Electrical petroliferous exploration in Australia

Abstract

The research project under discussion here was initiated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation to test the ability of electrical methods to detect oil and gas accumulations onshore in Australia. A variety of electrode arrays have been tested over seven oil and gas producing areas in the Surat and Cooper Basins and the Denison trough, in Queensland and South Australia. The object of the research is to test the feasibility of cost effective reconnaissance surveys to collect a minimum of data with the maximum interpretability. An attempt to determine the nature of the alteration that occurs to the rocks above a hydrocarbon accumulation is also being sought. The rocks above hydrocarbon accumulations have been shown to be between 20 and 50% more conductive than those surrounding them.