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 stratigraphic wells 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 partnership between Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) in the Barnicarndy Graben, 67 km west of Telfer, in the South West Canning Basin. Drilling recovered about 2100 m of continuous core from 580 mRT to the total driller’s depth (TD) of 2680.53 mRT (Normore and Rapaic, 2020). An extensive analytical program was carried out to characterise the lithology, age and depositional environment of these sediments. This included detailed organic geochemistry including isotopic and biomarker analyses of core samples. In order to determine the possible presence of organic contaminants in core samples that may jeopardise interpretation of results, manufactured products used during drilling and sample processing were identified as potential sources of hydrocarbon contamination and were investigated for their hydrocarbon content. In addition, in order to test if any hydrocarbon contamination was occurring due to contact with these manufactured products, water samples from the sumps and surface samples of drill muds from specific depths were collected and analysed as well.

The Otway Basin is a northwest-southeast trending rift basin which spans from onshore Victoria and South Australia into the deep-water offshore. The prospective supersequences within the basin are largely of Cretaceous age which host three possible petroleum systems (Austral 1, 2 and 3). While there is production from onshore depocentres, and the inboard Shipwreck Trough, the majority of the offshore basin remains underexplored. Recent regional studies have highlighted the need for further work across the underexplored parts of the basin and here we focus on the offshore northwest Otway Basin, integrating reinterpreted historical well data, newly acquired and recently reprocessed seismic data. This new Well Folio consists of composite logs and supporting data which includes interpreted lithologies, petrophysical analyses, the analysis of historic organic geochemistry and organic petrology. In addition, updated well markers are provided based on seismic interpretation and new biostratigraphy in key wells. This integrated study provides the basis for renewed prospectivity assessment in the northwest offshore portion of the Otway Basin.

<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>The Proterozoic basins of northern Australia have been the focus of regional hydrocarbon prospectivity studies undertaken by the Exploring for the Future&nbsp;program dedicated to increasing investment in resource exploration in northern Australia. As part of this program, a compilation of the compound-specific isotopic compositions of linear alkanes in source extracts, oils and oil stains from 21 boreholes&nbsp;of the greater McArthur Basin has been completed. The samples were analysed in Geoscience Australia’s Isotope and Organic Geochemistry Laboratory and the stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic data of individual alkanes are released in this report. </div>

<div>The bulk source rock database table contains publicly available results from Geoscience Australia's organic geochemistry (ORGCHEM) schema and supporting oracle databases for the bulk properties of sedimentary rocks that contain organic matter and fluid inclusions taken from boreholes and field sites. The analyses are performed by various laboratories in service and exploration companies, Australian government institutions, and universities, using a range of instruments. Sedimentary rocks that contain organic matter are typically 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. Data includes the borehole or field site location, sample depth, stratigraphy, analytical methods, other relevant metadata, and various data types including; elemental composition, and the stable isotopes of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Results are also included from methods that separate the extractable organic matter (EOM) from rocks into bulk components, such as the quantification of saturated hydrocarbon, aromatic hydrocarbon, resin and asphaltene (SARA) fractions according to their polarity. The stable carbon (¹³C/¹²C) and hydrogen (²H/¹H) isotopic ratios of the EOM and derivative hydrocarbon fractions, as well as fluid inclusion oils, are presented in delta notation (i.e., &delta;¹³C and &delta;²H) in parts per mil (‰) relative to the Vienna Peedee Belemnite (VPDB) standard.</div><div><br></div><div>These data are used to determine the molecular and isotopic compositions of organic matter within rocks and associated fluid inclusions and evaluate the potential for hydrocarbon generation in a basin. Some data are generated in Geoscience Australia’s laboratory and released in Geoscience Australia records. Data are also collated from destructive analysis reports (DARs), well completion reports (WCRs), and literature. The bulk data for sedimentary rocks are delivered in the Source Rock Bulk Properties and Stable Isotopes web services on the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery Portal at https://portal.ga.gov.au which will be periodically updated.</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 (¹³C/¹²C) and nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) isotopic ratios are presented in parts per mil (‰) and in delta notation as δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, 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 onshore Canning Basin in Western Australia was the focus of a regional hydrocarbon prospectivity assessment undertaken by the Exploring for the Future&nbsp;(EFTF) program dedicated to increasing investment in resource exploration in northern Australia, with the objective being to acquire new data and information about the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources concealed beneath the surface. Significant work has been carried out to deliver new pre-competitive data in the region including new seismic acquisition, drilling of a stratigraphic well, and geochemical analysis from historic exploration wells.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of this program, determination of the molecular and noble gas isotopic composition of natural gases from selected petroleum wells in the Canning 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 data to determine the sources of natural gases in the Canning Basin and build on the availability of existing gas data, gas-gas correlations and gas-oil 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 exploration programs.</div>

<div>The pyrolysis-gas chromatography database table contains publicly available results from Geoscience Australia's organic geochemistry (ORGCHEM) database and supporting oracle databases for open system pyrolysis-gas chromatography (pyrolysis-GC) analyses performed on either source rocks or kerogen samples taken from boreholes and field sites. 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 analyses are undertaken by various laboratories in service and exploration companies using a range of instruments. Data includes the borehole or field site location, sample depth, stratigraphy, analytical methods, other relevant metadata, and the molecular composition of the pyrolysates. The concentrations of the aliphatic hydrocarbon, aromatic hydrocarbon and organic sulfur compounds are given in several units of measure [e.g., percent (resolved compounds) in the S2 peak (wt% S2), milligrams per gram of rock (mg/g rock), micrograms per gram of kerogen (mg/g kerogen) etc.].</div><div><br></div><div>These data are used to determine the organic richness, kerogen type and thermal maturity of source rocks in sedimentary basins. The results are used as input parameters in basin analysis and petroleum systems modelling to evaluate the potential for hydrocarbon generation in a sedimentary basin. These data are collated from destructive analysis reports (DARs), well completion reports (WCRs) and literature. The data are delivered in the Source Rock Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography web services on the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery Portal at https://portal.ga.gov.au which will be periodically updated.</div><div><br></div>

<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>A regional hydrocarbon prospectivity assessment has been undertaken of the offshore Otway Basin by the Offshore Energy Systems Section. This program was designed to produce pre-competitive information to assist with the evaluation of the hydrocarbon resource potential of the offshore Otway Basin and attract exploration investment to Australia. The inboard part of the basin is an established hydrocarbon province with onshore and shallow-water offshore discoveries, whereas the outboard deep-water region, where water depths range from 500 to 6300&nbsp;m, is comparatively underexplored and considered a frontier area.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of this program, molecular and noble gas isotopic analyses were undertaken by Smart Gas Sciences, under contract to Geoscience Australia on available gas samples from the Waarre Formation in the Shipwreck Trough in the offshore eastern Otway Basin, with data from these analyses being released in this report. This report provides additional compositional information for gases in the Waarre Formation reservoirs and builds on previously established gas-gas correlations and gas-oil 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><br></div>