Stable Isotope Compositions of Paleozoic Marine Crude Oils from Australian Basins

Stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic data for bulk and individual hydrocarbons from 17 Paleozoic marine crude oils, primarily from the Canning Basin in Western Australia. The dataset includes comparisons with other Australian and global marine oils to track isotopic changes throughout the Paleozoic era. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Classify oil families by correlating bulk stable carbon isotope (13C) values with source rock age and facies.
• Assess thermal maturity of source rocks using hydrogen (D) isotopic profiles of individual C7+ n-alkanes.
• Compare isotopic trends across basins by analyzing mean 13Csat values for Ordovician, Devonian, and Mississippian oils.
• Refine petroleum system models by integrating n-alkane-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopic profiles with biomarker data.

Strengths

• Focuses on 17 specific Paleozoic marine crude oil samples from a defined region.
• Includes both bulk isotopic data and n-alkane-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopic profiles.
• Compares data across multiple Australian basins (Canning, Bonaparte, Perth, Arafura).

Limitations

• Small sample size of 17 oils limits statistical power for broad generalizations.
• Geographic focus is heavily biased towards the Canning Basin in Western Australia.
• Data is presented in HTML/PDF formats, requiring extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Geochemical analysis of crude oil samples.

Time Range

Paleozoic era (Cambrian to Carboniferous periods).

Freshness

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Geography

Primarily the Canning Basin, Western Australia; includes comparisons to Bonaparte, Perth, and Arafura Basins.