The SA Department of Mines drilled seven stratigraphic wells between 1969 and 1971 in the Arckaringa Basin. This study presents the stratigraphic information obtained and attempts to collate all available information in a synthesis of the Arckaringa Basin geology. The Arckaringa Basin is a Permian, renal-shaped sedimentary basin covering ~30,000 square miles west of the Peake and Denison Ranges in the northern part of South Australia. The westernmost extension of the Mesozoic Great Artesian Basin covers the north-western part of the Arckaringa Basin. These sediments plus a thin veneer of Cainozoic alluvium and soils blot out all Permian outcrops except for one location at Mount Toondina and marginal areas along the Peake and Denison Ranges. Gravity information, at a spacing of 1 station every 16 square miles, completely covers the basin area. Aeromagnetic data cover much of the basin area except in the south-west portion. Approximately 40 crew months of seismic work has been carried out, mostly in the eastern half of the basin. A total of 12 wells has been drilled, excluding the numerous shallow water bores which yield limited information. The basin's tectonic configuration incorporates a number of deeper troughs around a central shallow basement area. These include the Boorthanna Trough (4000 ft/1220 m of Permian sediments) in the east, and the Tallaringa Trough (4000 ft/1220 m of sediments) in the south-west. The Wallira and Phiilipson Troughs in the south contain 4000-5000 ft (1220-1720 m) of mainly Permian sediments. The- Wintinna Trough in the north-west is outlined by depth-to-magnetic-basement contours and contains a thin veneer of Permian sediments. The Permian section is known mainly from subsurface information. The major stratigraphic units are the conglomeratic Boorthanna Formation, the marine shale Stuart Range Formation, and the terrestrial sandy and silty Mount Toondina Formation. The Boorthanna Formation has a basal diamicite unit and an upper conglomerate unit. The former appears to have been deposited in marine conditions during glacial times. The latter was deposited in post-glacial marine conditions. The Stuart Range Formation is almost entirely marine shale. The Mount Toondina Formation changes from a lower transitional facies of sandstones and siltstones to an upper facies of coals, carbonaceous shales and siltstones. The units become progressively more widespread upwards. They unconformably overlie Devonian and Cambrian carbonates and crystalline basement. The Devonian sequence consists mainly of dolomites named the Cootanoorina Beds. These contain anhydrite in the Boorthanna Trough and therefore are considered evaporitic. In the northern area of Mount Willoughby the dolomites are shallow-water littoral. The Cambrian carbonates are limestones which occur in the Tallaringa Trough and are correlated with the Observatory Hill Beds which crop out on the western margin of the Arckaringa Basin. The petroleum potential of the Permian rocks is low. The Cambrian Observatory Hill Beds offer an untested target. Reef developments are possible in the Tallaringa Trough and the adjoining eastern Officer Basin. The Permian rocks, however, have good economic coal potential. Thick seams are likely in the Lake Phillipson area at depths of less than 400 feet. The new Alice Springs-Tarcoola railway will provide transport through this area, thus helping the otherwise uneconomic prospect of mining the coal.