Hydrocarbon Prospectivity Assessment of the Adavale Basin

Geoscience Australia and CSIRO assessed conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources in the Adavale Basin. The analysis used data from 39 petroleum exploration wells and identified 25 play elements across seven chronostratigraphic sequences. This assessment was presented at the 2022 Central Australian Basins Symposium.

Use Cases

• Generate composite common risk segment maps from play element risk data to outline proven and prospective hydrocarbon areas.
• Analyze spatial variation in risk for 25 play elements, such as reservoir and seal, using the split-risking methodology.
• Identify zones of unconventional hydrocarbon play potential using interpreted gross depositional environment data.
• Correlate resource potential across the seven play intervals (e.g., Gumbardo, Cooladdi) with well-point maps and sequence stratigraphic data.

Strengths

• Assessment incorporates data from 39 petroleum exploration wells.
• Analysis covers 25 distinct play elements and seven chronostratigraphic sequences.
• Risk maps provide qualitative prospectivity for both conventional and unconventional resources.

Limitations

• Considerable uncertainty exists in areas with sparse data, due to reliance on well information over seismic data.
• The resource assessment is confined to the Adavale Basin in central Queensland, limiting geographic generalizability.
• Methodology and results are described in a conference abstract, implying a preliminary, non-peer-reviewed summary.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia (GA) in collaboration with CSIRO, under the Australian Government's TEGI program.

Collection Method

Systematic assessment using well data and sequence stratigraphy, analyzed with the ArcGIS 'Player' extension.

Time Range

Sedimentary record spans the Early Devonian to Late Devonian/Early Carboniferous; assessment presented in 2022.

Freshness

Dataset metadata was last updated in April 2026, though the underlying assessment was presented in 2022.

Geography

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