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Geothermal gradients and heat flow in Australian sedimentary basins

Created 17/10/2025

Updated 17/10/2025

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Geothermal gradients in Australian sedimentary basins have been calculated from data obtained from water bores in the Great Artesian Basin and oil exploration wells. The data are subject to several types of systematic error, but statistical trends have been extracted, using values of thermal conductivity obtained from sediment compaction models. Estimates of heat flow from the Great Artesian Basin are consistent with the configuration of the major aquifer systems. Oil well data confirm the regional trends obtained from previous investigations, but previously recognised anomalies in southeast Australia are no longer evident. Temperatures at a depth of 40 km range from 320°C to 380°C for the Precambrian terrain and from 470°C to 550°C for the Phanerozoic . These results are modified by sediment cover. A 1 km thickness causes additional heating, with temperatures raised by 16-40°C.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Geothermal gradients and heat flow in Australian sedimentary basins
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/99b0dc8c-f0b1-416f-bb13-2e6682ef5343
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 20/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        113.29,
        -44.08
      ],
      [
        154.59,
        -44.08
      ],
      [
        154.59,
        -10.31
      ],
      [
        113.29,
        -10.31
      ],
      [
        113.29,
        -44.08
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Geothermal gradients and heat flow in Australian sedimentary basins". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/geothermal-gradients-and-heat-flow-in-australian-sedimentary-basins