October 1989 BMR Research Newsletter I I

New study completed on Bonaparte Basin petroleum accumulations

The 33 known petroleum accumulations in the Bonaparte Basin (WA & NT), currently Australia's most active area for petroleum exp•loration, are the focus of a study recently com•pleted by the Reservoir Geology and Regional Assessment groups of BMR's Petroleum Branch . The study is summarised in Austra•lian Petroleum Accumulations Report 5 which was published in August and is available from BMR Publications Sales, price $39.95.

The report summarises all avai lab le data on the character, occurrence , locat ion, and spe•cific features of a ll significant petroleum accu mulatio ns in the basin, compri si ng two economic. nine subeconomic, and 22

TIMOR

un ecomonic accumul ations identified by pet•roleum exploration drilling up until 30 June 19RR (Fig. 6).

The most commercially significant pet•roleum resources are the l abiru and Challis o il fields which were discovered in 1983 and 19R4 by drilling on the weste rn flank of the London•derry High . l abiru was developed in 1986 by means of an innovative floating production facility - a converted tanker (labiru Venture), moored at the wellhead. The Challis field is cur rently the subject of a development appra i•sal study which proposes to use a major float•ing facility based on a purpose-designed barge.

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The data ava ilab le on these and all other petroleum accumulations in the Bonaparte Basin are out lined in the report in the context of the basin's geological setting, structural e le•ments. and the type of petroleum traps , as well as the reservo ir and source rock seque nces (Fig. 7).

Fig. 6. Locations of petroleum accumulations in the Bonaparte Basin together with major structural elements and relevant report plate numbers which show details of each accumula•tion. JDZ: Joint Development Zone, as prop•osed between Australia and Indonesia, Sep•tember 1988.

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INDONESIA --...... , Sahul Platform

/

Ashmore Block

BROWSE BASIN

ACCUMULATION NAME

Avocet Barita Barnett Bonaparte Challis Curlew Dillon Shoals East Swan Eclipse Eider Flamingo

LOCALITY MAP SYMBOL

Av Bt Br B C Cu OS ES Ec Ei F

/

PLATE NUMBER

2 4 3 2 1 4 4 3 4 2 2

\ \

\

BONAPARTE \

BASIN

Kimberley Block

200 km I

ACCUMULATION LOCALITY NAME MAP SYMBOL

Jabiru J Keep River KR Kulshill Kh Lacrosse Lc Lesueur Le Lynedoch Ly Ningbing Nb Oliver 01 Pelican Island Pis Penguin Pg Petrel Pe

\ ~pe

-¢-T \ AUSTRALIA

Pg -¢-\

Wyndham 0

PLATE NUMBER

1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 2 1

PETREL SUB-BASIN Ollc '•

TUOl~Br

ACCUMULATION NAME

Puffin Sahul Shoals Skua Spirit Hill Sunrise Swan Swift Tern Troubadour Turtle Weaber

Darwin Shelf

NT

LOCAlITY PLATE MAP SYMBOL NUMBER

Pu 1 SS 4 Sk 1 SH 4 S 1 Sn 3 Sw 4 T 1 Tr 1 Tu 3 W 4

• Oil -¢- Gas * Oil/ Gas .. Oil show .0 Gas show .Q. Oil/ Gas show * Gas/ Condensate 12/55-8

II

BMR Research Newsletter I I October 1989

BONAPARTE BAS IN PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS STRATIG RAPHY

(rna) AGE STRATIGRA PHIC UNITS ECONOMIC & SUBECONOMIC

0

>- UNDIFFER ENTIATED II: c Sk >= II:

~ ES ... .... 'f 50- HIBERNIA F ORMATION Pu

Late I f Sn II> • I * ::> BATHURS T ISLAND ~

I c..> GR OUP 100- c :;;

~ • Av f II: Early c..>

f ~ Ei

0 r ~ -6-Late FLAMI NGO J S Tr

GRO UP

I * * 150-c..>

]IIl ~ ~ : [Il~~ : II> Middle F II>

C II: •• -Q.-Q. ~ ::> PLOVER FM .., -6-

Early 200- MALITA

FORMATION c..> Late C II> • II> SAHUL GP c Middle II: .... Early MOUNT GOODW IN FORMATION p, T Pg

250- <II

* -¢- -¢-HYLAND BAY FM .... z Late '" c.. ~

w ::J '" 0 :IE FOSSIL HEAD FM .... a:

II: a: l? ... Early 0 0.. r-!-- Kh

f- - --

r 300- KULSHILL a: :;;

w ~ II> GROUP o '" ::> Late a: W C o W II: co a: ... u

Le ... - ? z TANMURRA FORMATION ~ c '" ~UJJJJ IUlJWU 1.lIJ.UUJ..L 8 KR II:

350- c Early MILLI GANS FM vvvu -¢- $ -Q.-6- W c..>

KEEP RI V ER G P g z Late

BONAPARTE NINGBING Lst -6-~ BEDS z Middle COCKATOO FM c >

I l m ml~u. ... Early 400 - c

z Late EVAPORITE c a: DEPOSITS ~

Early ~ ;;;

450- Late • Oil z

~ c Oil show U

Middle -Q. ;; Oil/ Gas show c c II: c Early J JA81RU Av AVOCET 500- PANDER GREEN SAND

6 Il. E C CHALLIS ES EAST SWAN

Late CLARKE FM Pe PETREL Ei EIOER

PRETLOVE Sst ~6g T TERN KR KEEP RIVER

Middle a::a:: LO z SKEWTHORPE FM ;)(!J_

~ S SUNRISE Kh KULSHILL II: HART SPRING FM '" Tr TROU8AOOUR F FLAMINGO 550- :IE c Early TARRARA FORMATION Pu PUFFIN Le LESUEUR c..>

ANTRIM PLATE AU VOLCANICS Pg PENGUIN Sn SWAN B BONAPARTE Sw SWIFT

PRECAMBRIAN METAMO RPHOSED Sk SKUA W WEABER 600 SEDIM ENTS

The report is a major product of the work undertaken in recent years by the Petroleum Branch in compiling strategic information on all identified petroleum resources in Australia's sedimentary basins . and . together with the other reports in this series. stands as a tribute to the late Dr Stan Ozimic. the originator of the series. who died last June. The report is essentially a framework study. which BMR is uniquely able to undertake via

its access to all technical information from offshore exploration and previous petroleum subsidy operations .

12

The Bonaparte Basin study was compiled with the cooperation of petroleum explora•tion operators . Northern Territory and West•e rn Australian Departments of Mines. and BMR data sources . including the BMR Pet•roleum Exploration Database Index (PEDIN).

UNECONOMIC

8t Cu Ly

r -6-

I Sw 01 ~ -6- * Ec

~

DS ~

SS ~

8r

Tu Pis : ~ Lc ~

SH -6- I Nb

~

-¢- Gas

-6- Gas show

* Gas/ Condensate

Br BARNETT Pis PELICAN ISLANO

Bt BAR ITA SS SAHUL SHOALS Cu CURLEW 01 OLIVER OS OILLON SHOALS Lc LACROSSE

Nb NINGBING

Ec ECLIPSE SH SPIRIT HILL Tu TURTLE Ly LYNEOOCH

12 / 55-6

Fig. 7. Stratigraphic framework of the Bonaparte Basin sequence and petroleum accumulations.

Previous repo rts in the series have covered the Amad e us. Bass. Gippsland . and Adava le hasins . For furth er in/ormation, contact Dr Ian Laver•ing at BM R (Reservoir Geology Section, Pet•roleum Branch) .