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Three-dimensional mapping of Palaeovalleys in the West Musgrave Region, Central Australia

Created 16/10/2025

Updated 16/10/2025

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The recent Musgrave Palaeovalley Project set out to map the extent and characterise the palaeovalley architecture of several of these Cenozoic features that overlie the Musgrave Province in central Australia. To effectively model the palaeovalley architecture of these features we collected approximately 20 000 line km of new Airborne Electromagnetics (AEM) and combined it with an array of existing AEM datasets, including AusAEM and high resolution mineral exploration surveys. These older surveys were reprocessed and reinverted to produce a consistent and reliable interpretation throughout. Utilising surface geology and lithology logs to constrain this data set, we mapped the interface between Cenozoic sediments and underlying pre-Cenozoic rocks, producing a continuous three-dimensional model of this boundary throughout the study area.

Our three-dimensional model enhances the understanding of the West Musgrave palaeovalley system, redefining palaeovalley extents, revealing previously unmapped palaeovalleys and identifying areas with significant accumulations of Cenozoic sediments. This methodology was also extremely useful for investigating palaeovalley geometry, revealing southerly flowpaths consistent with regional expectations but also highlighting areas of palaeovalley deformation where neo tectonic forces have acted to alter historical flow regimes. This deformation is likely to cause groundwater compartmentalisation, mounding or connect different aquifer units.

Presented at the 2024 Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG) Discover Symposium

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Three-dimensional mapping of Palaeovalleys in the West Musgrave Region, Central Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/en/dataset/be153226-b343-4d74-9e98-8a75b304c84c
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 22/10/2024
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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      ],
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      ],
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      ],
      [
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    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Three-dimensional mapping of Palaeovalleys in the West Musgrave Region, Central Australia". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/three-dimensional-mapping-of-palaeovalleys-in-the-west-musgrave-region-central-australia