Subsurface Permeability Barriers in the Murray Basin

Australian Ocean Data Network provides stratigraphic analysis of mid-Tertiary permeability barriers in the Murray Basin subsurface. The data includes facies analysis from borelogs and palaeogeographic reconstructions detailing marine incursions spanning at least 20 million years. This dataset was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Model groundwater flow disruption using the arcuate low-permeability zone formed by the Winnambool Formation and Geera Clay.
• Analyze aquifer connectivity by mapping the distribution and geometry of the Ettrick Formation calcareous clay confining layer.
• Estimate original sediment porosity (5-10%) and current effective porosity (0-7%) from core samples like the Piangil West-2 borehole.
• Reconstruct paleogeography to understand the three separate Cainozoic marine incursions into the basin.

Strengths

• Includes detailed core sample analysis from the Piangil West-2 borehole with quantified sediment composition.
• Covers a significant temporal range, detailing geological events spanning at least 20 million years.
• Provides specific thickness measurements for geological units, such as the 10-30 m Ettrick Formation and >100 m Murray Group limestone.

Limitations

• No explicit row or column count provided, indicating the dataset's structure and volume are undefined.
• Primary data formats are HTML and PDF, which are not readily machine-readable for analysis.
• Spatial coverage is limited to the Murray Basin in southeastern Australia, reducing generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Subsurface facies analysis of borelogs and palaeogeographic reconstructions from scientific paper.

Time Range

Mid-Tertiary, specifically events from about 32 million years ago.

Freshness

2026-04-04

Geography

Murray Basin, southeastern Australia.