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 |