Geothermal gradients and heat flow in Australian sedimentary basins  

Authors / CoAuthors

Cull, J.P. | Conley, D.

Abstract

Geothermal gradients in Australian sedimentary basins have been calculated from data obtained from water bores in the Great Artesian Basin and oil exploration wells. The data are subject to several types of systematic error, but statistical trends have been extracted, using values of thermal conductivity obtained from sediment compaction models. Estimates of heat flow from the Great Artesian Basin are consistent with the configuration of the major aquifer systems. Oil well data confirm the regional trends obtained from previous investigations, but previously recognised anomalies in southeast Australia are no longer evident. Temperatures at a depth of 40 km range from 320°C to 380°C for the Precambrian terrain and from 470°C to 550°C for the Phanerozoic . These results are modified by sediment cover. A 1 km thickness causes additional heating, with temperatures raised by 16-40°C.

Product Type

document

eCat Id

81160

Contact for the resource

Keywords

• GA PublicationJournal

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

• Earth Sciences

• Published_External

Publication Date

1983-01-01T00:00:00

Creation Date

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem    

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

Access - license

Use - license

Status

Purpose

Maintenance Information

unknown

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

BMR Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics 8:4:329-337

Lineage

Unknown

Parent Information

Extents

[-44.08, -10.31, 113.29, 154.59]

Reference System

Spatial Resolution

Service Information

Associations

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Journal article (pdf)  

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Source data not available.