Erosion Depositional Variable; can from Sedimentary basin aquifers May be highly structured with Sydney Basin Basin margin sedimentary or erosional fluvial to deeper marine tend to be thick, hydraulically channelised sediments or laterally (NSW); Darwin sediments coasts deposits; dominated by continuous over large areas, continuous and sheet-like area (NT); Perth may be sands to coarse silts, and contain multiple stacked Basin (WA) broken up by with fine silts and aquifer systems that are basement mudrocks acting as confined highs and aquitards locally deepened by the presence of incised palaeovalleys Karstic coasts Dissolution Erosional Limestone, dolomite or High anisotropic aquifer Confined or unconfined; Cape (WA); Patterns of gypsum that has been structures characterised by sinkholes, caves Eyre Peninsula dissolution affected by dissolution and underground drainage; prone to (SA) and clogging by fine grained deposits vary above/below watertable & with fresh/saline water Fractured Erosional Aquifers occur in High anisotropic aquifer Variable characteristics as a function bedrock fractures in fully lithified structures of rock type and fracture structure. rocks (non-porous The groundwater flow systems relate sedimentary, igneous or to climate and topography. aquifers metamorphic) tend to be unconfined.
sedimentary coasts Erosion Depositional or erosional Variable; can from fluvial to deeper marine deposits; dominated by sands to coarse silts, with fine silts and mudrocks acting as aquitards Sedimentary basin aquifers tend to be thick, hydraulically continuous over large areas, and contain multiple stacked aquifer systems that are confined May be highly structured with channelised sediments or laterally continuous and sheet-like Sydney Basin (NSW); Darwin area (NT); Perth Basin (WA) Basin margin sediments may be broken up by basement highs and locally deepened by the presence of incised palaeovalleys Karstic coasts Dissolution Erosional Limestone, dolomite or gypsum that has been affected by dissolution High anisotropic aquifer structures Confined or unconfined; characterised by sinkholes, caves and underground drainage; prone to clogging by fine grained deposits Cape (WA); Eyre Peninsula (SA) Patterns of dissolution and vary above/below watertable & with fresh/saline water Fractured bedrock Erosional Aquifers occur in fractures in fully lithified rocks (non-porous sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic) High anisotropic aquifer structures Variable characteristics as a function of rock type and fracture structure. The groundwater flow systems relate to climate and topography. aquifers tend to be unconfined.
Rec2013_003.docx