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 analyzed for biomarkers and isotopes, alongside carbon and hydrogen isotopic data for ~50 gas samples and existing molecular data for ~1000 gas samples. The dataset, presented by Geoscience Australia at the 2006 AAPG International Conference, provides a regional synthesis of petroleum geochemistry. It attributes accumulations to source rocks from the Early Carboniferous to Early Cretaceous, with most economic resources sourced from Mesozoic sediments.

Use Cases

• Classifying genetically related oil families based on biomarker and isotopic signatures described in the synthesis.
• Modeling regional trends in gas composition based on wetness and non-combustible gas abundance data.
• Correlating oils to specific source rock ages and depositional environments (e.g., Late Jurassic marine rift-fill) mentioned in the description.
• Investigating the impact of maturity, multiple charging, and secondary alteration processes on biomarker variations.
• Analyzing isotopic signatures (δ13C and δ2H) of deepwater gas accumulations for case studies in the Browse and Carnarvon basins.

Strengths

• Includes biomarker and isotopic analyses of approximately 300 oil and condensate samples.
• Integrates carbon and hydrogen isotopic data for ~50 gas samples with existing molecular data for ~1000 samples.
• Provides a regional synthesis covering multiple basins (Bonaparte, Browse, Carnarvon) over a fifty-year discovery period.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is derived from a 2006 conference presentation; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Statistical characterization of biomarker and isotopic analyses from sampled petroleum accumulations.

Time Range

Covers petroleum discoveries over the last fifty years prior to 2006, with source rock ages from Early Carboniferous to Early Cretaceous.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:16:50.637822; freshness should be verified

Geography

North West Shelf of Australia, specifically the Bonaparte, Browse, and Carnarvon basins, including deepwater areas.