Hydrogeological atlas of the Great Artesian Basin

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 Geoscience Australia that 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:

Download Atlas

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 Great Artesian Basin - Hydrogeology and extent boundary
Depth to the top of the Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer and Equivalents Base of Hooray Sandstone and equivalents surface
Depth to Hydrogeological basement and sedimentary basins underlying the GAB Layer 10 Great Artesian Basin base of Jurassic-Cretaceous sequence surface
Groundwater Recharge Zones Great Artesian Basin - Groundwater/aquifer recharge zones
Potentiometric surface for the Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer and Equivalents, with inferred flow lines Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Potentiometric Surface
Regional Watertable Water table elevation: Contours Water table elevation: Grid
Hydraulic connectivity across the base of the Great Artesian Basin Hydroconnectivity at the base of the Great Artesian Basin
Hydraulic connection between Quaternary alluvium and GAB aquifers in the Surat Sub-basin Great Artesian Basin - Alluvium Water level
Polygonal and Normal Faulting in the Great Artesian Basin Extent of identified polygonal faulting
River tracts with inferred groundwater leakage from anomalous evapotranspiraton Unregulated River reaches with riparian vegetation potentially intersecting shallow groundwater in the Great Artesian Basin
Thickness of Cenozoic weathering Thickness of Cenozoic weathering in the Great Artesian Basin
Geomorphology Great Artesian Basin - Geomorphology
Paleogene-Neogene cover Great Artesian Basin - Paleogene-Neogene Cover - Thickness and Extent
Winton-Mackunda Aquifer and Equivalents Great Artesian Basin - Winton-Mackunda Aquifer and Equivalents - Thickness and Extent
Rolling Downs Aquitard Great Artesian Basin - Rolling Downs Aquitard - Thickness and Extent
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer and Equivalents Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer and Equivalents - Thickness and Extent
Westbourne Aquitard Great Artesian Basin - Westbourne Aquitard - Thickness and Extent
Adori-Springbok Aquifer Great Artesian Basin - Adori-Springbok Aquifer - Thickness and Extent
Birkhead-Walloon Aquitard Great Artesian Basin - Birkhead-Walloon Aquitard - Thickness and Extent
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents Great Artesian Basin - Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents - Thickness and Extent
Evergreen-Poolowanna Aquitard and Equivalents Great Artesian Basin - Evergreen-Poolowanna Aquitard and Equivalents - Thickness and Extent
Precipice Aquifer and Equivalents Great Artesian Basin - Precipice Aquifer and Equivalents - Thickness and Extent
Wallumbilla/Rolling Downs Group Aquifers - Alkalinity Great Artesian Basin - Coreena Wallumbilla Aquifer - Alkalinity
Wallumbilla/Rolling Downs Group Aquifers - Total Dissolved Solids Great Artesian Basin - Coreena Wallumbilla Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Alkalinity Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Alkalinity
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Chloride Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Chloride Concentration
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Sodium Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Sodium Concentration
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - pH Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - pH
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Sulphate Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Sulphate Concentration
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Magnesium Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Magnesium Concentration
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Calcium Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Calcium Concentration
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Potassium Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Potassium Concentration
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Fluoride Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Flouride Concentration
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - 36Cl/Cl Ratio Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - 36Cl/Cl Ratio
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Deuterium (2H Hydrogen) Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Deuterium
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Oxygen 18 (18O) Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - 18O
Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - Carbon13 (13C) Great Artesian Basin - Cadna-owie - Hooray Aquifer - 13C
Adori-Springbok Aquifer - Alkalinity Great Artesian Basin - Adori Aquifer - Alkalinity
Adori-Springbok Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids Great Artesian Basin - Adori Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents - Alkalinity Great Artesian Basin - Hutton Aquifer - Alkalinity
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents - Total Dissolved Solids Great Artesian Basin - Hutton Aquifer - Total Dissolved Solids
Hutton Aquifer and Equivalents - 36Cl/Cl ratio Great Artesian Basin - Hutton Aquifer - 36Cl/Cl
Precipice Aquifer and Equivalents - Alkalinity Great Artesian Basin - Precipice Aquifer - Alkalinity
Precipice Aquifer and Equivalents -Total Dissolved Solids Great Artesian Basin - Precipice Aquifer -Total Dissolved Solids