Browse Basin Jurassic Sediment Architecture and Petroleum Source Rock Mapping

Geoscience Australia's multi-disciplinary study maps the spatial and temporal distribution of Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous source rocks in the Browse Basin. This analysis integrates sequence stratigraphy, palaeogeography, and geochemical data to understand the charge history for major gas fields like Ichthys and Prelude. The dataset, last updated in 2026, provides insights into source rock contributions to known hydrocarbon accumulations and underexplored areas.

Use Cases

• Model petroleum system charge history based on mapped Jurassic source rock distribution.
• Identify potential exploration targets based on the spatial analysis of fluvial-deltaic and rift depositional systems.
• Correlate geochemical fluid compositions with specific source rock intervals like the Plover Formation or Vulcan Formation.
• Assess source rock potential in underexplored areas like the Heywood Graben or southern Caswell Sub-basin.

Strengths

• Study integrates multiple disciplines including sequence stratigraphy, palaeogeography, and geochemical data.
• Focuses on a basin hosting considerable gas resources, including the developed Ichthys and Prelude LNG fields.
• Maps source rock distribution for a specific, economically significant geological period (Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is presented in PDF format, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Multi-disciplinary study integrating sequence stratigraphy, palaeogeography, and geochemical data.

Time Range

Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous geological period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 09:12:22.308350; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Browse Basin, offshore Australia, including the Scott Reef Trend, Caswell Sub-basin, and Yampi Shelf.