<p>In the South Nicholson region of Queensland and the Northern Territory, the Paleoproterozoic Isa Superbasin and the Mesoproterozoic South Nicholson Basin have the potential to host both conventional and unconventional petroleum systems (Gorton & Troup, 2018). The region remains poorly explored however with only 19 petroleum wells drilled in total (Carr et al., 2016). Although nine stratigraphic intervals are described as potential source rocks, data coverage is extremely limited and a large proportion of the available data is old and of poor quality. To more comprehensively characterise these organic rich source rocks, higher resolution coverages of pre-competitive geochemical data is required (Jarrett et al. 2018). <p>This report contains the total organic carbon (TOC) content and Rock-Eval pyrolysis data of 674 samples selected from twelve drill cores housed in the Geological Survey of Queensland’s Brisbane core repository including Amoco DDH 83-1, Amoco DDH 83-2, Amoco DDH 83-3, Amoco DDH 83-4, Argyle Creek 1, Armraynald 1, Burketown 1, Desert Creek 1, Egilabria 1, Egilabria 2 DW1, Egilabria 4, Morstone 1, MORSTONE DDH1. This data was generated at the Isotope and Organic Geochemistry Laboratory at Geoscience Australia as part of the Exploring for the Future program.

<p>The Exploring for the Future program is an initiative by the Australian Government dedicated to boosting investment in resource exploration in Australia. The four-year program led by Geoscience Australia focusses on northern Australia and parts of South Australia to gather new data and information about the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources concealed beneath the surface. As part of the Exploring for the Future program, this study aims to improve our understanding of the petroleum resource potential of northern Australia. As a component of this project, collaboration between the Onshore Energy Systems Branch, Geoscience Australia and the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) is designed to produce pre-competitive information to assist with the evaluation of the petroleum prospectivity of onshore Northern Territory basins. <p>Proterozoic basins of northern Australia including the McArthur Basin, the Isa Superbasin and the Isa Superbasin have the potential to host conventional oil and gas, in addition to unconventional shale gas and oil plays (Muir et al., 1980; Munson, 2014; Revie, 2016; Revie, 2017; Gorton & Troup, 2018). To date, work on the prospective petroleum systems in the McArthur Basin has focused principally on source rocks within the McArthur and Roper groups in the southern parts of the basin. However due to limited data availability, the spatial variability in source rock quality, type and thermal maturity remains poorly constrained across the region. In the South Nicholson region of Queensland and the Northern Territory, data from the Paleoproterozoic Isa Superbasin and the Mesoproterozoic South Nicholson Basin is extremely limited and a large proportion of the available data is old and of poor quality. To more comprehensively characterise these organic rich source rocks, higher resolution coverages of pre-competitive geochemical data is required (Gorton & Troup, 2018; Jarrett et al. 2018). <p>This data release contains the total organic carbon (TOC) content and Rock-Eval pyrolysis data of 314 samples selected from nine drill cores from the McArthur Basin, South Nicholson Basin and Isa Superbasin that are housed in the Northern Territory Geological Survey’s Darwin core repository. The wells include Glyde 1, Lamont Pass 3 (McArthur Basin), Brunette Downs 1, CRDD001, NTGS 00/1, NTGS 01/1, NTGS 02/1 (South Nicholson Basin), in addition to ND1 and ND2 (Isa Superbasin). This data was generated at the Isotope and Organic Geochemistry Laboratory at Geoscience Australia as part of the Exploring for the Future program. The results show that the McArthur Basin samples analysed contain source rocks with poor to fair oil and gas generative potential with variable thermal maturity from immature to early oil mature. The Isa Superbasin samples analysed have poor to good gas generative potential and the South Nicholson samples analysed have poor to excellent gas generative potential. Samples from the Walford Dolostone and the Mullera Formation are overmature and petroleum potential cannot be assessed from the results of this study. This data release provides additional information that can be used to characterise the organic richness, kerogen type and thermal maturity of source rocks in the Teena Dolostone, Barney Creek Formation and Lynott Formation of the McArthur Basin, the Walford Dolostone and Mount Les Siltstone of the Isa Superbasin, in addition to the Constance Sandstone and Mullera Formation of the South Nicholson Basin. This data is provided in preparation for future work to generate statistics quantifying the spatial distribution, quantity and quality of source rocks, providing important insights into the hydrocarbon prospectivity of northern Australian basins

The onshore Canning Basin in Western Australia is the focus of a regional hydrocarbon prospectivity assessment being undertaken by the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program; an Australian Government initiative dedicated to increasing investment in resource exploration in northern Australia. The four-year program led by Geoscience Australia focusses on the acquisition of new data and information about the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources concealed beneath the surface in northern Australia and parts of South Australia. 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, Waukarlycarly 1, was drilled in 2019 in partnership between Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) in the South West Canning Basin. The Waukarlycarly 1 stratigraphic well was drilled in the Waukarlycarly Embayment, 67 km west of Telfer and provides stratigraphic control for the geology imaged by the Kidson seismic line (Figure 1). The well was drilled to a total drillers depth (TD) of 2680.53 mRT and penetrated a thin Cenozoic cover overlying a Permo-Carboniferous fluvial clastic succession that includes glacial diamictite. These siliciclastics unconformably overlie an extremely thick (>1730 m) interpreted Devonian to Ordovician succession before terminating in low-grade metasediments of presumed Neoproterozoic age. Log characterisation, core analysis, geochronology, petrographic and palaeontological studies have been carried out to characterise the lithology, age and depositional environment of these sediments. As part of this comprehensive analytical program, TOC and Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses were undertaken by Geoscience Australia on selected rock samples to establish their hydrocarbon-generating potential and thermal maturity.

As part of the Exploring for the Future Programme this study aims to improve our understanding of the petroleum resource potential of Northern Australia. As a component or this project, collaboration between the Onshore Energy Branch, Geoscience Australia and the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) is designed to produce pre-competitive information to assist with the evaluation of the petroleum prospectivity of onshore Northern Territory basins. This report characterises the organic richness, kerogen type and thermal maturity of source rocks in the Velkerri, Barney Creek, Wollogorang and McDermott formations of the McArthur Basin based on Rock-Eval pyrolysis data analysed at Geoscience Australia in the 2017 to 2018 financial year. This data is provided in preparation for future work to generate statistics quantifying the spatial distribution, quantity and quality of McArthur Basin source rocks, providing important insights into the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the basin.

The Exploring for the Future program is an initiative by the Australian Government dedicated to boosting investment in resource exploration in Australia. The initial phase of this program led by Geoscience Australia focussed on northern Australia to gather new data and information about the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources concealed beneath the surface. The northern Lawn Hill Platform is an intracratonic poly-phased history region of Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozic age consisting of mixed carbonates, siliciclastics and volcanics. It is considered a frontier basin with very little petroleum exploration to date, but with renewed interest in shale and tight gas, that may present new exploration opportunities. An understanding of the geochemistry of the sedimentary units, including the organic richness, hydrocarbon-generating potential and thermal maturity, is therefore an important characteristic needed to understand the resource potential of the region. As part of this program, Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses were undertaken by Geoscience Australia on selected rock samples from 2 wells of the northern Lawn Hill Platform.

<div>NDI Carrara 1 is a deep stratigraphic drill hole completed in 2020 as part of the MinEx CRC National Drilling Initiative (NDI) in collaboration with Geoscience Australia and the Northern Territory Geological Survey. It is the first test of the Carrara Sub-Basin, a depocentre newly discovered in the South Nicholson region based on interpretation from seismic surveys (L210 in 2017 and L212 in 2019) recently acquired as part of the Exploring for the Future program. The drill hole intersected approximately 1100 m of Proterozoic sedimentary rocks uncomformably overlain by 630 m of Cambrian Georgina Basin carbonates. A comprehensive geochemical program designed to provide information about the region’s resource potential was carried out on samples collected at up to 4 meter intervals. This report presents data from Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses undertaken by Geoscience Australia on selected rock samples to establish their total organic carbon content, hydrocarbon-generating potential and thermal maturity.</div>

NDI Carrara 1 is a deep stratigraphic drill hole completed in 2020 as part of the MinEx CRC National Drilling Initiative (NDI) in collaboration with Geoscience Australia and the Northern Territory Geological Survey. It is the first test of the Carrara Sub-Basin, a depocentre newly discovered in the South Nicholson region based on interpretation from seismic surveys (L210 in 2017 and L212 in 2019) recently acquired as part of the Exploring for the Future program. The drill hole intersected approximately 1100 m of Proterozoic sedimentary rocks uncomformably overlain by 630 m of Cambrian Georgina Basin carbonates. A comprehensive geochemical program designed to provide information about the region’s resource potential was carried out on samples collected at up to 4 meter intervals. This report presents part 1 of the data from Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses undertaken by Geoscience Australia on selected rock samples to establish their total organic carbon content, hydrocarbon-generating potential and thermal maturity.

<p>In this study, a total of 53 surface outcrop samples were analysed for both inorganic and organic whole-rock geochemistry as part of Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program, a government initiative undertaken by the Australian Government to boost investment in resource exploration and development in northern Australia. The samples were collected during two EFTF funded field seasons conducted in May 2017 (18 samples, GA job number 33004) and May 2018 (35 samples, GA job number 33228). <p>This data release contains the results of elemental analyses including X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), iron titration (FeO), Loss-On-Ignition (LOI) and Rock-Eval pyrolysis on 53 outcrop samples collected across two seasons of fieldwork in the South Nicholson region. This data release are provided to facilitate establishment of important baseline assessments and whole rock characterisation of regional sedimentary rocks for insight into the resource prospectivity of northern Australian basins. These data was generated at the Geochemistry Laboratories at Geoscience Australia as part of the Exploring for the Future program

The onshore Canning Basin in Western Australia is the focus of a regional hydrocarbon prospectivity assessment being undertaken by the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program; an Australian Government initiative dedicated to increasing investment in resource exploration in northern Australia. The four-year program led by Geoscience Australia focusses on the acquisition of new data and information about the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources concealed beneath the surface in northern Australia and parts of South Australia. 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. As part of this comprehensive analytical program, TOC and Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses were undertaken by Geoscience Australia on selected rock samples from eight wells of the Canning Basin to establish their hydrocarbon-generating potential and thermal maturity. These samples were selected to infill gaps in the existing open file data with a particular focus on the Lower Ordovician Nambeet Formation for comparison with samples from the Waukarlycarly 1 well.

<div>NDI Carrara 1 is a deep stratigraphic drill hole completed in 2020 as part of the MinEx CRC National Drilling Initiative (NDI) in collaboration with Geoscience Australia and the Northern Territory Geological Survey. It is the first stratigraphic test of the Carrara Sub-basin, a depocentre newly discovered in the South Nicholson region based on interpretation from seismic surveys (L210 in 2017 and L212 in 2019) acquired as part of the Exploring for the Future program. The drill hole intersected approximately 1120 m of Proterozoic sedimentary rocks unconformably overlain by 630 m of Georgina Basin carbonates.&nbsp;</div><div>Geoscience Australia has undertaken a range of investigations on the lithology, stratigraphy and geotechnical properties of NDI Carrara 1 as well as undertaking a range of analyses of about 500 physical samples recovered through the entire core. Analyses included geochronology, isotope studies, mineralogy, inorganic and organic geochemistry, petrophysics, geomechanics, thermal maturity and petroleum systems investigations.</div><div>Rock-Eval pyrolysis raw data undertaken by Geoscience Australia were reported in Butcher et al. (2021) on selected rock samples to establish their total organic carbon content, hydrocarbon-generating potential and thermal maturity. Interpretation of the Rock-Eval pyrolysis data concluded that a large portion of rocks within the Proterozoic section displayed unreliable Tmax values due to poorly defined S2 peaks resulting from high thermal maturity and low hydrogen content. In order to obtain more reliable Tmax values, Rock-Eval pyrolysis of selected isolated kerogens, where organic matter is concentrated and mineral matrix effects are removed, were conducted and the resulting data are presented in this report.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>