THE APPLICATION OF SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY TO EXPLORATION AND RESERVOIR DEVELOPMENT IN THE COOPER-EROMANGA-BOWEN-SURAT BASIN SYSTEM

Abstract

The application of sequence stratigraphy to non-marine strata in intracratonic basins is still in its infancy, however, the predominantly non-marine Cooper- Eromanga-Surat-Bowen basin system of Eastern Australia provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how sequence stratigraphic concepts can be applied to non-marine successions to assist with exploration and reservoir development. The key to applying sequence stratigraphic concepts in non-marine basins lies in understanding the role of alluvial sediment accommodation relative to sediment supply. Accommodation is created by a combination of tectonic subsidence, compaction and changing water tables in floodplain lakes, marshlands and peat mires. If the alluvial basin is directly connected to the marine system then eustacy may influence accommodation in the lower reaches of the alluvial network, but its effect will significantly diminish upstream depending on the slope. Climate change will, however, have an impact on fluvial discharge, rising water tables, floodplain lake levels, and sediment flux. For sediments to accumulate, accommodation must be positive, whereas negative accommodation leads to erosion. Fluvial accommodation is, therefore, comparable with the concept of base-level. During an episode of basin-wide tectonic uplift or tilting, falling base-level (negative accommodation) leads to widespread erosion on the basin margins or over intra-basinal highs, and an unconformity equivalent to a sequence boundary develops. If followed by a period of low accommodation, rivers rework much of their floodplain, resulting in a sheetlike, amalgamated succession of predominantly sandy bedload deposits of high nett to gross, equivalent to an alluvial lowstand. Further downstream, lowstand deltas may form in the lakes.