Hydrocarbon Sniffer Survey Data from Southeastern Australian Basins, 1989

A 30-day research cruise in 1989 measured light hydrocarbon gases in the water column over five offshore sedimentary basins in southeastern Australia. The Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources conducted the survey in cooperation with Transglobal Exploration and Geoscience and Amoco Production Company. Data likely includes gas chromatography results from a towed 'sniffer' system and sediment samples from known oil and gas fields.

Use Cases

• Assessing hydrocarbon source rock maturity and type based on water column gas concentrations.
• Identifying likely locations for petroleum accumulation within sedimentary basins based on molecular compositions.
• Evaluating the applicability of 'sniffer' survey techniques for Australian offshore exploration.
• Comparing geochemical signatures over known oil and gas fields with regional background data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a specific 30-day research cruise with a defined timeframe from February 1 to March 2, 1989.
• Survey covers five distinct geological areas: the Gippsland, Bass, Otway, Stansbury Basins and the Torquay Sub-basin.
• Includes both regional survey lines and detailed proprietary programs over known accumulations.

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 geographic and temporal bias inherent to a single 1989 survey.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Data gathered via a hydrocarbon 'sniffer' system towed near the seafloor, with continuous gas chromatography analysis of pumped water, supplemented by limited sediment sampling.

Time Range

1989-02-01 to 1989-03-02

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 22:06:28.866641; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southeastern Australia, covering the Gippsland, Bass, Otway, Stansbury Basins and the Torquay Sub-basin.