Hydrocarbon Sniffer Survey Data from Southeastern Australian Basins

Research cruise data from 1989 measures light hydrocarbon gas concentrations and molecular compositions in the water column over offshore sedimentary basins. The survey, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources and Transglobal Exploration and Geoscience, targeted the Gippsland, Bass, Otway, Stansbury Basins and Torquay Sub-basin. This dataset likely contains geochemical readings intended to assess hydrocarbon source rock maturity and identify potential petroleum accumulation zones.

Use Cases

• Assessing hydrocarbon source rock maturity based on light hydrocarbon gas composition.
• Identifying potential petroleum accumulation zones in offshore Australian basins.
• Evaluating the 'sniffer' survey technique's applicability for marine geochemical exploration.
• Correlating water column geochemistry with known oil and gas fields in the Gippsland Basin.

Strengths

• Data originates from a specific, well-documented 30-day research cruise (February 1 to March 2, 1989).
• Survey covered multiple significant geological regions: Gippsland, Bass, Otway, Stansbury Basins, and Torquay Sub-basin.
• Involved collaboration between a government agency (Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources) and an industry partner (Transglobal Exploration and Geoscience).

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: column names, row counts, file size, and license information are all listed as unknown or 'None'.
• The dataset's structure and accessibility are unclear, with no specific data files or formats detailed beyond HTML/PDF references.
• The description is a research proposal, so the actual collected data's availability and completeness are uncertain.

Provenance

Source

Division of Marine Geosciences and Petroleum Geology, Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources (now Geoscience Australia), in cooperation with Transglobal Exploration and Geoscience (TEG).

Collection Method

Marine survey using a towed hydrocarbon 'sniffer' (submersible fish) with continuous gas chromatography analysis of pumped seawater.

Time Range

1989-02-01 to 1989-03-02

Freshness

2026-06-16 23:44:10.446965

Geography

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