Arafura Basin Hydrogeological Inventory with Groundwater Feature Attributes

An inventory of descriptive attributes for spatial groundwater features in Australia's Arafura Basin, grouped into themes like hydrogeology, land use, and demographics. The basin's sedimentary record spans over 250 million years, from the late Neoproterozoic to the early Permian. Compiled by the Australian Ocean Data Network, this dataset provides a structured overview of the basin's groundwater systems.

Use Cases

• Assess groundwater management and use based on administrative and demographic themes.
• Study hydrogeological characteristics based on geology and groundwater feature descriptions.
• Analyze relationships between physical geography, surface water, and land use themes.
• Identify scientific research stimuli based on the documented hydrogeological knowledge gaps.

Strengths

• Descriptive attributes are organized into 11 distinct thematic groups, including Hydrogeology and Groundwater Management.
• The dataset covers a sedimentary basin with a rock record spanning over 250 million years.
• It references specific geological units like the Marchinbar Sandstone and Elcho Island Formation.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Aggregated from hydrogeological investigations by the Northern Territory Government during the 1980s and 1990s.

Time Range

Geological record from late Neoproterozoic to early Permian; study period references 1980s-1990s.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:00:04.718499; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura Basin, northern Australia, primarily offshore in the Arafura Sea with onshore sections in northern Arnhem Land.