Hydrogeological Inventory of South-east Australian Fractured Rock Provinces

Approximately 40% of Australia's groundwater is stored in fractured rock aquifers, which supply water for irrigation, town supplies, and domestic use. This dataset provides descriptive attributes for these aquifers, covering themes like geology, hydrogeology, groundwater management, and land use, with a focus on the Lachlan Orogen in New South Wales. It supports analysis of groundwater resources in a region containing significant mineral deposits like orogenic gold and porphyry copper-gold.

Use Cases

• Assessing groundwater availability for irrigation and town supplies based on aquifer yield and management themes.
• Mapping the relationship between geological structures like fractures and groundwater flow direction.
• Identifying regions with mineral exploration potential based on described lithological units and deposit types.
• Informing land use and environmental planning using integrated data on demographics, surface water, and industry.

Strengths

• Covers a nationally significant resource, with fractured rock aquifers comprising about 40% of Australia's groundwater.
• Integrates data across 11 thematic groups, including geology, hydrogeology, and land use, suggesting a multi-faceted analysis.
• Is part of a national inventory program (National Hydrogeological Inventory), indicating a standardized framework.

Limitations

• Key structural metadata is missing: column names, row counts, and specific file formats are unknown.
• The spatial scope is explicitly limited, excluding the New England, Thomson, and Delamerian Orogens.
• Update timestamps conflict between sources (2026-06-16 and 2026-04-10), creating uncertainty about the most recent version.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Likely compiled from geological surveys, hydrogeological maps, and administrative data for the National Hydrogeological Inventory.

Freshness

2026-06-16 17:48:02.155268

Geography

South-east Australia, specifically the Lachlan Orogen extending through New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania.