Arafura Basin Hydrogeological Inventory for Northern Australia

Over 90% of the Arafura Basin lies offshore in the shallow Arafura Sea, with its sedimentary record spanning more than 250 million years. This dataset contains descriptive attribute information grouped into themes like location, geology, hydrogeology, and land use, compiled by the Australian Ocean Data Network. Groundwater investigations from the 1980s and 1990s focused on supplies for remote communities like Maningrida.

Use Cases

• Assess groundwater resources for remote communities based on descriptions of fractured sandstone aquifers.
• Model sedimentary basin evolution based on the described stratigraphy spanning the Neoproterozoic to Permian.
• Study land use and environmental impacts in northern Arnhem Land based on the thematic attribute groups.
• Correlate geological units with neighboring basins based on mentions of equivalents like the Kulshill Group.

Strengths

• Descriptive information is organized into 11 thematic groups including hydrogeology and groundwater management.
• The basin's sedimentary record is described as spanning more than 250 million years.
• References specific geological groups like the Wessel, Goulburn, and Arafura Groups.

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.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Likely compiled from government hydrogeological investigations and geological surveys.

Time Range

Covers geological time from the late Neoproterozoic to the early Permian, with investigation periods referenced from the 1980s and 1990s.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 02:17:45.411969; freshness should be verified.

Geography

The Arafura Basin, located along the northern continental margin of Australia, primarily offshore in the Arafura Sea with an onshore section in northern Arnhem Land.