Great Artesian Basin Palynology Review and New Sampling Results

Palynological data from 706 wells across the Great Artesian Basin was compiled, with 407 wells having Jurassic-Cretaceous succession data reviewed. The study by MGPalaeo and Geoscience Australia, updated in 2026, standardized historic nomenclature and sampled 20 new wells to fill knowledge gaps. It provides a regional chronostratigraphic framework linking lithostratigraphic units across the Surat, Eromanga, and Carpentaria basins.

Use Cases

• Correlate aquifer boundaries using standardized spore pollen zonation (Price, 1997) and marine zonation (Partridge, 2006) schemes across basin jurisdictions.
• Map lithostratigraphic units like the Hutton Sandstone or Evergreen Formation by linking legacy and new palynology data to a consistent chronostratigraphic framework.
• Identify data gaps in the Jurassic-Cretaceous succession by analyzing the compiled review of 407 wells and subsequent targeted sampling in 23 key wells.
• Refine stratigraphic charts for the Surat, Eromanga, and Carpentaria basins by integrating updated biostratigraphic information from the well data compilation.

Strengths

• Data compilation covers 706 wells across the Great Artesian Basin, with detailed review of 407 wells.
• Study integrates legacy data with new sampling from 20 wells to address specific knowledge gaps.
• Provides a standardized zonation scheme reconciling several historic nomenclature systems for basin-wide correlation.

Limitations

• Specific row counts and column details for the underlying data tables are not provided in the description.
• The dataset's primary format includes PDF reports, which may require extraction to access structured tabular data.
• Geographic focus is limited to the Great Artesian Basin in Australia, reducing applicability to other regions.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia's 'Assessing the Status of Groundwater in the Great Artesian Basin' project, undertaken by MGPalaeo.

Collection Method

Compilation and review of existing palynology data, followed by targeted new sampling and analysis of well samples.

Time Range

Focus on the Jurassic-Cretaceous geological succession.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026, indicating recent compilation and analysis.

Geography

Great Artesian Basin, covering the Surat, Eromanga, and Carpentaria basins across Queensland and South Australia, Australia.