Geochemical Characteristics of Palaeozoic Petroleum Systems in Northwestern Australia

A 1997 study by Edwards et al. presents isotopic and biomarker analyses of Cambrian to Permian oils and source rocks. The data geochemically characterises five distinct petroleum systems within the Larapintine and Gondwanan Supersystems across the Arafura, Bonaparte, and Canning Basins. It was published by Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Correlating hydrocarbon accumulations to source rocks based on isotopic signatures and biomarker profiles described.
• Modeling the maturity and richness of petroleum systems like the Larapintine 1 system in the Arafura Basin.
• Re-assessing the source age of hydrocarbon accumulations in regions like the Timor Sea using diagnostic geochemical components.
• Identifying distinct petroleum facies based on described terpane and sterane signatures.

Strengths

• Analysis covers a wide geological time range from the Cambrian to the Permian period.
• Characterises five distinct petroleum systems with specific isotopic values (e.g., δ13Csat = -32 ‰) and biomarker signatures.
• Correlates oils to specific geological formations like the Jigaimara, Goldwyer, and Gogo Formations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is based on a 1997 study; freshness should be verified for current applications.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Isotopic and biomarker analyses of oils and source rocks.

Time Range

Cambrian to Permian geological periods

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 13:53:16.197718; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northwestern Australia, including Arafura, Bonaparte (Petrel Sub-basin), and Canning Basins