Authors / CoAuthors
Bailey, A.H.E. | Jarrett, A.J.M. | Wang, L. | Champion, D.C. | Hall, L.S. | Henson, P.
Abstract
The energy component of Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program aimed to improve our understanding of the petroleum resource potential of northern Australia. The sediments of the Mesoproterozoic South Nicholson Basin and the Paleoproterozoic Isa Superbasin on the northern Lawn Hill Platfrom (nLHP) are primary targets of the EFTF program, as they are known to contain highly prospective organic-rich units with the potential to host unconventional gas plays. A defining feature of shale gas plays is that they require technological intervention to increase bulk rock permeability and achieve commercial flow rates. The Egilabria prospect, intersecting nLHP sediments in northwest Queensland, flowed gas to surface from a fracture-stimulated lateral well, demonstrating a technical success. Elsewhere in the region, shale gas prospectivity is limited by a lack of well data. Shale rock brittleness in the nLHP part of the Isa Superbasin was analysed in two studies under the EFTF program. These studies showed that shale brittleness ranges from ductile to brittle; zones of brittle shales were present in all supersequences. Shale brittleness is controlled by increasing quartz and decreasing clay content, with carbonate content proving insignificant. Organic-rich target zones in the Lawn and River supersequences are demonstrated to be brittle and favourable for fracture stimulation. <b>Citation:</b> Bailey, A.H.E., Jarrett, A.J.M., Wang, L., Champion, D.C., Hall, L.S. and Henson, P., 2020. Shale brittleness in the Isa Superbasin on the northern Lawn Hill Platform. In: Czarnota, K., Roach, I., Abbott, S., Haynes, M., Kositcin, N., Ray, A. and Slatter, E. (eds.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, 1–4.
Product Type
document
eCat Id
133723
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Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
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2601
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Keywords
- theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
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- EARTH SCIENCES
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- Isa Superbasin
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- Lawn Hill Platform
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- South Nicholson Basin
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- Egilabria
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- Shale Brittleness
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- Brittleness Index
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- Lawn Hill Formation
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- Lawn Supersequence
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- Riversleigh Siltstone
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- River Supersequence
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- Shale gas
- ( Project )
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- Exploring for the Future
- ( Project )
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- EFTF
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- Energy Systems
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- Published_External
Publication Date
2020-06-22T06:37:49
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completed
Purpose
EFTF extended abstract volume
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asNeeded
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geoscientificInformation
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This study was completed under the Exploring for the Future initiative, as part of the South Nicholson Onshore Energy component. Drill core was sampled from wells housed in both the Northern Territory Geological Survey’s Darwin core repository and the Geological Survey of Queensland’s Brisbane core repository. These core samples were analysed at Geoscience Australia using both XRD and XRF. The results were used to calculate shale rock brittleness using empirical relationships.
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[-20.00, -17.00, 137.00, 140.00]
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