Northern Houtman Sub-basin Seismic Interpretation and Geological Model

Geoscience Australia's 2014–15 seismic survey data provides a reassessment of the tectonic evolution and petroleum prospectivity of the northern Houtman Sub-basin offshore Western Australia. Interpretation enabled mapping of the Moho, basement, and major syn-rift sequences, along with creation of a 3D geological model covering the survey area. This study significantly reduced exploration risk in this frontier region.

Use Cases

• Mapping crustal thickness variations from less than 5 km to over 25 km to identify hyperextended continental crust zones.
• Correlating seismic stratigraphy to define a Permian–Cretaceous succession up to 16 km thick for basin modeling.
• Identifying potential hydrocarbon source rocks by analyzing the thickness and extent of the Lower Triassic Kockatea Shale sequence, up to 1800 m thick.
• Modeling structural architecture using interpreted basement-involved faults that control Permian syn-rift half-graben up to 10 km thick.
• Delineating the volcanic province of the Wallaby Saddle using mapped seaward-dipping reflector sequences from seismic data.

Strengths

• Integrated seismic interpretation with potential field modelling for crustal structure analysis.
• Enables development of a new tectonostratigraphic framework for the northern Perth Basin.
• 3D geological model created from new seismic reflection data acquired in 2014–15.

Limitations

• Only three wells have been drilled in the broader sub-basin, providing limited ground-truth data.
• Sample data and specific row/column counts for underlying datasets are unavailable.
• Primary data deliverables are in DOCX and PDF formats, not machine-readable tabular data.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, based on work by Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Interpretation of new seismic reflection data (survey GA-349) integrated with potential field modelling.

Time Range

Geological data covers Permian to Cretaceous periods.

Freshness

Data acquired in 2014–15, with record last updated in 2026.

Geography

Northern Houtman Sub-basin, offshore Western Australia, part of the northern Perth Basin.