THE SUBSURFACE GEOLOGY OF THE WESTERN OFFICER BASIN — RESULTS OF SHELL'S 1980-1984 PETROLEUM EXPLORATION CAMPAIGN

Abstract

The Officer Basin described in this paper includes four Proterozoic to Lower Palaeozoic sub-basins (Gibson, Yowalga, Lennis, Waigen) which extend in a northwest to southeast belt across 200 000 sq. km of central Western Australia. These sub-basins are bounded by Archaean to Proterozoic basement blocks and are almost entirely concealed by a veneer of Permian and Cretaceous sediments. Depth to magnetic basement locally exceeds eight kilometres.

Until recently, information on the sub-surface geology was limited to shallow levels, based on the results of a petroleum exploration campaign in the 1960s and the work of State and Federal Geological Surveys. In 1980, the Shell Company of Australia was awarded three permits (46 200 sq. km) covering the Yowalga and Lennis Sub-basins. The results of 4700 km of seismic data and three deep wildcat wells, combined with gravity, aeromagnetic, Landsat, outcrop and corehole information, has led to a better understanding of the regional subsurface geology.

The Lennis Sub-basin appears to contain Lower to Middle Proterozoic sediments, whereas the Yowalga Sub- basin is primarily an Upper Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian sequence which comprises a basal clastic section, a middle carbonate and evaporite sequence and an upper clastic section. Widespread Middle Cambrian basalts cap the Upper Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian prospective sequence. Late Proterozoic uplift resulted in salt- assisted gravity tectonics leading to complex structural styles, especially in the basin axis.

Despite oil shows, organic matter in the oil and gas generation windows and reservoir-quality sandstones with interbedded shales, no convincing source rocks or hydrocarbon accumulations have yet been located. The area remains, however, one of the least explored basins in Australia.