Geodynamics has secured geothermal exploration Licences in the Cooper Basin (SA) and in the Hunter Valley (NSW). It has also been offered two tenements in Queensland, that are yet to be ratified.

South Australian Licenses

Bulyeroo (GEL 97), Innamincka (GEL 98), Moomba (GEL 99) and Mootanna (GEL 211)

The central part of the Cooper Basin is underlain by granite with temperatures measuring 235^oC to 250^oC at its top at depths of less than 4km. These are extremely high temperatures for this depth, and the region is regarded as the hottest known spot on Earth outside volcanic centres.

The Bulyeroo and Innamincka Licences are adjacent licences covering a region of almost 1000 km² and interpreted to be entirely underlain by the hot granite. Granite temperatures in this region have been measured by oil and gas wells which terminated in the granite.

In the Mootanna and Moomba Licenses the temperature at the same depth is slightly lower, but still very high compared to adjacent areas. Granite underlies the Cooper Basin sediments in more than 50% of the Moomba License area at a temperature of 200^oC at the top. No wells have been drilled to basement in Mootanna, so it is not certain that granite is present, but gravity modelling indicated that granite is present over the whole region at deeper levels. The modelling predicts that the granite is at least 10km thick.

The region contains a massive source of energy and is, in principle, capable of generating 1000's of MW's of electricity. Local electricity requirements are low, with 25MWe used for processing and transport of the Cooper Basin oil and gas production. Reinterpretation of drilling and seismic data as well as other geophysical data provided a picture of the likely basement conditions in the area and allowed us to determine the location of a demonstration facility about 8km south of Innamincka in GEL 98. This is the area where the wells Habanero 1 and 2 were drilled in 2003 and 2004.

Geodynamics' four exploration licences (GELs) in the Cooper Basin
area of South Australia.

Extrapolated basement temperature contours (3.7 - 4km
depth). Temperature based on measurements in existing
wells. The red colour coincides with the projected location
of subsurface hot granites.
(Source: PIRSA, 2001)



Section A-B across GEL 97 and 98 in Cooper Basin (ref.
Basement temperature contour map). Note existing wells
(broken lines) and scale of projected wells for demonstration
plan.


Muswellbrook and Bulga, Hunter Valley (EL 5560 and EL 5886), NSW

These geothermal exploration Licences are located in regions with a high geothermal gradient associated with pronounced "gravity lows", pointing to the presence of granites at depth.

The Muswellbrook geothermal exploration Licence was transferred to Geodynamics from Pacific Power in April 2002. A 1950m deep research hole was completed on this tenement in 2001. This was funded by a $790,000 grant from the Australian Greenhouse Office. The research aspects were managed by two of Geodynamics' directors, Dr. Doone Wyborn and Dr. Prame Chopra. Final temperature logging at that location indicates a projected temperature of 195^oC at 5km depths.

Geodynamics carried out gravity and seismic surveys over the Bulga tenement in 2001 with encouraging results. These indicate that insulating coal measures are approximately 2000m thick and the minimum depth to granite could be 4000m. In 2005 two temperature gradient wells were drilled in the Bulga License aree with one well having a considerably higher gradient than the other and also higher than those in the adjacent Muswellbrook tenement.

The Hunter Valley Licences are well located from an infrastructure point of view. However, further work needs to be completed before the expense of a deep well can be justified.

Location Of Hunter Valley HFR tenements.

In 2006 Geodynamics successfully bid for two geothermal exploration blocks in wetern Queensland. Tennaperra has around 2,000m of insulating sedimentary cover with temperature gradients in existing oil and gas exploration wells measured in the range 45^oC to 55^oC per kilometre. Nappa Merrie has no wells drilled but is on the same structural trend as the South Australian tenements. The tenements are yet to be ratified.