Permit 39: 1966 Marine Seismic Survey in the Papuan Basin

A 1505 line mile marine reflection seismic survey was conducted in the Gulf of Papua between January and April 1966. Western Geophysical Company of America performed the work for a consortium of oil companies including Phillips Australian Oil Company. The objective was to obtain detailed structural information to identify potential drilling sites and extend reconnaissance coverage in the Papuan Basin.

Use Cases

• Mapping subsurface geological structures based on the seismic reflection data.
• Identifying potential hydrocarbon drilling targets based on the survey's stated objective.
• Extending regional geological reconnaissance in the Gulf of Papua area.
• Historical analysis of mid-20th century oil exploration techniques and data.

Strengths

• Survey covered a specific, large area of 1505 line miles.
• Data collection period is precisely defined as 22 January to 24 April 1966.
• Survey objective and performing contractor are explicitly stated in the description.

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 temporal and commercial bias inherent to a 1966 industry survey.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Marine reflection seismic survey conducted by Western Geophysical Company of America, Party 87.

Time Range

22 January 1966 to 24 April 1966

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:08:01.960976; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Papuan Basin, Gulf of Papua, within Oil Permits Nos 39 and 42, and Oil Licence No. 4.