Permian Coals of Eastern Australia: Geology and Resource Properties

An overview report from the Australian Ocean Data Network presents two major databases on the Permian coals and coal-bearing basins of eastern Australia. The BMR database covers basin stratigraphy and structure, while the CSIRO database details coal properties, summarized in 42 plates and dozens of line drawings. The report compares an area equivalent to the Carboniferous coal basins of Europe, from Scotland to the western Soviet Union.

Use Cases

• Classifying tectonic basin groups (rift, intracratonic, marginal) based on described structural histories
• Analyzing coal properties like vitrinite content and semifusinite ratios for resource assessment
• Modeling sedimentary environments (alluvial fan, fluvial, deltaic) and marine incursions described for marginal basins
• Correlating coal measure sequences (basal, middle, upper) separated by lacustrine or marine sediments

Strengths

• Report contains two major databases (BMR and CSIRO) with complementary geological and chemical data
• Data is summarized in 42 plates and dozens of line drawings covering surface/underground geology and coal properties
• Covers an enormous geographical area equivalent to the Carboniferous coal basins of Europe

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data is presented in PDF/HTML report format, which may require extraction for computational analysis

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Compilation and analysis by BMR and CSIRO, summarized in a report with databases on microfiche.

Time Range

Permian period, with focus on Early to Late Permian glacial and post-glacial conditions.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 19:02:09.302820; freshness should be verified

Geography

Eastern Australia, from Cape York to Tasmania, including the Sydney-Bowen, Cooper, and Galilee Basins.