Great Artesian Basin 3D Vshale Model for Aquifer Geometry, Version 2.0

Geoscience Australia's National Groundwater Systems Project produced this 3D geological and hydrogeological model of the Great Artesian and Lake Eyre Basins. The model is populated with volume of shale (Vshale) values calculated from 2,310 wells across four basins, providing a refined architecture of 18 hydrogeological units. This work, completed as part of the Exploring for the Future program, builds on a previous iteration and aims to support sustainable groundwater management.

Use Cases

• Modeling aquifer and aquitard geometry based on the 3D geological surfaces.
• Analyzing lateral and vertical variability of rock properties using Vshale as a proxy.
• Identifying potential preferential groundwater flow paths based on sand body development.
• Mapping groundwater knowledge at a basin-wide scale to identify areas for long-term monitoring.

Strengths

• Model is based on data from 2,310 wells across four basins.
• Refines the architecture of 18 distinct hydrogeological units.
• Represents a second iteration, building on previous work and infilling data gaps.

Limitations

• Data gaps and the need to integrate petrophysics and hydrogeological data are noted as limitations.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Vshale values calculated from well data, integrated with 3D geological and hydrogeological surfaces.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 14:34:18.854299; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Artesian Basin and Lake Eyre Basin in eastern Australia, covering the Surat, Eromanga, Carpentaria, and Lake Eyre basins.