Hydrocarbon Prospectivity Assessment of the Adavale Basin

Seven play intervals across the Devonian to Carboniferous sedimentary record are assessed for conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon potential. The assessment analyzes thirty-nine petroleum exploration wells and identifies twenty-five play elements like reservoir and seal. Geoscience Australia and CSIRO produced this resource for the Trusted Environmental and Geological Information program, with findings presented at the 2022 Central Australian Basins Symposium.

Use Cases

• Generate risk maps for play elements like reservoir and seal using a split-risking methodology on well-point data.
• Identify spatial variation in hydrocarbon prospectivity across the Gumbardo to Buckabie sequences using interpreted gross depositional environments.
• Delineate zones of unconventional hydrocarbon play potential, such as the area extending northeast from the Gilmore gas discovery.
• Create composite common risk segment maps to outline proven play areas around the Gilmore and Log Creek gas accumulations.

Strengths

• Assessment covers seven distinct palynology-defined chronostratigraphic intervals.
• Analysis incorporates data from thirty-nine petroleum exploration wells.
• Identifies twenty-five specific play elements including reservoir, seal, and charge.

Limitations

• Considerable uncertainty exists in areas with sparse data due to reliance on well information over seismic data.
• Spatial coverage is limited to the Adavale Basin in central Queensland.
• Temporal coverage is restricted to the Early Devonian to Late Devonian/Early Carboniferous period.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia collaborating with CSIRO under the Australian Government's TEGI program.

Collection Method

Systematic assessment using petroleum exploration wells and sequence stratigraphic data analyzed in ArcGIS 'Player' extension.

Time Range

Early Devonian to Late Devonian/Early Carboniferous sedimentary record.

Freshness

Findings were presented in August 2022; the record was last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Adavale Basin, underlying the Galilee, Eromanga and Lake Eyre basins in central Queensland.