Hydrocarbon Gas Geochemistry in Otway and Gippsland Basin Sediments

Geoscience Australia Data provides a post-cruise report detailing light hydrocarbon gas (C1-C6) measurements in sediments from 342 locations on the continental shelf and slope. The data identifies thermogenic hydrocarbons at 42 locations across the Otway and Gippsland Basins, collected during a 21-day research voyage in April/May 1988.

Use Cases

• Map the distribution of thermogenic hydrocarbon locations (42 total) across sub-regions like the Crayfish Platform, Mussel Platform, and Voluta Trough.
• Analyze wet gas content ratios ([C2-C4/C1-C4] x 100) to infer hydrocarbon source type and maturity variations between basin margins and the trough.
• Correlate total C1-C4 gas concentration measurements with geological features like near-surface faulting intensity in the Voluta Trough.
• Integrate geochemical data on light hydrocarbon gases with thermal maturation modeling to assess source rock potential, such as the Early Cretaceous Otway Group.

Strengths

• Data from 342 specific sampling locations provides spatial coverage of the continental shelf and upper slope.
• Report details findings from a dedicated 21-day geochemical and sedimentological research program.
• Identifies 42 locations with evidence of thermogenic hydrocarbons, with breakdowns for Otway (32) and Gippsland (10) Basins.

Limitations

• Data is presented as a report (HTML/PDF), not a structured, machine-readable table, limiting direct computational analysis.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a single cruise in 1988, representing a snapshot in time.
• Sample data and column definitions are unavailable, requiring manual extraction of values from the text.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Measurements of light hydrocarbon gases (C1-C6) in sediments collected during the BMR research vessel 'Rig Seismic' cruise.

Time Range

April/May 1988

Freshness

null

Geography

Offshore Otway Basin and Gippsland Basin, Australia