Publication and Accessibility of Structural 3D Models of Saxony-Anhalt

The publication and accessibility of geological data is one of the main tasks of geological surveys. Provided data helps to understand the local geology, facilitates exploration of natural resources and thus benefits state services, businesses, and the public alike. The State Geological Survey of Saxony-Anhalt (LAGB) uses its database from decades of geological exploration to provide information of the subsurface geology. Past interpretations existed but provided only simple presentations of the three-dimensional space. More recently, huge datasets were used for the development of largely enhanced 3D models. So far, regional 3D models have been prepared for the deep subsurface comprising the Altmark region in the north, the Subhercynian Basin in the middle, and the South-Eastern Harz Foreland in the south of Saxony-Anhalt. These models are based on existing maps from subsurface exploration, seismic profiles, and borehole information. ArcGIS and SKUA-GOCAD were used as data management and modelling tools. Some challenges consist of low data density in some regions, contradictory or incorrect source data, as well as in achieving a coherent 3D model by smooth integration of modelled layers from different authors. The resulting three-dimensional geological models of Saxony-Anhalt illustrate the structural setting and the geology of the Earth's subsurface and will become subsequently filled with further lithological and petrophysical parameters. To publish the models for a broader audience, we use the GST (Geosciences in Space and Time) framework. This toolkit eventually enables the creation of customized sections, virtual borehole profiles, and the export of parts of the models.