Geological Evolution of the Canning Basin, Western Australia

Geoscience Australia's publication details the geological evolution of the Canning Basin, covering an area of approximately 430,000 km² onshore and 165,000 km² offshore. The dataset describes the basin's stratigraphy, divided into 11 informal intervals spanning the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, and Cainozoic eras, and its major structural features like the Fitzroy Graben and various sub-basins. It provides a synthesis of sedimentary sequences, tectonic events, and depositional environments from the Lower Ordovician onward.

Use Cases

• Basin analysis and resource assessment based on described stratigraphic intervals and structural features.
• Reconstructing paleogeographic and depositional environments from described transgression/regression cycles.
• Studying tectonic history and structural evolution using details of the Fitzroy Graben and sub-basins.
• Correlating regional geological units using the framework of 11 basin-wide intervals.

Strengths

• Provides detailed geological synthesis from an authoritative government source (Geoscience Australia).
• Covers a vast spatial area (approx. 595,000 km² total) with significant stratigraphic thickness (about 10,000 m).
• Describes a structured chronological framework with 11 distinct sedimentary intervals.

Limitations

• Core data structure (columns, row count, file size) is unspecified across all sources.
• The dataset appears to be a published document (PDF/HTML) rather than a structured, queryable data product.
• License information is not provided.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia

Collection Method

Likely compiled from geological surveys, seismic interpretation, and well data.

Time Range

Lower Ordovician to present (Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, Cainozoic eras).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 (conflicting date 2026-04-05 also noted).

Geography

Canning Basin, Western Australia (onshore and offshore).