National Hydrogeological Inventory
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This Amadeus Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Amadeus Basin is a sedimentary basin in central Australia that spans from the Neoproterozoic to Late Devonian, potentially Early Carboniferous, periods. It contains clastic, carbonate, and evaporitic sedimentary rocks, with a total thickness of 6,000 m to 14,000 m. The Neoproterozoic section alone is up to 3,000 m thick and is divided into four super-sequences separated by major unconformities. The basin is an active hydrocarbon province, with ongoing oil and gas production and the potential for further discoveries. Several key petroleum source rock units have been identified in the Amadeus Basin. The Gillen Formation, found in the northeast, consists of marine black shale, dolostone, sandstone, and evaporite, reaching a maximum thickness of 850 m. The Loves Creek Formation comprises deep water grainstone and mudstone overlain by stromatolite-bearing grainstone and dolostone, with a thickness of up to 500 m. The Johnnys Creek Formation is a unit composed of red bed and dolomitic limestone or dolostone, along with siltstone and sandstone, up to 400 m thick. The Inindia beds consist of sandstone, siltstone, chert, jasper, tillite, and dolostone, with a maximum thickness of 2,000 m and were deposited in shallow marine conditions. The Aralka Formation is a siltstone and shale unit with two members, the Ringwood Member and the Limbla Member, reaching a thickness of up to 1,000 m. The Pertatataka Formation is a turbiditic red and green siltstone and shale unit, along with minor feldspathic sandstone, deposited in a deep marine or marine shelf environment, typically about 350 m thick but up to 1,400 m thick at certain locations. The Winnall Group is a succession of sandstone and siltstone, with a maximum thickness of 2,134 m. The Chandler Formation is a poorly exposed unit consisting of halite, foetid carbonate mudstone, shale, and siltstone, deposited in a shallow marine environment, with halite deposits reaching thicknesses of 230 m to 450 m. The Giles Creek Dolostone is a carbonate and siltstone unit, with minor sandstone, deposited in a shallow-marine environment. The Horn Valley Siltstone is a thinly bedded shale and siltstone, with nodular limestone and sandy phosphatic and glauconitic interbeds, serving as the primary hydrocarbon source rock in the basin. Lastly, the Stairway Sandstone is 544 m thick and divided into three subunits, consisting of quartzitic sandstone, black shale, siltstone, mudstone, and phosphorites.
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This Murray Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Murray Basin, a significant sedimentary basin in Australia, displays varying sediment thickness across its expanse, with the thickest layers concentrated in its central regions. The basin's geological evolution is characterised by distinct depositional phases. During the Paleocene to Eocene Renmark Group phase, sedimentary deposits encompass fluvial sands at the base, transitioning into paralic carbonaceous clay and lignite layers. These sediments indicate the shift from riverine to shallow marine environments, dating back to the Paleocene and Eocene periods. The Oligocene to Middle Miocene period encompasses the Ettrick Formation and Murray Group Limestone. The former includes marl, and the latter displays glauconitic grey-green marl and bryozoal limestone, revealing prevailing marine conditions during the Oligocene to Middle Miocene. In the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene Bookpurnong Formation, marine shelly dark grey clay and silt, previously known as the Bookpurnong Beds, coexist with Pliocene fluvial to marginal marine quartz sands (Loxton Sands), marking the transition back to terrestrial and nearshore marine settings. During the Late Pliocene to Pleistocene, the Blanchetown Clay, a substantial unit within Lake Bungunnia, signifies lacustrine phases. Overlying ferricretes in the central/eastern basin and the Norwest Bend Formation's oyster coquinas in the western region, the clay exhibits variable coloration and laminations. Lastly, the Pleistocene to Holocene phase witnesses river-induced reworking and erosion of underlying sediments, giving rise to the Shepparton and Coonambidgal formations. In the western Murray Basin, Cenozoic sedimentary rocks are relatively thin, typically measuring under 200-300 meters. The Renmark Trough area presents a maximum thickness of 600 meters.
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This Gippsland Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Gippsland Basin is an asymmetrical east-trending rift structure that originated during rifting in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, as Australia and Antarctica began to separate. Over time, it developed into a continental passive margin basin, with sedimentation continuing to the present day. The basin is characterized by four main phases of tectonic evolution, interspersed with eustatic sea-level variations: initial rifting and extension, mid-Cretaceous contraction, renewed extension, and cessation of rifting in the middle Eocene. The basin's geological structures consist of mainly east to north-east trending features, with the west dominated by north-east structures due to the influence of basement trends. Major fault systems are prominent, compartmentalizing the basin into platforms and depressions separated by bedrock highs. The basin's complex stratigraphic succession reveals fluvial, deltaic, marginal marine, and open marine depositional environments. The sedimentary sequence includes terrigenous siliciclastic sediments from the Upper Cretaceous to Eocene, followed by post-rift sands, clays, coals, and limestones/marls of Oligocene to Holocene age. The Gippsland Basin's sediments are subdivided into four main stratigraphic groups: the Strzelecki, Latrobe, Seaspray, and Sale groups. The Strzelecki Group, dating from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, consists of non-marine sedimentary rocks deposited in fluvial and lacustrine environments. The Latrobe Group, from Late Cretaceous to early Oligocene, contains siliciclastic sediments deposited in various non-marine to marginal marine settings, showing significant lateral lithofacies variations. The Seaspray Group, dating from Oligocene to Pliocene, formed during a post-rift phase, characterized by marine limestone and marl units and continental clastic sediments. Lastly, the Sale Group consists of Miocene-to-Recent continental clastic sediments forming a thin veneer over the onshore portion of the basin. The Gippsland Basin also contains several basaltic lava fields, with two notable volcanic units—the Thorpdale Volcanics and Carrajung Volcanics—part of the Older Volcanics in Victoria. Overall, the Gippsland Basin's geological history and diverse sedimentary deposits make it a significant area for various geological and geophysical studies, including its hydrocarbon resources concentrated in offshore Latrobe Group reservoirs.
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This Northern Australian Fractured Rock Province dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Northern Australian Fractured Rock Province is a hydrogeological entity defined for this study, building upon earlier national-scale hydrogeological research. Australia's geological development was predominantly from west to east, with Archean rocks in the west, Proterozoic rocks in central Australia, and Phanerozoic rocks in the east. The North Australian Craton (NAC) is a significant tectonic element underlying 80% of the Northern Territory and extending to parts of Western Australia and northern Queensland, making up the core of the Northern Australian Fractured Rock Province. The NAC primarily consists of Paleoproterozoic rocks overlying Neoarchean basement. It is surrounded by Proterozoic terranes, including the Musgrave, Warumpi, and Paterson orogens to the south and south-west, the Terra Australis Orogen in the east, and the Western Australian Craton in the west. The Northern Australian Fractured Rock Province includes approximately twelve geological regions of mostly Proterozoic age, such as the Kimberley Basin, Speewah Basin, and Tanami Orogen, among others. Additionally, the province is partially overlain by the Kalkarindji Province, characterized by volcanic rocks. This widespread basaltic province serves as the basement for several significant sedimentary basins in northern Australia, including the Wiso, Ord, Bonaparte, Daly, and Georgina basins. In summary, the Northern Australian Fractured Rock Province is a hydrogeological region defined by combining various Proterozoic geological regions, mainly situated within the North Australian Craton. It is bounded by other Proterozoic terranes and covered in part by the Kalkarindji Province, which consists of volcanic rocks and forms the basement for several key sedimentary basins in northern Australia. Understanding this province is crucial for evaluating the hydrogeological characteristics and geological history of the region.
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This Otway Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Otway Basin is an elongated sedimentary basin located on the south-east continental margin of Australia. Covering approximately 150,000 square kilometres and stretching about 500 km from South Australia's Cape Jaffa to Victoria's Port Phillip Bay and Tasmania's north-west, most of the basin is offshore, with a smaller portion onshore. Geological studies of the Otway Basin have primarily focused on its hydrocarbon prospectivity, examining thick Cretaceous aged rocks both onshore and offshore. However, the shallower onshore sedimentary units are more relevant from a groundwater perspective. The basin's formation began with rifting between the Australian and Antarctic plates during the Late Jurassic, leading to regional subsidence and the development of the elongated sedimentary basin. Following the Cretaceous plate breakup, a passive margin basin formed, which subsequently underwent basin inversion, reverse faulting, and folding, interspersed with extensional periods and normal faulting. This complex evolution, combined with sea level variations and volcanic activity, resulted in numerous sedimentary cycles. The sedimentary succession in the basin comprises non-marine sediments and volcanic rocks from the Jurassic and early Cretaceous, with a period of tectonic compression interrupting sedimentation during the mid-Cretaceous. The late Cretaceous and Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks form the primary groundwater-bearing aquifers of the basin, with various sedimentary environments developing in the Neogene and Quaternary. The basin's structural geology is intricate, with numerous basement highs, sub-basins, troughs, and embayments. Fault systems are prevalent, separating tectonic blocks and potentially influencing groundwater flow, offering conduits for inter-aquifer connectivity. Overall, the Otway Basin's geological history has shaped its hydrocarbon potential and groundwater resources, making it an essential area for ongoing research and exploration in Australia's geological landscape.
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This Gunnedah Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Gunnedah Basin is an intracratonic, sedimentary basin in northern NSW. It forms the middle section of the greater Sydney-Gunnedah-Bowen Basin system and mainly consists of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks resting on Late Carboniferous to Early Permian volcanics. The Gunnedah Basin is overlain by the Surat Basin and the younger alluvial sediments associated with modern and ancient river systems. The Gunnedah Basin is not considered a single well-connected aquifer, rather a series of porous rock aquifers separated by several non-porous or poorly conductive layers. The Lachlan Fold Belt forms what is thought to be an effective basement although little information is known of its hydrogeological properties. All units of the Gunnedah Basin are of low permeability and significantly lower hydraulic conductivity than the overlying alluvial aquifers. Most of the groundwater resources in the area are extracted from either the overlying Surat Basin or younger alluvial aquifers. There is relatively little groundwater sourced from the aquifers of the Gunnedah Basin, except in areas where the overlying aquifers do not occur. The most viable groundwater source in the Gunnedah Basin are the more porous aquifers of the Triassic sequence.
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This Central Australian Fractured Rock Province dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Mesoproterozoic Musgrave Province is a significant geological feature in Central Australia, covering around 130,000 square kilometres across the tri-border region of Northern Territory, South Australia, and eastern Western Australia. It is characterized by east-west trending, metamorphosed igneous rocks, including granites, intrusions, and volcanics. The province experienced various deformation events, including the Mount West Orogeny and Musgravian Orogeny, resulting in the emplacement of granites and high-grade metamorphism. The Ngaanyatjarra Rift (1090 to 1040 Ma) is a failed intracontinental rift that formed due to magmatism-induced extension. The associated Giles Event was characterised by mafic to ultra-mafic intrusions (Giles Suite), bimodal volcanism and rift sedimentation (Bentley Supergroup), granitic intrusions and dyke emplacement. The Giles Event was followed by the emplacement of dolerite dykes including the Kullal Dyke Suite and the Amata Dolerite, approximately 1000 Ma and 825 Ma. The Peterman Orogeny played a crucial role in shaping the geological architecture of the Musgrave Province, forming the distinctive east-to-west-directed ranges.
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This Eucla Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Eucla Basin, located along Australia's southern margin, covers an extensive area of approximately 1,150,000 square kilometres, housing the world's largest grouping of onshore Cenozoic marine sediments. It stretches over 2000 km from east to west and has four main subdivisions: Scaddan Embayment, Esperance Shelf, Nullarbor Shelf, and Yalata Sub-basin offshore. The basin extends about 350 km inland from the modern southern Australian coastline and terminates around 200 km offshore where it meets sediments of the Australian-Antarctic Basin. The sedimentary succession is largely consistent throughout the entire basin. In the west, it overlaps with the Yilgarn Craton and Albany-Fraser Orogen, while in the east, the Gawler Craton and Officer Basin separate it from the Musgrave Province. The basin contains mainly Cenozoic sediments, with thicker sequences in the east due to sediment movement and regional elevation differences. The onshore Eucla Basin hosts an unfaulted sheet of sediment deposited over a south-sloping shelf during several marine transgressions. The basal units rest on a prominent unconformity above the Bight Basin, indicating a break in deposition during the separation of Australia and Antarctica. The sedimentary sequence comprises various units such as the Hampton Sandstone, Pidinga Formation, and Werillup Formation, followed by the Wilson Bluff Limestone, Abrakurrie Limestone, Nullarbor Limestone, and Roe Calcarenite. The basin's geological history is marked by significant events such as marine transgressions during the Eocene, leading to the deposition of extensive limestone formations. The Miocene saw slight tilting of the basin, exposing the Nullarbor Plain to the atmosphere and limiting further sediment deposition. During the late Miocene to Pliocene, barrier and lagoonal transgressions contributed to the formation of the Roe Calcarenite. The Pliocene period witnessed intense karstification and the development of ferricrete and silcrete, resulting in the unique modern-day topography of the region.
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This Arafura Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Arafura Basin is a large intracratonic sedimentary basin along the northern continental margin of Australia. Over 90% of the basin occurs offshore in relatively shallow marine waters of the Arafura Sea, with the basin extending northwards beyond Australia's territorial claim. The southern part of the basin is onshore in northern Arnhem Land. Older Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic rocks of the northern Macarthur Basin underlie most of the onshore basin, whereas Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments of the Money Shoal Basin unconformably overlie the offshore basin. The sedimentary record of the Arafura Basin spans greater than 250 million years, from the late Neoproterozoic to the early Permian. However, subsidence was episodic and restricted to four main phases of regional subsidence interspersed with relatively long periods of tectonic quiescence. Consequently, the entire sedimentary succession of the basin is relatively structurally conformable. The oldest rocks are the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Wessel Group. These are overlain by the Middle Cambrian to early Ordovician Goulburn Group, followed by the Late Devonian Arafura Group. The uppermost sequence is Late Carboniferous to early Permian (an equivalent of the Kulshill Group from the neighbouring Bonaparte Basin). The sedimentary rocks of the Arafura Basin are clastic-dominated and include sandstone, shale, limestone, dolostone and minor coal and glacial deposits. Most of the Arafura Basin formed within shallow marine environments, with evidence for fluvial conditions largely restricted to the Carboniferous to Permian rocks. There are no detailed basin-scale studies on the hydrogeology and groundwater systems of the Arafura Basin. Previous hydrogeological investigations by the Northern Territory Government during the 1980s and 1990s focused on groundwater supplies for remote communities such as Maningrida, Galiwinku and Millingimbi. Groundwater for these communities is sourced from fractured rock sandstone aquifers, most likely units of the Arafura Basin such as the Marchinbar Sandstone and Elcho Island Formation of the Wessel Group. The aquifers are fractured and extensively weathered up to 100 metres below surface.
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This Daly Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus. The Daly Basin is a geological formation consisting of Cambrian to Ordovician carbonate and siliciclastic rocks, formed approximately 541 million to 470 million years ago. The basin stretches about 170 km in length and 30 km in width, shaped as a northwest elongated synform with gentle dips of less than 1 degree, likely due to prolonged sedimentary deposition in the shallow seas of the Centralian Superbasin, possibly along basin-scale faults. The primary groundwater reservoir within the Daly Basin is found in the Cambrian Daly River Group. This group comprises three units: the Tindall Limestone, Jinduckin Formation, and Oolloo Dolostone. The Tindall Limestone, which lies at the base, consists of grey, mottled limestone with some maroon-green siltstone or dark grey mudstone. The transition from the Tindall Limestone to the overlying Jinduckin Formation is marked by a shift from limestone to more siliciclastic rocks, indicating a change from open-shelf marine to peri-tidal environments. The Jinduckin Formation, situated above the Tindall Limestone, is composed of maroon-green dolomitic-siliciclastic siltstone with interbeds of dolomitic sandstone-siltstone, as well as dolostone and dolomitic quartz sandstone lenses. It gradually transitions into the carbonate-rich Oolloo Dolostone, with the highest finely laminated dolomitic sandstone-siltstone interbeds at the top of the Jinduckin Formation. The Oolloo Dolostone, the uppermost unit of the Daly River Group, comprises two members: the well-bedded lower Briggs Member, consisting of fine- to medium-grained crystalline dolostone and dolomitic quartz sandstone, and the massive upper King Member. Overlying the Daly River Group is the Ordovician Florina Formation, consisting of three carbonate intervals separated by two fine-grained, glauconite-bearing quartz sandstone units. The Florina Formation and the Daly River Group are covered unconformably by Cretaceous claystone and sandstone of the Carpentaria Basin, which extends over a significant portion of the Daly Basin.