PROSPECTIVITY AND EXPLORATION HISTORY OF THE BARROW SUB-BASIN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Abstract

The Carnarvon Basin is Australia's leading producer of both liquid hydrocarbons and gas. Most oil production to date has come from the Barrow Sub-basin. The success of the Sub-basin is due to a fortuitous combination of good Mesozoic source rocks which have been generating over a long period of time, Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks with excellent porosity and permeability, and a thick and effective regional seal.

A feature of Barrow Sub-basin fields is that they generally produce far more petroleum than is initially estimated and booked, a result of the excellent reservoir quality of the principal producing reservoirs.

Structural traps immediately below the regional seal (the 'top Barrow play') have been the most successful play to date. Analysis of 'new' and 'old' play concepts show that the Sub-basin has potential for significant additional hydrocarbon reserves.