A Mesoproterozoic (~1.25 Ga) ‘fossilised’ oil column in the Moroak Sandstone of the Beetaloo Sub-basin, NT
Richard Kempton
A * , Siyumini Perera A , Mohinudeen Faiz B and Michael Verrall A
A
B
Richard Kempton holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from the University of Western Australia. Richard is a Senior Research Scientist with the Geofluids Team at CSIRO Energy in Perth and is a domain expert in fluid inclusions with 20+ years’ experience in reconstructing charge histories for petroleum systems analysis. More recently, he has been working on CO2 and hydrogen-related projects and geological applications of machine learning. Prior to joining CSIRO, Richard worked for the Queensland Gas Company. He is a member of PESA and the Geological Society of Australia. |
Siyumini Perera recently obtained her PhD from the University of Queensland, where she focussed on Early Paleozoic biostratigraphy and imaging of microfossils using micro-computed tomography. Since early 2023, she has joined the Geofluids Team at CSIRO Energy in Perth as a Research Technician and conducts various analyses to quantify and characterise geofluids within sedimentary basins and basement. |
Mohinudeen Faiz is a Geoscientist with 30+ years’ experience in petroleum exploration, development and research activities. Faiz holds PhD and MSc degrees from the University of Wollongong (Australia) and a BSc (Hons) degree from the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka). He is currently a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Energy where he focuses on basin modelling for petroleum systems and low-emission natural energy sources. Previously, Faiz worked at Origin Energy where he was an organic geochemistry and petroleum systems modelling subject matter expert and contributed to both conventional and unconventional exploration and production projects in various basins in Australia and overseas. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, PESA and International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology. |
Michael Verrall is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO and is the Manager of the Electron Beam and X-ray Laboratories at the Australian Resource Research Centre. His interests are in scientific instrumentation and developing scanning electron microscopy and X-ray based techniques for automated mineralogy. Michael has a BSc degree in physics and previous experience working in the mining industry and also works as a Radiation Safety Officer for CSIRO. |
Abstract
The Beetaloo Sub-basin hosts a large unconventional ‘shale gas’ resource within organic-rich Mesoproterozoic shales of the Velkerri and Kyalla formations; however, little has been done to understand conventional oil charge to the associated sandstone reservoirs. Using Grains containing Oil Inclusions, we show that an ancient ‘fossilised’ oil column once existed at the top of the Moroak Sandstone in the Elliott-1 well. The column had a minimum height of 18.02 m, with a possible paleo–oil–water contact at the base of a resistive zone on logs at ~1348 m and a change in core colour. Fluid inclusion oil is entrapped in quartz cement and is inferred to be a light oil of >42°API gravity from its near-blue fluorescence colour. Post-oil solid bitumen is still present in the reservoir sandstone, and we assert that this helped to retard the crystallisation of quartz cement that elsewhere occluded porosity. From burial history models that utilise a refined source rock maturity evaluation method, we claim this to be the remnant of Australia’s oldest yet known conventional oil accumulation at ~1.25 Ga. Analogous bituminous paleo-reservoirs from the North China Craton, dated at 1327 ± 2 Ma, were likely sourced from similar oil-prone cyanobacterial shales that formed during their shared connection with the North Australian Craton on the ancient supercontinent Nuna during the Mesoproterozoic.
Keywords: Beetaloo Sub-basin, burial history, fluid inclusions, GOI, McArthur Basin, Mesoproterozoic, Moroak Sandstone, North Australian Craton, North China Craton, Nuna, oil, petroleum supersystems, Roper Group, solid bitumen, Velkerri Formation.
Richard Kempton holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from the University of Western Australia. Richard is a Senior Research Scientist with the Geofluids Team at CSIRO Energy in Perth and is a domain expert in fluid inclusions with 20+ years’ experience in reconstructing charge histories for petroleum systems analysis. More recently, he has been working on CO2 and hydrogen-related projects and geological applications of machine learning. Prior to joining CSIRO, Richard worked for the Queensland Gas Company. He is a member of PESA and the Geological Society of Australia. |
Siyumini Perera recently obtained her PhD from the University of Queensland, where she focussed on Early Paleozoic biostratigraphy and imaging of microfossils using micro-computed tomography. Since early 2023, she has joined the Geofluids Team at CSIRO Energy in Perth as a Research Technician and conducts various analyses to quantify and characterise geofluids within sedimentary basins and basement. |
Mohinudeen Faiz is a Geoscientist with 30+ years’ experience in petroleum exploration, development and research activities. Faiz holds PhD and MSc degrees from the University of Wollongong (Australia) and a BSc (Hons) degree from the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka). He is currently a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Energy where he focuses on basin modelling for petroleum systems and low-emission natural energy sources. Previously, Faiz worked at Origin Energy where he was an organic geochemistry and petroleum systems modelling subject matter expert and contributed to both conventional and unconventional exploration and production projects in various basins in Australia and overseas. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, PESA and International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology. |
Michael Verrall is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO and is the Manager of the Electron Beam and X-ray Laboratories at the Australian Resource Research Centre. His interests are in scientific instrumentation and developing scanning electron microscopy and X-ray based techniques for automated mineralogy. Michael has a BSc degree in physics and previous experience working in the mining industry and also works as a Radiation Safety Officer for CSIRO. |
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