Hydrocarbon Families of the NW Shelf: Molecular and Isotopic Composition of Oils and Gases

Approximately 300 North West Shelf oil and condensate samples have been statistically characterized into genetically related families based on biomarker and isotopic analyses. The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts this regional synthesis, which also includes carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures for around 50 gas samples and existing molecular data for about 1000 gas samples. Presented at the 2006 AAPG International Conference, the work attributes petroleum accumulations to source rocks ranging from Early Carboniferous to Early Cretaceous age.

Use Cases

• Correlating oils to source rocks based on biomarker signatures and isotopic composition described in the study.
• Modeling regional trends in gas wetness and non-combustible gas abundance using the provided isotopic and molecular data.
• Assessing maturity differences and secondary alteration processes in petroleum systems based on the described geochemical variations.
• Identifying genetic families of hydrocarbons for exploration targeting using the statistical characterization of ~300 samples.

Strengths

• Analysis of approximately 300 oil/condensate samples provides a substantial regional baseline.
• Integration of isotopic data from ~50 gas samples with existing molecular data for ~1000 samples offers a multi-faceted view.
• The description provides specific geological context, linking oils to Late Jurassic marine rift-fill sediments and gases to Triassic–Jurassic fluvio-deltaic sediments.

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/temporal bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on discoveries over the last fifty years up to 2006.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Biomarker and isotopic analyses of collected samples, combined with statistical characterization.

Time Range

Samples collected over approximately fifty years prior to 2006.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-16 22:18:02.250022; freshness should be verified as the underlying analysis is from 2006.

Geography

Bonaparte, Browse, and Carnarvon basins of Australia's North West Shelf.