Australian Onshore and Offshore Borehole Records and Surveys

Geoscience Australia's Boreholes database provides header, directional survey, and lithostratigraphic data for boreholes. The service includes records from Geoscience Australia, its predecessor organizations, Commonwealth offshore jurisdictions, and selected onshore government and private boreholes. The data is delivered via an OGC-conformant web service and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze borehole header data like location and depth to map subsurface exploration coverage across Australia.
• Use directional survey data to model the 3D trajectory of boreholes for engineering and drilling planning.
• Classify geological formations by applying lithostratigraphic observation data to regional stratigraphic studies.
• Filter boreholes by status definitions (e.g., completed, abandoned) for regulatory compliance and historical analysis.

Strengths

• Data conforms to the GeoSciML v4.1 data transfer standard for interoperability.
• Includes records from multiple authoritative sources including state, territory, and Commonwealth governments.
• Service was updated in April 2026, indicating active maintenance.

Limitations

• The specific number of borehole records, rows, and total data size is not provided.
• Data is sourced from various external custodians, potentially leading to inconsistencies in format or completeness.
• The service is a WMTS, which may limit direct access to the underlying tabular data for some analysis workflows.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia's Boreholes database, aggregating data from various state, territory, and Commonwealth government regulatory authorities.

Collection Method

Compiled from boreholes drilled by Geoscience Australia, its predecessors (BMR, AGSO), and sourced from other government and private entities for research purposes.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-04.

Geography

Australia, including onshore locations and Commonwealth offshore marine jurisdictions.