Arafura Basin Hydrogeological Inventory with Groundwater Feature Attributes

A descriptive inventory of the Arafura Basin's hydrogeology, grouped into themes including location, geology, and groundwater management. The dataset, provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network, was last updated in June 2026. It covers a large intracratonic sedimentary basin along Australia's northern margin, with a sedimentary record spanning over 250 million years from the late Neoproterozoic to the early Permian.

Use Cases

• Assess groundwater management potential based on described aquifer characteristics like the Marchinbar Sandstone.
• Model sedimentary basin evolution using described geological units and stratigraphic sequences.
• Study groundwater supply for remote communities based on historical investigation details from the 1980s and 1990s.
• Analyze land use and industry types in relation to the described physical geography and surface water features.

Strengths

• Descriptive topics are grouped into 11 specific themes, providing a structured inventory.
• The description provides detailed geological context, including the basin's four main phases of subsidence and major rock groups.
• It references specific groundwater investigations and aquifers, such as those near Maningrida and the Elcho Island Formation.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The data is delivered as a PDF, which may hinder computational analysis compared to structured formats.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Compilation of descriptive attribute information for spatial groundwater features, likely from government investigations and geological mapping.

Time Range

Sedimentary record spans from the late Neoproterozoic to the early Permian (over 250 million years); inventory includes historical investigations from the 1980s and 1990s.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 03:35:58.376426; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura Basin, northern continental margin of Australia, with over 90% offshore in the Arafura Sea and the southern part onshore in northern Arnhem Land.