ARTESIAN WATER IN N. S. WALES AND QUEENSLAND. 4\} 
The Pliocene basin, as already stated, has been found to be 
traversed by a number of anticlinal folds, and these folds have in 
places been subjected to a considerable amount of denudation, so 
that in some cases all the impervious beds overlying the water- 
bearing strata have been removed, springs of course breaking out 
along such areas. In other cases after the tops of the anticlines 
have been denuded down to the water-bearing strata the water in 
these strata has been sealed up and its escape prevented by a 
subsequent deposit of quarternary clay. Now the French engineers 
have taken advantage of these partially denuded anticlines, or of 
those which are completely denuded down to the horizon of the 
water-bearing strata but covered with quarternary clay beds, and 
have sunk their artesian wells on the top of such anticlines with 
the result that by this means supplies of artesian water have been 
obtained at a far shallower depth than would have been possible 
had the wells been sunk in the depressed areas representing 
synclinal troughs. This is a feature in artesian boring which 
should specially commend itself to the consideration of Australian 
hydraulic engineers, inasmuch as the Cretaceous strata of Aus- 
tralia have been considerably tilted in places, and although they 
have not been sharply folded, still there is evidence to show that 
as illustrated on Mr. J. B. Henderson’s section from Thargomindah 
to Warwick in Queensland,* there exist some broad and gentle 
anticlinal curves and synclinal troughs. 
The depth of the French wells varies from about one hundred 
and fifty feet up to about eight hundred feet, the average depth 
being about two hundred and fifty feet. The highest recorded 
temperature of the water flowing from these artesian wells is 
Te Bah. 
The French artesian bores are provided with iron casing, where 
requisite, and some had been flowing continuously from 1856 
* Water Supply Report of the Hydraulic Engineer to the Colonial 
Treasurer—Government Printer, Brisbane, 1898. Section at foot of first 
plate at end of report. 
