Regional hydrogeological assessment of the Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia

Groundwater systems hosted within Cenozoic rocks and sediments are vitally important for supporting communities, industries and the environment throughout central Australia's Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre Basin (KT–LEB). Through the Exploring for the Future Program, Geoscience Australia has completed the first regional hydrogeological assessment across this vast inland-draining catchment. Working across jurisdictional boundaries in SA, NSW, NT and Queensland has enabled us to generate significant new hydrogeological insights and develop enhanced knowledge of fundamental groundwater systems and processes, particularly within the KT–LEB's major depositional centres of the Callabonna and Tirari sub-basins, and the Cooper Creek Palaeovalley. New geological modelling has improved our understanding of the extent, depth and thickness of the Cenozoic sediment packages which host the basin's major hydrostratigraphic units, such as the Eyre Formation (regional aquifer) and Namba Formation (regional aquitard). Other investigation highlights include the development of the first whole-of-basin regional watertable trend and depth to groundwater maps and a major increase in the proportion of groundwater bores updated with information on hydrogeological province and/or source aquifer attribution. The key findings and outcomes of this study have illustrated the value of Geoscience Australia's approach to regional hydrogeological assessments, delivering consistent frameworks and enhancing the availability and quality of data and information to improve management and decision-making of Australia's major groundwater systems.

Citation: Lewis SJ, Evans TJ, Bishop C and Halas L (2024) Regional hydrogeological assessment of the Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia. In: Czarnota K (ed) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra.