Geochemical Comparisons of Southern Australian Asphaltites and Cretaceous Source Rocks

Southern Australian asphaltites are compared geochemically and isotopically to onshore source rock analogues from the Albian-Cenomanian Blue Whale Supersequence and the Albian Toolebuc Formation. The dataset presents evidence for a mid-Cretaceous source, based on carbon isotopes, biomarker distributions, and metalloporphyrin signatures. The article was prepared for the Eastern Australian Basins Symposium in 2001 and is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Correlating asphaltite samples to specific source rock formations based on carbon isotopic signatures mentioned in the description.
• Modeling paleo-depositional environments based on biomarker evidence like C30 methylsteranes and C26 norsteranes.
• Investigating the genetic link between asphaltites and source rocks using pyrolysis data from polar fractions.
• Assessing the potential for Late Cretaceous source contributions based on comparisons with the Tiger Supersequence.

Strengths

• Analysis includes diverse geochemical signatures: carbon isotopes, specific biomarkers (C30 methylsteranes, C26 norsteranes), and metalloporphyrins.
• Compares samples from multiple specific geological formations: the Blue Whale Supersequence and the Toolebuc Formation.
• Article was prepared for a professional symposium (Eastern Australian Basins Symposium, 2001).

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 data_gov_au, focusing on the southern Australian margin.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Geochemical and isotopic laboratory analysis of geological samples.

Time Range

Early to Late Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian and potentially younger).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:10:18.815359; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Australian margin, Bight Basin, Eromanga Basin.