Hydrocarbon Sniffer Survey Data from Southeastern Australian Basins, 1989

Southeastern Australian offshore sedimentary basins were surveyed for light hydrocarbon gases in the water column between February 1 and March 2, 1989. The Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources conducted a 30-day research cruise in the Gippsland, Bass, Otway, Stansbury Basins and Torquay Sub-basin. The data likely contains measurements of gas concentrations and molecular compositions intended to assess petroleum source rock maturity and potential accumulation zones.

Use Cases

• Assess hydrocarbon source rock maturity based on light hydrocarbon gas composition.
• Identify potential petroleum accumulation zones based on gas concentration anomalies in the water column.
• Evaluate the applicability of 'sniffer' survey techniques for Australian offshore exploration.
• Correlate water column geochemistry with known oil and gas fields in the Gippsland Basin.

Strengths

• Specific 30-day survey period from February 1 to March 2, 1989.
• Clear geographic scope covering five named basins in southeastern Australia.
• Description details a co-operative research program with named external organizations.

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 temporal bias inherent to a single 1989 survey.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Data was gathered via a marine research cruise using a towed hydrocarbon 'sniffer' and gas chromatography.

Time Range

1989-02-01 to 1989-03-02

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 08:12:27.477522; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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