Onshore Sedimentary Basin Seismic and Petroleum Systems Analysis for Australia

Interpretation of deep seismic reflection profiles and petroleum systems maturation modelling for three Australian onshore sedimentary basins. The project was conducted by Geoscience Australia under the five-year Onshore Energy Security Program from 2006 to 2011. Data includes basin architecture details, such as thickness up to 3800 meters, and assessments of source rock maturity for hydrocarbon generation.

Use Cases

• Model petroleum system maturation using interpreted source rock maturity levels (e.g., Cambrian oil-mature, Neoproterozoic overmature) from the Arrowie and Georgina Basins.
• Analyze basin architecture and structural features like thrust faults and half-graben geometries mapped from seismic reflection profiles.
• Correlate seismic sequence boundaries with major Neoproterozoic stratigraphic groups in the Adelaide Rift System.
• Assess hydrocarbon generation and expulsion timing relative to trap formation events described in the Georgina Basin modelling.
• Interpret lithology from seismic reflection character, such as alternating high/low amplitude reflections representing Devonian mudstones and sandstones in the Darling Basin.

Strengths

• Analysis covers three distinct sedimentary basins (Arrowie, Georgina, Darling) providing comparative data.
• Petroleum systems modelling includes specific maturity assessments for multiple source rock intervals (Cambrian, Neoproterozoic).
• Seismic interpretation provides concrete architectural metrics, including maximum basin fill thickness of ~3800 meters and basin width of ~65 km.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column details are unknown.
• Primary data formats are PDF and HTML reports, limiting direct machine-readability for analysis.
• Temporal coverage of the underlying seismic and geological data is not specified, though the study period was 2006-2011.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Interpretation of deep seismic reflection profiles and petroleum systems maturation modelling.

Time Range

Study conducted under the Onshore Energy Security Program (2006-2011).

Freshness

Metadata last updated in 2026, but the core study and data collection concluded in 2011.

Geography

Onshore sedimentary basins in Australia: Arrowie Basin (South Australia), Burke River Structural Zone of the Georgina Basin (northwest Queensland), Yathong Trough of the Darling Basin (western New South Wales).