Recherche Sub-basin
Entity ID: 27360 Compiled by: Bradshaw, B.E. Year: 2003 Status: Defined
Last Revised: 2013
Rank: Subprovince Type: sedimentary Subtype: polyhistory Location: SA, WA Off-shore
Synonyms: NA Symbol: NA
Minimum age: Late Cretaceous Age method: inferred, seismic interpretation
Maximum age: Middle Jurassic Age method: inferred, seismic interpretation
Summary: The Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous Recherche sub-basin is a major offshore rift basin on the southern Australian margin that contains up to 8000 m of siliciclastic marine and non-marine sedimentary rocks.
Attributes:
Area (square kilometres): 377000 State: SA State: WA Minimum present water depth (m): 500 Maximum present water depth (m): 5500 Main rock types: siliciclastic sediments and sedimentary rocks Main depositional environment: marine and non-marine Maximum sediment thickness (m): 8000 approximate; based on seismic interpretation Present crustal setting: oceanic Present crustal setting: continental Present crustal setting: transitional Country: AUS
Parent: Bight Basin
Child Provinces: No data
Relationships:
Adjoins - Bremer Sub-basin, Ceduna Sub-basin, Denmark Sub-basin, Madura Shelf, Otway Basin, Yallingup Shelf
Underlies - Eucla Basin
Constituent units: Hammerhead Supersequence, Tiger Supersequence, White Pointer Supersequence, Blue Whale Supersequence, Bronze Whaler Supersequence, Southern Right Supersequence, Minke Supersequence, Sea Lion Supersequence
Events: Australia-Antarctica break-up, Eyre extension, Ceduna extension, Southern Margin Late Cretaceous and Tertiary magmatism
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 Recherche Sub-basin is a major offshore rift basin on the southern Australian margin that extends over an area of 377 000 sq. km from the western to eastern limits of the Bight Basin (~2100 km along-strike). The Recherche Sub-basin forms a depocentre for approximately 8000 m of Mesozoic strata in water depths of 3000 to more than 5500 m. The only well drilled in the Recherche Sub-basin is a shallow stratigraphic well (ODP 1128). Consequently, little is known about its stratigraphy. However, it is interpreted to consist of a Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous syn-rift section of fluvial and lacustrine deposits, overlain by a relatively unstructured Lower to Upper Cretaceous post-rift section of non-marine, to marine and deltaic deposits. Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous syn-rift strata extend about 60 km basinward of the main northern rift border fault system, the Wallaroo Fault System, and infill a series of half graben. These syn-rift deposits are overlain by up to 6000 m of post-rift Cretaceous strata, and 500 m of deep water Cainozoic deposits. Post-rift strata continue basinward of the last seismic evidence for older syn-rift deposits as a relatively unstructured sag-fill, until they become extensively faulted and intruded over a 15 to 120 km wide continent-ocean transition zone. The southern boundary of the Recherche Sub-basin is defined as the maximum extent of the Upper Cretaceous Hammerhead supersequence, which actually extends over oceanic crust where it infills a series of small half graben that probably formed during the early phase of seafloor spreading. Mesozoic deposits from the Recherche Sub-basin may include organic-rich non-marine facies in Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous strata, and organic-rich marine shales in Lower to Upper Cretaceous strata, which are overlain by sufficient overburden to generate hydrocarbons. The Recherche Sub-basin therefore has the potential to contain hydrocarbon accumulations.
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 3 (80 KB), Eastern Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 5 (50 KB), Western Bight Basin regional cross-section Profile 8 (35 KB)
Other media: No data
Source Information:
- FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Hocking, R.M., 1994, Subdivisions of Western Australian Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic sedimentary basins., Geological Survey of Western Australia. Record, 1994/4, p1-84. (Refid: 43442)
- 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: 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: Stagg, H.M.J., Willcox, J.B., Needham, D.J.L., O'Brien, G.W., Cockshell, C.D., Hill, A.J., Thomas, B., Hough, L.P., 1990, Basins of the Great Australian Bight region: geology and petroleum potential., Continental Margins Program Folio 5. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics and Department of Mines and Energy, South Australia., Folio 5, . (Refid: 14236)
- FOR PROVINCE-GENERAL: Veevers, J.J., 1986, Breakup of Australia and Antarctica estimated as mid-Cretaceous (95+-5Ma) from magnetic and seismic data at the continental margin., Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 77, 91-99. (Refid: 14230)
- 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)
