New Geological Insights from the Barbwire Terrace using Falcon® Data, Canning Basin

Abstract

The Barbwire Terrace in the Canning Basin has always presented explorers with an enigma. It has long held interest for hydrocarbon explorers and also mineral explorers looking for 'Mississippi Valley Type' sulphide mineralisation, being on the opposite side of the Fitzroy Trough to the Lennard Shelf (host to multiple oil fields and MVT's in the Cadjebut/Kapok area) (Copp, 2008). Seismic interpretation on the Barbwire Terrace has been difficult, not only due to the paucity of modern reflection seismic data, but also due to the difficulty in imaging through the carbonate/dolomites of the Pillara and Nullara sections. The Airborne Gravity Gradiometry (AGG) survey was designed to capture a large comprehensive grid of geophysical information about the southern margin of the Fitzroy Trough. The survey is instrumental in providing a greater understanding of an area of the Canning Basin that is poorly understood, yet has had many hydrocarbon shows and indications. While CGG undertook a more traditional workflow of interpreting the AGG, aeromagnetics and seismic data, a parallel approach, using Geoproxima processing technology (differential geometric analysis for digital data) provided additional insights on features and objects not readily recognisable using traditional colour bar stretches and sun illumination.