17 Paleozoic marine crude oils from Western Australia's Canning Basin provide stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions for bulk, saturated, and aromatic hydrocarbons. The Australian Ocean Data Network published this study, which compares these oils to other Australian and global marine oils, showing systematic isotopic changes throughout the Paleozoic. Ordovician oils have 13Csat values around -31', while Late Devonian oils show slightly more enriched values, and Mississippian oils have mean 13Csat values around -28'.
Use Cases
- Characterize oil families based on stable carbon isotopic compositions of bulk hydrocarbons.
- Refine petroleum system models using hydrogen isotopic profiles of individual C7+ n-alkanes.
- Compare isotopic trends across basins based on comparisons with oils from the Arafura, Bonaparte, and Perth basins.
- Assess source rock facies variations and thermal maturation levels using combined carbon and hydrogen isotope data.
Strengths
- Includes isotopic data for 17 distinct Paleozoic marine crude oil samples.
- Provides specific isotopic values, such as a Cambrian oil-stain with a 13Csat value of -32.0' and Ordovician oils with values around -31'.
- Compares data across multiple basins (Canning, Bonaparte, Arafura, Perth) to establish broader trends.
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 bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on west Australian basins.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Time Range
- Paleozoic era
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-16 10:07:33.735950; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Canning Basin, Western Australia; also includes comparisons to Arafura, Bonaparte, and Perth Basins.