Eyre Sub-basin
Entity ID: 27293 Compiled by: Totterdell, J. and Rollet, N. Year: 2002 Status: Defined
Last Revised: 2013
Rank: Subprovince Type: sedimentary Subtype: polyhistory Location: WA, SA Off-shore
Synonyms: NA Symbol: NA
Minimum age: Isabelidinium cretaceum 0di Age method: biozone
Maximum age: Callovian Age method: inferred, biostratigraphic correlation
Summary: The Jurassic to Cretaceous Eyre Sub-basin of the Bight Basin is characterised by a series of east-northeasterly trending en-echelon half graben. It contains a non-marine to marine succession up to 3500 m thick.
Attributes:
Area (square kilometres): 9200 State: WA State: SA Minimum present water depth (m): 100 Maximum present water depth (m): 2800 Main rock types: siliciclastic sediments and sedimentary rocks some coal and organic-rich facies interpreted Main depositional environment: marine and non-marine Maximum sediment thickness (m): 3500 overlain by up to 1000 m of Cainozoic strata Present crustal setting: continental Country: AUS
Parent: Bight Basin
Child Provinces: No data
Relationships:
Adjoins - Ceduna Sub-basin, Madura Shelf
Underlies - Eucla Basin
Constituent units: White Pointer Supersequence, Blue Whale Supersequence, Bronze Whaler Supersequence, Southern Right Supersequence, Minke Supersequence, Sea Lion Supersequence
Events: Eyre extension, Southern Margin Late Cretaceous and Tertiary magmatism, Ceduna extension, Australia-Antarctica break-up
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: No data
Overview: The Eyre Sub-basin is a perched, Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous rift basin located beneath the bathymetric Eyre Terrace in water depths of 100 to 2800 m. It contains up to 3500 m of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, which in turn are unconformably overlain by up to 1000 m of Cainozoic strata of the Eucla Basin The sub-basin consists of a series of four east-northeast striking half graben that have an en-echelon trend of offset to the southeast. It is bounded by basement highs to the north, west and south, but is probably contiguous with the Ceduna Sub-basin in the east. The Middle Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous fluvio-lacustrine syn-rift succession (Sea Lion and Minke supersequences), is overlain by an Early Cretaceous-age fluvio-lacustrine to shallow marine post-rift fill (Southern Right and Bronze Whaler supersequences). These rocks are overlain by an Early to mid Cretaceous-age marine and deltaic succession (Blue Whale and White Pointer supersequences) that extends beyond the half-graben boundaries. Potential source rock facies include Jurassic lacustrine shales deposited during the syn-rift phase and early post-rift fluvial coals and shales. Evidence of a previous oil accumulation, identified by fluid inclusion studies, is present near the base of Jerboa 1. The hydrocarbons were probably generated from a more deeply buried, syn-rift to early post-rift lacustrine source rocks. The accumulation in Jerboa 1 was breached during a phase of reactivation faulting in the Late Cretaceous. Mature source rocks are likely to be present within the larger half graben in the sub-basin.
Images: Eastern Bight Basin structural elements and cross-section location map (82 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 1 (59 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 2 (68 KB)
Other media: No data
Source Information:
- FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Bein, J., Taylor, M.L., 1981, The Eyre Sub-basin: Recent exploration results., APEA Journal, 21(1), p91-98. (Refid: 36915)
- 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)
- 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: Messent, B.E.J., 1998, Great Australian Bight: Well Audit., Australian Geological Survey Organisation. Record, 1998/37, . (Refid: 12812)
- 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., Ahmed, M., Quezada, R.A., 1999, Geochemistry of palaeo-oil in Jerboa-1, Eyre Sub-basin, Great Australian Bight, CSIRO Petroleum Confidential Report, 99-060, . (Refid: 13505)
- 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: 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: 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: Quinn, D.M.T., 1999, An Evaluation of seals, reservoirs and fault sealing potential in the Eyre Sub-basin, Great Australian Bight., BSc Honours Thesis, Univesity of Adelaide, National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics (unpublished), . (Refid: 13372)
- 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: 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)
