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  • <div>The Petroleum Systems Summary database stores the compilation of the current understanding of petroleum systems information by basin across Australia. The Petroleum Systems Summary database and delivery tool provide high-level information of the current understanding of key petroleum systems for areas of interest. For example, geological studies in the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program have included the Canning, McArthur and South Nicholson basins (Carr et al., 2016; Hashimoto et al., 2018). The database and tool aim to assist geological studies by summarising and interpreting key datasets related to conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon exploration. Each petroleum systems summary includes a synopsis of the basin and key figures detailing the basin outline, major structural components, data availability, petroleum systems events chart and stratigraphy, and a précis of the key elements of source, reservoir and seal. Standardisation of petroleum systems nomenclature establishes a framework for each basin after Bradshaw (1993) and Bradshaw et al. (1994), with the source-reservoir naming conventions adopted from Magoon and Dow (1994).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The resource is accessible via the Geoscience Australia Portal&nbsp;(https://portal.ga.gov.au/) via the Petroleum Systems Summary Tool (Edwards et al., 2020).</div>

  • <div>The fluid inclusion stratigraphy database table contains publicly available results from Geoscience Australia's organic geochemistry (ORGCHEM) schema and supporting oracle databases for Fluid Inclusion Stratigraphy (FIS) analyses performed by FIT, a Schlumberger Company (and predecessors), on fluid inclusions in rock samples taken from boreholes. Data includes the borehole location, sample depth, stratigraphy, analytical methods and other relevant metadata, as well as the mass spectrometry results presented as atomic mass units (amu) from 2 to 180 in parts per million (ppm) electron volts.</div><div> Fluid inclusions (FI) are microscopic samples of fluids trapped within minerals in the rock matrix and cementation phases. Hence, these FIS data record the bulk volatile chemistry of the fluid inclusions (i.e., water, gas, and/or oil) present in the rock sample and determine the relative abundance of the trapped compounds (e.g., in amu order, hydrogen, helium, methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, higher molecular weight aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and heterocyclic compounds containing nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur). The FI composition can be used to identify the presence of organic- (i.e., biogenic or thermogenic) and inorganic-sourced gases. These data provide information about fluid preservation, migration pathways and are used to evaluate the potential for hydrocarbon (i.e. dry gas, wet gas, oil) and non-hydrocarbon (e.g., hydrogen, helium) resources in a basin. These data are collated from Geoscience Australia records, destructive analysis reports (DARs) and well completion reports (WCRs), with the results being delivered in the Fluid Inclusion Stratigraphy (FIS) web services on the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery Portal at https://portal.ga.gov.au which will be periodically updated.</div>

  • A regional hydrocarbon prospectivity study was undertaken in the onshore Canning Basin in Western Australia as part of the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program, an Australian Government initiative dedicated to driving investment in resource exploration. As part of this program, significant work has been carried out to deliver new pre-competitive data including new seismic acquisition, drilling of a stratigraphic well, and the geochemical analysis of geological samples recovered from exploration wells. A regional, 872 km long 2D seismic line (18GA-KB1) acquired in 2018 by Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA), images the Kidson Sub-basin of the Canning Basin. In order to provide a test of geological interpretations made from the Kidson seismic survey, a deep stratigraphic well, Barnicarndy 1, was drilled in 2019 in a partnership between Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) in the Barnicarndy Graben, 67 km west of Telfer, in the southwest Canning Basin. Drilling recovered about 2100 m of continuous core from 580 mRT to the driller’s total depth (TD) of 2680.53 mRT. An extensive analytical program was carried out to characterise the lithology, age and depositional environment of these sediments. This data release presents organic geochemical analyses undertaken on rock extracts obtained from cores selected from the Barnicarndy 1 well. The molecular and stable isotope data carbon and hydrogen will be used to understand the type of organic matter being preserved, the depositional facies and thermal maturity of the Lower Ordovician sedimentary rocks penetrated in this well. This information provides complementary information to other datasets including organic petrological and palynological studies.

  • <div>The Roebuck Basin on Australia’s offshore north-western margin is the focus of regional energy exploration activity. Drilling in the Roebuck Basin resulted in oil and gas discoveries at Phoenix South&nbsp;1 (2014), Roc&nbsp;1 (2015–2016) and Dorado&nbsp;1 (2018) in the Bedout Sub-basin (Figure 1‑2) and demonstrated the presence of a petroleum system in Lower Triassic strata. These discoveries have been evaluated for development and production with infill drilling at Roc&nbsp;2 (2016), Phoenix South&nbsp;2 (2016), Phoenix South&nbsp;3 (2018), Dorado&nbsp;2 (2019), and Dorado&nbsp;3 (2019). Recent drilling by Santos (2022) has resulted in the discovery of oil at Pavo&nbsp;1 (2022) and hydrocarbon shows at Apus&nbsp;1 (2022).</div><div><br></div><div>To complement this industry work, Geoscience Australia’s Offshore Energy Systems program produces pre-competitive information to assist with the evaluation of the energy and resource potential of the central North West Shelf, including both hydrogen and helium resources, and to attract exploration investment to Australia. As part of this program, determination of the molecular and noble gas isotopic composition of natural gases from selected petroleum wells in the Roebuck Basin were undertaken by Smart Gas Sciences, under contract to Geoscience Australia, with results from these analyses being released in this report. This report provides additional gas data to determine the sources of natural gases in the Roebuck Basin and build on previously established gas-gas correlations. Noble gas isotopic data can be used in conjunction with carbon and hydrogen isotopic data to determine the origin of both inorganic and organic (hydrocarbon) gases. This information can be used in future geological programs to determine the source and distribution of hydrogen and helium in natural gases and support acreage releases by the Australian Government.</div><div><br></div>

  • <div>The soil gas database table contains publicly available results from Geoscience Australia's organic geochemistry (ORGCHEM) schema and supporting oracle databases for gas analyses undertaken by Geoscience Australia's laboratory on soil samples taken from shallow (down to 1 m below the surface) percussion holes. Data includes the percussion hole field site location, sample depth, analytical methods and other relevant metadata, as well as the molecular and isotopic compositions of the soil gas with air included in the reported results. Acquisition of the molecular compounds are by gas chromatography (GC) and the isotopic ratios by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). The concentrations of argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen (N₂) and oxygen (O₂) are given in mole percent (mol%). The concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), helium (He), hydrogen (H₂) and methane (C₁, CH₄) are given in parts per million (ppm). Compound concentrations that are below detection limit (BDL) are reported as the value -99999. The stable carbon (<sup>13</sup>C/<sup>12</sup>C) and nitrogen (<sup>15</sup>N/<sup>14</sup>N) isotopic ratios are presented in parts per mil (‰) and in delta notation as δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N, respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>Determining the individual sources and migration pathways of the components of natural gases found in the near surface are useful in basin analysis with derived information being used to support exploration for energy resources (petroleum and hydrogen) and helium in Australian provinces. These data are collated from Geoscience Australia records with the results being delivered in the Soil Gas web services on the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery portal at https://portal.ga.gov.au which will be periodically updated.</div>

  • <div>The pyrolysis-reflectance tie database table contains publicly available results from Geoscience Australia's organic geochemistry (ORGCHEM) schema and supporting oracle databases, which combine key properties related to thermal maturity. These data are typically used as input parameters in basin analysis and petroleum systems modelling to assist with the discovery and evaluation of sediment-hosted energy resources. The programmed pyrolysis analyses and the maceral reflectance analyses undertaken using reflected light microscopy are conducted on rock samples, either as cores, cuttings or rock chips, taken from boreholes and field sites in Australian sedimentary basins. The full datasets are available in the pyrolysis, vitrinite reflectance, maceral reflectance and organoclast maturity web services. These analyses are performed by various laboratories in service and exploration companies, Australian government institutions and universities using a range of instruments.</div><div><br></div><div>These data are collated from destructive analysis reports (DARs), well completion reports (WCRs), and literature. The data are delivered in the Combined Pyrolysis and Vitrinite Reflectance web services on the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery Portal at https://portal.ga.gov.au which will be periodically updated.</div>

  • <div>Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program provides precompetitive information to inform decision-making by government, community and industry on the sustainable development of Australia's mineral, energy and groundwater resources. By gathering, analysing and interpreting new and existing precompetitive geoscience data and knowledge, we are building a national picture of Australia’s geology and resource potential. This leads to a strong economy, resilient society and sustainable environment for the benefit of all Australians. This includes supporting Australia’s transition to a low emissions economy, strong resources and agriculture sectors, and economic opportunities and social benefits for Australia’s regional and remote communities. The Exploring for the Future program, which commenced in 2016, is an eight year, $225 m investment by the Australian Government. </div><div>As part of this program, Geoscience Australia led two deep crustal reflection seismic surveys in the South Nicholson region, revealing the existence of the Carrara Sub-basin, a large sedimentary depocentre up to 8 km deep, beneath the Georgina Basin (Carr et al., 2019; 2020). The depocentre is believed to contain thick sequences of highly prospective Proterozoic rocks for base metals and unconventional hydrocarbons. To confirm geological interpretations and assess resource potential, the National Drilling Initiative, NDI Carrara 1 stratigraphic drill hole was completed in late 2020, as a collaboration between Geoscience Australia, the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) and the MinEx CRC (Geoscience Australia, 2021). NDI Carrara 1 is located on the western flank of the Carrara Sub-basin on the South Nicholson seismic line (17GA-SN1) (Figure 1.1; Figure 1.2), reaching a total depth of 1751 m, intersecting sedimentary rocks comprising ca. 630 m of Cambrian calcareous shales of the Georgina Basin and ca. 1100 m of Proterozoic carbonates and siliciclastics that include black shales of the Carrara Sub-basin.</div><div>This report presents data on selected rock samples from NDI Carrara&nbsp;1, conducted by the Mawson Analytical Spectrometry Services, University of Adelaide, under contract to Geoscience Australia. These results include bulk carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) of bitumens and isolated kerogens. In addition, a selection of 10 samples was analysed at Geoscience Australia for comparison purposes.</div><div><br></div>

  • <div>The Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic Birrindudu Basin is an underexplored frontier basin straddling the Northern Territory and Western Australia and is a region of focus for the second phase of Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program (2020–2024). Hydrocarbon exploration in the Birrindudu Basin has been limited and a thorough assessment of the basin's petroleum potential is lacking due to the absence of data in the region. To fill this data gap, a comprehensive analytical program including organic petrology, programmed pyrolysis and oil fluid inclusion analysis was undertaken on cores from six drill holes to improve the understanding of the basin’s source rock potential and assess petroleum migration. Organic petrological analyses reveal that the primary maceral identified in the cores is alginite mainly originating from filamentous cyanobacteria, while bitumen is the most common unstructured secondary organic matter. New reflectance data based on alginite and bitumen reflectance indicate the sampled sections have reached a thermal maturity suitable for hydrocarbon generation. Oil inclusion analyses provide evidence for oil generation and migration, and hence elements of a petroleum system are present in the basin. Presented at the Australian Energy Producers (AEP) Conference & Exhibition (https://energyproducersconference.au/conference/)

  • The unexpected discovery of oil in Triassic sedimentary rocks of the Phoenix South 1 well on Australia’s North West Shelf (NWS) has catalysed exploration interest in pre-Jurassic plays in the region. Subsequent neighbouring wells Roc 1–2, Phoenix South 2–3 and Dorado 1–3 drilled between 2015 and 2019 penetrated gas and/or oil columns, with the Dorado field containing one of the largest oil resources found in Australia in three decades. This study aims to understand the source of the oils and gases of the greater Phoenix area, Bedout Sub-basin using a multiparameter geochemical approach. Isotopic analyses combined with biomarker data confirm that these fluids represent a new Triassic petroleum system on the NWS unrelated to the Lower Triassic Hovea Member petroleum system of the Perth Basin. The Bedout Sub-basin fluids were generated from source rocks deposited in paralic environments with mixed type II/III kerogen, with lagoonal organofacies exhibiting excellent liquids potential. The Roc 1–2 gases and the Phoenix South 1 oil are likely sourced proximally by Lower–Middle Triassic TR10–TR15 sequences. Loss of gas within the Phoenix South 1 fluid due to potential trap breach has resulted in the formation of in-place oil. These discoveries are testament to new hydrocarbon plays within the Lower–Middle Triassic succession on the NWS.

  • <b>Organic Geochemistry (ORGCHEM) Schema. Australian Source Rock and Fluid Atlas</b> The databases tables held within Geoscience Australia's Oracle Organic Geochemistry (ORGCHEM) Schema, together with other supporting Oracle databases (e.g., Borehole database (BOREHOLE), Australian Stratigraphic Units Database (ASUD), and the Reservoir, Facies and Shows (RESFACS) database), underpin the Australian Source Rock and Fluid Atlas web services and publications. These products provide information in an Australia-wide geological context on organic geochemistry, organic petrology and stable isotope data related primarily to sedimentary rocks and energy (petroleum and hydrogen) sample-based datasets used for the discovery and evaluation of sediment-hosted resources. The sample data provide the spatial distribution of source rocks and their derived petroleum fluids (natural gas and crude oil) taken from boreholes and field sites in onshore and offshore Australian provinces. Sample depth, stratigraphy, analytical methods, and other relevant metadata are also supplied with the analytical results. Sedimentary rocks that contain organic matter are referred to as source rocks (e.g., organic-rich shale, oil shale and coal) and the organic matter within the rock matrix that is insoluble in organic solvents is named kerogen. The data in the ORGCHEM schema are produced by a wide range of destructive analytical techniques conducted on samples submitted by industry under legislative requirements, as well as on samples collected by research projects undertaken by Geoscience Australia, state and territory geological organisations and scientific institutions including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and universities. Data entered into the database tables are commonly sourced from both the basic and interpretive volumes of well completion reports (WCR) provided by the petroleum well operator to either the state and territory governments or, for offshore wells, to the Commonwealth Government under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act (OPGGSA) 2006 and previous Petroleum (submerged Lands) Act (PSLA) 1967. Data are also sourced from analyses conducted by Geoscience Australia’s laboratory and its predecessor organisations, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) and the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR). Other open file data from company announcements and reports, scientific publications and university theses are captured. The ORGCHEM database was created in 1990 by the BMR in response to industry requests for organic geochemistry data, featuring pyrolysis, vitrinite reflectance and carbon isotopic data (Boreham, 1990). Funding from the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre (1991–2003) enabled the organic geochemical data to be made publicly available at no cost via the petroleum wells web page from 2002 and included BOREHOLE, ORGCHEM and the Reservoir, Facies and Shows (RESFACS) databases. Investment by the Australian Government in Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program facilitated technological upgrades and established the current web services (Edwards et al., 2020). The extensive scope of the ORGCHEM schema has led to the development of numerous database tables and web services tailored to visualise the various datasets related to sedimentary rocks, in particular source rocks, crude oils and natural gases within the petroleum systems framework. These web services offer pathways to access the wealth of information contained within the ORGCHEM schema. Web services that facilitate the characterisation of source rocks (and kerogen) comprise data generated from programmed pyrolysis (e.g., Hawk, Rock-Eval, Source Rock Analyser), pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC) and kinetics analyses, and organic petrological studies (e.g., quantitation of maceral groups and organoclasts, vitrinite reflectance measurements) using reflected light microscopy. Collectively, these data are used to establish the occurrence of source rocks and the post-burial thermal history of sedimentary basins to evaluate the potential for hydrocarbon generation. Other web services provide data to characterise source rock extracts (i.e., solvent extracted organic matter), fluid inclusions and petroleum (e.g., natural gas, crude oil, bitumen) through the reporting of their bulk properties (e.g., API gravity, elemental composition) and molecular composition using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Also reported are the stable isotope ratios of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur using gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) and noble gas isotope abundances using ultimate high-resolution variable multicollection mass spectrometry. The stable isotopes of carbon, oxygen and strontium are also reported for sedimentary rocks containing carbonate either within the mineral matrix or in cements. Interpretation of these data enables the characterisation of petroleum source rocks and identification of their derived petroleum fluids, which comprise two key elements of petroleum systems analysis. Understanding a fluid’s physical properties and molecular composition are prerequisites for field development. The composition of petroleum determines its economic value and hence why the concentration of hydrocarbons (methane, wet gases, light and heavy oil) and hydrogen, helium and argon are important relative to those of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide for gases, and heterocyclic compounds (nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur) found in the asphaltene, resin and polar fractions of crude oils. The web services and tools in the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery Portal (https://portal.ga.gov.au/), and specifically in the Source Rock and Fluid Atlas Persona (https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/sra), allow the users to search, filter and select data based on various criteria, such as basin, formation, sample type, analysis type, and specific geochemical parameters. The web map services (WMS) and web feature services (WFS) enable the user to download data in a variety of formats (csv, Json, kml and shape file). The Source Rock and Fluid Atlas supports national resource assessments. The focus of the atlas is on the exploration and development of energy resources (i.e., petroleum and hydrogen) and the evaluation of resource commodities (i.e., helium and graphite). Some data held in the ORGCHEM tables are used for enhanced oil recovery and carbon capture, storage and utilisation projects. The objective of the atlas is to empower people to deliver Earth science excellence through data and digital capability. It benefits users who are interested in the exploration and development of Australia's energy resources by: • Providing a comprehensive and reliable source of information on the organic geochemistry of Australian source rocks • Enhancing the understanding of the spatial distribution, quality, and maturity of petroleum source rocks. • Facilitating the mapping of total petroleum and hydrogen systems and the assessment of the petroleum and hydrogen resource potential and prospectivity of Australian basins. • Facilitating the mapping of gases (e.g., methane, helium, carbon dioxide) within the geosphere as part of the transition to clean energy. • Enabling the integration and comparison of data from diverse sources and various acquisition methods, such as geological, geochemical, geophysical and geospatial data. • Providing data for integration into enhanced oil recovery and carbon capture, storage and utilisation projects. • Improving the accessibility and usability of data through user-friendly and interactive web-based interfaces. • Promoting the dissemination and sharing of data among Government, industry and community stakeholders. <b>References</b> Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre (APCRC) 1991-2003. Australian Petroleum CRC (1991 - 2003), viewed 6 May 2024, https://www.eoas.info/bib/ASBS00862.htm and https://www.eoas.info/biogs/A001918b.htm#pub-resources Boreham, C. 1990. ORGCHEM Organic geochemical database. BMR Research Newsletter 13. Record 13:10-10. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/90326 Edwards, D.S., MacFarlane, S., Grosjean, E., Buckler, T., Boreham, C.J., Henson, P., Cherukoori, R., Tracey-Patte, T., van der Wielen, S.E., Ray, J., Raymond, O. 2020. Australian source rocks, fluids and petroleum systems – a new integrated geoscience data discovery portal for maximising data potential. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. http://dx.doi.org/10.11636/133751. <b>Citation</b> Edwards, D., Buckler, T. 2024. Organic Geochemistry (ORGCHEM) Schema. Australian Source Rock and Fluid Atlas. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/149422