This series can be divided into two groups. The first and larger group, AA 159/1/1 to AA 159/1/8, contains field notes from trips undertaken on behalf of both the South Australian Department of Mines and Geosurveys Pty Ltd between 1953 to 1963. These field notebooks are closely related in subject matter, with geology and ethnology being the principal matters discussed. More specifically, they include written notes on geological sites, sketches of Australian Aboriginal artefacts and colour sketches of rock art with written descriptions.

The field notebooks cover consecutive periods, and closely follow on from each other. Some field books contain a contents page on the inside back or front cover and some contain an index, both of which usually refer to place names. Items AA 159/1/6 and AA 159/1/7 are exercise books used for field notes and the remainder AA 159/1/1 to AA 159/1/5, and AA 159/1/9 to AA 159/1/10 are stenographer style notebooks.

The second group of notebooks, AA 159/1/9 and AA 159/1/10, date from 1972 to 1980, during the period Johnson was an Honorary Research Worker and Associate at the South Australian Museum. There is some overlap in dates between the two notebooks in this group. These field notebooks refer extensively to meteorites (Johnson is known to have obtained at least 3 meteorites for the South Australian Museum in this time) and phosphates. They are less rigorously organised than the early field notebooks.