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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 64

Variation of vertical stress in the McArthur and Beetaloo basins

Rasoul Ranjbarkarami https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6714-4875 A * , Mojtaba Rajabi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0114-3199 A and Parisa Tavoosiiraj A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.




Rasoul Ranjbarkarami is a PhD Candidate in Geomechanics at the School of the Environment, the University of Queensland (UQ). He graduated with an MSc in Petroleum Geoscience from University of Tehran (2013). His research interests are petroleum geomechanics, structural geology, and petrophysical evolution of reservoir rock. Rasoul started his career in 2013 as a Geologist and spent 8 years working for explorational companies in oil and gas before joining the School of Environment at UQ.


Mojtaba Rajabi is an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Senior Research Fellow at the School of the Environment, UQ. He has over 15 years of extensive experience in crustal stress analysis, geomechanics, geomechanical-numerical modelling and petrophysics. Mojtaba graduated with a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Adelaide in 2016. Since 2012, Dr Rajabi has worked on the Australian and World Stress Map projects and is currently the Deputy Head of the World Stress Map project.


Parisa Tavoosiiraj graduated with an MSc in Sedimentology and sedimentary rocks from University of Tehran. Geophysics, reservoir characterisation, and petroleum geomechanics are her areas of interest in research. Parisa began her professional career in 2019 by working in upstream section for 3 years as a Seismic Stratigraphic Interpreter. Parisa is currently is working as a Research Assistant at UQ.
* Correspondence to: r.ranjbarkarami@uq.edu.au

Australian Energy Producers Journal 64 203-218 https://doi.org/10.1071/EP23179
Submitted: 15 December 2023  Accepted: 1 February 2024  Published: 16 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of Australian Energy Producers

Abstract

The McArthur and Beetaloo basins have been the focus of unconventional hydrocarbon exploration, specifically targeting shale gas and tight gas resources. Vertical stress (SV), which is one of the three principal stresses, is a critical parameter in geomechanical analysis of sedimentary basins and has implications in fracture gradient calculation, pore pressure prediction, assessing the present-day stress regime, and hydraulic fracturing design. In addition, variations in vertical stresses can yield additional insights into the tectonic history of an area. In this study, we examine the variability of vertical stress magnitude and vertical stress gradients by employing a systematic analysis of density log and check-shot velocity data obtained from 31 wells located within the McArthur and Beetaloo basins. Our analysis revealed that vertical stress gradients range from 23 to 27 MPa/km (equivalent to ~1.0–1.2 psi/ft), with an average gradient of 25 MPa/km ± 1.0 (1.1 psi/ft). This variability in SV gradients underscores the inadequacy of the commonly assumed 1.0 psi/ft approximation for geomechanical analyses within these basins. The origins of such diverse SV gradients can be attributed to several factors; however, the likely cause of the SV gradient within this region is the presence, thickness, and depth of the shallow high-density volcanic rocks and a complex history of uplift and erosion.

Keywords: Antrim Volcanics, Australian stress pattern, Beetaloo Subbasin, bulk density, in-situ stress, McArthur Basin, wireline density, uplift, vertical stress.

Biographies

EP23179_B1.gif

Rasoul Ranjbarkarami is a PhD Candidate in Geomechanics at the School of the Environment, the University of Queensland (UQ). He graduated with an MSc in Petroleum Geoscience from University of Tehran (2013). His research interests are petroleum geomechanics, structural geology, and petrophysical evolution of reservoir rock. Rasoul started his career in 2013 as a Geologist and spent 8 years working for explorational companies in oil and gas before joining the School of Environment at UQ.

EP23179_B2.gif

Mojtaba Rajabi is an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Senior Research Fellow at the School of the Environment, UQ. He has over 15 years of extensive experience in crustal stress analysis, geomechanics, geomechanical-numerical modelling and petrophysics. Mojtaba graduated with a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Adelaide in 2016. Since 2012, Dr Rajabi has worked on the Australian and World Stress Map projects and is currently the Deputy Head of the World Stress Map project.

EP23179_B3.gif

Parisa Tavoosiiraj graduated with an MSc in Sedimentology and sedimentary rocks from University of Tehran. Geophysics, reservoir characterisation, and petroleum geomechanics are her areas of interest in research. Parisa began her professional career in 2019 by working in upstream section for 3 years as a Seismic Stratigraphic Interpreter. Parisa is currently is working as a Research Assistant at UQ.

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