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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access) (Non peer reviewed)

Australia’s Onshore Basin Inventories – foundational knowledge synthesis for better design of precompetitive data acquisition

Adam H. E. Bailey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1703-7761 A * , Lidena K. Carr A and Russell Korsch A
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A Geoscience Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

* Correspondence to: adam.bailey@ga.gov.au

The APPEA Journal 63 S209-S214 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ22045
Accepted: 21 February 2023   Published: 11 May 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

Abstract

Geoscience Australia’s Onshore Basin Inventories project provides a whole-of-basin inventory of geology, petroleum systems, exploration status and data coverage of hydrocarbon-prone onshore Australian sedimentary basins. Two existing volumes cover many central and north Australian onshore basins, providing a single point of reference and creating a standardised national basin inventory. In addition to summarising the current state of knowledge within each basin, the onshore basin inventory reports identify critical science questions and key exploration uncertainties that may help inform future work program planning and aid in decision making for both government and industry organisations. Under Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program, several new onshore basin inventory reports are being delivered. The next releases include the Adavale Basin of southern Queensland and a compilation of Australia’s Mesoproterozoic basins. These reports are supported by value-add products that address identified data gaps and evolve regional understanding of basin evolution and prospectivity, including petroleum systems modelling, seismic reprocessing and regional geochemical studies. The Onshore Basin Inventories project continues to provide scientific and strategic direction for precompetitive data acquisition under the EFTF work program, guiding program planning and shaping post-acquisition analysis programs.

Keywords: Adavale Basin, Australian Mesoproterozoic basins, Birrindudu Basin, Canning Basin, Carrara Sub-basin, Exploring for the Future, geochemistry, Officer Basin, Onshore Basin Inventories, petroleum systems, source rocks, South Nicholson Basin.

Adam H. E. Bailey is a Petroleum Geoscientist at Geoscience Australia, with expertise in petroleum geomechanics, structural geology and basin analysis. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in 2012 and a PhD in 2016 from the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. Adam is currently part of the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia, where he is currently working on the flagship Exploring for the Future program.

Lidena K. Carr is a Geoscientist for the Onshore Energy Systems Directorate, Basins Systems Branch, Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division at Geoscience Australia. She graduated from the Australian National University with a BA/BSc (Hons) in 2004, with a major in Geology and Human Ecology. In 2007, she joined Geoscience Australia and then ACRES (satellite imagery), before moving to her current position as a Seismic Interpreter and Basin Analyst. She currently works within the Exploring for the Future program and is a member of GSA.

Russell Korsch retired from the Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division at Geoscience Australia in 2012, but has continued to work part-time on the geological evolution of Australia. In particular, this has focussed on the evolution of Australia’s onshore sedimentary basins, and the interpretation of deep seismic reflection data to understand the development of sedimentary basins and basement terrains, as well as the relationships between the two. He has a BSc (Hons), PhD and DipEd from the University of New England, and is a member of the Geological Society of Australia.


References

Anderson JR, Radke R, Troup AJ, Carr LK, Carson CJ, Henson P (in press) Review of Australian Mesoproterozoic basins. (Geoscience Australia: Canberra)

Bailey AHE, Wang L, Dewhurst D, Esteban L, Kager S, Monmusson L, Anderson J, Jarrett AJM, Henson P (2021) Exploring for the Future – petrophysical and geomechanical testing program data release, Officer Basin, Australia. Record 2021/028. (Geoscience Australia: Canberra)
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Carr LK, Korsch RJ, Palu TJ (2016) Onshore Basin Inventory: the McArthur, South Nicholson, Georgina, Amadeus, Warburton, Wiso, Galilee and Cooper basins. Record 2016/004. (Geoscience Australia: Canberra)
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Carr LK, Henson P, Wang L, Bailey AHE, Fomin T, Boreham C, Edwards D, Southby C, Symington N, Smith M, Halas L, Jones T (2022) Exploring for the Future in the Officer Musgrave Region. (Geoscience Australia: Canberra)
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Grosjean E, Jarrett AJM, Boreham C, Butcher G, Carson C, Bailey AHE, Wang L, Munson T, Henson P (2022) The energy resource potential of the Carrara Sub-basin revealed by new stratigraphic drilling. In ‘Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES) Proceedings’, 5–6 April 2022, Alice Springs, NT. (Northern Territory Geological Survey: Darwin) Available at https://geoscience.nt.gov.au/gemis/ntgsjspui/handle/1/92054

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