what is an artesian basin in geography

An artesian basin

is a low-lying region where groundwater is cramped under pressure from surrounding layers of rock. These basins are usually found where an aquifer is present in a syncline, by impenetrable layers above as well as below. Whenever a fissure breaks the surface, the underground water blow up.

Full Answer

What is the Great Artesian Basin?

Great Artesian Basin, also called Great Australian Basin, one of the largest areas of artesian water in the world, underlying about one-fifth of Australia.

What is an artesian well?

The name artesian wells comes from the former province of Artois in France, where Carthusian monks had drilled many artesian wells. The Great Artesian Basin is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world.

Why is it called an artesian aquifer?

For an aquifer to be artesian, the water table must reach the surface. The name artesian wells comes from the former province of Artois in France, where Carthusian monks had drilled many artesian wells. The Great Artesian Basin is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world.

What are the largest artesian basins in the Soviet Union?

The largest artesian basins in the USSR are the West Siberian, Moscow, Baltic, Dnieper-Donets, and Caspian; abroad, the Australian artesian basin is among the largest. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc.

What is meant by artesian basin?

An artesian basin is a low-lying region where groundwater is cramped under pressure from surrounding layers of rock. These basins are usually found where an aquifer is present in a syncline, by impenetrable layers above as well as below. Whenever a fissure breaks the surface, the underground water blow up.

What is artesian in geography?

The word artesian, properly used, refers to situations where the water is confined under pressure below layers of relatively impermeable rock.

Where is the artesian basin?

The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is one of the largest and deepest underground freshwater resources in the world. It lies below 22 percent of Australia, extending into Queensland, South Australia, NSW and Northern Territory.

How do artesian basins form?

As streams and rivers ran from the eastern highlands, new valleys were eroded and sand and gravel were deposited as rivers fanned out across the plains. Great quantities of water accumulated in the Great Artesian Basin, which maintained connections to the ground surface or shallow aquifers.

What is an artesian well and what are their benefits?

An artesian well is a way of bringing groundwater to the surface. It does not require a pump to bring the water to the surface, but rather relies on the pressure in the aquifer to force water to the surface. The aquifer is a geologic layer of porous rock such as sandstone.

What is artesian water mean?

Artesian water is a specific type of free-flowing, spring water that comes from underground wells. Unlike traditional wells which require a pump, water in artesian wells moves to the surface naturally due to pressure.

What is the largest artesian basin in the world?

The Great Artesian BasinThe Great Artesian Basin (GAB), located in Australia, is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, stretching over 1,700,000 square kilometres (660,000 sq mi), with measured water temperatures ranging from 30–100 °C (86–212 °F).

What is the Great Artesian Basin and why is it important?

The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is one of the largest underground water sources in the world and Australia's largest groundwater basin. In fact, it's the only reliable resource of fresh water throughout much of inland Australia.

How deep is the artesian basin?

3,000 metresThe basin is 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) deep in places and is estimated to contain 64,900 cubic kilometres (15,600 cu mi) of groundwater.

How does water get into the artesian basin?

Basin water emerges through cracks in the rock and flows into springs, creeks and rivers. This creates a permanent water source even during dry periods. Most springs and leakages occur on the edges of the Basin where water is close to the surface. The Basin generates approximately $13 billion per year.

Who discovered the Great Artesian Basin?

European settlers first discovered artesian water from the Great Artesian Basin in 1878 when a shallow bore sunk near Bourke in New South Wales produced flowing water. Many bores were soon drilled and by 1915 over 1,500 flowing artesian bores had been drilled throughout the Basin.

Can you drink the water from the Great Artesian Basin?

Beneath much of Australia is an underground reservoir called the Great Artesian Basin. It provides drinking water to many communities in the Outback.

What is the largest artesian basin in the world?

The Great Artesian BasinThe Great Artesian Basin (GAB), located in Australia, is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, stretching over 1,700,000 square kilometres (660,000 sq mi), with measured water temperatures ranging from 30–100 °C (86–212 °F).

Where are artesian well found in India?

This region includes Sagar, Bhopal, and nearly half of Narmada valley, including the flanks of Vindhya and the Satpuda mountain ranges of southern Madhya Pradesh. The principal states of the Gonds were Garha-Mandla (1300 to 1789), Devgarh, Kherla and Chanda.

How do I find an artesian well?

Sometimes a buried well can be found with a metal detector. Sometimes you can find that information on file with property records. Failing those things, the only way to determine the well location is to follow electrical lines and pipes from the house to the well. And that means digging.

Who discovered the Great Artesian Basin?

European settlers first discovered artesian water from the Great Artesian Basin in 1878 when a shallow bore sunk near Bourke in New South Wales produced flowing water. Many bores were soon drilled and by 1915 over 1,500 flowing artesian bores had been drilled throughout the Basin.

Why is the Great Artesian Basin important?from en.wikipedia.org

The Great Artesian Basin became an important water supply for cattle stations, irrigation, and livestock and domestic purposes , and is a vital life line for rural Australia. To tap it, boreholes are drilled down to a suitable rock layer, and the pressure of the water often forces it up without the need for pumps .

What type of erosion is the Great Artesian Basin?from en.wikipedia.org

The water of the Great Artesian Basin is held in a sandstone layer laid down by continental erosion of higher ground during the Triassic, Jurassic, and early Cretaceous periods.

What type of deposits are found in the Carpentaria Basin?from sciencedirect.com

Over much of the northern and northeastern edges of the Great Artesian Basin and the Carpentaria Basin there are dissected sheet-like fluviatile deposits generally 30–60 m thick (the Glendower and Lynd Formations). They have gravels at the base and pale-coloured silts and muds toward the top, the gravels containing, inter alia, the products of the erosion of laterites. They are therefore considered to be Late Tertiary or early Pleistocene in age. Further west, across much of the Georgina Basin and the western side of the Great Artesian Basin, there are dissected sheets of silicified limestones interbedded with minor clayey sandstones, for example the Springvale and Horse Creek Formations and the Marion and Austral Downs Limestones ( Vine, 1964 ). These limestones are well bedded and contain freshwater gastropods, algae, and faecal pellets in many places; forams and ostracods are also known in the Austral Downs Limestone. Some limestones are at least partly the result of spring action, but most of them are the result of chemical and biological deposition under fresh or brackish water conditions ( Paten, 1964 ). In the Lake Eyre Basin there was little deposition during the Late Tertiary and there is evidence of active erosion in places. Stream channel deposits, the Mampuwordu Sands and the Tirari Formation, occur locally and contain rich mammalian faunas.

What type of sedimentation was found in the Middle Jurassic?from sciencedirect.com

The Middle Jurassic saw a marked increase in the area of sedimentation in the Great Artesian Basin ( Fig. 9.3 ). Throughout this basin, and the Mulgildie and Clarence–Moreton Basins, a sequence of lithic sandstone, shale, sideritic mudstone and sub-bituminous coal (Walloon and Mulgildie Coal Measures) accumulated, apparently under fluviatile to swamp conditions. The Walloon reaches a maximum thickness of 600 m in the Clarence–Moreton Basin where it extends into the Upper Jurassic at least. Elsewhere it is confined to the Middle Jurassic, and rarely exceeds 300 m, being much thinner towards the margins of the Great Artesian Basin.

How much water does the Gab mine?from en.wikipedia.org

In essence, water extraction from the GAB is a mining operation, with recharge much less than current extraction rates. In 1915, there were 1,500 bores providing 2,000 megalitres (1,600 acre⋅ft) of water per day, but today the total output has dropped to 1,500 megalitres (1,200 acre⋅ft) per day. This included just under 2000 freely-flowing bores and more than 9000 that required mechanical power to bring water to the surface. Many bores are unregulated or abandoned, resulting in considerable water wastage. These problems have existed for many decades, and in January 2007 the Australian Commonwealth Government announced additional funding in an attempt to bring them under control. However, many of the mound springs referred to above have dried up due to a drop in water pressure, probably resulting in extinction of several invertebrate species.

What is the Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee?from en.wikipedia.org

The Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC) provides advice from community organisations and agencies to State, Territory and Australian Government Ministers on efficient, effective and sustainable whole-of-Basin resource management and to coordinate activity between stakeholders.

How deep is the Great Artesian Basin?from en.wikipedia.org

The basin is 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) deep in places and is estimated to contain 64,900 cubic kilometres (15,600 cu mi) of groundwater. The Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC) coordinates activity between the various levels of government and community organisations.

What is the Great Artesian Basin?from britannica.com

Great Artesian Basin, also called Great Australian Basin, one of the largest areas of artesian water in the world, underlying about one-fifth of Australia. It includes most of the Darling and Lake Eyre catchments and extends northward to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

What are the three units of the Great Artesian Basin?from sciencedirect.com

The Upper Jurassic sequence in the Great Artesian Basin is best known in Queensland, and comprises three units, the basal Gubberamunda Sandstone, the Orallo Formation (formerly known as the “Fossil Wood Beds”), and the Mooga Sandstone Member of the Blythesdale Formation ( Day , 1964 ). Previously these have been regarded as Cretaceous, but palynological studies ( Evans, 1963) suggest that their age is Late Jurassic. These units are recognized throughout the basin, although near its margins all but the Mooga may be missing. Over much of the basin where all three units are present, they have an aggregate thickness of about 450 m. Their maximum thickness of about 1500 m occurs in the eastern part of the basin near Cabawin. They are entirely terrestrial, probably largely fluviatile. The sandstones in the Orallo Formation are lithic whereas those in the Gubberamunda Sandstone and Mooga Sandstone Member are quartzose. Shale and thin coal seams occur in the two upper units, particularly in the Orallo.

What type of deposits are found in the Carpentaria Basin?from sciencedirect.com

Over much of the northern and northeastern edges of the Great Artesian Basin and the Carpentaria Basin there are dissected sheet-like fluviatile deposits generally 30–60 m thick (the Glendower and Lynd Formations). They have gravels at the base and pale-coloured silts and muds toward the top, the gravels containing, inter alia, the products of the erosion of laterites. They are therefore considered to be Late Tertiary or early Pleistocene in age. Further west, across much of the Georgina Basin and the western side of the Great Artesian Basin, there are dissected sheets of silicified limestones interbedded with minor clayey sandstones, for example the Springvale and Horse Creek Formations and the Marion and Austral Downs Limestones ( Vine, 1964 ). These limestones are well bedded and contain freshwater gastropods, algae, and faecal pellets in many places; forams and ostracods are also known in the Austral Downs Limestone. Some limestones are at least partly the result of spring action, but most of them are the result of chemical and biological deposition under fresh or brackish water conditions ( Paten, 1964 ). In the Lake Eyre Basin there was little deposition during the Late Tertiary and there is evidence of active erosion in places. Stream channel deposits, the Mampuwordu Sands and the Tirari Formation, occur locally and contain rich mammalian faunas.

What type of sedimentation was found in the Middle Jurassic?from sciencedirect.com

The Middle Jurassic saw a marked increase in the area of sedimentation in the Great Artesian Basin ( Fig. 9.3 ). Throughout this basin, and the Mulgildie and Clarence–Moreton Basins, a sequence of lithic sandstone, shale, sideritic mudstone and sub-bituminous coal (Walloon and Mulgildie Coal Measures) accumulated, apparently under fluviatile to swamp conditions. The Walloon reaches a maximum thickness of 600 m in the Clarence–Moreton Basin where it extends into the Upper Jurassic at least. Elsewhere it is confined to the Middle Jurassic, and rarely exceeds 300 m, being much thinner towards the margins of the Great Artesian Basin.

What type of rock is found in the Clarence-Moreton Basin?from sciencedirect.com

Although sands continued to accumulate in the Clarence–Moreton Basin throughout the Early Jurassic ( McElroy, 1963 ), finer material (Evergreen Shale) with some lithic sandstone succeeded the Precipice Sandstone in the Great Artesian and Mulgildie Basins. The Evergreen may be marine in part, for swarms of acritarch hystrichospheres occur at several localities ( Evans, 1962 /115).

What was the sedimentation process in the Jurassic period?from sciencedirect.com

The Early Jurassic saw the initiation of sedimentation in the Great Artesian Basin of Queensland on an erosion surface cut into Upper Triassic and older units. In the adjoining Clarence–Moreton and Mulgildie Basins deposition may have been continuous from the Late Triassic into the Jurassic. These basins seem to have been appendages of the Great Artesian Basin during the Jurassic. Cross-stratification measurements in the Clarence–Moreton Basin ( Hill and Denmead, eds., 1960) suggest that streams flowed through it into the Great Artesian Basin, depositing quartz-rich sands (Marburg Sandstone). In the Great Artesian Basin coeval quartz-rich sands (Precipice Sandstone) were spread over the old land surface by an extensive river system. The sediments on the northeastern margin of the basin were derived from the west, northwest, and east ( Jensen et al., 1964 /61). Rivers appear to have gained access to the sea by way of the Mulgildie Basin ( Fig. 9.2 ). The Precipice Sandstone is an important producer of oil at Moonie and natural gas near Roma.

What is the Eucla Basin?from sciencedirect.com

Eucla Basin. A thin veneer of Tertiary limestones covers a shelf area of some 110,000 sq km at the head of the Great Australian Bight. The maximum thickness of Tertiary sediment is probably nowhere much in excess of 300 m. The only terrigenous sediments are thin, irregularly distributed carbonaceous silts, quartz sands, and conglomerates (the Pidinga Formation) laid down in the original Eocene transgression. Subsequent rocks are largely organic limestones with abundant well-preserved macro- and microfaunas. The lower or Wilson Bluff Limestone is soft and chalky and is conformable or slightly disconformable on the Pidinga Formation. It is of late Eocene age and contains numerous polyzoans and the distinctive echinoid Australanthus longianus. There is a major disconformity at the base of the overlying Nullarbor Limestone which in most places is hard, white, and crystalline. In places small patch reefs of coralline and algal material were developed. It is of early Miocene age and is much less extensive than the Wilson Bluff Limestone. No subsequent deposition has taken place in the basin, and everywhere the sediments remain almost horizontal.

What is Artesian Water?from springwellwater.com

Artesian water is a specific type of spring water that flows freely from underground wells. Unlike traditional wells, artesian wells don’t require a pump to extract water from underground. Instead, they rely on a natural phenomenon that involves the water flowing down into a porous material, such as rock, sand, or gravel, then being forced to the surface and out of a well due to the high pressure built up between two impermeable underground surfaces.

How deep is an artesian well?from waterfilterguru.com

A flowing artesian well may only flow intermittently, or it might flow continuously. It varies in depth, with some being only several meters deep, and others being more than 1,000 meters, depending on the location.

How Are Artesian Wells Formed?from waterfilterguru.com

An artesian well is produced by water flowing down an area of degraded land and passing into porous rock, such as gravel, limestone or sand.

Are There Risks With Artesian Well Water?from waterfilterguru.com

The source of the well can affect the risks that drinking artesian water could pose. Let’s say you found an artesian flowing well and wanted to drink from it. Some of the risks you might encounter are:

Why do artesian wells have pressure?from waterfilterguru.com

Some people believe that the pressure inside artesian wells helps to naturally siphon out contaminants like nitrates out of water.

Why is Artesian water so expensive?from waterfilterguru.com

Artesian water is some of the most expensive around, and this is because, according to sellers of this product, the water is naturally filtered during its high-pressure journey through porous material.

Why is Artesian water better than tap water?from waterfilterguru.com

Because of its natural mineral content, artesian bottled water has a pleasant taste that many people prefer over tap water. If you dislike tap water, switching to artesian bottled water might encourage you to drink more and enjoy the benefits that come with that.

What is the Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment?

Funded by the then Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and Communities and the National Water Commission, the Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment (the Assessment) carried out a basin-scale investigation of water resources across the GAB, assessing the status of water resources, identifying the potential impacts of climate change and resource development on those water resources and filling knowledge gaps in our understanding of the resource. The Assessment provides an updated interpretation of the geology and hydrogeology of the GAB resulting in an update of the conceptualisation of how the groundwater system operates.

What is the importance of groundwater in the Great Artesian Basin?

Groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is a vital resource for pastoral, agricultural and extractive industries as well as for town water supplies , supporting at least $12.8 billion in economic activity annually (Frontier Economics 2016).

What is the GAB water resource?

GAB Water Resource Assessment. The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is one of Australia's most significant hydrogeological entities. Covering more than 1.7 million square kilometres, the GAB underlies parts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The GAB contains a vast volume of underground water (estimated ...

What is the Atlas of the GAB?

The atlas presents a compilation of maps documenting some of the key regional geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical aspects of the GAB. It provides insights into the current understanding of the regional geometry and physical characteristics of the rocks and water contained within this vast groundwater basin and baseline information against which future changes can be assessed.

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