Geochemical Characteristics of Palaeozoic Petroleum Systems in Northwestern Australia

Geochemical data from isotopic and biomarker analyses of Cambrian to Permian oils and source rocks in the Arafura, Bonaparte, and Canning Basins. The dataset characterizes five distinct petroleum systems within the Larapintine and Gondwanan Petroleum Supersystems. The data was published by Geoscience Australia and cited in a 1997 APPEA Journal article.

Use Cases

• Correlating oils to specific source rock formations based on isotopic signatures and biomarker profiles mentioned in the description
• Identifying distinct petroleum systems based on diagnostic geochemical components like sterane/diasterane ratios and n-alkane patterns
• Re-evaluating the source attribution of hydrocarbon accumulations using isotopic and biomarker evidence

Strengths

• Characterizes five distinct petroleum systems across three major basins in Northwestern Australia
• Includes specific isotopic values (e.g., δ13Csat = -32 ‰) and biomarker signatures for correlation
• Links geochemical data 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 presented in PDF/HTML formats, requiring extraction for computational analysis

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 2026-03-25 18:15:31.983463; freshness should be verified

Geography

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