Shipwreck and Sherbrook supersequence regional gross depositional environments, offshore Otway Basin
Steve Abbott A * , Chris Cubitt B , George Bernardel A , Chris Nicholson A and Duy Nguyen AA
B
Steve Abbott holds a PhD degree in sedimentary geology from James Cook University. He joined Geoscience Australia in 2013 where he works as a Basin Analyst on regional studies of Australia’s offshore basins. Steve is a member of PESA and SEPM, and is a past president of PESA ACT. |
Chris Cubitt graduated from the University of Adelaide with a PhD in diagenesis and sedimentology. He is currently Team Leader, Basin Prospectivity at the Geological Survey of South Australia, is an author of more than 20 publications and is a member PESA, IAS and the EAGE. |
George Bernardel earned his BSc (Honours) in Geophysics from the University of Sydney in 1986. He joined Geoscience Australia in 1995 where he works as a Basin Analyst on Australia’s offshore basins. He is currently mapping Cretaceous–Cenozoic sequences and structure across the offshore Otway Basin. |
Chris Nicholson graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the Australian National University in 2000. He joined Geoscience Australia in 2004 as Basin Analyst and Structural Geologist working on regional prospectivity studies of Australia’s offshore basins. Chris is a member of PESA and SEAPEX, and is a past president of PESA ACT. |
Duy Nguyen holds BE and ME (Petroleum Engineering) degrees from the University of New South Wales. He has 5 years of oil and gas industrial experience working for Schlumberger in Australia, Malaysia, India, Middle East, and Africa. Since 2009, Duy has worked as a Petroleum Engineer at Geoscience Australia and is currently contributing to a regional study of the Otway Basin. |
Abstract
The Shipwreck and Sherbrook supersequences together constitute the upper Cretaceous succession in the Otway Basin that was deposited during an extensional basin phase. In the Shipwreck Trough, where the upper Cretaceous succession is well explored, gas fields are hosted by the Shipwreck Supersequence (SS). Elsewhere, the upper Cretaceous interval is lightly explored, and the deep-water area is considered an exploration frontier. We present regional gross depositional environment (RGDE) maps for the LC1.1 and LC1.2 sequences of the Shipwreck SS, and the LC2 Sherbrook SS. Fluvial Plain, Coastal-Delta Plain and Shelf RGDEs were interpreted from wireline logs, cores, and seismic facies. The Fluvial Plain and Coastal-Delta Plain RGDEs are mostly restricted to the inboard platform areas and the inner Morum Sub-basin. The mud-prone Shelf RGDE is widespread across the deep-water Morum and Nelson depocentres. The extent of the Fluvial and Coastal-Delta Plain belts progressively increases up-section, imparting a regressive aspect to the succession, and delineating a large fluvial-deltaic complex in the north-west of the basin. Thick seal development across the greater Shipwreck Trough, potentially mature source rocks in the deep-water basin, and thick reservoir development in the hanging wall of growth faults in the inner Morum Sub-basin are insights derived from this study, and will inform area selection for detailed gross depositional environment mapping, formulation of new hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide storage plays, and inputs for petroleum systems modelling.
Keywords: gross depositional environment, Morum Sub-basin, Nelson Sub-basin, Otway Basin, petroleum systems, seismic facies, Sherbrook Supersequence, Shipwreck Supersequence, Shipwreck Trough, Upper Cretaceous.
Steve Abbott holds a PhD degree in sedimentary geology from James Cook University. He joined Geoscience Australia in 2013 where he works as a Basin Analyst on regional studies of Australia’s offshore basins. Steve is a member of PESA and SEPM, and is a past president of PESA ACT. |
Chris Cubitt graduated from the University of Adelaide with a PhD in diagenesis and sedimentology. He is currently Team Leader, Basin Prospectivity at the Geological Survey of South Australia, is an author of more than 20 publications and is a member PESA, IAS and the EAGE. |
George Bernardel earned his BSc (Honours) in Geophysics from the University of Sydney in 1986. He joined Geoscience Australia in 1995 where he works as a Basin Analyst on Australia’s offshore basins. He is currently mapping Cretaceous–Cenozoic sequences and structure across the offshore Otway Basin. |
Chris Nicholson graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the Australian National University in 2000. He joined Geoscience Australia in 2004 as Basin Analyst and Structural Geologist working on regional prospectivity studies of Australia’s offshore basins. Chris is a member of PESA and SEAPEX, and is a past president of PESA ACT. |
Duy Nguyen holds BE and ME (Petroleum Engineering) degrees from the University of New South Wales. He has 5 years of oil and gas industrial experience working for Schlumberger in Australia, Malaysia, India, Middle East, and Africa. Since 2009, Duy has worked as a Petroleum Engineer at Geoscience Australia and is currently contributing to a regional study of the Otway Basin. |
References
Abbott S, Bernardel G, Nicholson C (2022) Offshore Otway Basin: Surface Grids, Isochore Grids, and Fault Maps [digital dataset and metadata statement]. eCat#146398. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Available at http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/146398
Abbott S, Cubitt C, Bernardel G, Nicholson C, Nguyen D (2023) Towards a regional understanding of Sherbrook Supersequence Gross Depositional Environments, offshore Otway Basin (abs.). In ‘4th Australasian Exploration Geoscience Conference’, Brisbane, 2023. (Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists Extended Abstracts) 10.5281/zenodo.7980133
Cliff DCB, Tye SC, Taylor R (2004) The Thylacine and Geographe gas discoveries, offshore eastern Otway Basin. The APPEA Journal 44, 441-461.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Cubitt C, Abbott S, Bernardel G, Gunning M-E, Nguyen D, Nicholson C, Stoate A (2023) Cretaceous depositional environment interpretation of offshore Otway Basin cores and wireline logs; application to the generation of basin-scale gross depositional environment maps. The APPEA Journal 63, S215-S220.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Cubitt C, Nguyen D, Stoat A (2024) Offshore Otway Basin Core logs [metadata statement and digital data package]. Geoscience Australia eCat#149190. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. 10.26186/149190
Kelman AP, Bernecker T, Smith T, Owen K, Totterdell J, Partridge AD (2015) Otway and Sorell Basins Biozonation and Stratigraphy, Chart 34. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Available at http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/83216
Krassay AA, Totterdell JM (2003) Seismic stratigraphy of a large, Cretaceous shelf-margin delta complex, offshore southern Australia. AAPG Bulletin 87(6), 935-963.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Nguyen D, Edwards DS, Gunning M-E, Bernardel G (2022) The Northwest Offshore Otway Basin Well Folio. The APPEA Journal 62(S1), S461-S466.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Nicholson C, Abbott ST, Bernardel G, Poudjom Djomani Y (2024) A new perspective on regional structural architecture across the offshore Otway Basin. Australian Energy Producers Journal 64, S416-S422.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Schenk O, Grosjean E, Edwards DS, Boreham CJ, West T, Karvelas A, Kornpihl D (2023) Petroleum system modelling of the deep-water Otway Basin. In ‘4th AEGC: Geoscience-Breaking New Ground’, 13–18 March 2023, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. (Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists Extended Abstracts) 10.5281/zenodo.7980139
Summons RE, Zumberge JE, Boreham CJ, Bradshaw MT, Edwards DS (2002) The Oils of Eastern Australia. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Available at https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/68754
Totterdell JM, Hall L, Hashimoto T, Owen K, Bradshaw MT (2014) Petroleum Geology Inventory of Australia’s Offshore Frontier Basins. Record 2014/09. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. 10.11636/Record.2014.009
