Petroleum prospectivity of Australia's southern margin

Conference · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · AAPG Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5794856

Willcox, J B; Stagg, H M.J.

Australia's southern margin extends for almost 4000 km, from the Naturaliste Plateau in the west to the South Tasman Rise in the southeast, and developed from the Gondwana rift system which also gave rise to the Bass basin and prolific Gippsland basin of southeastern Australia. It incorporates six major sedimentary basins - Bremer, Eyre, Great Australian Bight (GAB), Duntroon, Otway, and Sorell - which are the products of Gondwana fragmentation. Exploration targets generated by this complex tectonic history include fault blocks and associated rollovers; wrench-related anticlines and flower structures, often developed over reactivated transfer faults; strongly eroded unconformities; and deltas of Neocomian and Maastrichtian-Cenomanian age. The southern margin basins contain several sandstone units with good reservoir potential. Hydrocarbons are being actively generated, at least within the Otway and Sorell basins, as indicated by abnormally high concentrations of thermogenic gases in surface sediment samples and the presence of free oil in the Cape Sorell 1 well. Deposits containing oil-prone type I organic matter occur in the Lower Cretaceous section of the Otway basin. To date, exploration has been light, with 17 of the total 27 wells having been sited in the Otway basin. The huge GAB basin (/approximately/ 400 /times/ 200 /times/ 10 km thick) contains only one exploration well, sited near the northern margin of the basin, and this basin is an obvious focus for further exploration effort.

• Research Organization: Div. of Marine Geosciences and Petroleum Geology, Canberra (Australia)
• OSTI ID: 5794856
• Report Number(s): CONF-890404-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 73:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MATURATION
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
RIFT ZONES
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SOURCE ROCKS
TECTONICS