Geochemical Characteristics of Palaeozoic Petroleum Systems in Northwestern Australia

Geoscience Australia Data provides a study using isotopic and biomarker analyses to characterize five distinct petroleum systems in the Arafura, Bonaparte, and Canning Basins. The research, published in 1997, correlates Cambrian to Permian oils and source rocks to specific geological formations. It identifies diagnostic geochemical signatures for systems within the Larapintine and Gondwanan Petroleum Supersystems.

Use Cases

• Correlating hydrocarbon accumulations to source rocks based on isotopic signatures like δ13Csat values mentioned in the description.
• Identifying distinct petroleum systems using diagnostic biomarker signatures such as sterane/diasterane ratios and gammacerane abundance.
• Re-evaluating the source of hydrocarbon accumulations in regions like the Timor Sea based on recognized Permian-like isotopic signatures.
• Assessing source rock richness and maturity for petroleum system effectiveness, as indicated for the Larapintine 1 system.

Strengths

• Focuses on five distinct petroleum systems characterized by specific isotopic and biomarker data.
• Includes concrete geochemical measurements, such as δ13Csat values ranging from -32‰ to -24‰.
• Correlates data to specific geological formations and time periods from the Cambrian to Permian.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Isotopic and biomarker analyses carried out on oils and source rocks.

Time Range

Cambrian to Permian geological periods

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 20 01:48:22.608827; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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