Gidgealpa No. 1 Well: Geological and Drilling Report from South Australia

Gidgealpa No. 1 was the first well to encounter Cambrian rocks in the subsurface of the Great Artesian Basin. Drilled in 1963 by Delhi Australian Petroleum Ltd and Santos Limited, it reached a total depth of 13,114 feet and was subsidized under the Petroleum Search Subsidy Act. The well provided significant new geological information, including thick Mesozoic sequences and encouraging hydrocarbon shows in Permian and Cambrian formations.

Use Cases

• Analyze Permian lithology and hydrocarbon shows based on the detailed geological description of the well.
• Study the subsurface Cambrian marine carbonate sequence first discovered in this region.
• Research the application and impact of historical petroleum search subsidies on exploration activities.
• Correlate stratigraphic sequences with nearby wells like Innamincka No. 1 and Dullingari No. 1 mentioned in the report.

Strengths

• Report contains specific factual details including exact drilling dates (spudded 28th August 1963), total depth (13,114 feet), and rig type (National 80-B).
• Description provides significant geological context, such as the discovery of a 400-foot thick porous dolomite zone in the Middle Cambrian.
• Documentation includes precise geographic location relative to other known wells (60 miles SW of Innamincka No. 1).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is presented in report formats (PDF, HTML); structured tabular data is not confirmed.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Drilling and geological analysis conducted by Delhi Australian Petroleum Ltd (operator) and Santos Limited.

Time Range

1963 (drilling and completion activities)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:36:37.449333; freshness should be verified.

Geography

North-eastern corner of South Australia, within the Great Artesian Basin.