Salinity of Deep Formation Water in the Canning Basin, Western Australia

Salinity values range from almost fresh water (<1000 mg/L TDS) to brines exceeding 300,000 mg/L TDS, with most below 10,000 mg/L. The dataset, sourced from the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in April 2026, contains estimates from well logs and measurements from oil-production wells and drill stem tests. It describes spatial and depth-dependent salinity patterns across the basin's stratigraphic units.

Use Cases

• Modeling paleo-groundwater systems based on described stacking of paleo-salinity profiles.
• Predicting salinity distribution with depth based on the linear relationship with burial depth described in the summary.
• Identifying areas of abnormally high salinity for resource exploration based on mentioned locations like the Willara and Kidson Sub-Basins.
• Analyzing the impact of evaporite dissolution on water chemistry as described for the Grant Group and Mellinjerie Limestone.

Strengths

• Salinity ranges are precisely quantified from <1000 mg/L to >300,000 mg/L TDS.
• Spatial patterns are described, noting very high salinity is concentrated in the south, particularly the Willara and Kidson Sub-Basins.
• Depth relationships are analyzed, noting salinity increases linearly with burial depth and shows patterns within stratigraphic units.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, as most wells are near basin margins.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Estimated from well log data or measured on water samples from oil-production wells and drill stem tests.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 19:26:30.396488; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Canning Basin, Western Australia