f THE USE OF AIRBORNE EM AS AN AID TO UNDERSTANDING AQUIFERS SYSTEMS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S ARID REGIONS: A CASE STUDY ON THE CAPABILITY OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS

The Musgrave province, located in South Australia’s far north-west, is experiencing accelerated minerals exploration partly in response to new State Government initiatives. Access to water may become a fundamental infrastructure requirement to support developments emerging from these activities. Our current knowledge of the local and regional groundwater systems, the architecture of aquifers, groundwater quality, availability and sustainability is very limited. Current understanding for the area suggests that fractured rock aquifer systems predominate with local palaeovalleys also present. Groundwater is the primary source of water for the indigenous communities and for pastoral purposes. Given its importance for these purposes and given the potential for increased demand, it has been recognised that a more thorough assessment is needed to inform the development of appropriate management policies.