ODNL Penola No 1 Well: Geological Log of a 1961 South Australian Exploration Bore

South Australia's O.D.N.L. Penola No. 1 Well was drilled by Oil Development N.L. to a depth of 4985 feet between February 7 and May 5, 1961. The operation included electric and mud logging, testing, and coring to assess the petroleum potential of the Coonawarra subsurface structure. The detailed geological log describes a sequence of Tertiary and Mesozoic rocks, with minor gas showings but no commercially significant hydrocarbons.

Use Cases

• Stratigraphic analysis based on the detailed geological column describing rock formations and depths.
• Historical petroleum exploration assessment based on the well's drilling results and gas showings.
• Geological mapping based on the described subsurface structure and seismic reflection traverse.
• Study of drilling technology and practices from the 1960s based on the contractor and rig details.

Strengths

• Detailed geological log with specific formation names, depths, and ages (e.g., 215 feet of Gambier Limestone).
• Precise operational timeline and technical specifications, including total depth of 4985 feet and drilling dates.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to data_gov_au.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Drilling and logging operations conducted by Oil Development N.L. under a farm-out agreement.

Time Range

Drilling operations from February 7 to May 5, 1961.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 06:09:59.112593; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Penola, South Australia (north-east corner of Section 500, Hundred of Penola).