Geology of the Onshore Canning Basin with Five Sedimentary Periods

The Canning Basin is a large intracratonic basin in Western Australia with sedimentary rocks up to 18 km thick. The geology is characterized by five major periods of sedimentation from the Early Ordovician through the Cainozoic, including marine, continental, and evaporitic phases. This dataset from the Australian Ocean Data Network describes basin structure, hydrocarbon potential, and groundwater prospects.

Use Cases

• Model basin evolution based on described five major periods of sedimentation
• Identify hydrocarbon exploration targets based on mentions of Devonian reefs and the Fairfield Group
• Assess groundwater resources based on described Jurassic sandstones, Tertiary calcrete, and Quaternary alluvium
• Study paleoclimate and depositional environments from described glacial, evaporitic, and fluvial phases

Strengths

• Describes sedimentary rock sequences up to 18 km thick
• Details five distinct geological periods spanning from the Early Ordovician to the Cainozoic
• Identifies specific resource targets like Devonian reefs and Jurassic sandstones

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data files are PDF/HTML formats, which may require parsing for structured analysis

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Reconnaissance mapping, drilling, and geophysical data compilation

Time Range

Geological periods from Early Ordovician to Cainozoic

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 04:17:27.480792

Geography

Onshore Canning Basin, Western Australia, between the Halls Creek Province and the Pilbara Block