f THE DARDADINE PALAEOCHANNEL PROJECT: USING AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICS TO SUPPORT REGIONAL COMMUNITIES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Hydrogeological investigations in the early 1990s confirmed that the West Arthur Shire in Western Australia’s south west contained the remnants of an ancient palaeodrainage system. Drilling revealed the presence of palaeochannel sediments, containing groundwater that has since been used to develop and support regional town water supplies and local farm water systems. Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data have been employed to better define the location of these palaeovalleys and the quality of the contained groundwater. In this paper we describe the results from one such survey, which used the SkyTEM TDEM system to accurately locate and characterise aquifers within the Dardadine palaeochannel located near the town of Darkan. The aim of the survey was to identify the location of the palaeochannel, the thickness and width of palaeochannel sand aquifer and to generate a water resource (groundwater quality) map. A secondary, but equally important objective (from a management perspective) was to better understand the connection between aquifers developed in the regolith adjacent to the palaeochannel.