The 2010 Australian offshore release for petroleum exploration

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Tom Bernecker
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Release Date ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
New Frontier ◽  
Release Area ◽  
Block Sizes

The Australian Government formally releases new offshore exploration areas at the annual APPEA conference. In 2010, thirty-one areas in five offshore basins are being released for work program bidding. Closing dates for bid submissions are either six or twelve months after the release date—i.e. 11 November 2010 and 12 May 2011—depending on the exploration status in these areas and on data availability. The 2010 release areas are located in Commonwealth waters offshore Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia, comprising intensively explored areas close to existing production as well as new frontiers. The Westralian Superbasin along the North West Shelf continues to feature prominently, and is complimented by a new frontier area in offshore SW Australia (Mentelle Basin), as well as two areas in the Ceduna/Duntroon sub-basins in the eastern part of the Bight Basin. The Bonaparte Basin is represented by three areas in the Petrel Sub-basin and two areas in the Vulcan Sub-basin. Further southwest, four large areas are being released in the outer Roebuck Basin—a significantly under-explored region. This year, the Carnarvon Basin provides 16 release areas of which three are located in the Beagle Sub-basin, five in the Dampier Sub-basin, five in the Barrow Sub-basin, three on the Exmouth Plateau and three in the Exmouth Sub-basin. The largest singular release area covers much of the Mentelle Basin in offshore SW Australia, and two areas are available in the Ceduna and Duntroon sub-basins as part of South Australia’s easternmost section of the Bight Basin. The 2010 Offshore Acreage Release offers a wide variety of block sizes in shallow as well as deep water environments. Area selection has been undertaken in consultation with industry, the States and the Northern Territory. As part of Geoscience Australia’s Offshore Energy Security Program, new data has been acquired in offshore frontier regions parts of which are being published on the Mentelle Basin (Borissova et al, this volume).

Review of the 2009 offshore petroleum exploration release areas

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 465
Author(s):  
Thomas Bernecker
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Release Date ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Release Area ◽  
Block Sizes

The Australian Government formally releases new offshore exploration areas at the annual APPEA conference. This year, 31 areas plus two special areas in five offshore basins are being released for work program bidding. Closing dates for bid submissions are either six or twelve months after the release date (i.e. 3 December 2009 and 29 April 2010), depending on the exploration status in these areas is and on data availability. The 2009 release areas are located in Commonwealth waters offshore Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria, comprising intensively explored areas close to existing production as well as new frontiers. As usual, the North West Shelf features very prominently and is complimented by new areas along the southern margin, including frontier exploration areas in the Ceduna Sub-basin (Bight Basin) and the Otway Basin. The Bonaparte Basin is represented by one release area in the Malita Graben, while five areas are available in the Southern Browse Basin in an under-explored area of the basin. A total of 14 areas are being released in the Carnarvon Basin, with eight areas located in the Dampier Sub-basin, three small blocks in the Rankin Platform and three large blocks on the Northern Exmouth Plateau (these are considered a deep water frontier). In the south, six large areas are on offer in the Ceduna Sub-basin and five areas of varying sizes are being released in the Otway Basin, including a deep water frontier offshore Victoria. The special release areas are located in the Petrel Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin offshore Northern Territory, and encompass the Turtle/Barnett oil discoveries. The 2009 offshore acreage release offers a wide variety of block sizes in shallow as well as deep water environments. Area selection has been undertaken in consultation with industry, the states and Territory. This year’s acreage release caters for the whole gamut of exploration companies given that many areas are close to existing infrastructure while others are located in frontier offshore regions. As part of Geoscience Australia’s Offshore Energy Security Program, new data has been acquired in offshore frontier regions and have yielded encouraging insights into the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Ceduna-Sub-basin.

Petroleum geological summary of the 2012 offshore acreage release for petroleum exploration

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Bernecker
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Offshore Area ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Gippsland Basin

The Australian Government formally releases new offshore exploration areas at the annual APPEA conference. In 2012, 27 areas in nine offshore basins are being released for work program bidding. Closing dates for bid submissions are either six or twelve months after the release date, i.e. 8 November 2012 or 9 May 2013, depending on the exploration status in these areas and on data availability. As was the case in 2011, this year’s Release again covers a total offshore area of about 200,000 km2. The Release Areas are located in Commonwealth waters offshore Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania (Fig. 1). Areas on the North West Shelf feature prominently again and include under-explored shallow water areas in the Arafura and Money Shoal basins and rank frontier deep water areas in the outer Browse and Roebuck basins as well as on the outer Exmouth Plateau. Following the recent uptake of exploration permits in the Bight Basin (Ceduna and Duntroon sub-basins), Australia’s southern margin is well represented in the 2012 Acreage Release. Three new areas in the Ceduna Sub-basin, four areas in the Otway Basin, one large area in the Sorell Basin and two areas in the eastern Gippsland Basin are on offer. Multiple industry nominations for this Acreage Release were received, confirming the healthy status of exploration activity in Australia. The Australian government continues to support these activities by providing free access to a wealth of geological and geophysical data.

Australian Aborigines: geographical variability of craniological features.

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-251
Author(s):  
Aleksey V. Ivanov ◽  
Sergey V. Vasilyev
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Australian Aborigines ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Form ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
Mixed Origin

This work is devoted to the study of craniological traits of Australian aborigines (male and female samples) and their geographical differentiation applying a special program of cranial traits. According to the craniological classification (Pestryakov, Grigorieva, 2004), native population of Australia belongs to the Tropid craniotype, i.e. is characterized by a relatively small size and long, narrow and relatively high form of the skull. The primary settlement of the Australian continent could only origin in the North. There are two contrasting craniotypes in Australia, which probably reflect the two main waves of the aboriginal migration across the continent. The skulls of the first migratory wave were larger and relatively low-vaulted. They are mostly characteristic of the aborigines of South Australia, who later also migrated to the north, to the arid zone of Central Australia. The second major wave is characterized by smaller high-vaulted skulls, which are now characteristic of the population of the north of the continent (Queensland and, especially, the Northern Territory and North-West Australia). The territory of the southeast of Australia (Victoria and New South Wales states) is the most favorable area for human living. The two main migratory waves mixed there, which led to the observed craniological heterosis. The craniological samples of western and northwestern Australia are also of mixed origin, but are more comparable to the Northern Territory groups. The Tasmanians are significantly different from the General Australian population in terms of craniology. This is especially true for the female sample. Perhaps the ancestors of the Tasmanians represented the very first settlement wave of the ancient Sahul continent, before the separation of the island from the mainland.

Australian Aborigines: geographical variability of craniological features

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 252-267
Author(s):  
Aleksandr P. Pestriyakov ◽  
Olga M. Grigorieva ◽  
Yulia V. Pelenitsina
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Australian Aborigines ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Form ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
Mixed Origin

This work is devoted to the study of craniological traits of Australian aborigines (male and female samples) and their geographical differentiation applying a special program of cranial traits. According to the craniological classification (Pestryakov, Grigorieva, 2004), native population of Australia belongs to the Tropid craniotype, i.e. is characterized by a relatively small size and long, narrow and relatively high form of the skull. The primary settlement of the Australian continent could only origin in the North. There are two contrasting craniotypes in Australia, which probably reflect the two main waves of the aboriginal migration across the continent. The skulls of the first migratory wave were larger and relatively low-vaulted. They are mostly characteristic of the aborigines of South Australia, who later also migrated to the north, to the arid zone of Central Australia. The second major wave is characterized by smaller high-vaulted skulls, which are now characteristic of the population of the north of the continent (Queensland and, especially, the Northern Territory and North-West Australia). The territory of the southeast of Australia (Victoria and New South Wales states) is the most favorable area for human living. The two main migratory waves mixed there, which led to the observed craniological heterosis. The craniological samples of western and northwestern Australia are also of mixed origin, but are more comparable to the Northern Territory groups. The Tasmanians are significantly different from the General Australian population in terms of craniology. This is especially true for the female sample. Perhaps the ancestors of the Tasmanians represented the very first settlement wave of the ancient Sahul continent, before the separation of the island from the mainland

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW 2000

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
S.J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
North West ◽  
Natural Gas Pipelines ◽  
The North ◽  
Timor Sea ◽  
Epbc Act

Last year the petroleum industry witnessed the enactment of new legislation both at Commonwealth and State levels. The principal legislative change to environmental management was the introduction of the Commonwealth Government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act, 2000 (EPBC Act). South Australia and Victoria also implemented new Petroleum Acts and/ or Regulations.Construction of the Eastern Gas Pipeline was also completed last year, whilst preliminary approvals and environmental assessment continues for the Papua New Guinea, Timor Sea and Tasmania Natural Gas pipelines. Offshore exploration continued, particularly in the North West Shelf, Otway Basin, Timor Sea and Bass Strait.Other critical areas of environmental management included greenhouse gases, national pollution inventory reporting and the increasing requirements for environmental approval and management under various state environmental legislation.This paper provides an overview of environmental developments in the petroleum industry during the year 2000, in particular, the implication of new legislation, new technology, e-commerce and a greater focus on environmental reporting.

THE ROLE OF AMPLITUDE VERSUS OFFSET TECHNOLOGY IN PROMOTING OFFSHORE PETROLEUM EXPLORATION IN AUSTRALIA

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Williamson ◽  
F. Kroh
Keyword(s):  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
North West ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Exmouth Plateau ◽  
The North ◽  
Amplitude Versus Offset ◽  
Cable Lines ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Amplitude Versus

Amplitude versus offset (AVO) technology has proved itself useful in petroleum exploration in various parts of the world, particularly for gas exploration. To determine if modern AVO compliant processing could identify potential anomalies for exploration of open acreage offshore Australia, Geoscience Australia reprocessed parts of four publicly available long cable lines. These lines cover two 2006 acreage release areas on the Exmouth Plateau and in the Browse Basin on the North West Shelf. An earlier study has also been done on two publicly available long cable lines from Geoscience Australia’s Bremer Basin study and cover areas from the 2005 frontier acreage release on the southern margin. The preliminary results from these three reprocessing efforts produced AVO anomalies and were made publicly available to assist companies interested in assessing the acreage. The results of the studies and associated data are available from Geoscience Australia at the cost of transfer.The AVO data from the Exmouth Plateau show AVO anomalies including one that appears to be at the Jurassic level of the reservoir in the Jansz/Io supergiant gas field in adjacent acreage to the north. The AVO data from the Caswell Sub-basin of the Browse Basin show an AVO anomaly at or near the stratigraphic zone of the Brecknock South–1 gas discovery to the north. The geological settings of strata possibly relating to two AVO anomalies in the undrilled Bremer Basin are in the Early Cretaceous section, where lacustrine sandstones are known to occur. The AVO anomalies from the three studies are kilometres in length along the seismic lines.These preliminary results from Geoscience Australiaand other AVO work that has been carried out by industry show promise that AVO compliant processing has value—particularly for gas exploration offshore Australia—and that publicly available long-cable data can be suitable for AVO analysis.

PETROLEUM EXPLORATION PREVIEW FOR 1967

1967 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
M. A. Condon
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Oil Markets ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Timor Sea ◽  
The Government ◽  
Average Size ◽  
The Cost

Exploration for petroleum in Australia paused in 1966 and this pause is likely to continue in 1967.The number of wells drilled and seismic activity will both be slightly less in 1967 than in 1966, but the work will generally be directed to more specific targets. The cost of exploration will be somewhat higher than in 1966.During the year off-shore drilling should increase and it is expected that five mobile rigs will be drilling in the offshore areas by the end of the year. The immediate structural targets available for these rigs are in the Gippsland, Bass and Otway Basins (Victoria-Tasmania), the North-West Shelf and Timor Sea-Bonaparte Gulf, and in the Gulf of Papua.Onshore exploration will be concentrated in the western Australian basins, the Surat Basin, the central Great Artesian Basin, and the Gidgealpa region of the southwestern Great Artesian Basin.The success or otherwise of the off-shore drilling will determine the rate of exploration over the next few years. If important discoveries are made off-shore, these may and probably would result in more intensive exploration of the same stratigraphic intervals onshore.The exploration patterns of Australia and several other countries before and after first commercial discovery are compared. This indicates that Australian discovery came early, as compared with other countries, where production has developed since the war, but that post-discovery effort in Australia has been very much less. The main obvious differences appear to be that in Australia the average size of the exploration concession is very much larger and the number of operators (having regard to the areas concerned) is much smaller, than in the other successful countries.There has been a gradual movement towards reducing the size of operating areas in Australia either by obligatory relinquihment or by farmout, but if discoveries are to be made at a satisfactory rate more operators are needed in every basin.The economic environment of Australia vis-a-vis Middle East oil and oil markets is probably the main basic reason for the peculiar exploratory pattern, which has impelled the Government to provide financial incentives to encourage exploration and development.

ECONOMICS OF PETROLEUM EXPLORATION OFFSHORE AUSTRALIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 887
Author(s):  
Guy Allinson ◽  
Mark Elliston
Keyword(s):  
The Philippines ◽  
The Other ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
North West ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The North ◽  
Fiscal Regimes ◽  
Low Costs ◽  
Fiscal Regime

The aim of this paper is to assess the economic attractiveness of exploring for crude oil offshore the North West Shelf of Australia by comparison with selected areas offshore Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. In order to do this, the paper examines the technical, quantifiable factors which affect offshore petroleum exploration acreage acquisition decisions at the country level. These factors are historical prospectivity, costs of field development and fiscal regime. Other factors such as political, macro-economic and business risks are not considered.The paper concludes that there are significant differences between the countries as indicated by these measures. Past exploration in the Barrow/Dampier area of the North West Shelf of Australia has shown high levels of success by comparison with the other countries. This relatively high success rate coupled with comparatively low costs of field development and lenient fiscal regimes makes the economics of exploration on the North West Shelf favourable by comparison with those selected areas in the other countries considered.

SUBMARINE GRAVITY SURVEYS IN ST. VINCENT GULF AND INVESTIGATOR STRAIT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, IN RELATION TO OIL SEARCH

1965 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
C. Sprigg ◽  
W. F. Stackler
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Maximum Error ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
North West ◽  
Gravity Station ◽  
The North ◽  
Upper Proterozoic ◽  
Coastal Beach

A total of 476 submarine and 307 coastal (beach) stations has been observed in and about St. Vincent Gulf and Investigator Strait. These were observed from the oceanographic vessel 'Saori' by manned sea-floor diving chamber, and/or scuba-operated encapsuled meter. Location control was by theodolite fix as from the shore and/or by sextant fix.The survey has provided Bouguer gravity station data contourable on 1 milligal intervals with an estimated maximum error of ± 0.3 milligals in the more remote seaward situations (principally due to surveying), down to ± 0.1 in closer inshore situations.The survey hasdefined the principal structural elements in and about St. Vincent Gulf and Investigator Strait;defined the western margin of the Upper Proterozoic to Cambrian Adelaide Geosyncline;provided a more detailed understanding of coastal block-faulting about the western escarpment of the Mt. Lofty Ranges;defined a longitudinal series of gravitational maxima beneath the Orontes Platform which are predicted to relate primarily to Cambrian fold structures, and which are probably erosionally breached in the north;outlined the probable margin of the submarine portion of the Troubridge (Permian) infra-basin;located a gravitational cross-feature displaying a strong north-south gradient opposite Port Vincent that relates in part to the northern margin of the Troubridge Permian infra-basin, but which appears also to be a locus of transcurrent faulting displaying south-block-west movement;subdivided the St. Vincent Basin into two provinces via a north-west-south-east structure extending south-east from about Macintosh Bank. Possible faulting in this zone indicates downthrow to the north defining potential southern limits of deeper Tertiary basin development.

OIL AND GAS PROSPECTS OF THE GELTWOOD BEACH ANTICLINE, MILLICENT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

1963 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
R. C. SPRIGG ◽  
J. B. WOOLLEY
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Industrial Town ◽  
Half Graben ◽  
Oil Seepage

The Geltwood Beach (buried) anticline is located near the ocean coast in south-east South Australia, directly west of the agricultural and industrial town of Millicent. The structure is developed in Mesozoic to Tertiary sediments forming the inner part of the continental sedimentary terrace which in this situation coincides also with the Nelson "half-graben".The Geltwood Beach anticline is more than five miles long by two or more miles wide. It is part of a still larger regional development which pitches south-east into the deeper known portions of the Gambier-Otway Cretaceous to Tertiary Basin. There is no surface expression to the structure.Structural "closure" on the base of the Tertiary may not exceed 100 feet, but an extensive area of structural flattening along the crest of the anticline (defined by structural drilling and geophysical techniques) overlies a zone of extensive sedimentary wedge-out within the predicted and prospective cretaceous sediments in depth. The wedging is predicted to be in the nature of progressive overlap onto structural "nosing" or alternatively, buried-ridge development in presumed Otway Group sediments in depth.A thickness of 5,000 to 8,000 feet of unconsolidated Upper Cretaceous to Tertiary sediments, wedging to the north-west along the crest of the anticline in the deeper developments is expected to include the prospective Belfast Mudstone equivalents and related beds of the Port Campbell (Victoria) Association.The Geltwood Beach structure lies approximately half way between the Mt. Salt No. 1 and Beachport No. 1 wells. In the distance of 45 miles between the latter wells, the dominantly Cretaceous (post-Otway) sedimentary section wedges spectacularly from 7,000 feet (possibly considerably more) to no more than 100 feet. The available geophysical evidence suggests that most of this wedging occurs within the zone of the Geltwood Beach anticline. For this reason, the anticline is believed to be well located for the development of structural and stratigraphic traps in a marginal continental shelf environment of proven thick sedimentation.In the Mt. Salt No. 1 well, clays and shales encountered at at least five stratigraphic levels within the Lower Tertiary to Middle Cretaceous section provided adequate capping to underlying highly porous and permeable reservoir sands, the lowermost of which were brine-bearing.Geltwood Beach is a locale of preferred coastal bitumen stranding. The weight of published evidence now points to nearby submarine seepage within the reach of erosive storm waves: recorded earthquakes in this vicinity are known to have greatly affected the activity of these seepages.The conclusion is reached that the Geltwood Beach anticline is favourably situated up-dip on the inner continental shelf margin to accumulate hydrocarbons in potentially commercial quantities. The structure lies south of the Beachport-Kalangadoo "hinge-line" of the Nelson half-graben in a zone of submarine oil seepage. A proposed deep test well to be located near the culmination of shallower structure is expected to provide a satisfactory test in respect to both structural and (to a lesser extent) deeper stratigraphic entrapment of petroleum.

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