GEOLOGY AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF THE SOUTHERN GEORGINA BASIN, AUSTRALIA

Abstract

The Georgina Basin is an intracratonic basin on the central-northern Australian craton. Its southern portion includes a highly prospective Middle Cambrian petroleum system which remains largely unexplored. A plethora of stratigraphic names plagued previous exploration but the lithostratigraphy has now been rationalised using previously unpublished electric-log correlations and seismic and core data.

Neoproterozoic and Lower Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks of the southern portion of the basin cover an area of 100,000 km2 and thicken into two main depocentres, the Toko and Dulcie Synclines. In and between these depocentres, a Middle Cambrian carbonate succession comprising Thorntonia Limestone and Arthur Creek Formation provides a prospective reservoir-source/seal couplet extending over 80,000 km2. The lower Arthur Creek Formation includes world class microbial source rocks recording total organic carbon (TOC) values of up to 16% and hydrocarbon yields up to 50 kg/tonne. This blanket source/seal unconformably overlies sheetlike, platform dolostone of the Thorntonia Limestone which provides the prime target reservoir. Intra- Arthur Creek high-permeability grainstone shoals are important secondary targets.

In the Toko Syncline, Middle Cambrian source rocks entered the oil window during the Ordovician, corresponding to major sediment loading at this time. The gas window was reached prior to structuring associated with the Middle Devonian-Early Carboniferous Alice Springs Orogeny, and source rocks today lie in the dry gas window. In contrast, high-temperature basement granites have resulted in overmaturity of the Arthur Creek Formation in the Dulcie Syncline area. On platform areas adjacent to both these depocentres source rocks reached peak oil generation shortly after the Alice Springs Orogeny; numerous structural leads have been identified in these areas. In addition, an important stratigraphic play occurs in the Late Cambrian Arrinthrunga Formation (Hagen Member) on the southwestern margin of the basin. Key elements of the play are the pinchout of porous oil-stained, vuggy dolostone onto basement where top seal is provided by massive anhydrite while underlying Arthur Creek Formation shale provides a potential source.