This paper describes the results of study aimed at consolidating the available data sources on deep aquifers and deep groundwater conditions in South Africa. The study formed part of the larger WRC Project K5/2434 (Characterisation and Protection of Potential Deep Aquifers in South Africa). Since very little is known about the aquifer conditions below depths of 300 m, all groundwater information from depths greater than 300 m was considered to represent the deep aquifer systems. Various confirmed and potential sources of data on deep aquifers and groundwater conditions were identified and interrogated during this study, namely:
1. Boreholes of the International Heat Flow Commission (IHFC). The IHFC database indicates the location of 39 deep boreholes ranging in depth from 300 to 800 m, with an average depth of 535 m.
2. The Pangea database of the International Council for Science (ICSU). The Pangea database has information on 119 boreholes in South Africa, of which 116 are deeper than 300 m.
3. A database on deep boreholes at the Council for Geoscience (CGS). This database contains information on 5 221 boreholes with depths exceeding 300 m.
4. Information on the deep SOEKOR boreholes drilled during the 1960s and 1970s (at least 38 boreholes).
5. Information on deep boreholes from the database of the Petroleum Agency SA.
6. The National Groundwater Archive (NGA) of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
7. Information derived from the thermal springs in South Africa.
8. Boreholes drilled as part of the Karoo Research Initiative (KARIN).
9. Information on the locations and depths of underground mines in South Africa. Information on the occurrence of deep groundwater could potentially be obtained from these mines.
The study shows that, although information on a vast number of deep groundwater sites is listed in the various databases, the data relevant to the geohydrological conditions are scant at most sites. This paucity of geohydrological data implies that the deep aquifers of South Africa are currently poorly understood.