Geochemical Characteristics of Palaeozoic Petroleum Systems in Northwestern Australia

Isotopic and biomarker analyses of Cambrian to Permian oils and source rocks characterize five distinct petroleum systems across the Arafura, Bonaparte, and Canning Basins. The dataset includes specific isotopic signatures, such as δ13Csat values ranging from -32‰ to -24‰, and biomarker correlations to geological formations. It was published by Geoscience Australia Data in 1997 and last updated in 2026.

Use Cases

• Correlating hydrocarbon accumulations to source rocks based on isotopic and biomarker signatures described.
• Modeling the maturity and richness of source rocks for petroleum system evaluation.
• Distinguishing between Larapintine and Gondwanan petroleum supersystems using diagnostic geochemical components.
• Re-assessing the source attribution of hydrocarbon accumulations in regions like the Timor Sea.

Strengths

• Characterizes five distinct petroleum systems with specific geochemical parameters like δ13Csat values.
• Correlates oils to specific geological formations (e.g., Jigaimara, Goldwyer, Gogo Formations) using diagnostic signatures.
• Covers a wide temporal range from the Cambrian to the Permian period.

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 bias inherent to the studied Northwestern Australian basins.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Isotopic and biomarker analyses of oils and source rocks.

Time Range

Cambrian to Permian period

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 04:07:25.179625; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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