Authors / CoAuthors
Marsh, C. | Rawsthorn, K. | Causebrook, R. | Kalinowski, A. | Newlands, I.
Abstract
Increasing CO2 emissions resulting from the expansion of coal fired power generation capacity and other industry in Queensland suggests that a long-term high capacity storage solution is needed. Despite some relatively large distances (upwards of 500 km) between sources and sinks, a review of the Galilee Basin suggests that it may have the potential to sequester a significant amount of Queensland's stationary CO2 emissions, however a paucity of data in several significant regions do not allow this potential to be fully assessed at the present time. Sandstones with good porosity and permeability characteristics occur within several formations including the Early Permian Aramac Coal Measures, the Late Permian Colinlea Sandstone and the Triassic Clematis Sandstone. Intraformational and local seals as well as a regional seal, the Triassic Moolayember Formation and the Permian Bandanna Formation, appear sufficient although these have not been tested. Stratigraphic and residual/solution trapping are the most likely CO2 storage mechanisms, as low amplitude structures are a feature of the Galilee Basin. Most of the structures targeted by exploration companies are generally too small to store CO2 in the quantities anticipated to be emitted from potential emission nodes such as the Rockhampton-Gladstone region. Regional reconnaissance indicate small 15-20 km2 structures with a 50-125 m net sandstone section are typical for the Clematis Sandstone Formation in the south eastern area of the Galilee Basin. Covering an area of approximately 247,000 km2 and measuring around 700km north-south and 520 east-west, the Galilee Basin is a significant feature of central Queensland. Three main depocentres the Koburra Trough (east), the Lovelle Depression (west) and the Southern Galilee Basin (south) contain several hundred metres of Late Carboniferous to Middle Triassic sediments (up to 3000m, 730m, and 1400m respectively). Most of the low amplitude structures in the basin, generally trending north-easterly to north-westerly, are the result of reactivation of older basement structures in the underlying Drummond and Adavale Basins. Tectonic events were dominantly compressional resulting in uplift and erosion of parts of the basin during the Late Permian and Triassic. A regional south-westerly tilt was later imposed due to downwarping of the overlying Eromanga Basin, which is up to 1200 m thick over the Galilee strata. Sedimentation in the Galilee Basin was dominated by fluvial to lacustrine (and in part glacial) depositional systems. This resulted in a sequence of sandstones, mudstones, siltstones, coals and minor tuff in what was a relatively shallow intracratonic basin. The entire Galilee sequence is saturated with good to excellent quality fresh water in both the Permian and Triassic strata (Hawkins, unpublished) with probable recharge from the north-east into the outcropping Triassic reservoirs. Sediment composition is mixed as a result of a variety of provenances including older sedimentary rock, metasediments and other metamorphic rocks, granites, volcanics and direct volcanic input (tuffs). Climate varied from glacial to warm and humid to temperate. Forty years or more of exploration in the Galilee Basin has failed to discover any economic accumulations of hydrocarbons, despite the presence of apparently good to very good reservoirs and seals in both the Permian and Triassic sequence. Further geological study and in particular the interpretation of seismic data is required to increase the understanding and assess the quality of the basin for CO2 storage including; fully assessing reservoirs, seals and trapping mechanisms; estimating storage capacity; and addressing issues such as the presence of a potentially large fresh water resource.
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nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
65564
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Keywords
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- Report
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- geological storage of CO2
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- carbon dioxide
- ( Theme )
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- sedimentary basins
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- AU-QLD
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_Internal
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2007-01-01T00:00:00
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