Eastern Australia 3D Geological and Hydrogeological Surfaces for 18 Units

18 region-wide hydrogeological unit surfaces were updated using legacy borehole data, 2D seismic, and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data. This second iteration of the 3D model, produced by Geoscience Australia's Exploring for the Future Program, unifies geology across borders from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Bight, Otway, and Gippsland basins. The work builds on a previous 2022 study to fill data gaps in the Great Artesian Basin, Lake Eyre Basin, and other eastern Australian basins.

Use Cases

• Model groundwater flow and storage based on updated 3D hydrogeological unit surfaces.
• Support sustainable groundwater resource management decisions based on the unified basin-wide geological framework.
• Conduct integrated resource assessments for minerals and energy based on the regional geological context.
• Reconcile legacy and contemporary regional geological studies under a common stratigraphic framework.

Strengths

• Covers 18 region-wide hydrogeological units with updated surface extents and thicknesses.
• Integrates multiple data sources including borehole, 2D seismic, and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data.
• Study area spans a significant portion of eastern Australia, from offshore northern basins to southern basins.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data for Triassic to Permian and older basins is provided without geological and hydrogeological unit subdivision.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia's Exploring for the Future Program National Groundwater Systems Project.

Collection Method

Constructed using compiled legacy borehole, 2D seismic, AEM data, and new data from various borehole types.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 09:25:16.883168; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern Australian basins, from the offshore Gulf of Carpentaria in the north to the offshore Bight, Otway, and Gippsland basins in the south, and from the western edge of the Great Artesian Basin to the eastern coastline.