THE DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY OF A PORTION OF THE NORTH PERTH BASIN—A SINGLE WELL DIPMETER ANALYSIS

Abstract

Four-arm dipmeter interpretation has been integrated with other wireline logs, lithologic and palaeontologic data, and regional geology to arrive at a history of the deposition in a portion of the North Perth Basin.

The Permian sediments were deposited in a moderate to low energy, paralic to marine environment. They were unconformably overlain by a thin transgressive Lower Triassic sand and deepwater marine shale. The Middle Triassic sediments were deposited as a regressive marine sequence under the influence of a strong southwesterly uplift, and culminated in piedmont talus deposits of Upper Triassic age.

In the Lower Jurassic this area evolved through a flood-plain environment to a paralic environment with a northeast-southwest oriented coastline and a northern source area. During the Middle Jurassic gentle crustal movements, coupled with an increasingly active northern and eastern source area, resulted in several cycles of nearshore deposition, and finally a marine transgression.

Subsequent violent tectonic uplift to the east in the Upper Jurassic produced massive first generation sands which were deposited in a mainly continental environment.