Petroleum geology of the 2018 offshore acreage release areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
Thomas Bernecker ◽  
George Bernardel ◽  
Claire Orlov ◽  
Nadège Rollet
Keyword(s):  
Information Management System ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
North West ◽  
Work Program ◽  
Petroleum Systems ◽  
The North ◽  
Well Data ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

A total of 21 areas were released in 2018 for offshore petroleum exploration. They are located in the Bonaparte, Browse, Northern Carnarvon, Bight, Otway and Gippsland basins. All release areas were supported by industry nominations, indicating that interest in exploring Australia’s offshore basins remains strong, despite the significant decrease in the number of exploration wells drilled in recent years. Sixteen areas are being released under the work program bidding system with two rounds, one closing on 18 October 2018 and the other on 21 March 2019. Five areas are being released for cash bidding and include the producible La Bella gas accumulation in the Otway Basin. Prequalification for participation in the cash-bid auction closes on 4 October 2018 with the auction scheduled for 7 February 2019. Geoscience Australia continues to support industry activities by acquiring, interpreting and integrating pre-competitive datasets that are made freely available as part of the agency’s regional petroleum geological studies. The regional evaluation of the petroleum systems in the Browse Basin has been completed and work continues on assessing the distribution of Early Triassic source rocks and related petroleum occurrences across the North West Shelf. A wealth of seismic and well data, submitted under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, are made available through the National Offshore Petroleum Information Management System. Additional datasets are accessible through Geoscience Australia’s data repository.

The 2017 offshore acreage release areas: petroleum geological overview

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 304
Author(s):  
Thomas Bernecker ◽  
Steve Abbott ◽  
George Bernardel ◽  
Megan Lech ◽  
Ryan Owens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Management System ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Seismic Survey ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Technical Program ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Northern Carnarvon Basin ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

In 2017, 21 new offshore petroleum exploration areas have been released. The majority of the areas are located along the North West Shelf spanning the Westralian Superbasin from the Bonaparte Basin in the north-east to the Northern Carnarvon Basin in the south-west. New areas have been released in offshore south-eastern Australia with new opportunities provided in the Otway, Bass and Gippsland basins. Two large areas in the northern Perth Basin, an offshore frontier, complete the 2017 Acreage Release. All Release Areas are supported by industry nominations and one new cash bid area has been offered in the Dampier Sub-basin. Geoscience Australia continues to support industry activities by acquiring, interpreting and integrating pre-competitive datasets that are made freely available as part of the agency’s regional petroleum geological studies. A new regional 2D seismic survey was acquired in the Houtman Sub-basin of the Perth Basin, forming the basis of the latest prospectivity study carried out by Geoscience Australia. The results of the study are presented in the technical program of the 2017 APPEA conference. A wealth of seismic and well data, submitted under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGSSA) are made available through the National Offshore Petroleum Information Management System (NOPIMS). Additional datasets are accessible through Geoscience Australia’s data repository.

Observations on the Lower Triassic petroleum prospectivity of the offshore Carnarvon and Roebuck basins

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Molyneux ◽  
Jeff Goodall ◽  
Roisin McGee ◽  
George Mills ◽  
Birgitta Hartung-Kagi
Keyword(s):  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Lower Triassic ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Upper Permian ◽  
Regional Study ◽  
North West ◽  
Petroleum Systems ◽  
The North ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Water Margin

Why are the only commercial hydrocarbon discoveries in Lower Triassic and Permian sediments of the western margin of Australia restricted to the Perth Basin and the Petrel Sub-basin? Recent regional analysis by Carnarvon Petroleum has sought to address some key questions about the Lower Triassic Locker Shale and Upper Permian Chinty and Kennedy formations petroleum systems along the shallow water margin of the Carnarvon and offshore Canning (Roebuck/Bedout) basins. This paper aims to address the following questions:Source: Is there evidence in the wells drilled to date of a working petroleum system tied to the Locker Shale or other pre-Jurassic source rocks? Reservoir: What is the palaeogeography and sedimentology of the stratigraphic units and what are the implications for the petroleum systems?The authors believed that a fresh look at the Lower Triassic to Upper Permian petroleum prospectivity of the North West Shelf would be beneficial, and key observations arising from the regional study undertaken are highlighted:Few wells along a 2,000 km area have drilled into Lower Triassic Locker Shale or older stratigraphy. Several of these wells have been geochemically and isotopically typed to potentially non Jurassic source rocks. The basal Triassic Hovea Member of the Kockatea Shale in the Perth Basin is a proven commercial oil source rock and a Hovea Member Equivalent has been identified through palynology and a distinctive sapropelic/algal kerogen facies in nearly 16 wells that penetrate the full Lower Triassic interval on the North West Shelf. Samples from the Upper Permian, the Hovea Member Equivalent and the Locker Shale have been analysed isotopically indicating –28, –34 and –30 delta C13 averages, respectively. Lower Triassic and Upper Permian reservoirs are often high net to gross sands with up to 1,000 mD permeability and around 20% porosity. Depositional processes are varied, from Locker Shale submarine canyon systems to a mixed carbonate clastic marine coastline/shelf of the Upper Permian Chinty and Kennedy formations.

scholarly journals Tectonosedimentary framework of Upper Cretaceous –Neogene series in the Gulf of Tunis inferred from subsurface data: implications for petroleum exploration

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wissem Dhraief ◽  
Ferid Dhahri ◽  
Imen Chalwati ◽  
Noureddine Boukadi
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Petroleum Systems ◽  
Subsurface Structures ◽  
Gulf Of Tunis ◽  
Northeastern Tunisia ◽  
Well Data

Abstract The objective and the main contribution of this issue are dedicated to using subsurface data to delineate a basin beneath the Gulf of Tunis and its neighbouring areas, and to investigate the potential of this area in terms of hydrocarbon resources. Available well data provided information about the subsurface geology beneath the Gulf of Tunis. 2D seismic data allowed delineation of the basin shape, strata geometries, and some potential promising subsurface structures in terms of hydrocarbon accumulation. Together with lithostratigraphic data obtained from drilled wells, seismic data permitted the construction of isochron and isobath maps of Upper Cretaceous-Neogene strata. Structural and lithostratigraphic interpretations indicate that the area is tectonically complex, and they highlight the tectonic control of strata deposition during the Cretaceous and Neogene. Tectonic activity related to the geodynamic evolution of the northern African margin appears to have been responsible for several thickness and facies variations, and to have played a significant role in the establishment and evolution of petroleum systems in northeastern Tunisia. As for petroleum systems in the basin, the Cretaceous series of the Bahloul, Mouelha and Fahdene formations are acknowledged to be the main source rocks. In addition, potential reservoirs (Fractured Abiod and Bou Dabbous carbonated formations) sealed by shaly and marly formations (Haria and Souar formations respectively) show favourable geometries of trap structures (anticlines, tilted blocks, unconformities, etc.) which make this area adequate for hydrocarbon accumulations.

Review of the 2008 offshore petroleum exploration release areas

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 359
Author(s):  
Marita Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Petroleum Potential ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

Each year the Australian Government releases new offshore opportunities for petroleum exploration. Thirty-five new exploration areas located across five of Australia’s offshore sedimentary basins are offered in the 2008 Release. All the areas are available through a work program bidding system with closing dates for bids at six and 12 months from the date of release. Acreage in the first round closes on 9 October 2008 and includes the more explored areas. The second closing round on 9 April 2009 comprises acreage located in less well explored and frontier regions. The 2008 exploration areas are in Commonwealth waters offshore of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and in the Territory of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands adjacent area. The 2008 Release focusses on the North West Shelf, as well as offering two new exploration areas in the Vlaming Sub-basin in the offshore Perth Basin. Seven of the new release areas are located in Australia’s major hydrocarbon producing province, the Carnarvon Basin. They include a shallow water area in the western Barrow Sub-basin and another on the Rankin Platform, three areas in deeper water in the Exmouth Sub-basin and two on the deepwater Exmouth Plateau. Six areas are available for bidding in the Browse Basin and another five in the Bedout Sub-basin of the Roebuck Basin. In the Bonaparte Basin, the 15 Release areas are located in shallow water and represent a range of geological settings, including the Vulcan and Petrel sub-basins, Ashmore Platform and Londonderry High. The 2008 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Release of 35 areas in five basins covers a wide range in size, water depth and exploration maturity to provide investment opportunities suited to both small and large explorers. The Release areas are selected from nominations from industry, the States and Territory, and Geoscience Australia. The focus of the 2008 Release is on the North West Shelf where there is strong industry interest in the producing Carnarvon and Bonaparte basins and in the Browse Basin, the home of super-giant gas fields under active consideration for development. Also included in the 2008 Release is the Bedout Sub-basin, in the Roebuck Basin, located on the central North West Shelf, between the hotly contested Carnarvon and Browse basins. In addition, the Release show-cases the southern Vlaming Sub-basin, Perth Basin, where recent studies by Geoscience Australia provide a new understanding of petroleum potential (Nicholson et al, this volume).

Triassic paleogeography and petroleum systems of the North West Shelf, Australia: key insights from a new regional study

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 744
Author(s):  
Jarrad Grahame ◽  
Emma Cairns ◽  
Stephanie Roy
Keyword(s):  
System Development ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Regional Study ◽  
North West ◽  
Petroleum Systems ◽  
The North ◽  
Core Logging ◽  
Seismic Sections

CGG Multi-Client & New Ventures, in collaboration with CGG Robertson, has undertaken a new comprehensive study of the Triassic paleogeography and petroleum systems of the North West Shelf (NWS) including the Northern Carnarvon, Roebuck, Browse and Bonaparte basins. The key objectives of the study were to enhance the understanding of the prospectivity of NWS Triassic petroleum systems, develop new paleogeography maps, establish evidence for Triassic marine-derived source rocks and investigate the prospectivity of Late Triassic carbonate reef complexes. The study comprises new biostratigraphic analyses, quantitative evaluation by scanning electron microscopy (QEMSCAN®) analyses, core logging, 1D and 2D modelling of key wells and seismic sections, plate reconstructed paleogeography and play mapping. Of key relevance to this study is the paleo-depositional framework and subsequent structuring of Triassic successions throughout the NWS basins in the context of petroleum system development.

THE GEOLOGY AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF THE NORTH-WESTERN OFFICER BASIN

1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Bruce J. Phillips ◽  
Alan W. James ◽  
Graeme M. Philip
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Hydrocarbon Potential ◽  
Aeromagnetic Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Carbonate Sequence ◽  
Well Data ◽  
Regional Gravity ◽  
North Western

Recent petroleum exploration in EP 186 and EP 187 in the north-western Officer Basin has greatly increased knowledge of the regional stratigraphy, structure and petroleum prospectivity of the region. This exploration programme has involved the drilling of two deep stratigraphic wells (Dragoon 1 and Hussar 1) and the acquisition of 1438 km of seismic data. Integration of regional gravity and aeromagnetic data with regional seismic and well data reveals that the Gibson Sub-basin primarily contains a Proterozoic evaporitic sequence. In contrast, the Herbert Sub-basin contains a Late Proterozoic to Cambrian clastic and carbonate sequence above the evaporites. This sequence, which was intersected in Hussar 1, is identified as the primary exploration target in the Western Officer Basin. The sequence contains excellent reservoir and seal rocks in association with mature source rocks. Major structuring of the basin has also been caused by compressive movements associated with the Alice Springs Orogeny. The northwestern Officer Basin thus has all of the ingredients for the discovery of commercial hydrocarbons.

Geological overview of the 2021 offshore acreage release areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Thomas Bernecker ◽  
Ryan Owens ◽  
Andrew Kelman ◽  
Kamal Khider
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Upper Permian ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Release Process ◽  
Multidisciplinary Study ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Northern Carnarvon Basin ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

In 2021, a total of 21 areas were released for offshore petroleum exploration. They are located in the Bonaparte Basin, Browse Basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Otway Basin, Sorell Basin and Gippsland Basin. Despite COVID-19 negatively impacting the industry, participation in the acreage release nomination process was again robust. However, as has been the case in recent years, industry interest is focussed on those areas that are close to existing discoveries and related infrastructure. In tune with the Australian government’s resource development strategy, the areas being offered for exploration are likely to supply extra volumes of natural gas, both for export to Southeast Asian markets and domestically to meet the forecasted shortage in supply to eastern Australia. According to the 2019 implementation of a modified release process, only one period for work program bidding has been scheduled. The closing date for all submissions is Thursday, 3 March 2022. Geoscience Australia continues to support industry activities by acquiring, interpreting and integrating pre-competitive datasets that are made freely available in the context of the agency’s regional petroleum geological studies. As part of a multidisciplinary study, new data, including regional seismic and petroleum systems modelling, for the Otway Basin are now available. Also, a stratigraphic/sedimentological review of the upper Permian to Early Triassic succession in the southern Bonaparte Basin has been completed, the results of which are being presented at this APPEA conference. Large seismic and well data sets, submitted under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGSSA), are made available through the National Offshore Petroleum Information Management System (NOPIMS). Additional data and petroleum-related information can be accessed through Geoscience Australia’s data repository.

Prospectivity of the Triassic successions of the North West Shelf of Australia: New insights from a regional integrated geoscience study

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-177
Author(s):  
Jarrad Grahame ◽  
Victoria Cole
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
System Perspective ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
North West ◽  
Petroleum Systems ◽  
The North ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Half Graben ◽  
Rift Zones ◽  
Rising Sea Levels

The North West Shelf (NWS) of Australia is a prolific hydrocarbon province hosting significant volumes of hydrocarbons, primarily derived from Jurassic and Cretaceous targets. A new regional, integrated geoscience study has been undertaken to develop insights into the paleogeography and petroleum systems of Late Permian to Triassic successions, which have been underexplored historically in favor of Jurassic to Cretaceous targets. Within the NWS study area, graben and half-graben depocenters developed in response to intracratonic rifting that preceded later fragmentation and northward rifting of small continental blocks. This, coupled with contemporaneous cycles of rising sea levels, brought about the development of large embayments and shallow, epeiric seas between the Australian continental landmass and outlying continental fragments in the early stages of divergence. Key elements of the study results discussed herein include the study methodology, the paleogeographic and gross depositional environment mapping, and the reservoir and source kitchen modeling. The study results highlight the presence of depocenters that developed within oblique rift zones due to regional Permo-Triassic strike-slip tectonics that bear compelling similarities to modern-day analogues. These intracratonic rift zones are well-known and prominent tectonic features resulting from mantle upwelling and weakening of overlying lithospheric crust, initiating the development of divergent intraplate depocenters. The comprehensive analysis of these depocenters from a paleogeographic and petroleum system perspective provides a basin evaluation tool for Triassic prospectivity.

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.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document