Petroleum explorers benefit from new Georgina Basin GIS package

12 June 2015

Map of north-western Australia. The Northern Carnarvon, Roebuck, Browse and Bonaparte sedimentary basins are highlighted in green

A screengrab from the Georgina
Basin GIS data package displaying
a sample gravity dataset

A new collated dataset is now available for the Georgina Basin that will help petroleum explorers in the search for both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons.

This new dataset allows explorers to start looking at the basin from a whole of basin view point, enabling new ways of thinking about the resources within.

Evidence of an active petroleum system within the basin has been known for a number of years. Petroleum explorers are particularly interested in hydrocarbons sourced from the middle Cambrian Arthur Creek Formation, which is approximately 505 million years old. Several wells that intersect the Arthur Creek Formation have previously encountered oil and gas occurrences, partly sourced from organic-rich shale in the lower part of the formation.

Most recent exploration activity has been within the southern part of the Georgina Basin, which spans the Queensland and Northern Territory border, with much of this area currently under license for petroleum exploration.

"The new GIS dataset represents a synthesis of available geological data for the Georgina Basin as a whole of basin package, and provides petroleum exploration companies with improved access to the available data," Geoscience Australia geologist Lidena Carr explained.

"An important feature of the new GIS dataset is the addition of the Geoscience Australia geochemical data from the Georgina Basin," Ms Carr added.

The Georgina Basin GIS package is a compilation of geochemistry, biostratigraphy, geological formation, hydrocarbon shows and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) data. It also includes a variety of surface geology, topography and basin outline maps; as well as geophysical data, including both gravity and magnetics.

The package is now available for download at the cost of transfer via Geoscience Australia's website.