, geothermal energy resources and ore systems.
Overview
Led by Dr Graeme Beardsmore, this project utilises instrumentation from the AuScope Subsurface Observatory and other sources to gather precise heat flow data from the shallow crust accessed by the NDI. Phase 1 has been completed, and Phase 2 is underway to enhance and expand Australia's heat flow research infrastructure.
“Accurate heat flow data are notoriously difficult to collect. The instruments, connections and expertise facilitated by AuScope are not only allowing those data to be collected but providing them in a global standard format in the public domain for the benefit of the whole research community.”
- Dr Graeme Breadsmore
The Challenge
Plate tectonics, volcanism, and mountain building are some of the processes driven by heat flow within the Earth's mantle and lithosphere. Understanding the magnitude and distribution of this heat movement offers significant benefits to researchers.
Australia has historically been challenged in its ability to generate quality heat flow maps due to a lack of instrumentation, expertise, and data curation, which results in poor data availability.
This project aims to collate and harmonise all legacy data and improve infrastructure to obtain accurate and precise new vertical heat flow profiles from boreholes. This will enable effective heat flow monitoring, the potential discovery of mineral resources, and the characterisation of geothermal energy sources.
The Outcomes
Key outcomes of this Project include:
Phase 1:
Collation, harmonisation and delivery of legacy heat flow data
Phase 2:
Installation of three permanent Distributed Temperature Sensor (DTS) fibre optic cables in bores across different geological provinces
Implementation of a FAIR digital repository for new and legacy Australian heat flow data
Development and accessibility of at least one heat flow data visualisation and/or interpretation tool via the AuScope Virtual Research Environment (AVRE)
Installation and monitoring of three Heat Needles at a Critical Zone Observatory
Publication of at least two peer-reviewed journal papers and one conference paper related to the project
What are the benefits?
The benefits of this project are:
Improved Data Quality: Increasing the number of high-quality heat flow determinations to create more accurate heat flow maps.
Enhanced Research Infrastructure: provide advanced equipment and facilities to improve capabilities in regional heat flow mapping and research.
Greater Global Leadership: provision of quality-assured heat flow data that is aligned with global standards to lead international efforts.
Improved Collaborative Efforts: This will facilitate collaboration among universities, government agencies, and partners.
Who will benefit
The project's data and findings will benefit researchers in fields as diverse as geothermal energy systems, glaciology, marine science, mineral exploration under cover, geohazard assessment, climate change, geotechnical engineering, managing groundwater resources, ore genesis, global tectonics, fossil fuel exploration, and others.
Access
DTS Cable Physical Infrastructure: Accessible to all researchers, managed by the AuScope Subsurface Observatory.
Heat Needle Physical Infrastructure: Accessible only by program partners directly involved in their deployment.
Geoscience Australia Data Publication from NDI bores
Gippsland and Murray Basin Fibre Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing Data
Installation and monitoring of three Heat Needles at a Critical Zone Observatory
Generated Data: Accessible to all under a Creative Commons licence via the AuScope Data Repository.
Acknowledging AuScope
Acknowledging AuScope and NCRIS helps us demonstrate the value of our research infrastructure, ensuring continued support and resources for the research community. Please add this sentence to your research, publications, presentations, and events where possible.
This project was made possible by support from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) through AuScope.
For more acknowledgment examples, please visit our ‘How to Acknowledge AuScope’ page.
We’d love to see your work—please tag us on your social media using:
@auscope | #AuScopeImpact | #NCRISimpact
Project Name
National Heat Flow Monitoring Phase 1 & 2
Project Lead
Dr Graeme Beardsmore
Timeframe
Phase 1: 2020 to 2021 (Completed)
Phase 2: 2022 to Present
Status
Active
Funding
AuScope Pilots 1
AuScope RIIP22
Host
Melbourne University
NCRIS Collaborators
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN)
Other Collaborators
Geoscience Australia
CSIRO Energy
State Geological Surveys
MinEX CRC
International Lithosphere Program (ILP)
AuScope Programs
