This report relates to the geology of portions of Counties of Le Hunte, Robinson and Dufferin with special reference to underground water supplies. With a view to providing facilities for settlers to establish themselves on the land the Government directed that a geological investigation be made of a portion of the Eyre Peninsula with regard to the possibility of underground water, and of obtaining such water supplies to enable settlement to take place around the area. The report includes results from 2 months of investigations in the field.

This Bulletin reports on investigations into two areas, Kangaroo Island and Western Eyre Peninsula. In both areas a rapid geological reconnaissance was made of the particular portions of the districts in which discoveries had been made of materials which led to the belief in the presence of oil. During the investigation a number of samples were gathered for further investigation. The results of these investigations have been included in this report.

An extension of the railway through Eyre Peninsula at the time and the opening up of the country to agricultural settlement made the problem of water supply a major concern to the Government. They directed that a geological investigation be conducted in the County of Jervois, Solomon and Kelly in order to determine the possibilities of underground water supplies.

This Bulletin summarises the supposed oil bearing areas of South Australia, together with maps, sections and other materials. This information is the result of five months of field investigations covering over 10,000 square miles of territory in an endevour to examine the areas for which licences to search for petroleum have been granted by the Government.

This Bulletin summarises the work completed on the geological expedition to the Musgrave Ranges. The report also includes some discussion of the prospects of the region in respect to its stock raising capacity and the potential of developing the artesian water supplies west of Oodnadatta.

This Bulletin is based on field work conducted over the Moonta and Wallaroo mining district. Embraced in this report are results of the observations of the Assistant Govt Geologist together with all available information concerning mines that were inaccessible. The report also includes all reliable information obtainable with regard to the known lodes.

This report involved the examination of about 50 different phosphate deposits scattered through many districts between Willunga in the South and Carrieton in the north, and between Clinton on Yorke Peninsula and Bright to the North of Eudunda. An endevour was made to investigate the origin of the deposits, their location and their association with definite geological and structural features.

This report deals systematically with all deposits of salt and gypsum known to exist within the range of possible economic exploitation. Many other deposits were known to occur but were so remotely located that their future utilisation was quite uncertain.

This report on the iron ore resources of the State, all known bodies have been examined and described and many reputed to be of some magnitude were found to be insignificant in size. Other deposits, of which a list is provided, are also known to exist but were considered too small or too distant from railways and were therefore not inspected.

This report deals with an important part of the mineral resources of the State, but includes only the materials of building construction , used in the condition in which they occur naturally. The first portion of the report is in the nature of a general discussion, the second describes individual deposits and their characteristics.

This report deals with the most important factor of settlement in the drier regions, the occurrence of suitable underground water supplies. One of the most important results of the investigations conducted here was the recognition of the value of supplies of water that were formerly neglected, and in most instances passed by without testing during the progress of boring operations.

This report on the clay and cement resources of South Australia includes the the description of the deposits themselves and many detailed analyses of the clays and limestones that are placed sufficiently close to the present and future main centres of consumption to possess value as the raw materials of secondary industries.

During the past twenty years attention has been directed to the natural resources of the State in pigment materials, and a considerable body of information based on official reports has been accumulated. This information was collated into this report together with additional information gathered during recent inspections.

This report with the explanatory sections that accompany the text serve a dual purpose, firstly the cross sections supplement in a useful way the geological map of South Australia published in 1928. Secondly the sections provide a useful source of reference for those who are developing underground water supplies.

This report deals with a large tract of country lying on the margin of and beyond the land occupied by pastoral and mining interests, the position of which is such that prospecting operations into it have extended in the past and will extend in the future. The geological information has provided information which has been reduced to map form for the guidance of prospectors. The map prepared shows the position of all tracks and boreholes as well as the geological features that determine the prospects of obtaining gold or other metallic minerals.

This report on the geology of the northern part of the Hundred of Macclesfield and contains a detailed discussion of the rocks embraced within the Adelaide Series. The systematic mapping of this district has been performed in connection with the search for underground water, the occurrence of which is almost entirely dependent upon geological structure and the distribution of the rock types from which water of useful quality is obtainable. A chapter also deals specifically with the economic aspects of the geology of the district, with regard to road metal and building stone.

This report is on the underground water supply scheme now in operation to serve the town of Flinders(Streaky Bay) and Western Eyre Peninsula. The geology of the area and the mode of occurrence of the underground water have been described . The scheme presents many features which have no known parallel, and both the manner of investigation and the arrangement of the scheme will be of interest to geologists and engineers generally who are concerned with the provision of water supplies for other districts and towns.

This report involved detailed geological mapping of the higher members of the Pre-Cambrian and lowest members of the Lower Cambrian rock systems in South Australia, together with a discussion of the economic significance of there formations. Systematic geological mapping of considerable areas has now made it possible to establish the full sequence on a sound basis, and thus to present an account of the whole of the later Pre-Cambrian formations in those areas from the base of the Sturtian Tillite to the limestones containing definite Cambrian fossils. In illustration of the economic significance of these formations this report contains some detailed geological maps of selected areas where important mineral deposits occur including Burra, Kapunda, Ediacara, Mongolata and Mount Grainger.

This report brings together information relating to underground water in the Sourt Eastern part of South Australia which was gathered over a number of years. Due to numerous problems with underground water supplies in the region it was considered important that a proper understanding of the mode of occurrence of groundwater, its origin and movement, as well as quantity and quality of the water stored in the rocks.

This report deals with investigative work relating to the structural control of ore deposition on some South Australian copper fields. The object of this work was to ascertain whether by intensive study of structural features of the ore bodies, any recommendation could be made in favour of further exploration or development of these fields that were productive in the past. The five fields included in this report were Wallaroo-Moonta Field, Dome Rock Copper mine, Mount Gunson- Pernatty Lagoon District, the Burra Burra Mine and the Callington- Kanmantoo District.

This report is one of a set of reports dealing with the structural control of ore-deposition on selected South Australian copper fields. The four copper fields included in this report are Kapunda Mines, Blinman Mine, Sliding Rock Mine and Lady Lehmann Mine.

This report covered the whole field of oil search in South Australia both from the scientific as well as commercial aspects and stressed that further search for oil was a matter for an organisation with appreciable funds and expert technical staff. It was also believed that the adoption of the plan for oil search outlined in this report would lead to better understanding of the prospects and confine expenditure on further boring to the more tangible options.

In this report the principles governing the storage of underground water are explained in some detail, including numerous maps and diagrams. There is also a discussion on the composition of salts in the water and the significance of salinity in the utilisation of water for human consumption, watering stock, irrigation, industrial purposes and for engineering use. The general features of the artesian basins of South Australia are described and also the factors that determine the occurrence of groundwater supplies in parts of the State over which the artesian basins do not extend.

This report includes a detailed description of the geology of the South Para dam project, appended to the geological investigation report are others dealing with the nature and properties of rock materials at the proposed dam site. These investigations carried out during the period 1943-1948 evaluated the geological conditions at the proposed dam site and within the proposed reservoir area, in so far that they may affect both the construction of a dam at the site and the capacity of the reservoir to retain impounded water.

This report dealt in detail with underground water in a large portion of the Murray River basin. The area covered by the report is 3,500 sq. miles and in a large proportion of the total area the local farmers are dependent on the underground water supplies. The report is accompanied by many tables and maps which would enable farmers to better understand how water is obtained from their own boreholes compared to other areas within the region.

This report gives a general review of the development of the talc industry in the State, its uses, specifications, prices and market for talc. The industry was changing rapidly with increased demand and the introduction of mechanical equipment in the mines. South Australia supplied the greater proportion of Australian talc requirements and this publication was aimed at encouraging the largest possible use of these resources.

This report deals with work carried out to ascertain the limits to which the fullest use could be made of the underground water resources of the Adelaide metropolitan area. These underground water resources are already extensively developed for irrigation and industrial uses and on some occasions groundwater was introduced into the mains to augment the metropolitan reservoir supplies. This investigation has involved a comprehensive study of the origin and salinity of the underground waters and will afford a very practical guide to those utilising supplies already in the metropolitan area as well as provide valuable information on the possibilities of further exploiting the underground water resources.

This publication is the result of a broad survey of the known clay deposits of the State carried out by the Dept of Mines and CSIRO. The survey comprised the inspection of the clay occurrences and the examination of samples by officers of CSIRO. The object of the work was to obtain information on the characteristics of the clays whereby it would be possible to plan more detailed investigations of the more promising materials, both in the laboratory and in the field. It can be taken as a guide to the types of material available in SA and it is felt that it will help considerably to stimulate the development of the ceramic industries in this State.

This report is a record of investigational work carried out in the South East Province of South Australia during 1947, 1949 and 1950. It included geological studies relating to the proposed harbour sites at Robe and Cape Jaffa, the supply of quarry and dimension stone for roads, railways, harbour works and buildings and the search for oil.

Radium Hill is a focus of greatly increased igneous activity, with amphibolitized gabbros of two ages, aplitic microgranites, and rare-earth pegmatites being restricted to the immediate vicinity. There were several distinct periods of mineralisation, with uranium introduction being last. The uranium mineralisation post-dates the plug amphibolites, but pre-dates the microgranites and probably the dyke amphibolites. The source of the uranium is unknown, but the soda microgranites are a potential source. The amphibolites seem to offer host conditions, in that uranium values are often concentrated in their immediate vicinity. Uraniferous lodes at Radium Hill occur as shear replacements and infillings along medium-high angled reversed fault or overthrust type fractures developed within a domed anticline (northeast-southwest major axis) in granitised meta-sediments. At least three major parallel fault shear zones have developed lodes along part of their length over a zone some 3000 ft long, and there are others relatively unmineralised. A typical association of normal and transcurrent faults displaces the lodes at intervals, and the later also cause lode splitting and inhibit ore formation locally. The original shape of the overthrust shear planes, which exhibit central flattening - possibly in part related to doming influence have apparently resulted in a curved form of each of the orebodies being displaced horizontally relatively to the north-east. The lode lenses, therefore, have northwards pitch in the north and a southwards pitch is anticipated in the south. Greatest lode widths appear to accompany broader changes in lode strike.

This report is a record of the of the investigational work undertaken by the department over a 10 year period from August 1941 as a result of uncertainity of coal supplies from NSW in the early years fo the Second World War. The discovery of substantial reserves of shallow coal and the ability to utilise open cut mining methods led to the field becoming an important source of fuel for South Australia's rapidly expanding industrial economy. Its development aroused interest both within and outside South Australia, and this record of detailed geological work will be of considerable value to all those interested in the development of new coal deposits.

This publication is a result of a joint investigation by Dept of Mines and CSIRO Division of Soils of the soils of the Adelaide metropolitan area. The object of the work was to obtain information on the distribution of the different types of soils in order that engineers, architects, builders and other interested persons would be able to have guidance on the type of foundation construction best suited to the sites on which building is planned.

This report deals comprehensively with the physiography, prospect geology, and ore genesis, and includes an assessment of the iron ore reserves and other mineral resources of an area which has been almost the sole source of the iron ore used in Australia's growing iron and steel-making industry since its establishment in 1915. Field surveys which have been carried out over a period of five years since 1947, investigating the broader geological setting of the Middleback Range deposits, were supplemented by targeted geophysical surveys and detailed petrological and mineralogical studies, data and interpretations for which are included with the report.

This report is a detailed review of the regional geology and mineral resources of the Olary Province. The discovery of thorian-brannerite(absite) in the Crocker Well area in 1951 led to the establishment of an exploration camp and to a geological survey investigation which has extended over the past five years. The results of this investigation are set out in the present report. Part I dealt with regional geological setting in the Province and Part II includes conclusions reached in regional investigations and reviews the mineral resources of the area.

This report deals with the geology and hydrogeology of the Murray Basin Province of South Australia. It includes an intensive survey of the groundwater resources of the southeastern portion of the State and is an important contribution to the study of the hydrogeology of Australian groundwaters. The State possesses a major economic asset in a large part of the area described in this report, in that underground water supplies are available for stock, domestic and irrigation. This report will provide a basis upon which an assessment of the potential of any particular are can be readily made will prove of great value to agriculturalists and pastoralists.

The Murray Basin is an area of Mesozoic and Tertiary sedimentation divided into two main units, the Murray Basin proper and the Padthaway Horst (Gambier Sunklands). Knowledge of the Mesozoic in the Murray Basin proper is limited to two bores in the Loxton area which entered siltstones and mudstones below 1350ft. In the Gambier Sunklands an undetermined thickness of siltstones, mudstones and arkosic sandstones mainly of Lower Cretaceous occurs. Older rocks are everywhere overlain by Tertiary sequence rarely exceeding 1,000 in thickness in the basin proper but at least 4,000ft thick in the Gambier Sunklands. Seventeen rock units are recognised in this sequence, the biostratigraphy of which is described in general terms.

A regional geological survey covered 15 standard 1-mile map sheets. Detailed mapping established a 50 000 ft sequence of Archaean sedimentation of gneissose, schistose and granitoid rocks, migmatite, quartzite, dolomite and haematitic quartzite. These rocks have undergone intense metamorphism and deformed by compression and folding. Younger sediments include Cambrian shelf deposits, Tertiary marine limestone, Pleistocene aeolinite and Recent alluvium and sand dunes. Economic mineral deposits which are all described, are confined to the Archaean belts and include copper, silver, lead, manganese, talc, asbestos, graphite and magnesite. Ferruginous quartzite and chert are thin and low grade, and offer no source of iron ore. The aeolianites are important aquifers and supply potable water at Uley.

South Australia is well endowed with limestone, dolomite and magnesite deposits and they occur in sufficient adundance to more than meet industrial requirements of the State. This report has been prepared to collate the present knowledge on distribution, occurrence, accessibility and composition of these rocks and to bring together all revelant analytical data available. It was compiled in response to numerous requests for information, reflecting the growing interest in these commodities. The published and unpublished data was assembled and assessed and sampling of unexploited deposits located within a 50 mile radius of Adelaide was also completed.

This report is based on two years of field investigations and geological mapping and was the first publication that dealt with the Yorke Peninsula as a whole. It is an important contribution to the knowledge of the geology of South Australia and the section dealing with mineral resources will be a useful reference for further work in the area.

After its formation as a single sedimentary entity the Great Artesian Basin provided a marine environment only during the Cretaceous Aptian, Albian and early Cenomanian in South Australia. Santos' Oodnadatta 1 well (1957), continuously cored through the early Cenomanian-Aptian section, gave valuable control of the sequence of and relationships between foraminiferal and molluscan faunas. Material studied for this report was obtained from 255 surface samples, collected mostly between 1957 and 1963, and from retained drill cores and cuttings of 16 petroleum exploration wells and water bores dating back as far as 1883. The foraminifera consist of 134 species, 66 of which are described as new, representing 57 genera, two of which are new; the molluscs consist of 88 species, 18 described as new, belonging to 43 genera of which two are new. The assemblages show little variation over wide areas and indicate deposition under sluggish or stagnant conditions ranging from brackish swamp to offshore facies. Four foraminiferal zones are recognizable. The faunas cross formation boundaries near the base of the marine sequence, giving evidence of marine transgression in a westerly direction during the Aptian.

This report is based on 5 years field work which commenced in 1959 and resulted in the preparation and publication of geological maps of the Andamooka and Torrens 1:250,000 map areas. This compilation describes in some detail the geological features of those two map sheet areas, which are sparsely populated and utilised principally for pastoral pursuits. The record of mineral activities and of stratigraphic information contained in this report will be a useful guide to any future investigations.

Usage of groundwater from the Adelaide Plains Sub-Basin of the St Vincent Basin grew rapidly during the early 1960's, this required legislation to be introduced in 1967 to control its use. Departmental activities on the Northern Adelaide Plains have involved studies of old bore data and drilling of many observation bores. Palaeontological studies of many samples arising from this work have largely been the responsibility of J. M. Lindsay of the Department's Palaeontological Section. This report is the result of six years intermittent work and represents a significant contribution of the subsurface stratigraphy of the area, and a better understanding of the groundwater problems.

The northern Flinders Ranges were opened up by pastoralists from about 1850 onwards and mineral discoveries date from 1860 in the Mount Painter Province. Geological investigations prior to 1945 was limited by the inaccessibility of the region. Since that time systematic geological studies have been carried out together with an appraisal and some testing of old mines. This report is the outcome of intensive studies over the past 15 years. In Part 1, the regional geology is described by Coates, and in Part 2 Blissett has described the mineral resources of the area in considerable detail.

The Kangaroo Creek Dam, located in the Mount Lofty Ranges 14 miles northeast of Adelaide, was constructed to provide additional storage for Adelaide water supply. Geological factors led to the selection of the Kangaroo Creek Dam site instead of two other potential localities. Consideration of the effects of geological weaknesses resulted in rejection of the initial concrete arch dam in favor of a concrete faced rockfill embankment. The results of the systematic geological investigations carried out throughout the construction of the project were recorded and provided a detailed understanding of the rock substances and rock masses at the site. This detailed geological knowledge contributed to the solution of many of the day to day problems encountered during construction.

The Gawler Ranges extend across northern Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and comprise an extensive tract of extrusive rocks consisting of red feldspar porphyry. The geology of the ranges and their relationship to the surrounding basement rocks were little known until recent years. The present study undertaken on behalf of the Department of Mines has established that the eastern Gawler Range Volcanics complex consists essentially of a conformable succession of tuffs and lava flows. The succession of rock types has been revealed in marginal exposure due to faulting in the area studied. This study forms a valuable base for further work now in progress, and may be expected to disclose any economically valuable mineral deposit which may exist in the area.

This publication is designed to assemble all available information on the nature of the soils of the Adelaide region, to classify them into identifiable soil types and to show their distribution broadly on a soil map. An account is also included of the geology, physiography and hydrogeology which with the influence of climate have controlled the development of the soil pattern. Finally the relation of soils to engineering response and problems relating to stability of buildings are discussed. The Bulletin is accompanied

The Cambrian Wirrealpa and Aroona Creek Limestones occur in the Flinders Ranges. The excellent exposures along the hills faces and in the creeks have enabled a detailed study to be made of the facies relationships of the carbonate rocks over much of the area. As a result, palaeogeographic maps have been constructed. These and the related information should assist in the future mineral and petroleum exploration in a wide area to the east and northeast of the Flinders Ranges. This report presents the results of one of the first detailed sedimentological studies to be made of any of the Cambrian formations in South Australia.

Groundwater is of considerable importance to South Australia as there are limited surface water resources apart from the River Murray. Approximately one third of all water consumed in the State is groundwater. The main use is irrigation but pastoralists also depend heavily on groundwater for stock with other uses include town water supplies and industry. This report represents the results of a continuing assessment of the groundwater resources of the State ensuring that a responsible approach to utilising a limited resource is maintained.

The Gidealpa Group, of Permian age, is the source and host rock for hydrocarbons in the Cooper Basin. The group does not outcrop, so that our knowledge of it is derived solely from drilling data. This detailed evaluation of the electric logs has led to a better understanding of the palaeogeography and sedimentation of the Cooper Basin. This is of particular value in the search for stratigraphic hydrocarbon trapping mechanisms.

This Bulletin provides a descriptive account of the accompanying geological map of the Peake and Denison Ranges presented at 1:150,000. The Precambrian sequence exposed is remarkably thick and well displayed, and the relationships of mineralisation to major volcanic and sedimentary units, structures and intrusive bodies has been demonstrated. The Peake and Denison Ranges represent an inlier of old besement rocks on the southwestern margin of the Great Australian Basin. Exposures to these sediments along the flanks of the ranges have been important in the search for oil, gas, coal and uranium.

The importance of the engineering geology in the City of Adelaide has been emphasised since the 1950's, when construction commenced in the city of a new generation of multistorey buildings. Foundation drilling along with geological and geophysical investigations were provided by the Department of Mines and Energy at the time and resulted in the accumulation of a large store of knowledge concerning the hydrological and engineering characteristics of the complex geological sequence underlying the city area. The compilitation of the data in this Bulletin has provided the first detailed account of the engineering geology of any major Australian city and will be of considerable value to architects and civil engineers.

The Worumba Anticline contains in its core a complex of intensely deformed and brecciated Callanna and Burra Group sediments and volcanics, surrounded by a less deformed rim sequence of unconformably overlying Umberatana Group sediments. The sedimentology, stratigraphy, depositional environments and biostratigraphy, particularly of stromatolites, of these core and rim sediments have been studied. The structural evolution of the anticline, and the nature of minor scattered occurrences of mineralization within the core complex, are also described.

The extremely thick succession provides one of the most complete sedimentary records for the Late Proterozoic. The term geosyncline is used in a non-genetic sense for the basin in which deposition occurred during the Adelaidean and Cambrian. Only the Adelaidean sedimentary history is described, although an outline of the Phanerozoic tectonic history of the region aids interpretation of Proterozoic tectonics. This bulletin provides a synthesis and interpretation of the geology as a stimulus for developing new models for exploration. It also includes a 1:60 000 scale geological map covering the Adelaide Geosyncline and Stuart Shelf. The late Proterozoic palaeogeographic evolution is traced through 45 time slices illustrated by block-diagrams.

The geology of South Australia represents over 150 years of geological investigations in South Australia. It is designed to provide the reader with a comprehensive regional account of the products of sedimentation, deformation, metamorphism and magmatic activity throughout the State, with some insights into associated crustal processes. The ultimate aim is to stimulate exploration and research, and to provide a sound geological basis for the equitable use of the State's resources.Volume 1 - The Precambrian - describes the geology of the older rocks of South Australia spanning the period from the late Archaean (approximately 2700 million years ago) to the end of the Neoproterozoic at 540 Ma. Rocks of this age contain most of the State's metallic mineral deposits, and are currently the focus of intense exploration, largely as a result of the South Australian Exploration Initiative. The major geological provinces of interest are the Gawler Craton in the centre of the State, Musgrave Block and part of the Officer Basin in the northwest, Coompana Block in the southwest, Curnamona Craton including the Willyama Inliers in the northeast, Adelaide Geosyncline in the eastern third of the State, and basement inliers in the latter.

The geology of South Australia represents over 150 years of geological investigations in South Australia. It is designed to provide the reader with a comprehensive regional account of the products of sedimentation, deformation, metamorphism and magmatic activity throughout the State, with some insights into associated crustal processes. The ultimate aim is to stimulate exploration and research, and to provide a sound geological basis for the equitable use of the State's resources.Volume 2 - The Phanerozoic - describes the geology of the State from 540 million years ago to the present day. Rocks dating from this time in Earth history contain most of the State's oil and gas reserves, as well as a variety of industrial and extractive minerals, gemstones such as opal and diamonds, groundwater, and some metallic mineral resources. The volume also discusses geology in relation to the modern environment, covering topics such as groundwater contamination and land salinisation, geological hazards, and mining and the environment.

This Bulletin contains geochronological data and interpretations from the Gawler Craton of South Australia that have been completed by Mark Fanning of The Australian National University, by Geological Survey of South Australia personnel, and by industry and university collaborators. The data have been collected over the period 1992 to 2005 by performing Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) analyses of rock samples, using equipment based at the Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, as part of collaborative research programmes. The geochronology presented in this bulletin builds on the work done throughout the 1970s and early 1980s by Alan Webb and co-workers, who systematically surveyed the crystalline, and in some instances, sedimentary rocks of the Gawler Craton, and other geological provinces of South Australia, using Rb-Sr and K-Ar techniques (Steveson et al., 1971; Webb, 1978; Webb et al., 1982; Webb et al., 1986). However, the relatively low closure temperatures of the Rb-Sr and K-Ar isotopic systems and the mobility of the elements during overprinting thermal or metamorphic events resulted in many of the ages being more indicative of these later events, rather than of the age of rock formation; or else they reflected mixtures thereof. As these early studies were being completed, analysis of the U-Pb isotopic system via thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) became routine, and was applied to zircons from the major rock units of the Gawler Craton (Cooper et al., 1985; Fanning et al., 1988). The results of Fanning et al. (1988), in particular, provided a useful platform for the numerous other geochronological studies that were undertaken across the craton throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s. Our understanding of the crustal evolution of the Gawler Craton was further refined with the application of the high spatial resolution afforded by the SHRIMP instrumentation. The ca. 15 to 30 mm diameter spot size that characterises a SHRIMP analysis allows the study of small portions within individual zircon crystals. Because it has been found that zircon grains may record evidence of an earlier magmatic or metamorphic history within their crystal structure (e.g. Black et al., 1986), the spatial resolution of the SHRIMP tool provides a means for examining the fine-scale geochronological relationships preserved within complex zircon grains. This is extremely useful, since zircon is a common rock - forming accessory mineral that is able to survive metamorphism and melting, and thus is able to record evidence within an individual crystal of more than one magmatic or metamorphic cycle.

Mineral Exploration Data Package 16

This book summarises the information on soil type developed via the State Land and Soil Mapping Program and contained within the State Land and Soil Information Framework. It fully documents for the first time the system categorising soils developed for Southern South Australia by the authors. A range of data and documentation now describes the natue and distribution of soil and landscape characteristics throughout this area. The information presented in this book is predominately based upon these hard won data and the accumulated knowledge of the authors.

At a conference on the 4th Dec 1963 The South Australian and Victorian Geological Surveys agreed to collaborate in a joint technical appraisal of the greater part of the Otway Basin. The aim of the new study was to collate the mass of data obtained since the previous investigations and provide an opportunity for discussion between geologists in each State. The results were published here in one publication, making the new subsurface data, surface mapping, electric logging, biostratigraphic studies etc. more readily available.