Hydrocarbon Families of the NW Shelf: Geochemical Analysis of ~300 Oil and Gas Samples

Approximately 300 North West Shelf oil and condensate samples have been statistically characterized into genetically related families based on biomarker and isotopic analyses. The dataset also includes carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures for about 50 gas samples and existing molecular data for roughly 1000 gas samples. This regional synthesis of petroleum geochemistry for the Bonaparte, Browse, and Carnarvon basins was presented at the 2006 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition.

Use Cases

• Classify oil families based on biomarker signatures described in the analysis.
• Model gas source and maturity based on regional trends in carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures.
• Correlate petroleum accumulations to specific source rock ages (e.g., Triassic–Jurassic) mentioned in the description.
• Study secondary alteration processes like maturity differences and multiple charging inferred from biomarker variations.

Strengths

• Includes biomarker and isotopic data for approximately 300 oil and condensate samples.
• Integrates isotopic data for ~50 gas samples with existing molecular data for ~1000 gas samples.
• Provides a regional synthesis covering three major Australian sedimentary basins over a 50-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 freshness should be verified; the analysis was presented in 2006.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Petroleum discoveries over the last fifty years prior to 2006.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 12:50:32.107984; freshness should be verified

Geography

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