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 synthesized these findings, presented at the 2006 AAPG International Conference, to document regional geochemical trends. Most economic oil and gas accumulations are sourced from Mesozoic sediments, with variations explained by maturity differences and secondary alteration processes.

Use Cases

• Classify hydrocarbon families based on biomarker signatures mentioned in the description
• Model gas source rock origins based on carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures of ~50 gas samples
• Analyze regional trends in gas wetness and non-combustible gas abundance using existing molecular data for ~1000 gas samples
• Investigate secondary alteration processes like multiple charging based on described geochemical variations

Strengths

• Approximately 300 oil/condensate samples analyzed
• Includes carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures for ~50 gas samples
• Integrates existing molecular data for ~1000 gas samples

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

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 00:26:47.387249; freshness should be verified

Geography

Bonaparte, Browse, and Carnarvon basins of the North West Shelf, Australia