Palaeozoic Aquifer Hydrogeology in the Canning Basin, Western Australia

30 oil exploration wells were analyzed in a reconnaissance study of the major Palaeozoic aquifers in the Canning Basin, a 430,000 km2 sedimentary basin. The study, likely from Geoscience Australia, models groundwater flow and temperature to understand Zn-Pb mineralisation mechanisms. It was last updated on 2026-04-20.

Use Cases

• Modeling historical and present groundwater flow directions based on described aquifer interconnectivity and flow velocities.
• Assessing the role of geopressured zones in ore-forming fluid generation and expulsion mentioned in the description.
• Comparing compaction-driven versus gravity-driven fluid-flow models for mineral deposit formation as discussed in the study.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on data from 30 oil exploration wells, providing a subsurface data foundation.
• The study quantifies specific groundwater parameters, including velocity (0.2 to 0.5 m y-1) and temperature ranges (30 to 83°C).
• Covers a large, defined geographic area of 430,000 km2 in the Canning Basin.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description notes insufficient information on tectonics, palaeotopography, and mineralisation age for assessing one fluid-flow model.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Reconnaissance study based on analysis of data from 30 oil exploration wells.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:17:31.212338; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Canning Basin, Western Australia