Geochemical Characteristics of Palaeozoic Petroleum Systems in Northwestern Australia

Northwestern Australia's Arafura, Bonaparte, and Canning Basins contain isotopic and biomarker analyses of Cambrian to Permian oils and source rocks. The data characterizes five distinct petroleum systems within the Larapintine and Gondwanan Petroleum Supersystems, identifying specific geochemical signatures for correlation. The study was published in The APPEA Journal in 1997 and is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Correlating hydrocarbon accumulations to source rock formations based on isotopic signatures like δ13C.
• Identifying distinct petroleum systems using diagnostic biomarker signatures such as steranes and gammacerane.
• Re-evaluating the source of hydrocarbons in regions like the Timor Sea based on Permian-like isotopic signatures.

Strengths

• Defines five distinct petroleum systems with specific geochemical criteria.
• Includes concrete isotopic measurements (e.g., δ13Csat = -32 ‰ for Larapintine 1).
• Correlates oils to specific geological formations (e.g., Middle Cambrian Jigaimara Formation).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to data_gov_au.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Isotopic and biomarker analyses of oils and source rocks.

Time Range

Cambrian to Permian periods

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06 27 17:24:15.742426; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura Basin, Bonaparte Basin (Petrel Sub-basin), Canning Basin, Northwestern Australia