Great Artesian Basin 3D Vshale Model for 18 Hydrogeological Units

Australia's Great Artesian and Lake Eyre Basins are modeled in 3D with volume of shale values calculated from 2,310 wells. The data package, produced by Geoscience Australia's National Groundwater Systems Project, provides a refined architecture of aquifer and aquitard geometry. It was completed as part of the eight-year, $225 million Exploring for the Future program.

Use Cases

• Refining hydrogeological conceptual models based on the 3D geological and hydrogeological surfaces.
• Mapping potential preferential groundwater flow paths based on sand body development and hydraulic characteristics.
• Assessing aquifer compartmentalisation based on the distribution of sand-shale ratios across 18 hydrogeological units.
• Identifying critical groundwater areas for long-term monitoring based on the basin-wide knowledge mapping.

Strengths

• Model is based on data from 2,310 wells across four basins.
• Iterative work builds on previous models and infills data gaps with additional borehole, airborne electromagnetic, and seismic data.
• Provides a common national standard framework for data integration across multiple jurisdictions.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The description notes limitations requiring further study, including data gaps and the need to integrate petrophysics and hydrogeological data.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia's National Groundwater Systems Project, part of the Exploring for the Future program.

Collection Method

3D geological and hydrogeological modeling populated with Vshale values calculated from well data.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 18:32:22.980219; freshness should be verified

Geography

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