Geochemical Comparisons of Southern Australian Asphaltites and Cretaceous Source Rocks

Evidence for a mid-Cretaceous source for southern Australian asphaltites is presented, based on geochemical and carbon isotopic comparisons. The article was prepared for the Eastern Australian Basins Symposium in 2001 and is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network. The dataset includes comparisons with onshore source rock analogues from the Albian-Cenomanian Blue Whale Supersequence and the Albian Toolebuc Formation.

Use Cases

• Correlating asphaltite samples to potential source rocks based on carbon isotope signatures mentioned in the description.
• Investigating paleo-depositional environments based on biomarker evidence like metalloporphyrins and steranes.
• Comparing marine vs. terrestrial organic matter inputs in Cretaceous sediments as described for the Eyre-1 sample.
• Refining source rock age and location models for the Great Australian Bight based on geochemical fingerprinting.

Strengths

• Analysis includes diverse geochemical signatures such as carbon isotopes, C30 methylsteranes, C26 norsteranes, and metalloporphyrins.
• Compares samples from multiple geological formations and basins, including the Bight Basin and Eromanga Basin.
• Includes data from artificial pyrolysis of polar fractions to support genetic links.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-06-04 08:18:56.337717; freshness should be verified as the underlying research is from 2001.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Geochemical and carbon isotopic analysis of asphaltite samples and source rock analogues.

Time Range

Early Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) to Late Cretaceous.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 08:18:56.337717

Geography

Southern Australian margin, Bight Basin, Eromanga Basin.