Geochemical Analysis of Palaeozoic Petroleum Systems in Northwestern Australia

Geochemical data from Cambrian to Permian oils and source rocks characterizes five distinct petroleum systems in the Arafura, Bonaparte, and Canning Basins. The study uses isotopic signatures (e.g., δ13Csat) and biomarker analyses (e.g., steranes, gammacerane) to correlate hydrocarbons with specific geological formations. It was published by Edwards et al. in 1997 and sourced from Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Correlate hydrocarbon samples to source rock formations using diagnostic isotopic signatures like δ13Csat values.
• Identify distinct petroleum systems (e.g., Larapintine 1-4, Gondwanan 1) based on biomarker profiles including steranes, diasteranes, and gammacerane.
• Analyze the odd-carbon-number preference in C15–C19 n-alkanes to trace oils to specific source units like the Early Ordovician Goldwyer Formation.
• Re-evaluate the source attribution of Timor Sea hydrocarbon accumulations using Permian-like isotopic signatures previously misassigned to Mesozoic sources.

Strengths

• Focuses on five distinct, geochemically characterized Palaeozoic petroleum systems.
• Analysis spans multiple major basins: Arafura, Bonaparte (Petrel Sub-basin), and Canning.
• Data includes specific geochemical metrics such as δ13Csat values and biomarker signatures (e.g., steranes, gammacerane).

Limitations

• Underlying tabular data (rows, columns, sample values) is not provided, only a published journal article.
• Primary data is from a 1997 study, which may not reflect more recent discoveries or analytical techniques.
• Geographic coverage is limited to Northwestern Australian basins, not a global sample.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Isotopic and biomarker analyses of oils and source rocks, published in The APPEA Journal.

Time Range

Cambrian to Permian geological periods

Freshness

null

Geography

Northwestern Australia (Arafura Basin, Bonaparte Basin's Petrel Sub-basin, Canning Basin, Timor Sea)