Browse Basin Petroleum Systems Geochemical Analysis

A decade-old petroleum systems analysis for the Browse Basin offshore Western Australia collates molecular, isotopic, biomarker, and 13C/12C ratio datasets for wet gases and crude oils. The study redefines four distinct petroleum systems, detailing complex gas origins from multiple organic and inorganic sources within the basin's major hydrocarbon accumulations.

Use Cases

• Analyze 13C/12C isotopic profiles of n-alkanes to differentiate the four defined petroleum systems (Plover-Plover, Plover/Vulcan-Vulcan, Plover/Vulcan-Nome, Echuca Shoals-Heywood)
• Correlate biomarker data with source rock affinity to trace hydrocarbon origins within the Caswell Sub-basin and Yampi Shelf
• Assess D/H ratios and molecular datasets to evaluate degrees of biodegradation and recharge in Cornea and Gwydion accumulations
• Map condensate-to-gas ratios (CGR) from wet gas datasets to characterize the liquidity of major accumulations like Ichthys and Brecknock

Strengths

• Analysis covers super-giant hydrocarbon accumulations, including Ichthys with 12.8 trillion cubic feet of gas and 527 million barrels of condensate
• Defines four distinct petroleum systems based on geochemical data, providing a structured framework for basin interpretation
• Integrates multiple geochemical datasets including molecular, isotopic, biomarker, and 13C/12C ratios

Limitations

• The basin's petroleum systems have not been updated for a decade, potentially missing recent exploration findings
• Data is presented in PDF and HTML formats, not structured tabular data, limiting direct computational analysis
• Sample data and specific column definitions are unavailable, hindering reproducibility of analyses

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Collation of existing molecular and isotopic datasets for wet gases and hydrocarbon liquids, along with biomarker and isotopic ratios for crude oils

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Browse Basin, offshore Western Australia Kimberley region, including Caswell Sub-basin, Yampi Shelf, Heywood Graben