Geoscience Australia - Product Database

Sydney Basin

Entity ID: 22351 Compiled by: Taubert, S. Year: 2002 Status: Informal

Last Revised: 2013

Rank: Province Type: sedimentary Subtype: foreland Location: NSW On-shore and off-shore

Synonyms: NA Symbol: NA

Minimum age: Middle Triassic Age method: inferred, biostratigraphic correlation

Maximum age: Early Permian Age method: inferred, biostratigraphic correlation

Summary: The Sydney Basin is an on/offshore depocentre on Australia's eastern passive margin. It formed as a foreland complex during the Permo-Triassic and contains 4000 to 6000m of clastic, volcaniclastic and marine sediments.

Attributes:
Area (square kilometres): 64000
State: NSW
Minimum present water depth (m): 0
Maximum present water depth (m): 4500
Main rock types: sediments and sedimentary rocks with volcaniclastic debris
Main depositional environment: marine and non-marine
Minimum sediment thickness (m): 4000
Maximum sediment thickness (m): 6000
Resources: Coal - black
Resources: Gas
Present crustal setting: continental
Country: AUS

Parent: No data

Child Provinces: No data

Relationships:
Adjoins - Gunnedah Basin
Overlies - Lachlan Fold Belt, Macquarie Igneous Province, Molong - Sofala Igneous Subprovince

Constituent units: Adamstown Formation, Allandale Formation, Apple Tree Flat Subgroup, Avon Subgroup, Awaba Tuff, Bald Hill Claystone, Banks Wall Sandstone, Berkeley Latite Member, Blackmans Flat Conglomerate, Blow Hole Latite Member, Boolaroo Formation, Borehole seam, Bringelly Shale, Broughton Formation, Bulgo Sandstone, Bulli Coal, Cambewarra Latite Member, Charbon Subgroup, Clifton Subgroup, Colo Vale Sandstone, Crowthers Road Conglomerate, Dapto Latite Member, Dempsey Formation, Doyles Creek Subgroup, Farley Formation, Five Islands Latite Member, Fyansford Formation, Gap Sandstone, Garie Formation, Gerringong Volcanics, Gloucester Coal Measures, Gosford Subgroup, Greta Coal Measures, Gundangaroo Formation, Hawkesbury Sandstone, Horseshoe Creek Subgroup, Irondale Coal, Jamberoo Sandstone Member, Kiama Sandstone Member, Kulnura Marine Tongue, Lambton Formation, Lidsdale Coal, Lochinvar Formation, Maitland Group, Marrangaroo Conglomerate, Middle River seam, Minnamurra Latite Member, Moon Island Beach Subgroup, Mount Marsden Claystone, Munmorah Conglomerate, Muree Sandstone, Napperby Formation, Narrabeen Group, Nobbys Tuff, Nowra Sandstone, Nymboida Coal Measures, Pebbley Beach Formation, Pebbly Beach Formation, Pigeon House Creek Siltstone, Rutherford Formation, Scarborough Sandstone, Shoalhaven Group, Singleton Supergroup, Skeletar Formation, Snapper Point Formation, Sydney Subgroup, Tallong Conglomerate, Tomago Coal Measures, Ulan seam, Wallerawang Subgroup, Wallis Creek Subgroup, Wandrawandian Formation, Wandrawandian Siltstone, Waratah Sandstone, Wards River Conglomerate, Wasp Head Formation, Westley Park Sandstone Member, Wianamatta Group, Wilton Formation, Wittingham Coal Measures, Wollombi Coal Measures, Wombarra Claystone, Yarrunga Coal Measures, Calderwood Latite Member, Cockabutta Creek Sandstone Member, Durallie Road Formation, Jilleon Formation, Leloma Formation, Mammy Johnsons Formation, Speldon Formation, Waukivory Creek Formation, Weismantels Formation, Wenham Formation, Widden Brook Conglomerate, Dooralong Shale, Angus Place Sandstone, Cullen Bullen Subgroup, Glen Davis Formation, Newnes Formation, Cessnock Sandstone Member, Craven Subgroup, Erins Vale Formation, Mulbring Siltstone, State Mine Creek Formation, Ashfield Shale, Burralow Formation, Coorongooba Creek Sandstone, Denman Formation, Pheasants Nest Formation, Archerfield Sandstone, Cumberland Subgroup, Grose Subgroup, Gyarran Volcanics, Jerrys Plains Subgroup, Rowan Formation, Saddleback Latite Member, Tuggerah Formation, Vane Subgroup, Nile Subgroup, Berry Siltstone, Bulga Formation, Coal Cliff Sandstone, Glen Gallic Subgroup, Mittagong Formation, Mount York Claystone, Patonga Claystone, Saltwater Creek Formation, Watts Sandstone, Minchinbury Sandstone, Bulahdelah Formation, Bumbo Latite Member, Illawarra Coal Measures, Newcastle Coal Measures, Caley Formation, Terrigal Formation, Talaterang Group, Burra-Moko Head Sandstone, Dalwood Group, Four Mile Creek Subgroup, Tamby Creek Formation, Arkarula Formation, Warners Bay Tuff, Fern Valley coal seam, Caley Subgroup, Vales Point seam, Jo Doth Tuff Member, Bowens Road coal seam, Shoalhaven Group, Upper, Vales Point coal seam, Tongarra coal seam, Shoalhaven Group, upper, Moolarben seam, Gerringong volcanic facies, Figtree coal seam, Bulli coal seam, Bungaba seam, Bowens Road Lower seam, Liddell Middle Seam, Wallarah-Great Northern Coal, Allans Creek Sandstone

Events: No data

Mineral Deposits: No data

Key Reference: (Refid:-1)

Comments: No data

Overview: The Permo-Triassic Sydney Basin is an on/offshore basin located along Australia's eastern margin. The onshore basin lies in New South Wales, while the offshore basin extends into 4500m water depths. The basin covers 64,000 sq. km., with the onshore comprising 36,000 sq. km. and the offshore 28,000 sq. km. The Sydney Basin is part of a major basin system that extends over 1500 km from the Bowen Basin in Queensland. Onshore, the basin contains 4500m of Permo-Triassic clastic sediments, while the offshore basin contains 6000m of sediments. The basin overlies the Lachlan Fold Belt and Late Carboniferous volcaniclastic sediments. The basin formed by extension in the Early Permian, with half graben infilled by the Dalwood and Talaterang Groups. Foreland loading followed, with the compression of the Currarong Orogen in the Early Permian. Late Permian uplift associated with the New England foreland loading phase resulted in formation of depocentres within the northeast Sydney Basin. These depocentres filled with pyroclastic and alluvial-paludal sediments of the Newcastle Coal Measures. In the Triassic, uplift of the offshore basin resulted in reworking of Permian sediments in fluvial environments. The basin underwent a final phase of deformation (thrusting) in the Middle Triassic. Extension and breakup in the Tasman Basin, beginning in the Late Cretaceous, resulted in the current structural boundaries of the basin's eastern margin. A total of 115 wells have been drilled in the onshore basin, and none offshore (Nov 2002). The onshore basin contains rich coal deposits with associated natural gas and minor oil shows. The geochemistry of oil shows indicate a terrestrial source from a clay-rich environment, although not associated with the coal facies. The main trap types are anticlinal and overthrust, with some structural reactivation during Tasman Basin rifting.

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This report was generated on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:12:31 AM EST.