Hydrogeological atlas of the Great Artesian Basin

Page last updated:10 December 2021

Project completed 2015

Background

The Atlas presents a compilation of maps documenting some of the key regional geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical aspects of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB). It provides insights into the regional geometry and physical characteristics of the rocks and water contained within this vast groundwater basin, as well as baseline information to assess future hydrological changes.

The Atlas draws upon work undertaken by ŮŮÊÓÆµthat contributed to a number of projects, such as the CSIRO-led Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment (GABWRA) project and Geoscience Australia's Carbon Capture and Storage project. Since these projects, new information has led to some of the concepts and interpretations being revised or refined for this Atlas. New work presented in this Atlas includes revised interpretations of the extent and thickness of the major aquifers and aquitards and the basin-wide perspective of the variation of water chemistry within the major aquifers.

The Atlas and associated datasets are a valuable information resource for state and Commonwealth governments, resource and environmental agencies, water managers and communities. The Atlas helps inform water management decisions within the GAB, assisting agencies to better understand the basin’s aquifers and groundwater resources and evaluate the effectiveness of management activities.

Outputs

Download a high resolution copy of the Atlas here:

Learn more about the development of the GAB Atlas here: Navigating Australia's largest groundwater resource

Many digital datasets from the GAB Atlas are also available for download to use within GIS applications. The table below provides links to the many GAB Atlas datasets available through Geoscience Australia’s product catalogue:

Map Dataset name
Hydrogeology
Depth to the top of the Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer and Equivalents
Depth to Hydrogeological basement and sedimentary basins underlying the GAB
Groundwater Recharge Zones
Potentiometric surface for the Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer and Equivalents, with inferred flow lines
Regional Watertable
Hydraulic connectivity across the base of the Great Artesian Basin
Hydraulic connection between Quaternary alluvium and GAB aquifers in the Surat Sub-basin
Polygonal and Normal Faulting in the Great Artesian Basin
River tracts with inferred groundwater leakage from anomalous evapotranspiraton
Thickness of Cenozoic weathering
Geomorphology
Paleogene-Neogene cover
Winton-Mackunda Aquifer and Equivalents
Rolling Downs Aquitard
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer and Equivalents
Westbourne Aquitard
Adori-Springbok Aquifer
Birkhead-Walloon Aquitard
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents
Evergreen-Poolowanna Aquitard and Equivalents
Precipice Aquifer and Equivalents
Wallumbilla/Rolling Downs Group Aquifers - Alkalinity
Wallumbilla/Rolling Downs Group Aquifers - Total Dissolved Solids
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Alkalinity
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Chloride
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Sodium
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - pH
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Sulphate
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Magnesium
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Calcium
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Potassium
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Fluoride
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - 36Cl/Cl Ratio
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Deuterium (2H Hydrogen)
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Oxygen 18 (18O)
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Carbon13 (13C)
Adori-Springbok Aquifer - Alkalinity
Adori-Springbok Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents - Alkalinity
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents - Total Dissolved Solids
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents - 36Cl/Cl ratio
Precipice Aquifer and Equivalents - Alkalinity
Precipice Aquifer and Equivalents -Total Dissolved Solids