Provexplorer

Bight Basin

Entity ID: 22356 Compiled by: Totterdell, J. and Rollet, N. Year: 2002 Status: Defined

Last Revised: 2013

Rank: Province Type: sedimentary Subtype: polyhistory Location: SA, WA On-shore and off-shore

Synonyms: NA Symbol: NA

Minimum age: Forcipites longus Age method: biozone

Maximum age: Callovian Age method: biozone

Summary: The Jurassic-Cretaceous Bight Basin is a large, mainly offshore frontier basin on the southern Australian passive margin containing more than 12 km of siliciclastic non-marine, marine and deltaic rocks.

Attributes:
Area (square kilometres): 804000
State: WA
State: SA
Minimum present water depth (m): 0
Maximum present water depth (m): 5500
Main rock types: siliciclastic sediments and sedimentary rocks
Main depositional environment: marine and non-marine
Minimum sediment thickness (m): 0
Maximum sediment thickness (m): 15000
Present crustal setting: continental
Present crustal setting: transitional
Country: AUS

Parent: No data

Child Provinces: Eyre Sub-basin, Duntroon Sub-basin, Ceduna Sub-basin, Madura Shelf, Recherche Sub-basin, Denmark Sub-basin, Couedic Shelf, Bremer Sub-basin

Relationships:
Adjoins - Otway Basin, Yallingup Shelf
Overlies - Officer Basin, Polda Basin
Underlies - Eucla Basin

Constituent units: Loongana Formation, Madura Formation, Pidinga Formation, Platypus Formation, Polda Formation, Neptune Formation, Wigunda Formation, Potoroo Formation, Hammerhead Supersequence, Tiger Supersequence, White Pointer Supersequence, Blue Whale Supersequence, Bronze Whaler Supersequence, Southern Right Supersequence, Minke Supersequence, Sea Lion Supersequence, Bremer 1, Bremer 2, Bremer 3, Bremer 4, Bremer 5, Bremer 6

Events: Australia-Antarctica break-up, Southern Margin Late Cretaceous and Tertiary magmatism, Eyre extension, Ceduna extension, Mulgara gravity-driven deformation, Kowari gravity slide

Mineral Deposits: No data

Key Reference: Bradshaw, B.E., Rollet, N., Totterdell, J.M., Borissova, I. 2003, A revised structural framework for frontier basins on the southern and southwestern Australian continental margin., Geoscience Australia. Record, 2003/03, 44 (Refid:13490)

Comments: Published definition available in Bradshaw et al. (2003) and Totterdell et al. (2003).

Overview: The Jurassic to Cretaceous Bight Basin is a large, mainly offshore basin on the southern Australian passive margin. The basin developed during two successive periods of extension and thermal subsidence that commenced in the Middle to Late Jurassic. The middle Cretaceous extensional phase resulted in the Late Santonian break-up of Australia and Antarctica. The basin contains six depocentres, the Ceduna, Duntroon, Eyre, Recherche, Bremer and Denmark sub-basins. The thickest of these, the Ceduna Sub-basin, underlies a broad bathymetric terrace in water depths ranging from 200 to over 4000 m, and contains a sedimentary section in excess of 12 km thick. Jurassic and Early Cretaceous deposition was dominantly non-marine, but from the late Aptian until the end of the Cretaceous deposition took place in mainly marine to deltaic environments. This Late Cretaceous succession contains thick marine intervals that include potential marine source rocks. The basin (Ceduna Sub-basin in particular) is characterised by two periods of deltaic progradation. The Albian to Cenomanian delta is characterised by a mobile substrate, extensive growth faulting and mud diapirism, whereas the Late Santonian to Maastrichtian delta is a sand-rich system featuring strongly progradational stratal geometries. Potential structural and stratigraphic traps are present within both deltaic systems, with the later delta especially containing good potential reservoirs. Potential plays in the Eyre Sub-basin are associated with tilted fault blocks within a fluvio-lacustrine half-graben system. Indications of active petroleum systems in the basin include oil and gas shows (Greenly 1), a palaeo-oil column (Jerboa 1), and evidence of seepage (slicks, ALF anomalies, stranded asphaltites).

Images: Eastern Bight Basin structural elements and cross-section location map (82 KB), Western Bight Basin structural elements and cross-section location map (67 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 1 (59 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 2 (68 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 3 (80 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 4 (76 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 6 (41 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 5 (50 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 7 (57 KB), Western Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 8 (35 KB), Bight Basin sequence stratigraphy and basin phases (61 KB), Bight Basin petroleum systems chart (70 KB), Eastern Bight Basin seepage location map (60 KB)

Other media: No data

Source Information:

• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Veevers, J.J., Powell, C.McA., Roots, S.R., 1991, Review of seafloor spreading around Australia. I. Synthesis of the patterns of spreading, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 38, 373-389. (Refid: 412)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Wilcox, J.B., Stagg, H.M.J., Davies, H.L., 1988, Rig Seismic research cruises 10 & 11: geology of the Central Great Australian Bight region. , Bureau of Mineral Resources, Australia, Report, 286, . (Refid: 49060)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Boreham, C.J., Krassay, A.A., Totterdell, J.M., 2001, Geochemical Comparisons between asphaltites on the southern Australian margin and Cretaceous source rock analogues, APEA Journal, 42(1), 531-541. (Refid: 12801)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Cowley, R., 2001, MkII Airborne Laser Fluorosensor survey reprocessing and interpretation report: Great Australian Bight, southern Australia, Australian Geological Survey Organisation. Record, 2001/18, . (Refid: 12802)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Cowley, R., 2001, Comparison of Signalworks and BP processing and interpretation of ALF MkII survey data, Report prepared for AGSO. AGSO Catalog No. 37769, (unpublished), 37769, . (Refid: 12804)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Feary, D.A., Hine, A.C., Malone, M.J., et al., 2000, Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports, Initial Reports, Volume, 182, . (Refid: 12806)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Hill, A.J., 1995, Bight Basin, In: Drexel, J.F. and Preiss, W.V. (Eds), The Geology of South Australia, Vol.2, The Phanerozoic, Bulletin 54, 2(54), 133-149. (Refid: 12807)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: James, N.P., Bone, Y., Collins, L.B., Kyser, T.K., 2001, Surficial sediments of the Great Australian Bight: facies, dynamics and oceanography on a vast cool-water carbonate shelf, Journal of Sedimentary Research, 71(4), 549-567. (Refid: 12808)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Krassay, A.A., Totterdell, J.M., Seismic stratigraphy of a large, Cretaceous shelf-margin delta complex, offshore southern Australia, AAPG Bulletin, . (Refid: 12809)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Messent, B.E.J., 1998, Great Australian Bight: Well Audit., Australian Geological Survey Organisation. Record, 1998/37, . (Refid: 12812)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Messent, B.E.J., Mustica, A., 1997, Permit EPP 26 Duntroon Basin, Surrender report submitted by BHP Petroleum (Victoria) Pty Ltd. South Australia Department of Mines and Energy, Open file Envelope, 8441, Vol.7, R21, (unpublished), 7, . (Refid: 12813)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Messent, B.E.J., James, C.L., Lasker, B.D., 1995, Permit EPP 25 surrender report, Surrender report submitted by BHP Petroleum (Victoria) Pty Ltd. South Australia Department of Mines and Energy, Open file Envelope, 8440 (unpublished), . (Refid: 12814)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Messent, B.E.J., Wilson, C., Flynn, K., 1996, Assessment of the seal potential of Tertiary carbonates, Duntroon Basin, South Australia, APEA Journal, 36(1), 233-241. (Refid: 12815)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Norvick, M.S., Smith, M.A., 2001, Mapping the plate tectonic reconstruction of southern and southeastern Australia and implications for petroleum systems, APPEA Journal, 41(1), 15-35. (Refid: 12817)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Rollet, N., Fellows, M.E., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Bradshaw, B.E., 2001, Seabed character mapping in the Great Australian Bight, south and southwest region project, Geoscience Australia. Record, 2001/42, 22. (Refid: 12818)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Ruble, T.E., Logan, G.A., Blevin, J.E., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Liu, K., Ahmed, M., Eadington, P.J., Quezada, R.A., 2001, Geochemistry and charge history of a palaeo-oil column: Jerboa-1, Eyre Sub Basin, Great Australian Bight, APPEA Journal, 42(1), 521-529. (Refid: 12819)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Scott, D.L., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Hatch, L., Cortese, A., Desmond Fitzgerald & Associates., 2000, Great Australian Bight: Basement framework from potential field studies, and regional petroleum geology, Geoscience Australia, GIS CD and reports, Catalog No. 32968 (unpublished), . (Refid: 12822)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Sommerville, R., 2001, The Ceduna Sub-Basin - a snapshot of prospectivity, APPEA Journal, 41(1), 321-346. (Refid: 12823)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Stagg, H.M.V., Cockshell, C.D., Willcox, J.B., Hill, A.J., Needham, D.V.C., Thomas, B., O'Brien, G.W., Hough, L.B., 1990, Basins of the Great Australian Bight region, geology and petroleum potential, Bureau of Mineral Resources Continental margins Program, Folio 5, . (Refid: 12824)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Williams, A.K., Cowley, R., Totterdell, J.M., Lawrence, G., O'Brien, G.W., 2002, Evaluation of hydrocarbon seepage in the Great Australian Bight, APPEA Journal, 42(1), 371-386. (Refid: 12825)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Totterdell, J.M., Blevin, J.E., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Bradshaw, B.E., Colwell, J.B., Kennard, J.M., 2000, A new sequence framework for the Great Australian Bight: starting with a new slate, APPEA Journal, 40(1), 95-117. (Refid: 12827)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Totterdell, J.M., Krassay, A.A., The role of shale deformation and growth faulting in the Late Cretaceous evolution of the Bight Basin, offshore southern Australia, Submitted to Geological Society of London, Special Publication, . (Refid: 12828)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Willcox, J.B., Stagg, H.M.J., 1990, Australia's southern margin: a product of oblique extension, Tectonophysics, 173, 269-281. (Refid: 12829)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Smith, R., Kamerling, P., 1969, Geological framework of the Great Australian Bight., APEA Journal, 9(2), p60-66. (Refid: 34497)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Bradshaw, B.E., Rollet, N., Totterdell, J.M., Borissova, I., 2003, A revised structural framework for frontier basins on the southern and southwestern Australian continental margin., Geoscience Australia. Record, 2003/03, 44. (Refid: 13490)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Totterdell, J.M., Bradshaw, B.E., Willcox, J.B., 2003, Structural and tectonic setting., In O'Brien, G.W.O. and Hibburt, J. (eds.), Petroleum Geology of South Australia Volume 5 - Bight Basin. South Australia Department of Primary Industry and Resources, Petroleum Geology of South Australia Series., Volume 5, ch. 4., . (Refid: 14146)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Moore, A.M.G., Stagg, H.M.J., Norvick, M.S., 2000, Deep-water Otway Basin: a new assessment of the tectonics and hydrocarbon prospectivity, APEA Journal, 40(1), 66-85. (Refid: 12792)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Feary, D.A., James, N.P., 1998, Seismic stratigraphy and geological evolution of the Cenozoic, cool-water Eucla Platform, Great Australian Bight, AAPG Bulletin, 82, 792-816. (Refid: 12805)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Messent, B., 1995, Duntroon Basin, EPP 26, Lead Summaries: Platypus-Duntroon, Greenly and outer Basin fairways, Report submitted by BHP Petroleum (Victoria) Pty Ltd. South Australia Department of mines and Energy, Confidential Envelope, 8441, R95/00994 (unpublished), . (Refid: 12811)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Norvick, M.S., 2000, Plate tectonic reconstructions of Australia's southern margins - final report, Report to Geoscience Australia, (unpublished), . (Refid: 12816)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Sayers, J., Symonds, P., Direen, N.G., Bernardel, G., 2001, Nature of the continentocean transition on the non-volcanic rifted margin of the central Great Australian Bight, In: Wilson, R.C.L., Whitmarsh, R.B., Taylor, B. & Froitzheim, N. Non-Volcanic Rifting of Continental Margins: A Comparison of Evidence from Land and Sea. Geological Society, London. Special Publications, 187, 51-77. (Refid: 12820)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Struckmeyer, H.I.M., O'Brien, G.W., Hatch, L., Heighway, K., Nigel Press Associates/Treicol., 2000, Remote sensing of hydrocarbon seepage, Great Australian Bight, Geoscience Australia, GIS CD and reports, Catalog No. 31222 (Unpublished), . (Refid: 12826)
• FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Blevin, J.E., Totterdell, J.M., Logan, G.A., Kennard, J.M., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Colwell, J.B., 2000, Hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Bight Basin - petroleum systems analysis in a frontier basin, In second Sprigg Symposium - Frontier Basins and Frontier Ideas, Adelaide, 29-30 June, Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts, 60, 24-29. (Refid: 12800)