fee~and a paj.lldzone. the zones are charaoterised by ~ica1 texturea and chemical co~position. the...

Technical Report WRA62016

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-• '. ~ .

THE OCCURRENCE OJ! GROUNDWATER ON

WILLOWRA STATION, NORTHERN TERF.ITORY

<

T. QUINL.AR and D. WOOLLEY.

-COMENTS

:pa.ge;-

SDM?iARY 1 INTRODUCTION 1

GEOLOGY

(1) Precam.bria.n Igneous and. Me1;am.orphic Rocks 1 (11) Upper Proterozoic 8edimenj;&-ry' Rocks 2

(lli) Tertiary Sediments 2 (iv) Tertlar,y Deep Weathering Pro~ile 2 (v) QUa,tern&..'7 i3ediments 3

HYIlROLOo:I _ 5 ivailabili t1' of Groundwater 5 The PiezOIIl.etric Surface Recharge and LoBlJ of Groundwater Qual11;y of Groundwater Suitability of Groundwater for Irrigation.

RECOMNE.'l'DATIONS

REFERENCES

WATER

liBRARY DARWiN

6 6 7 9 10

11

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m:lMf!ARY.

Rocks and unoonsolidated sediments of Tertiaryand Quate=ary age, overlying a basement of Pre-cambrian rocks, occur in the vicinity of Willowra Homestead. The Tertiary sediments do not croll QU.t; the maximum thickness indicated by resru.ts of previous dri'ling is 80 :feet. The maximum known thiokness of Quaternary sediments is 115 fee~

- Water is available in sttf'ficient qu.anti tiEls for use in irrigated agricu.:l:tu.re from the Tertiary and some of the Quaternary sediments. Insufficient data is avail-, able to assess the marimnm safe yield o:f the basin.

The qu.aJ.ity 0:1: groundwater :from a sma" area in the immediate vicinity o:f Willowra hOll!.estead is sui table for agriculturaiYUi~QBes. Quality of groundwater from

>

the rem .. ;! nd.er 0:1: the basin is marginal or unsui table~~

A drjl 1ing programme to estimate the quantity of groundwater ava i J able in the area is recommended •


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INTROllUCUON.'

The :t:n:for.mation available regarding the occurrence o~ groundwater on WilJ.owra S*ation has been compiled at the reque~t of the Agriculture Adviser of the Reserve :Bank of Australia end the Director ~ the Water Resources Branch, N.T. Adminstration. This infor.mation is reqUired to aBsess the possibllitjr of L'rTigated agrtoulture and to design a programme of test drilling to deter.min~ t~e groundwater resources of the area.

Twenty two bores and walls have been su:nk

on the area of pastoral lilases no. 594 and 491 shown

on Plate 1. Adequate quanti ties of sUi table 'luali ty groundwater for domestic and pastoral use have been obtained from 10 of the bores and 5 6f the weJ.ls •

QUaternary aeoll.an sand and red earth soil cover a large :part of the area. There axe small outcrops of igneous and metamorphic rocks of Precambriall age and silicified qua.ri<z sandstone of Upp~r ProteI' .. ozoio age. fi~oli tic and_ .:ferruginous honsone of the deep weathenng proflle! crop out in an area south of Willow:t-a Hom.estead. Calcrete and imnkar crop out in

a drainage depression 24 nles ?outh-west of the homestead and along Inga.1J..ana Creek •

The xocks which crop out and which occur below the surface of the ground on Willowra Stat.ion have been arbitrarly assigned to the Precambri~ra and to the Upper ProterOZOic, Tertiary and Quarte:t'Il.ary periods. (Plate 1). The cri t:,I'ia used to aBsign these ages are t!.l.e principle 0:£ sILperposition and the relationship 0:£ the rocks to the surface 0:£ Tertiary aeep weathering. ~e sediments aBsigned to the Tertiary period are correlated. with sediments near .Allce Sprillgs which contain Tertiary spores (Evans unpub1~ data)

(i) Precambrian Igneous and Mei;amorohio Rocks. - - -- - --_.- -~-

These are the oldest rocks in the area!'


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The metamorpllic rocks consist of Ughtl.y folded and faulted schists and gneisse~ which have been intruded by granite and quartz reefs. :Becau.se of insuf'ficient field work and because the areas of outcrop are 5lllall; no attempt has been made to 511.b - <livi.da them or to assign relative a.ges to them. These rocks are intrud-ed by quartz reefs which comprises the main outcrop areas of the Precambrian.

(11) Upble];" l'l'l::iterozoic Sedimentary Rooks.

Sandstone and silicified. sandstone of this group crop out at ?!It. Barkly and Mt. Leicb,art~

Lithologically the sedimentary rocks consist ot & sequEtllce Qf interbedde\l medium. grained. kaolinitic and micaceou.s quartz sandstones and hard. white massive quartzite. This sequence overlies a sequence of black shale with thin interbeds of quartzite and silty sandsi;one. The total thickness of the s.edimentary rocks is not known.

The sedimentary rocks are strongly jointed and sheared and they :have been infolded and faruteo. into the Precambrian rocks.

These rocks do not crop out on Willowra and their lithology is inferred. from samples collec:!:ed by drillers. They consist of fawn and m.ottled brown and yellow fine grained sandy clay" and fine to m.edium. and. coarse grained. sand and sandstone. The ilandstone is cemented iJy colloidal silica. The mrud.rn.um. thickness of these sediments intersected in bore holes is 80 feet.

The sediments rest uncQnformably on d.eeply weathered schists of Precambrian age and tlley occur 8tratigrapp~cally below the surface of Tertiary deep weathering. The depth to the co~tact of the sediments and. the Precambrian schists is <litficuJ. t to d.etennine from the drillers B~les because of the effects of the deep weathering. Tlle original. textures o:f the sed.iments and o:f the metamorphic rocks have peen destroyed over intervals of up to 100 feet (bore F53/S - 24 PJ.ate 1 and Fig 1)~ .! Tertiary age is inferred tor these sed.illl.ents by correlation with Tertiary sediments at Alice Springs (Evans 1962):

(iv) Tertiary Deep Weathering ProfiJ.e

The cheilllical cOlllpositio!l. and texture of t.'l'J.e


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rs of .Pi'ed~a.'ii.t . 'l!?per Prot~rozQic and Terlia...-roy ages have been altered by the processes of deep weathering An examination of the samples from bores which have

been dri2led. through the proi'ile sutge&tl'! that ~ere are thres zones in 8, cotllJilete proi'ile. They are, in descending order, 8, i'erruginous zone. a mottles '1!one and a paJ.lldzone. The zones are charaoterised by ~ica1 texturea and chemical co~position.

The i'erruginoU$ zone :is Q],aQk a;nd it has 8,

massive texture which may become nodular at the top: The orig:l.na1 textUre has 'been obl:Lterated. by the de-. . position ot' iron Q::d,de,~ generallY as hemaUte.

The mottled zone has an amorphoUll textuxe formed by the contem~aneous depoBi tion andieachfni; of chemioal ions. l'he rock lll.ay be broken by uTeguJ.s.r fractures, presumablY tormed by alter.native hydration and dessication. The surfaces of the fractures coated with QcUilida2 silica anyor iron orlde: rock is irregularly coloured or moi;i;led yellow,

are The

red or brown, a:nd white or fawn. The white colour may be ei. ther the origi.nal colour oi'the aea.im.ent or due to the leachtng at' th~ o.rigina1 pigments. The red and blue oolour is due to concentratit;Wso:f; ire:):!. oxide in forms of varying hydration. (oJ':

The original texture of the parent ~s frequ.ently preserved in the paJ.lidzone~ . ~J:ypicap y the pigments in t...l-te parent have been leached out and deposited in e~ther the mottled or ferruginous zones •

The concentration of alumini"'.llll w:i.. thi."lthe profile has not been considered, becau.se ~-t5 o;;d.des are not distinctive and their pr~sence can only be detexmined satisiactor1ly by chemical analysis.

(v) Quatepnary Sediments

Quaternary a;teilim.ml.ts cover a large -iIa...fcltion

of the ar~m oX Willowra Station. They have been

2ssi.gned to two mai~ g-.c'o~pS; 1.'1ais Gocene to Recent and Recent (QUinlan 1962). The absolu.te ages of

the two groups are not yet known.

The Ple1.si;ocene to ReCent sediments whicb.

have been distingui~hed are: 1. Terrace gravels - on tb.e northern flank

of Mt. Leichart and Iit. Dennison a thin deposit 9i'

gravel lies on a bevelled surface Which abuts the hil1s~ They have been examined at Nt. JJeJ:mi.son where the

boulders and cobbles are of quart~ite. and they rest


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unco:n:rormably on thebJ:.ack shales of' TIpper Protexozoic age. The ,gravels are correlated with those Which crop out ~ the ReynolclB and. Mac Donnell Ranges (Quinlan) 1962~'

li1. Aeolian Sand - E.ed.i;;'!i;ributed. aeolian sand covers a lar~ta+'ea of' Willowra. It is thought tltat the sand. has peen red.istrlbuted from .~ciant~

tlune field.s in the, ~ea. These d.eposits, as soils, are :probably related to the Narwietoiama soi.l i'runily of Jackson (1962).

J."' Kunkar, Calcrete, and .A1luViU1!J. -Rocks of this 11 th?logical type occur along the va11.ey of IngaJ 1 ana Creek. Calcium carbonates has been

deposited as large concretonar3" masses within the alluv:i.U1!J. to f'o:rm k'.mkar, and as a calcareoUl'l cement in

the alluvium, to fom. calcrete. It is thought that

the carbonate has been deposited f'rom circulating groundwater and soil moi~ture. On the mar~ of the deposi. t the kllmkar rests unconformably on l-eacheli

and weathered biotite - feldspa:r:- schists of Prec~brlan age. This is illustrated in t~ogs of Limestone WaIl

(F53/5 - 6) and Possum. Well (F53/5 - 10) on. F:1.g 1: Similar d.eposits of calcrete and. kunkar

occur in a. drainag? dellression, 20 miles south west of' Willowra Eomestead..

The sediments of' Recen'!; age whi;ch haVE> been mapped oUt are:

4; AlluviU1!J. - Deposits of alluvial sand and gravel have be@ mapped along t1;e present course

of Linder River and Ingarlana C"1flk. Similar sediments are associated rith ~>.channels of' the Lander River. Which have now been abondoned. The ..& . . marlum. thickness of alluvium. _\115 feet, as shown

by the log of' bore number F53/5 - 74-.

5: . Piedmont deposits - il.epo~ t8 of' Silt,

sand, and gravel have bOGn deposi toil. in the alluvial fans which have been built up agaizlst Mt. LeichaT't.

The known ma.ximu:.1I. thickness of these ~ediments is 213 feet, in Koono:nyeri :BOra (F53/5 - 18). The basal portion of se~ents of this type llla3 be

~ei5tocene age~

6.' Red e~th soU - the outcrop areas o~ this soU are covered with mW.ga (Acacia aneura):

2he terture of the soil is of a very siHy Band. !l$e red earth soil may be reliated to the Bond Sp.r:!.zlgs and


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and Yambah soili tamilies ot Jackson (1962):

AYaila.bllit,y of' Groundwater

The results of' previous drilling will be used to outline the aVailability of groundwater frolll aqui:fers within the protile ot TIeep Weatl1ertng and the 8 lighological units-aUt1i-~ed a.bove~

( 1 ) Preoambrian Metamorphic and igneous rocks - Five bores have been drilied to the base of' the deep weathering pr¢file developed on the llletamorphic and igneous rocks. Sniall supplies ot good to poor quall ty wat~tained wi thin the mottled mo. pallid. zones and in one case (bore F53/5 - 48) an adequa.te su;pply of salt water was obtained UOlll the base of the profile.

(2) Upper Proterozoic sedimentary rocks -No bores have been drilled in -these rookB, but it is expeoted that they would yield moderate supplies of groundwater.

(3) Terlia..""y sedimeni;s - Good supplies. of'

good to mcderate quality ground~ater have been obtain-ed trom.beds of sand and sandstones of Tertiary age. These beds are aquiters ;l.n Syphon, and Easy Bores, and possibly in Wail-br! and. 8 :mUe wells: The spec-ific capacity of Easy Eore is approximat~1y 1000 gallons per hour per foot drawdown, with an aquifer thickness of

60 ~eet. The maximum yields of the other tp-ree bores are not known, but they are probably low, becattse the ~vailable drawdown is l.imi ted. The ov~r-J.ying beds o~ sandy cl.ay and silt are acquicludes where they occur below the water table. The permeability of the Tertiary sedi&ents does not appear to have been reduced sign:tfica;p:l:1y by the processes of deep weathering.

(-1-) Pleistocene to Recent Terrace Gravels -These sedilllents do not occur below the piezometric surface.

(;5) Pleistocene to Re<;lsnt Aeo).ian Sand.;" The aeolian sand is not known to oc_cur below the piezOllletric surf'ace.

(6) Pleistocene to Recent Kunkar, Calcrete and JUluvium. - The bores and wells which have been


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sunk along Ingallana Creek have ob~ained good to moderate supplies o~ vari~ble quality water from rocks o~ this type, at shallow dep~hs.

(7) Recent ll1.l.1.vium - ¥ive bores and wells have been drilled i:.!l thesesedimen1;s (BarkJ.y, Is1and, Btockyard. and KOononyeri bores and the Homestead well): Good. to moderate .supplles of gpod 9.uaJ.1 ty groiliidwater are avilllab1e with mrl'ficient avai1able drawdow.rl.

(8) Recent Red Earth 80i.1 - This lltholog1caJ. unit does not occur be10w tAe water table;

The Piezometric Sur.face

The fo2'll!. o~ tlle piezometric surface is not known as surf~ce level,$ are not available. The depth, to the piezomet:r1c surface varies between 30 and 130 feet, and it is shallowest near Wi1lowra Homestead • A seasonal fluctuation of 44 feet in the water 1eve1 has been recorded in the Homestead Well~

, . Recharge and Loss of Grotmdwater •. Recharge of groUlld-water to the aquifer system about Willow.ra Homestead occurs durilJ.g tJ.n...d for sllort periods follOwing fl?w of water in the Lander Riyer and Inga11ana Oreek;

The catchment of the Lander River consists of &u area of 950 square miles with Q1).t,orop oX mountains and hills of igneous and metamorphio rocks of Precambrian age; It can b? a.ssumed that '!;=ne ~aid,o of TUllO!:r to rlP-nfalJ. is high~

The area of tlle catohment of Ingallana Creek is 1310 square mi1es of which igneous and. metamorphic rocks crop out in an area of 70 square mi1eB~ The remainder of the oatclmLent consists of undulating p2ains of low re1ief much are l:lo"[~;r:.e.d. with alluviUJI1, and aeolian sand. It can be assumed that the ratio of TUlloff to rainfall win be lower than that for that for tlle Lander catchment.

It is expected that recharge to the various a.quifers will occur where the channe1 sands of the Lander River are in contact with the aquifers. Recharge probabJ.y occurs in this way in tha area about Willowra Homestead.

The path :followed by the recharge water whicn comes from IngaJ.1an.a Creek is not mown. Ground.water


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is ~08t by both fiow to the north of water within the system of aquifers, and. by withdrawaJ.~-

Qual1 t1 of GroW,dwater;

The quaJi ty of the groundwater which is avai2ab2e is variab~e. f.Ue content ot total diss02ved solids varies from 400 parts per million g:!;

Mt. Barkly 1;0 3300 parts per m1~lion in Mud Hu:!; . Well. (Conductivities 620 and 5200 m:i..cromhos/cm respeoi;ive~)~

--- - - -

The oontrolling faotors are th~thology of the aqUifer, the degree _ of in·tercon;n~ction of the various aquifers and relationship of the aquifer to . '

areas of groundwa.ter recharge and loss. A quali;;'"

ative assessment of these factors is given below •

(i) Precambrian MetamorpA;i.c @Cl. Igneoua

rocks - Aquifers in these rocks gene~ yie~d water of moderate to poor quality. The s~p2es of water from Limestone Well ,and from bore E53/5 ~ 48 contained 3522 parts per mi~l1QYl. and 9937 Ilarts per million of total diss02ved sollds respectlve~ (Conductivities 5400 ' and 15000 micromhos/cm respectively).

(:U) Sediments of Tertiary and Quater-.aary

~e - Aquifers in the rocks of Tertiary a::ld Quaternary age contain good to moderate qu.ali ty water. There is a aonBiderab~e overlap in quali ty 1:let"W~an the two grou.ps, and it is onlY :possible to llis~inguisll 1)etween them. by examining 'the type of water associated with each grou,:p. ot aquii'ers.-

On the basis o~ the logs of seVell bores, five are thought to obxain water from QUaternary de,Jlosi;!is,

and two from Tertiary sediments, as shown below:

'ia~~a' L..4fers Quaternar,r aquifers q~

Barkly

Pi2ooman. Island Homestead Stookyard

Easy Syphpn

Other wells :i.n other areas; :for which onJ.y inadequate logs are avai~abl~h are Sandford, Mud Hut,

Wa.i~bri and 8 mile wells. The a9.uifer~ :i.n these cotLLd be either Tertiary or Quaternary.

Water samples from the bores and wellf! have been analysed by the An11llaJ. Industry llnplch,

N.~. A~nistration.


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Percentage reacting values, calculated :from an.a»ses, have been J?lotted on a trla.ngula:r d:!.a.gram. (Fig 2)~Thflre is & wide v~ation in the rslative J?roportion D:f the ~ong, but two grouJ?s may be [email protected] on a basis o:f the percentage Q:f calc:i;um plus magnesj:um ions of the total anion c6ncentration. The :first group contains apprOximately 20% o:f the to.al anion concentration as calcium and magnesium arld the second. B":

- -The .first group contains analyses :f:r0:[ll 21) the bores wJ:P..ch are considered to obtain gI'O'UD-dwater from. aqui:f~s o:f Quatern.-a:ry age and the second .pou}> _ contains analYses :from aquifers of' Tertiary age~ On this basis it would be in:f'erred. that the aqui.fers in Mu.d Hut and Sandfords well are of Quaterna.ry- age l!I.hd that those in Wailbri and 8 :m.iJ.e well are of Tertiary age.

The toi.angular plot Qf i;)::te percentage reacting vaJ..:u.eEJ o:f the catioIls indicates that if ~he Quat~rnary and Tertiary aquifers f'Onli a con~inuous sy~tem then the qu.aJ..i ty of' i;he water deteriorates wi thincI'r easing gj.!'!tanc~~I'\LlII. _ t1:l.e rech~rge area~

The dissolved solids iIi water from Quaternary &q-v.i,fers is ].iss than 1000 parts per million (conductivity 1500 merohos/em) in a.ll ea8~8 excep"tr Pilooman Bore, (2274- parts :p~r )7!.ill;i.Qn); (conduc"ti v:l. ty 3400 nct.eromhOB/em) and the hi~ salinity ot this water is presumably due to the distance {8 mles} fi'om a redha.i-ge source. The other borBs and wells in t}l...is uouJ? are an clOSe '1;0

the Lander River. The sa:iinity oj: some of these bores varies with time since a :river flcw:-(e.g. Homestead Bore)~

The total dissolved salida in wate:¢:rom Tertiary aqu.j1ers varies between. 1000 &ci"J.d :WOO pa.rts per million (Condllct1\11ities '1500 to 3100 micromhos/Cl!l'J The proportion of sulphate :plus ~orideplus nitrate in the water from thesG bores inerea~es :!J'li: t@ o:t'd~r Eauy bore - 8 ~le well - Wailbri Wall - Syphon Eore, .and this eorrespond§ .fairly closely to the order of increasing d;Lstance :from a r~Q..hargo source.

:he nitrate content of all the bores and. wells in "trhe area is less than 50 parts :par miJ 1 ion.'

Technical R

eport WR

A62016

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OISTRlBUTION Or CONDUCTiVITY AND .fA.R. IN {;ROUNOt./lITcl<, Jo//LLOI<IR /I 4.fEA

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a"ai tabilitt of the wund,wa1oer for irrtgation. - ---- --- - - ~

The suitability of gro1Ulilwa:ter for irrig-ation ll=POBes CIiiJl be assessed. on the basis of Sodium ab50rotiol1 ratio (BAR) and. conductiirlty~ Glasses based on these factors have been established by the United 810ates Departmeni;gf AgriQu1.ture (Bichards 1954-). Four

divisions (51, 52; 83 ana. 84) are usea. to indicate low, m.edium, high and. very high soil.iu:rn. waiter, and. four div:i.sions (01, 02, 03 and. (4) are used to indicate low, medium high and -very high salinity water; A sow sal

ini ty high sodium. water would be classes as 01 - 63.

In fi.gu.re 3, the conductivity and SAR of water obiained. from bores penetrating saturated sediments in the Willowra. area have been plotted, and the area contoured with respect to e~ch of these variables assuming a continuous aquifer system. Approximate bounda.ries for each class of water represented are alao MOwn. It is clear from this diagram that the beat quality water occurs in a small area in the ncinity of Willowra Komestea~, as a result of direct recharge from the Lander River to the sediments. The

groundwater in this area is claJilse4 as 03 - S1; that is, it has a high salinity and atlow Bodi'Ulll ~a+d:' L'?Tigation nth wattU" of this cla.ss woUld require adequate drainage, and special management for' ahli:n.ity contro~ may b~ required (Richards 1954-):'

Water c~ssed as 03 - 82 occurs in a be~t extending north from. the homestead area t and southeast from Easy :Bore. This type of water is sui table only f'or irrigation of co"drse textured soils havi!l..g good

permeability.

:J:he remainder of the water in the area is

included in classes 04- - 82 and 04 - S3. ~s water is only ~~table for irrigation under very spec~ oondi tions.

The salinity ~stribution outlL~ed above is based on a small number of observation points only, and :must therefore be ree;arded a8prel~.


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RECCThlMENDATIONS.

1. A. d..7'illing programme to esti.J!ate the quaJ.:i:tY' of groundwater ava.1J.able in the area shouJ.d establish:

(a.) the stratigraphy of the Tertia..""Y and Quaternary sediments, and their aerial il.il3tr.:tbution. This would inolude a delineation of the aquifers.

(0) tha limit 01 saturated. sallim.eni;s (in area and depth)

Co) the shape of the pi.ezom~tricSU4.":tace.

(d) the (listrlbution and variation of salini ty of the groundwater. In particular if a salt water interlace e::dsts between Bandfords Well and Willowra. Homestead.

2.' It is recommended that investigation ho£.as be drilled on a reotanguJ..ar one mile (or 5000 foot) grid. Two im tial Jines of hoies M t and BE t as shown on the map (P1.....ate1) should be drill.ed to commenoe the programme.'

3; All investigation holes should be drilled to bedrook; J.. water sample should be ~obtai:ned. and &EE$sur6ment of standing water level made, at each ho~e, aIld preferably for each aqUifer encoutered. Cuttings frOlil eaqh llole sllould be !l:x:aJll.:!.nell by a geologli.st~ Hdl.es shou2d be $Ompleted in such a way &8 to aJ.l.ow for oontinuing lIleaBUrement :;I of water levels:'

T. QUinlan.

25~h October, 1962;

J


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REFERENCES

Jackson, B.A. (1962)

QnjnJa=n, T. (1962)

Riohards, L.A. (195~)

Bore WR.B/ZG" Al:ice Springs Farm, Are~: (unpub:' data)

Boil smaas in Central Australia. C.S.I.R.O. Soil l'ublicationN6: 19.

An outline of' the gElol¢gy

of' the Alioe Springs Area in L~ds of' the Alioe Sp~-DgS Area N.T. 1956 - 57. O.S.T.R.O. L~d Research Series No. 6.

Diagnosis and improvement of' saline and alkaline 80ils IT. S. DEP.!'. AGRIO. Hand book ]io: '60." " ~ •

Technical R

eport WR

A62016

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