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Developing Australia's national geological framework for a 3D groundwater systems atlas

Created 17/10/2025

Updated 17/10/2025

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Geoscience Australia has developed a preliminary national-scale 3D geological model to enhance understanding of Australia’s groundwater systems. Driven by Geoscience Australia’s Strategy 2028 objectives and funded through the Exploring for the Future program and Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, this model integrates key geological and groundwater data to depict the distribution, depth, thickness, and characteristics of aquifers and aquitards within layered geological formations over geological time. It improves understanding of groundwater connectivity within rock layers and connectivity with surface features, such as springs and groundwater dependent ecosystems. The model integrates national data from 53 sources and 171,000 drillholes, along with legacy and new geophysical data, including airborne electromagnetic and seismic interpretations. It includes depth surfaces for eight geological time slices, extending from the surface to the crystalline basement correlating to the base of geological Eras and some geological Periods. This framework supports the development of consistent geological datasets and revised stratigraphic interpretations that standardise nomenclature across the continent and enhance data consistency across multiple disciplines, allowing data integration at a national scale. The framework also integrates geoscientific and hydrological datasets, improving national groundwater databases through multi-agency collaboration. It lays the groundwork for the development of a 3D groundwater systems atlas, fostering a collective understanding that provides new insights into geological basin architecture, aquifer connectivity, and groundwater flow. Supporting collaboration between government agencies, academia, industry, and the community, this national hydrogeological integration will support decision-making on water use, environmental policies, and resource development for Australia’s long-term water sustainability. Presented at the 52nd Congress of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH2025)

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Field Value
Title Developing Australia's national geological framework for a 3D groundwater systems atlas
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/525d6123-a50b-4fc6-9e20-7cfc15181a63
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Developing Australia's national geological framework for a 3D groundwater systems atlas". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/developing-australias-national-geological-framework-for-a-3d-groundwater-systems-atlas