Distribution of land plant markers in oils from the Gippsland Basin*
H. Volk A , M. Ahmed A , S. Gong A , C. Boreham B , P. Tingate C , N. Sherwood A and D. Edwards BA CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering.
B Geoscience Australia.
C GeoScience Victoria.
The APPEA Journal 51(2) 740-740 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ10120
Published: 2011
Abstract
The Gippsland Basin is commonly cited as an outstanding example of a province dominated by oil from coal, and the most likely source rock for many of the oils is the Upper Cretaceous Latrobe Formation. Gippsland Basin oils contain abundant molecular fossils (biomarkers) for land plants, but to our knowledge there are no studies showing compelling evidence on whether the oils were predominantly generated from coal seams or from carbonaceous mudstones. In addition, the Latrobe Formation occurs in a range of maturity and facies expressions, and the degree to which other source rocks in the Gippsland Basin have also generated oil remains unclear.
In this contribution, we will demonstrate how the distribution of land plant markers, in particular: di-, tri- and tetracyclic diterpanes; aromatic land plant markers such as retene and cadalene; pentacyclic land plant makers such as oleanane, lupane and their A-ring contracted counterparts; as well as, bicadinanes vary within a set of 23 oils from the Gippsland Basin. The variation with other aliphatic biomarkers and carbon stable isotopes is discussed, and source rocks with different floral assemblages in the Gippsland Basin are inferred.
Herbert Volk was awarded an MSc (1996) in geology from the University of Erlangen, Germany, and a PhD (2000) from the University of Aachen, Germany. He works at CSIRO since 2000, where he leads the stream petroleum systems and a team of organic geochemists. He has experience with oils, source rocks and organic matter from the Proterozoic to the Holocene, fluid inclusion oil geochemistry, petroleum microbiology and basin modelling. Member: AAPG, EAOG, SPE, PESA. |
Manzur Ahmed completed an MSc (applied chemistry) in 1980 at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and received training on organic geochemistry at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and Robertson Research International Limited, UK. He worked as petroleum geochemist (1980–1996) at the geochemistry department, Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) and as a research fellow (1992–93) at the Organic Geochemistry Unit, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. In 1997, he joined the CSIRO Division of Petroleum Resources. His research interests are focussed on molecular composition of inclusion (MCI) oils and genetic characterisation of oils, gases and source rocks. |
Se Gong obtained a BSc in chemical engineering from Xi’an University of Mining and Technology (1999), an MSc from China University of Mining and Technology (2002), and a PhD in organic geochemistry from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2006). She commenced working with the CSIRO as an organic geochemist in 2007. Her main research interests are focussed on the molecular composition of fluid inclusions and the genetic characterisation of oils, gases and source rocks. Member: PESA. |
Chris Boreham is a principal research scientist at Geoscience Australia. He obtained his PhD in bio-inorganic chemistry from ANU. Shortly afterwards, Chris joined Bureau of Mineral Resources—Geoscience Australia’s predecessor—as an organic geochemist. His research interests are in the application of kinetic, biomarker and isotope tools in petroleum geochemistry and the biosphere-geosphere interface as it relates to alteration of petroleum and CO2. He now splits his time between projects related to the geological storage of CO2 and the Australian Government’s New Energy Initiative, involved in understanding the petroleum potential in frontier areas of Australia. |
Peter Tingate is a senior geologist with the Energy Geoscience Group at GeoScience Victoria. He works on the carbon dioxide sequestration potential of Victoria's sedimentary basins, as well as their petroleum systems. Peter received his BSc (Hons) and PhD from the Melbourne University and worked at the Australian School of Petroleum (formerly NCPGG) until joining GeoScience Victoria in 2008. He has published papers on basin modelling, diagenesis of sedimentary rocks and geological storage of CO2. Member: PESA, AAPG. |
Neil Sherwood graduated with a BSc (Hons) in geology from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 1977. He worked as an organic petrologist and studied at Wollongong University in the 1980s, graduating with a PhD (organic petrology of oil shales) in 1991. Neil worked as an organic petrologist at Wollongong University then at a consultancy during the 1980s before joining the CSIRO where he is now leader of the organic petrology team. Member: The Society for Organic Petrology, International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology, PESA, the Executive Council of the Association of Afro-Asian Petroleum Geochemists. |
Dianne Edwards is a senior geologist in the Acreage Release Project at Geoscience Australia. Her research interests have focussed on the organic geochemical studies of gases, crude oils and source rocks of offshore Australia. She received her BSc (Hons) in geology and MSc in organic petrology and organic geochemistry from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. She was awarded her PhD from Adelaide University. Member: PESA, AAPG, EAOG. |
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