The Geology of NSW The geological characteristics and history of NSW with a focus on coal seam gas (CSG) resources A report commissioned for the NSW Chief Scientist’s Office, May, 2013. Authors: Dr Craig O’Neill1,
[email protected] Dr Cara Danis1,
[email protected] 1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109. Contents A brief glossary of terms i 1. Introduction 01 2. Scope 02 3. A brief history of NSW Geology 04 4. Evolution of the SydneyGunnedahBowen Basin System 16 5. Sydney Basin 19 6. Gunnedah Basin 31 7. Bowen Basin 40 8. Surat Basin 51 9. ClarenceMoreton Basin 60 10. Gloucester Basin 70 11. Murray Basin 77 12. Oaklands Basin 84 13. NSW Hydrogeology 92 14. Seismicity and stress in NSW 108 15. Summary and Synthesis 113 ii A brief Glossary of Terms The following constitutes a brief, but by no means comprehensive, compilation of some of the terms used in this review that may not be clear to a non‐geologist reader. Many others are explained within the text. Tectonothermal: The involvement of either (or both) tectonics (the large‐scale movement of the Earth’s crust and lithosphere), and geothermal activity (heating or cooling the crust). Orogenic: pertaining to an orogen, ie. a mountain belt. Associated with a collisional or mountain‐building event. Ma: Mega‐annum, or one million years. Conventionally associated with an age in geochronology (ie. million years before present). Epicratonic: “on the craton”, pertaining to being on a large, stable landmass (eg.