Unconventional hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Paleoproterozoic Fraynes Formation in Manbulloo S1, Northern Territory
Liuqi Wang A * , Adam H. E. Bailey A , Emmanuelle Grosjean A , Tehani Palu A , Chris Carson A , Lidena K. Carr A , Jade Anderson A , Grace Butcher A , Chris Southby A and Paul A. Henson AA
Liuqi Wang is a Well Analyst at Geoscience Australia working in the Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division. His research interests include petrophysics, static and dynamic reservoir modelling, applied statistics and artificial intelligence. He is a member of PESA and EAGE. |
Adam H. E. Bailey is a Petroleum Geoscientist at Geoscience Australia, with expertise in petroleum geomechanics, structural geology and basin analysis. He graduated with PhD in 2016 from the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. Adam is currently part of the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia, where he currently works on the Exploring for the Future program. |
Emmanuelle Grosjean is an Organic Geochemist at Geoscience Australia working in the Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division. Emmanuelle applies organic geochemistry to assess the hydrocarbon prospectivity of Australia’s offshore and onshore sedimentary basins. Emmanuelle holds a doctorate degree in organic chemistry from the University of Strasbourg, France. Before joining Geoscience Australia in 2005, she worked on the Precambrian petroleum systems of the South Oman Salt Basin as a post-doctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
Tehani J. Palu (nee Kuske) holds a Master’s in Earth Science with first-class honours from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and has been with Geoscience Australia since 2009. Tehani has been a Petroleum Systems Analyst in the Onshore Energy Systems team since 2014 at Geoscience Australia after working on several other related projects including carbon capture and storage monitoring and offshore acreage release. |
Chris Carson has worked in Antarctica, Canadian Arctic, Alaska, New Caledonia and northern and central Australia, specialising in metamorphic petrology, geochronology and structural geology. Joining Geoscience Australia in 2006 he dabbled in SHRIMP geochronology and, in 2017, joined the Onshore Energy program, working in the South Nicholson region of the NT. |
Lidena K. Carr is a geoscientist for the Onshore Energy Systems Project within the Resources Division at Geoscience Australia. She graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) majoring in Geology and Human Ecology with a BA/BSc (Hons) in 2004, and began working as a technical officer at the Research School of Earth Sciences (ANU). In 2007, she joined Geoscience Australia with the then ACRES (satellite imagery), in 2009, she moved to the then Onshore Energy and Mineral Division to work as a seismic interpreter and basin analyst. Currently, she is the Acting Director of the Onshore Energy Systems directorate working on the Exploring for the Future program. She is a member of PESA and GSA. |
Jade Anderson works as a Geoscientist in basin systems at Geoscience Australia. She completed a PhD at the University of Adelaide in 2015, in the areas of metamorphic geology, geochronology and Proterozoic Australia tectonics. |
Grace Butcher is a Geologist at Geoscience Australia. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in 2010 from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds. Working with the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia. Grace is currently working on the flagship Exploring for the Future program in Northern Australia, specifically the NDI Carrara 1 drill hole and newly discovered Carrara Sub-basin. |
Chris Southby is a geoscientist in the Geoscience Australia Resources Division, Energy Systems Branch. He completed his Honours at Australian National University in 2004, on paleo-climate geochemistry of corals from Papua New Guinea. Since joining Geoscience Australia in 2008 he has contributed to a number of projects including the National Carbon Mapping and Infrastructure Plan, the Vlaming Sub-basin CO2 Storage Assessment, and the Houtman Sub-basin Prospectivity Project. He is now part of the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia, currently working under the Exploring for the Future project initiative. |
Paul A. Henson graduated from the University of Tasmania and is currently Director of the Onshore Energy Systems Section at Geoscience Australia. He has extensive experience in the minerals sector working on mineral systems in Proterozoic and Archaean terranes. Since 2010 he led the Australian Governments’ onshore carbon storage program, undertaking deep onshore drilling and seismic acquisition programs in collaboration with the states and industry. In addition, he now manages the Exploring for the Future – Energy Program leading a team of researchers to acquire new pre-competitive geoscientific data to improve our understanding of the oil and gas potential of Australian onshore basins. |
Abstract
The Paleoproterozoic Fraynes Formation in the Birrindudu Basin is a chronostratigraphic equivalent to the prospective Barney Creek Formation in the McArthur Basin and yet a comparable understanding of its source potential is lacking. As part of Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program, this study aims to assess the hydrocarbon generating potential and shale gas prospectivity of the Fraynes Formation in the exploration drill hole Manbulloo S1 through the reconstruction of the original source-rock characteristics and well log interpretation. Internal units inside the Fraynes Formation were defined according to sedimentary facies. The hydrocarbon generation potential was estimated from the calculated original total organic carbon content, hydrogen index and thermal maturity data measured from bitumen reflectance data. The shale total porosity was re-interpreted from bulk density logs by removing the organic matter effect, adding organic porosity for the organic-rich shales, and updating the water saturation. The maximum amount of gas generated from the organic-rich source rocks is 3969, 2769 and 1912 Mcf/a-ft assuming the kerogen compositions of 100% Type I, mix of 50–50% Type I and II, and 100% Type II, respectively. The richness of organic matter and interpreted water saturation (<100%) imply favourable shale gas prospectivity in the Fraynes Formation. This work expands our knowledge on the potential unconventional energy resources in the west of the greater McArthur Basin.
Keywords: Exploring for the Future, Fraynes Formation, generated gas, greater McArthur Basin, Northern Territory, paleoproterozoic, petrophysical interpretation, shale gas, total organic carbon, unconventional hydrocarbon prospectivity.
Liuqi Wang is a Well Analyst at Geoscience Australia working in the Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division. His research interests include petrophysics, static and dynamic reservoir modelling, applied statistics and artificial intelligence. He is a member of PESA and EAGE. |
Adam H. E. Bailey is a Petroleum Geoscientist at Geoscience Australia, with expertise in petroleum geomechanics, structural geology and basin analysis. He graduated with PhD in 2016 from the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. Adam is currently part of the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia, where he currently works on the Exploring for the Future program. |
Emmanuelle Grosjean is an Organic Geochemist at Geoscience Australia working in the Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division. Emmanuelle applies organic geochemistry to assess the hydrocarbon prospectivity of Australia’s offshore and onshore sedimentary basins. Emmanuelle holds a doctorate degree in organic chemistry from the University of Strasbourg, France. Before joining Geoscience Australia in 2005, she worked on the Precambrian petroleum systems of the South Oman Salt Basin as a post-doctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
Tehani J. Palu (nee Kuske) holds a Master’s in Earth Science with first-class honours from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and has been with Geoscience Australia since 2009. Tehani has been a Petroleum Systems Analyst in the Onshore Energy Systems team since 2014 at Geoscience Australia after working on several other related projects including carbon capture and storage monitoring and offshore acreage release. |
Chris Carson has worked in Antarctica, Canadian Arctic, Alaska, New Caledonia and northern and central Australia, specialising in metamorphic petrology, geochronology and structural geology. Joining Geoscience Australia in 2006 he dabbled in SHRIMP geochronology and, in 2017, joined the Onshore Energy program, working in the South Nicholson region of the NT. |
Lidena K. Carr is a geoscientist for the Onshore Energy Systems Project within the Resources Division at Geoscience Australia. She graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) majoring in Geology and Human Ecology with a BA/BSc (Hons) in 2004, and began working as a technical officer at the Research School of Earth Sciences (ANU). In 2007, she joined Geoscience Australia with the then ACRES (satellite imagery), in 2009, she moved to the then Onshore Energy and Mineral Division to work as a seismic interpreter and basin analyst. Currently, she is the Acting Director of the Onshore Energy Systems directorate working on the Exploring for the Future program. She is a member of PESA and GSA. |
Jade Anderson works as a Geoscientist in basin systems at Geoscience Australia. She completed a PhD at the University of Adelaide in 2015, in the areas of metamorphic geology, geochronology and Proterozoic Australia tectonics. |
Grace Butcher is a Geologist at Geoscience Australia. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in 2010 from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds. Working with the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia. Grace is currently working on the flagship Exploring for the Future program in Northern Australia, specifically the NDI Carrara 1 drill hole and newly discovered Carrara Sub-basin. |
Chris Southby is a geoscientist in the Geoscience Australia Resources Division, Energy Systems Branch. He completed his Honours at Australian National University in 2004, on paleo-climate geochemistry of corals from Papua New Guinea. Since joining Geoscience Australia in 2008 he has contributed to a number of projects including the National Carbon Mapping and Infrastructure Plan, the Vlaming Sub-basin CO2 Storage Assessment, and the Houtman Sub-basin Prospectivity Project. He is now part of the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia, currently working under the Exploring for the Future project initiative. |
Paul A. Henson graduated from the University of Tasmania and is currently Director of the Onshore Energy Systems Section at Geoscience Australia. He has extensive experience in the minerals sector working on mineral systems in Proterozoic and Archaean terranes. Since 2010 he led the Australian Governments’ onshore carbon storage program, undertaking deep onshore drilling and seismic acquisition programs in collaboration with the states and industry. In addition, he now manages the Exploring for the Future – Energy Program leading a team of researchers to acquire new pre-competitive geoscientific data to improve our understanding of the oil and gas potential of Australian onshore basins. |
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