Petroleum Origin Analysis for Bowen and Surat Basins

Geochemical analysis of 130 core samples and natural gases resolves the generation and migration history of petroleum in Australia's Bowen and Surat basins. The Australian Ocean Data Network published this research, which was last updated in April 2026. Biomarker and stable carbon-isotope analysis identified Permian-sourced petroleum from terrestrial plants with minor marine and Triassic influences.

Use Cases

• Correlating petroleum samples to Permian or Triassic source rocks using stable carbon-isotope analysis data.
• Modeling liquid expulsion timing and gas generation phases using vitrinite reflectance (Ro) values between 0.65% and 1.05%.
• Assessing hydrocarbon potential by comparing liquid generation from lower delta plain coals versus upper delta plain facies data.
• Identifying terrestrial versus marine organic matter contributions to petroleum using biomarker analysis results.

Strengths

• Analysis based on 130 core samples from potential source rocks.
• Provides specific geochemical maturity thresholds, such as vitrinite reflectance of 0.65-0.7% for initial liquid expulsion.

Limitations

• Core sample count of 130 may limit statistical power for highly localized geological features.
• Primary data formats are PDF and HTML, requiring manual extraction for quantitative analysis.
• Temporal coverage of the core samples and the petroleum generation timeline is not explicitly defined.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Geochemical analysis of natural gases and core samples, including biomarker and stable carbon-isotope analysis.

Freshness

Record was updated in April 2026.

Geography

Bowen and Surat basins, Queensland, Australia