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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Adavale Basin petroleum plays

Alison Troup A B and Behnam Talebi A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Geological Survey of Queensland, Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy (Queensland), PO Box 15216, City East, Qld 4002, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: alison.troup@dnrme.qld.gov.au

The APPEA Journal 59(2) 958-964 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ18083
Accepted: 28 March 2019   Published: 17 June 2019

Abstract

The Devonian Adavale Basin system is an under-explored, frontier petroleum basin in south-west Queensland. It has a confirmed petroleum system with production from the Gilmore gas field. The age, marine depositional environments and high carbonate content suggest the basin may have unconventional petroleum potential, and there has been renewed interest from industry in evaluating the basin. In support of this, the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy has examined the source rock properties of the Bury Limestone and Log Creek Formation and has commissioned an update to the SEEBASE® interpretation of the region. Gas- to oil-mature source rocks are found in deep marine shales of the Log Creek Formation, with secondary potential in the shelfal Bury Limestone. The main known reservoir within the Adavale Basin is the Lissoy Sandstone, though sandstones found in other units may also have tight reservoir potential. These petroleum systems elements form several plays, including conventional clastic structural targets, carbonate plays, including possible reef targets, and salt plays associated with doming from the Boree Salt. Potential unconventional targets include tight sandstone, shale and limestone, with recent analysis of an organic-rich marl from the Bury Limestone indicating good retention properties. The overlying Cooper, Galilee and Eromanga basins also contain potential reservoirs for hydrocarbons generated in the Adavale Basin and Warrabin Trough.

Keywords: Bury Limestone, conventional, Cooladdi Dolomite, Gilmore gas field, Log Creek Formation, petroleum system, shale gas, tight gas, unconventional, Warrabin Trough.

Alison Troup has worked in the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) since 2010, after graduating from the University of Queensland with a BSc (Hons) in Geology, where she examined coal seam and interburden architecture in the Walloon Coal Measures. She has worked as part of the Energy and Petroleum and Gas groups within the GSQ, participating in several regional prospectivity projects. She is currently part of the Basin Studies group in GSQ. She has an interest in understanding and assessing the petroleum potential and source rock characteristics of sedimentary basins in Queensland. She is a member of the Formation Evaluation Society of Queensland and the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia.

Behnam Talebi is a geologist and completed his post-graduate studies in Geothermal Energy Technology at the University of Auckland in 1996. Between 1997 and 2013, he ran several geothermal energy projects in Australia and Iran, from reconnaissance studies through to field exploration and development programs. Behnam has recently managed completion of SEEBASE studies in North West and Central Queensland. He is currently assisting a regional deep seismic program within the Geological Survey of Queensland to generate new pre-competitive geoscience information for explorers to help identify new hydrocarbon generation potential in North West and Central Queensland.


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