Summary of Petroleum Prospectivity: Canning Basin · 3 Summary of Petroleum Prospectivity: Canning Basin Petroleum geology of the Canning Basin Introduction The onshore Canning Basin

Summary of Petroleum Prospectivity:

Canning Basin

February 2017

PERTH

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

CANNING

BASIN

Contents

Petroleum geology of the Canning Basin

Introduction ........................................................................................... 3

Location and size of the Canning Basin ............................................... 3

Tectonic elements ................................................................................. 3

Basin subdivisions ................................................................................ 4

Stratigraphy .......................................................................................... 6

Exploration history ................................................................................ 7

Production ...........................................................................................10

Petroleum systems ..............................................................................10

Plays ....................................................................................................16

Other aspects of the Canning Basin

Infrastructure and markets ..................................................................19

Land access, climate, and land use ....................................................19

Selected references ................................................................................. 21

3

Summary of Petroleum Prospectivity: Canning Basin

Petroleum geology of the Canning Basin

IntroductionThe onshore Canning Basin is a large, intracratonic, predominantly Paleozoic basin that ranges in age from Ordovician to Cretaceous. It is significantly under explored for hydrocarbon resources, with relatively minor oil and gas production, although widespread shows at many stratigraphic levels and in different geological settings show that there are four active petroleum systems. Despite these positive indicators, the Canning Basin may be the least explored Paleozoic basin in the world. Further exploration is warranted given that:

• TheCanningBasinhasclosetosixwells/10000km2, compared with the PaleozoicbasinsofNorthAmericawhichaverage500wells/10000km2.

• Onlyasmallnumberofvalidstructuraltestsexistinthebasin.

• Therearemorethan130giantandsupergiantoilfieldsandgasfieldswithPaleozoic sources and reservoirs that are similar to the Canning Basin, including basins in North America, North Africa, and the North Caspian Basin of Kazakhstan and Russia.

• TheUSEnergyInformationAgencyreportedin2013thattheCanningBasinhas the largest shale gas potential in Australia, and in fact the eighth largest in the world; they estimated it has in excess of 225 TCF of recoverable shale gas based on the Goldwyer Formation play alone.

• Further exploration could behighly successful basedon thepresenceoffive discovered oilfields, new gas discoveries, widespread and numerous petroleum shows, a huge shale gas potential, and low well density.

• There are established pathways tomarkets:Oil is being trucked to theKwinana oil refinery in the Perth metropolitan area and, in the past, it was also exported from the port of Broome. A gas pipeline runs along the southern margin of the Canning Basin to Telfer, the site of one of Australia’s largest gold mines.

Location and size of the Canning Basin• Central northernWesternAustralia, approximately 1500 kmnortheast of

Perth

• ThelargestsedimentarybasininWesternAustralia

• Onshoreareaofabout530000km2 and offshore area of about 110 000 km2.

Tectonic elementsThe Canning Basin initially developed in the Early Paleozoic as an intracratonic sag between the Precambrian Pilbara and Kimberley Cratons.

• Significanttectoniceventsaffectedthebasininthe:

- Early Ordovician (extension and rapid subsidence)

- Early Devonian (compression and erosion)

- Late Devonian (extension and subsidence)

- Middle and late Carboniferous to Permian (compression then subsidence)

- Early Jurassic (transpressional uplift and erosion).

• ThesouthernCanningBasinislessintenselydeformedthanthenorthernpart, which underwent major fault block movements.

4


Ungani 1

Great Sandy 1

Leo 1

Cudalgarra 1

Ellendale 1

Edgar Range 1

Looma 1

Dodonea 1

ARG203b 04/02/14

KIMBERLEYBASIN

Kidson Sub-Basin

Crossland Platform

Broome PlatformWillara

Sub-basin

LennardFitzroy

Trough

Betty Terrace

Balgo Terrace

BillilunaShelf

Gregory

Sub-basinAnketell Shelf

Arch

Tabletop Shelf

Rya

n S

helf

Terrace

MowlaTerrace

JurgurraTerrace

16°

18°

20°

22°

24°

120° 122° 124° 126° 128°

25 km

PILBARACRATON

Wallal

Platform

Pender Terrace

WarriArch

OFFICERBASIN

GUNBARRELBASIN

(over Officer Basin)

600 km

PERTH

Jone

s Arch

Kalgoorlie

Port Hedland

Derby

Mirbelia 1

Barbwire

St George Range 1Pictor 1

Pictor 2

Yulleroo 1Sundown 1

Ellendale 1Crimson Lake 1

Shelf

Boronia 1Blina 1Janpam North 1

Point Torment 1Point Torment 1Deepening

Kora 1West Kora 1 Meda 1

Terrace 1West Terrace 1

Canning Basin (offshore/onshore)

Other tectonic elements

Oil producer

Excellent/good oil show

Gas producer

Excellent/good gas show

Munro

Valhalla 1

Lloyd 1Boundary 1

Figure 1. Tectonic elements of the Canning Basin and wells with oil and gas occurrences

Basin subdivisionsThe Canning Basin is subdivided into a series of troughs, sub-basins, platforms, shelves, and terraces, bounded by northwesterly–southeasterly trending, syndepositional fault systems (Fig. 1).

5


The basin subdivisions are based on present-day structural elements. However, growth faulting initially developed some of these, and troughs developed and were active at different times during the basin’s history.

Two major northwest-trending troughs are separated by a mid-basin arch and bounded by marginal shelves.

• The northern depocentre is divided into the FitzroyTrough and theGregory Sub-basin (Fig. 2), which are estimated to contain up to 15 km of predominantly Paleozoic rocks. The Lennard Shelf, to the north of the Fitzroy Trough, is the most intensively explored part of the basin and contains commercial oilfields (Fig. 1).

• ThesoutherntroughincludestheKidsonandWillaraSub-basins,inwhichthere are thinner sedimentary successions (4–5 km thick) of predominantly Ordovician to Silurian and Permian rocks, with extensive Mesozoic cover. The Kidson Sub-basin has thick salt seals, but hydrocarbon potential has not been properly tested, with very little exploration to date.

• ThecentralarchisdividedintotheBroomeandCrosslandPlatforms,andstructural terraces step down from it into both depocentres (Fig. 2). The Broome Platform and its terraces have a thinner sedimentary section, but have had many good oil shows, and oil and gas flows.

• ThesouthwesternCanningBasinisdefinedbyrelativelythinsuccessionsontheAnketellShelf,andacomplexseriesofhorstsandgrabens:theWallalEmbayment,WallalPlatform,andSamphireGraben.

NORTH-EAST VIEW

Kidson Sub-basin

Willara

Sub-basin

Fitzroy Sub-basin

Pilbara Craton

Kimberley Block

Crossland Platform

Broome Platform

Lennard Shelf

Gregory Sub-basin

RB74 04/02/14

N

Figure 2. Image of interpreted depth-to-basement for the Canning Basin (adapted from Fig. 4–16c, SRK Consulting Pty Ltd, 1998)

6


StratigraphyThe onshore Canning Basin succession consists of Ordovician to Cretaceous sedimentary rocks overlying Proterozoic–Archean basement, but it is predominantly Paleozoic in age (Fig. 3).

?

?

?

Breakup Unconformity

Jura

ssic

–Cre

tace

ous

exte

nsio

nal e

vent

s of

fsho

re

FitzroyTranspression

maj

or o

ffsho

resu

bsi

den

ce

Meda Tran-spression

exte

nsio

nal

mov

emen

ts

Prices CreekMovement

SamphireMarsh

Movement

Alic

e S

pri

ng

s O

rog

eny

Sundown 1

Boundary

Lloyd oilfield

West KoraPoint Torment

Crimson Lake

Pictor

Dodonea oil

Dodonea gas

Kora

Lara

pint

ine

2L3

L4G

ondw

anan

1

West Terrace

Sundown 2

Fm. Formation

GroupGp

Oil and gas show

Oil show

Gas show

Oil well or field

Gas well

SandstoneSs.

Visean

Tournaisian

Framennian

Frasnian

Middle

Lower

Llandovery

Upper

Middle

Lower

WenlockLudlowPridoli

Mis

siss

ippi

anU

pper

Car

bo

nif

ero

us

Cambrian

?

?

359

419

444

485

Dev

on

ian

Silu

rian

Ord

ovic

ian

TandalgooFm.

WorralFm.

CarranyaFm.

PricesCreek Gp

Nita Fm.

Mallowa Salt CarribuddyGroup

ReefComplexes

Fairfield Group

South North

252

66

145

201

Stratigraphy

Upper

Lower

Upper

Middle

Lower

Upper

MiddleLower

Lopingian

Guadalupian

Cisuralian

Pennsylvanian

Serpukhovian

Cre

tace

ou

sJu

rass

icTr

iass

icP

erm

ian

Reeves Fm.

Grant Group

Poole Sandstone

Lightjack Fm.

Blina Sh.

ErskineSs.

Broome Sandstone

EpochAg

e(M

a)

Per

iod

299

Bejah Claystone Anketell Fm.Samuel

Fm. Frezier

Ss. Parda Fm.

Melligo Ss.

Callawa/CroninFms

Alexander Fm.

Wallal Ss.Barbwire Ss.

Blina Shale

Millyit Ss.Liveringa Gp

Noonkanbah Fm.

AndersonFm.

Yellow Drum Fm.Gumhole Fm.

MellinjerieFm.

ClappRidgeFm.

Sahara Fm.

Nibil Fm.Minjoo SaltBongabinni Fm.

Goldwyer Fm.Willara Fm.

Wilson Cliffs Ss.

Precambrian

Laurel Fm.

Jarlemai Fm.

Tectonicevents

So

urc

e

Res

ervo

ir

Sea

lSelected

hydrocarbon occurrences

Legend

Sandstone

Shale

Mixed siliciclasticand coal

Carbonate

Carbonate–shale

Evaporite

Basement

Sandstone

Shale

Conglomerate

Diamictite

Dominant lithology

Secondary lithology

RB92 04/02/14

Nambeet Fm.?

?

?

?

UnconformityDisconformity

basement

?

Pet

role

um

syst

em

Yulleroo

Blina 2Janpam North

MirbeliaMeda oil

Ungani

Boronia

Ellendale

St GeorgesRange

Terrace

Blina 1

Meda gas

Valhalla

Figure 3. Generalized stratigraphy of the Canning Basin, with major petroleum elements and hydrocarbon occurrences indicated

7


Table 1. Generalized stratigraphy of the Canning Basin

Age Stratigraphy

Mesozoic • Basin is capped by a relatively thin Mesozoic section (mainlyUpperJurassicandLowerCretaceous),whichisnot considered to have petroleum potential onshore.

UpperCarboniferous –Permian

• The Grant Gp and Reeves Fm. (in the north) unconformably overlie Paleozoic units in places, and basement rocks along the Anketell Shelf.

• The glacial Grant Gp is a known reservoir on the Lennard Shelf and northern Fitzroy Trough.

• The remainder of the shallow marine to fluvial Permian section comprises the Poole Sandstone, shaly Noonkanbah Fm., and Liveringa Gp.

• All formations, except the Reeves Fm., are exposed on the northern Fitzroy Trough and Lennard Shelf.

Regional unconformity

• Erosion, caused by basin-wide uplift associated with the Meda Transpression, separates the lower Carboniferous from the upper Carboniferous succession (between the Anderson and Reeves Fms).

Devonian – Lower Carboniferous

• A complex megasequence is present across much of the northern Canning Basin, ranging from marine reef and basin complexes in the north (best developed on the Lennard Shelf) to non-marine and marginal marine successions in the south.

• This succession was never deposited across much of the southwestern basin. Any remnants are likely restricted to the Tandalgoo Sandstone, which often displays excellent reservoir properties.

Ordovician to Silurian

• The oldest megasequence begins with the shallow marine Nambeet,Willara,Goldwyer,andNitaFormations,inascending order, capped by the marginal marine evaporitic andredbedCarribuddyGroupandWorralFm.

Early Ordovician • Regional deposition in the basin consists of shallow marine carbonate and clastic facies that commenced in response to the extensional Samphire Marsh Movement.

Major compressional tectonic events influenced the basin and correlate with its most significant unconformities:

Age of unconformity Compressional eventLate Triassic to Early Jurassic Fitzroy Transpression Late Carboniferous Meda Transpression Early Devonian Prices Creek Movement

Exploration historyExploration in the Canning Basin has taken place during three principal periods.

1919–1920s

• ExplorationinterestintheCanningBasinbeganin1919,afterwaterboresshowed traces of oil at Prices Creek in the Pillara Range. Three of the four Prices Creek wells yielded traces of oil in massive limestone, which was thought to be lower Carboniferous in age.

• PetroleumexplorationactivitybeganintheCanningBasinintheearly1920s,when the Freney Oil Company encountered asphaltic shows in drill holes on the Lennard Shelf. Minor exploration followed, with Associated Australian Oilfields joining the search.

8


1980s–1990s

• In1979and1980,eventsinIranandIraqledtoincreasedworldoilprices.

• ExplorationintensifiedwhentheBureauofMineralResources(BMR,nowGeoscienceAustralia) andWestAustralianPetroleumPty Ltd. (WAPET)conducted gravity, magnetic, and seismic reflection surveys.

• Therewasanexplorationboomin the1980s,withHomeEnergy,Amoco,IEDC,Mobil,WMC,BHP,BridgeOilandothersjoiningthesearch.

• In1981,HomeEnergymadethefirstcommercialoildiscoveryinthebasinwith their Blina 1 well, which was drilled on a prominent seismic anomaly above the edge of the Lennard Shelf. It initially recovered oil from the Fairfield Group overlying a Devonian reef.

• In1982,HomeEnergyalsodiscoveredoilintheGrantGroupandAndersonFormation in the Sundown 1 well.

• Up until themid-1980s, exploration largely focusedon the northern andcentral parts of the Canning Basin. The primary exploration targets were Devonian and Permian–Carboniferous strata. Many exploration wells had shows, especially oil, but only five discoveries resulted in commercial fields: theBlina,Boundary,Lloyd,SundownandWestTerraceoilfields.

• ThesubsaltOrdoviciansectionwasthetargetofcompaniessuchasShell;hydrocarbons were recovered from its Looma 1 well in 1996. This was the first proof of mature, migrated oil from a southern Canning Basin kitchen (Kidson Sub-basin) providing a new exploration play.

2009–2017

• In2009,BuruEnergycompletedthefirst3DseismicsurveyintheCanningBasin – the Bunda Survey.

• In2010,MitsubishifarmedintoBuruEnergyacreageandprovidedcapitalinvestment for an active exploration program.

• In October 2011, Buru Energy’s Ungani 1 well intersected light oil (~37 degrees API gravity) in dolomitised limestone of the Carboniferous Laurel Formation. The original target was wet gas in sandstone! This new play discovery was the first significant oil discovery in the Canning Basin since the 1980s and it generated renewed interest. This was reflected in a higher level of bidding for Canning Basin acreage in subsequent work program bidding rounds.

• Burualsodiscoveredgasin2011,intheLaurelFormationattheirValhallaprospectandconductedsuccessfulappraisaldrillingatValhallaandattheirYulleroo gasfield from 2010 and 2013.

• TheUngani3DseismicsurveywascompletedinOctober2013.

• USEnergy InformationAdministration reports in2011and2013 identifiedthe basin as having in excess of 225 TCF of recoverable shale gas based on the Goldwyer Formation play alone. The Australian Council of Learned Academies confirmed this assessment and calculated a further 38 TCF of recoverable shale gas in the Laurel Formation.

• In 2012 and 2013NewStandard drilled explorationwells targeting the Ordovician Goldwyer Formation shale, including Nicolay 1 and Gibb-Maitland 1.

• InJuly-August2015FinderExplorationdrilledtheTheia1wellontheBroomePlatform. The well also targeted the Goldwyer liquids rich resource play. Theia 1 had oil and gas shows, and indications of overpressure.

• Ungani FarWest 1 well was spudded in November 2015.The wellencountered a 5 m sandstone interval at the top of the Anderson Formation at a depth of some 1560 m with good permeability (~450 md), from which a 41.5 degree API oil sample was recovered. This discovery represents a

9


Figure 4. Map of the Canning Basin showing 2D seismic lines, 3D seismic surveys and petroleum wells

new play type for the area. In addition, cores recovered from the top of the UnganiDolomitedisplayedwelldevelopedvugularporositywithstrongmudgas shows and oil bleeding from cores.

• Burudrilledafurthersixwellsinthebasininthepasttwoyears,andshotnearly 800 km2 of 3D seismic. They also performed successful hydraulic fracture testingatValhallaNorth 1 andAsgard1, as part of their LaurelFormation tight gas project.

• AsofFebruary2017,over300wellshadbeendrilledonshore.Drillinghasbeen accompanied by acquisition of 90 000 line km of 2D seismic and 1207 km2 of 3D seismic, all onshore (Fig. 4).

Derby

Broome

Marble Bar

Halls Creek

Fitzroy Crossing

Goldsworthy

Telfer

Gas pipeline

Seismic line

3D Seismic survey

200 km

RB69d 06.02.17

Petroleum well

Coast

Town

128°126°124°122°120°

16°

18°

20°

22°

24°

26°

NO

RTH

ER

N T

ER

RIT

OR

Y

WE

STE

RN

AU

STR

ALI

A

CANNING BASIN

INDIANOCEAN

1000 km

WA

NT

SA

QLD

NSW

VIC

TAS

10


Petroleum supersystem

Source age FormationSelected hydrocarbon occurrences

Vagrantormixedsource

Devonian Unknown Mirbelia

Gondwanan 1 Permian Noonkanbah Fm. Cycas

Larapintine 4Early Carboniferous

Anderson Fm. Lloyd, Boundary

Larapintine 3Laurel Fm. (Fairfield Gp)

Sundown,WestTerrace,WestKora,PointTorment

Larapintine 3 Late Devonian Gogo Fm. Blina

Larapintine 2 Ordovician Bongabinni Fm. (Carribuddy Gp)

Goldwyer Fm.

Barbwire Terrace (Dodonea, Percival, Solanum)

MowlaTerrace (Pictor, EdgarRange);WillaraSub-basin (Cudalgarra, Great Sandy, Leo); Broome Platform (Looma)

Production

• A few small fields on the LennardShelf produced fromCarboniferous–Permian clastics.However, theBoundary, Sundown, andWestTerraceoilfields are depleted.

• Oilwasproducedfrom1983to2013fromUpperDevonianreservoirintervalsattheBlinaoilfield.World-renownedDevonianreefsexposedintheLennardShelf provide an excellent insight into the subsurface carbonate geology.

• AsignificantdiscoverywasmadeatUnganiinOctober2011,onthesouthernmargin of the Fitzroy Trough in Lower Carboniferous Laurel Formation dolomites. The well flowed at 1647 barrels of oil per day (BOPD), on a ½ inch choke. An Extended Production Test (EPT) commenced in December 2013 to test reservoir performance and extent, before the field was restarted under a Production Licence which was secured in July 2015. Production was shut-in in January 2016, pending an increase in the oil price.

Petroleum systemsPaleozoic petroleum systems recognized within the onshore Canning Basin are summarized in Table 2 and Figures 5 and 6.

Table 2. Summary of Paleozoic petroleum systems in the Canning Basin

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Fair shows

Poor showsExcellent shows

Good shows Good source rocks

Wells drilled (no shows)

ARG231a 04/02/14

100 km

121° 122° 123° 124° 125° 126° 127° 128°

Boundary 1

Lloyd 1-3

Point Torment 1

Wattle 1/ST1

West Kora 1

Cudalgarra 1Dodonea 1

Edgar Range 1

Great Sandy 1Leo 1

Percival 1

Pictor 1-2

Carboniferous sourced oil

Devonian sourced oil

Ordovician sourced oil

Tabletop Shelf

Kidson Sub-basin

CANNING BASIN

Ryan Shelf

GregorySub-basin

BalgoTerrace

BillilunaShelf

Crossland PlatformAnketell

Shelf

Munro Arch

Samphire G

raben

Wallal Platform

Wallal E

mploym

ent

Waukarlycarly

Embaym

ent

Jones Arch

Betty Terrace

BarbwireTerrace

Broome Platform

WillaraSub-basin

Fitzroy Trough

LennardShelf

23°

22°

21°

20°

19°

18°

17°

Janpam North 1Blina 1-7Boronia 1Ellendale 1

West Terrace 1-2

Figure 5. Petroleum system classification of oil shows in the Canning Basin (adapted from Ghori and Haines, 2007)

Permian Lower Carboniferous Devonian Ordovician

1 10 100TOC (%)

1

10

100

1000Excellent

Very good

Good

Fair

Poor

S m

g/g

rock

2

380 400 420 440 460 480 500T (°C)max

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Oil-prone

Oil- andgas-prone

Gas-prone

0.5% Ro

1.35% Ro

Hyd

roge

n in

dex

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Stains orshows

Immature

Oil window

Wet-gas

zone

Dry-gas

zone

Pro

duct

ion

inde

x

380 400 420 440 460 480 500T (°C)max

Generating potential Kerogen type Thermal maturity

SNA76 04/02/14

Figure 6. Geochemical evaluation of the Canning Basin’s Ordovician, Devonian, lower Carboniferous and Permian source rocks (adapted from Ghori, 2013)

12


Anderson Formation (Carboniferous)

• Good source rock• Limited to the Fitzroy Trough and Lennard Shelf

Laurel Formation (lower Carboniferous)

• Goodtoexcellentsourcerock• LimitedtotheFitzroyTroughandLennardShelf• EnteredthepeakoilwindowatvarioustimesbetweentheCarboniferousand

Mesozoic• Post-matureinareastothesouthwest(Fig.7)• ProbablyimmatureonpartsoftheLennardShelfandboundingterraces

RB82 04/02/1425km

Canning Basin

Oil

Gas mature

No Data

Extent of Laurel* unknown

Laurel* eroded*Lower Laurel Member of the Laurel Fm.

Tectonic unit boundary

Petroleum Well

KidsonSub-basin

Fitzroy Trough

Broome Platform

Jurgurra Terrace

Crossland Platform

Anketell S

helfLennard Shelf

TabletopShelf Ryan

Shelf

Gregory

Sub-basin

Willara Sub-basin

Mun

ro A

rch

Balgo Terrace

Betty Terrace

Barbwire

Terrace

BillilunaShelf

Pender Terrace

Jones Arch

CANNINGBASIN

KIMBERLEYCRATON

INDIANOCEAN

PILBARACRATON

OFFICER BASIN

Broome

Admiral BayFault Zone

HallsCreek

Oscar Range Pinnacle

Fault SystemFitzroyRiver

Valhalla

ParadiseUngani

Asgard

St GeorgeRange

McLarty

Pictor

Sundown

Blina

Kora

Yarrada

Puratte

Yulleroo

Nita Downs

Anna Plains

MunroPegasus

Kemp Field

Nicolay

Sahara

Frankenstein

Auld

Kidson

Patience

Wilson CliffsContention

Heights

Looma

Sally May

Percival

Lake Hevern

Dampier Fenton Zone

128°126°124°122°120°

18°

20°

22°

mature

Source Rocks

Effective Paleozoic source rocks are found in the Canning Basin and the principal source rocks are summarized below. Figure 3 shows the stratigraphic relationships.

Figure 7. Laurel Formation prospectivity map, Canning Basin

13


Gogo Formation (Devonian)

• Goodsourcerock

• TheGogoandLaurelFormationsarethemainsuprasaltsourcerocksinthecentral Canning Basin.

• TheDevonianreefcomplexiswithinpeakoilgenerationoverlargeareasonthe bounding terraces and shelves, and is post-mature in the Fitzroy Trough.

Bongabinni Formation (base of Carribuddy Group, Ordovician)

• Containsbedsofrichoil-andgas-pronesourcerocklocallyalongtheAdmiralBay Fault Zone.

• ItcouldpotentiallyextendintothedepocentreoftheKidsonSub-basin,butthe distribution of the source rocks is not well known.

Goldwyer Formation (Ordovician)

• EquatedwithglobalCambrian–Ordoviciansourcerocksandregionallywithsource rocks of the Mereenie oilfield (Amadeus Basin).

• Goodoilsourcerockwithgoodpotentialforlargeshalegasresources.

• Relatively deep-water, shaly facies contain excellent source rocks at twostratigraphic levels on the Barbwire and Mowla Terraces and northern Broome Platform.

• Post-matureinthedeeperpartsoftheFitzroyTroughandBroomePlatform(Fig. 8).

• ImmaturealongtheBroomePlatformnearthepresentcoastline;currentlyinthe peak oil generating window.

• Goodsourcepotential is likelyelsewhere,suchas theKidsonSub-basin,although the distribution of source rock facies is poorly constrained, owing to limited reliable data.

• The formation is also considered to have significant shale gas potential,although commercial production has yet to be realised.

14


RB83 07/01/1425km

Extent of Goldwyer unknown

Goldwyer eroded

KidsonSub-basin

Fitzroy Trough

Broome Platform

Jurgurra Terrace

Crossland Platform

Anketell S

helf

Lennard Shelf

TabletopShelf Ryan

Shelf

Gregory Sub-basin

WillaraSub-basin

Mun

ro A

rch Balgo Terrace

Betty Terrace

Barbwire

Terrace

BillilunaShelf

Jones Arch

CANNINGBASIN

KIMBERLEYCRATON

INDIANOCEAN

PILBARACRATON

OFFICER BASIN

Broome

Admiral BayFault Zone

HallsCreek

Oscar Range Pinnacle

Fault SystemFitzroyRiver

Valhalla

ParadiseUngani

Asgard

St GeorgeRange

McLarty

Pictor

Sundown

Blina

Kora

Yarrada

Puratte

Yulleroo

Nita Downs

Anna Plains

MunroPegasus

Kemp Field

Nicolay

Sahara

Frankenstein

Auld

Kidson

Patience

Wilson CliffsContention

Heights

Looma

Sally May

Percival

Lake HevernDampier

Fenton Zone

128°126°124°122°120°

18°

20°

22°

Canning Basin

Oil

Gas mature

No Data

Tectonic unit boundary

Petroleum Well mature

Pender Terrace

Figure 8. Goldwyer Formation prospectivity map, Canning Basin

15


Prospective areas

1. The Fitzroy Trough has long been considered the most prospective area of the Canning Basin, with shows in the area confirming petroleum generation and migration. Additional attractive characteristics include:

• substantialsedimentaryaccumulations

• reefcarbonatebuildupsalongthenorthernhalf-grabenhingeline

• southwesternstructuraldevelopment

• potentialforalargebasincentredgasaccumulation(BCGA)alongthesouthern margin.

2. The Kidson Sub-basin to the south shows promise, but contains only 11 drilled wells in 100 000 km2.

• TheOrdoviciansubsaltLoomadiscoverywasthefirstproofofmaturemigrated oil in the southern Canning Basin. This new exploration play remains to be further tested.

• Inthesouth,thereispotentialforgasgenerationfromthePermianandpre-Ordovician carbonaceous shales and for oil expulsion from shales in the Ordovician Goldwyer Formation.

• Saltdiapirismisevidentintheregionandmayprovidetrapsinareasthatlack major block faulting.

'The best remaining frontier prospects lie in young basins where oil generation has occurred recently or in older basins with a high preservation potential such as intracratonic basins with evaporite seals.'

Duncan S Macgregor, BP, 1996

Age Rock Unit R/S Lithology

Permian Noonkanbah Fm.

Grant Gp: interbedded porous sandstone and shale, potentially creating reservoir–seal couplets

S

S, R

Shale

Shale, sandstone

Carboniferous Reeves Fm.

Anderson Fm.

Laurel Fm.

Yellow Drum Fm.

S

R, S

R

R

Sandstone

Sandstone

Dolomite

Carbonate

Devonian ‘Devonian reef complexes’

Tandalgoo Fm.

WorralFm.–localized

R, S

R

R

Reef complexes

Sandstone

Sandstone

Ordovician–Silurian

Carribuddy Gp: regional seal, localized reservoirs

S, R Salt, shale

Ordovician Nita Fm.

AcaciaSs.Member(WillaraFm.):central–eastern parts of the basin

Nambeet Fm.

R

R

R

Secondary dolomite

Sandstone

Sandstone

Reservoirs and Seals

A number of reservoirs and seals are summarised in Table 3.

Table 3. Summary of principal reservoirs (R) and seals (S) in the Canning Basin

16


PlaysThere are numerous known types of plays in the Canning Basin, and probably numerous undiscovered plays. Play type varies geographically and stratigraphically; Table 4 and Fig. 9 detail significant plays and their potential analogs.

• Fracture systems associatedwith transfer faults connecting the LennardShelf to the deeper Fitzroy Trough control migration and permeability in the carbonate reservoirs of the shelf. Siliciclastic reservoir accumulations there are controlled by effective intraformational seals.

• Unconformitytrapsanddrapingreservoirsinrotatedfaultblocks,downthrownrollovers, inversion folds, subsalt traps, and stratigraphic traps all remain to be tested.

• Additional, international, Paleozoic analogs include theMichiganBasin,IllinoisBasin,ForestCityBasinandDelawareBasinoftheUS,aswellasthe North Caspian Basin, Ghaba Salt, Ghadamis and Murzuk Basins, Illizi–Berkine Basin and Baltic Basin.

Table 4. Key plays in the Canning Basin with potential analogs

Age Play International analogs

Conventional

Paleozoic Truncated reservoirs, base Permian unconformity

Permian WorralFm.–GrantGpsuprasalt sombrero dissolution features

Eastern flank of South Oman Salt Basin, giant oilfields

Permian–Carboniferous

Grant Group, clastics UnayzahFm.,SaudiArabia;Oman

Early Carboniferous Laurel Fm., dolomites Dnieper–Donets Basin, Ukraine

Devonian Lennard Shelf carbonate reefs (stratigraphic traps)

Alberta Basin giant oilfields, Canada

Subsalt

Silurian–Ordovician Carribuddy GpGoldwyer Fm. Nita Fm.

late Carboniferous Paradox Basin,US

Ordovician Fractured Nita and Goldwyer Fms

NitaFm.dolomiteandUpperWillaraFm.,carbonate

Nambeet Fm., sandstone

W.TexasCambrian-Ordovician Ellenburger Dolomite, giant gasfields

Dolomite reservoirs, e.g. prolifically producing Red RiverFm,WillistonBasin

Possibly Sirte Basin, Libya, giant gasfields and Murzuk Basin, Libya, giant oilfields

Shale gas and oil, and BCGA

Carboniferous Laurel Fm., shale gas

Laurel Fm., BCGA

BarnettShale,US

Dnieper–Donets Basin, Ukraine

Devonian Gogo Fm., shale gas MarcellusShale,US

Ordovician Goldwyer Fm., shale gas and shale oil

UticaShale,BakkenShale,USandCanada

}

17


Figure 9. Typical Canning Basin suprasalt and subsalt play types. Models apply to various areas of the Canning Basin.

PILLOW

Noonkanbah Formation

Poole Sandstone

SEAL

A2A2

Intra - Grant Fm. U/C

A1

A1

Grant Fm. TURTLESTRUCTURE A1 & A2

Mellinjerie Fm.CHANNEL

Mallowa UPPER SALT

Nibil REGIONAL SEAL

Minjoo LOWER SALT

BongabinniFm.

?

?

? SEALNita Fm. ? REEF

Nita Fm. ? REEF

Goldwyer Fm.SOURCE

050

0T

hic

knes

s (m

etre

s)0

500

Th

ickn

ess

(met

res)

Subsalt Ordovician plays

Suprasalt plays

RB117 13.02.17

Basement

Acacia Sst Mbr

Nambeet Fm.

Per

mia

nC

arb

on

i-fe

rio

us

Dev

o-

nia

n

Willara Fm.

18


Table 5. Conventional plays, trap types and objectives validated by hydrocarbon discoveries, Canning Basin (adapted from Bureau of Resource Sciences, 1993)

Reservoir Seal Source Trap/Objective Discovery (well and type)

Upper Carboniferous to Permian — Lennard Shelf

Grant Fm.*, sandstone

Grant Fm.*, shales and siltstones

Laurel Fm., shales in Fitzroy Trough

Compressional culmination with internal stratigraphic traps

Sundown 1, oil

Unfaultedfour-waydipclosurewithin a paleo-monadnock

WestTerrace1,oil

nd Boundary 1, oil

Faulted, four-way dip closure on Laurel Fm. carbonate horizon

Crimson Lake 1, oil

Carboniferous — Lennard Shelf

Anderson Fm., sandstone

Anderson Fm., shales nd nd Point Torment 1, gas

Laurel Fm., shales in Fitzroy Trough

Four-way dip closure Lloyd 1, oilKora1,West Kora 1; oil

Compressional culmination with internal stratigraphic traps

Sundown 1, oil

Laurel Fm., carbonates

Laurel Fm., shales Four-way dip closure Terrace 1, oil

Laurel Fm., sandstone Reef-like seismic anomaly Meda 1, oil

Carboniferous — Fitzroy Trough

Laurel Fm., limestone Laurel Fm., shales Laurel Fm., shales Anticline St George Range 1, gas

Laurel Fm., sandstone Yulleroo 1, gas

Laurel Fm., clastics Laurel Fm., shales Laurel Fm., shales BCGA Valhalla2,gas

Laurel Fm., clastics Fairfield Group, shales Gogo Fm., shales Faulted, four-way dip closure on Intra-Fairfield Gp

Ellendale 1, oil and gas

Devonian — Lennard Shelf and Barbwire Terrace

Yellow Drum Fm., leached dolostones

Fairfield Group, shales Gogo Fm., shales Compaction drape closure over Devonian reef

Blina 1, oil

Nullara Fm., carbonates

Nullara Fm., shales Reef-like seismic anomaly Jampam North 1, oil

Nullara Fm., calcarenite

Meda 1, gas

Nullara Fm., leached dolostones

May River Member, shales

Shale draped biohermal and biostromal mound

Blina 1, oil

Gogo Fm., clastics Gogo Fm., shales nd Boronia 1, oil

Mellinjerie Ls., dolostones

Lower Pillara Fm., shales

nd Fault dependent closure at top Nita Fm. level

Mirbelia 1, oil

Ordovician — Mowla Terrace and Barbwire Terrace

Nita Fm., fractured dolostones

Nita Fm., shales Goldwyer Fm., shales

Tilted fault block with internal four- way dip closure

Pictor 1, oil and gas

Goldwyer Fm., fractured carbonates

Goldwyer Fm., shales Fault dependent closure at top Nita Fm. level

Dodonea 1, oil

Nambeet Fm., fractured dolomitic sandstones

PossiblyUpperNambeetFm.

UpperNambeetFm. ?

Dodonea 1, gas

Ordovician — Broome Platform and Willara Sub-basin

Nita Fm., dolomite nd Goldwyer Fm., shales in Kidson Sub-basin

Broad, gentle anticlinal closure Looma 1

Acacia Ss. member ofWillaraFm.,sandstone

nd

?Nita Fm., ?carbonates

?Carribuddy Gp, ?shales and evaporites

?Goldwyer Fm., shalesinWillaraSub-basin

nd Cudalgarra 1

NOTES: * Grant Fm. – now called Grant Group nd = no data

19


Other aspects of the Canning Basin relevant to exploration

Infrastructure and markets• ThetownsofBroomeandDerbyhaveairandshippingfacilities.

• Broomealsoservesastheshippingterminal forrefinedpetroleum(petroland diesel) for the region (Fig. 10). It was previously used for the export of oil produced from the Blina and associated oilfields.

• Perth is themajormarket forCanningBasin petroleum resources,withpotential markets for local power generation in the Kimberley and Pilbara.

• TheWest Kimberley Power Project provides remote area electricitygeneration. Liquefied natural gas from Karratha is trucked to storage facilities in Broome, Derby, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Looma. Gas-fired generators provide electrical power for each of these local communities. Initialcapacityofgas-firedgeneratorswas61MW.

• AgaspipelinerunsalongthesouthernmarginofthebasintoTelfer,thesiteof one of Australia’s largest gold mines.

Land access, climate, and land use• Thesealed,all-weatherGreatNorthernHighwayrunsalongthewestand

north of the basin, and links the Kimberley and Pilbara with the state’s capital, Perth. It may be used to truck oil from the basin to the Kwinana oil refinery in the Perth metropolitan area, in the south of the state, or to the port ofWyndhaminthenorth.

• TheSavannahWayrunsalongthenorthofthebasin,andlinksBroomewithCairns in north Queensland.

• TracksinthebasinincludetheKidsonTrackandtheCanningStockRoute.Only a regional network of unmaintained tracks exists in the central and southern areas of the basin.

• Remotedrilling locationshavehadroadsspecificallypreparedto facilitateoperations.

• FromDecembertoMarch,heavyrainfallassociatedwithcyclonescanisolatesections of the road network and restrict access.

• Manymigratory dune systems also affect sections of roads and tracksannually.

• Environmental andLandAccess regulations apply to all petroleum titles,under the Native Title Act, and Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967 (which includes private land holdings and pastoral leases) and Environmental Protection Act. These processes are detailed further in the 2012 Explorer’s Guide.

• DMPconductsenvironmentalassessmentsforeachgrantedtitleandmustinitiate a state Environmental Impact Assessment on proposals affecting WorldHeritageproperties;NationalHeritageplaces;wetlandsofinternationalimportance; Commonwealth marine areas; or areas with listed threatened species or communities, and internationally protected migratory species.

• EnvironmentallysensitiveareasintheCanningBasinincludetheKimberleyNational Heritage Area and the Gibson Desert Nature Reserve.

• NumerousNativeTitlegroupsandcommunitiesintheCanningBasinhavea long history of negotiation with petroleum explorers.

20


Track

Gre

at

Highway

Nor

ther

n

I N D I A NO C E A N

Great Sandy Desert

CANNING BASIN

PILBARA REGION

KIMBERLEY REGION

Pipeline

Great Northern Pipeline (proposed)

Telfer

Goldfields Gas Transmission Pipleine

P

P

P

PP P

Looma

TelferCu

Mn

Zn Pb

Derby

Broome

Canning

Kidson

Gibb

River

Road

Stock

Rou

te

Newman

Sealed road

Phanerozoic basin

Iron

Other

Gold

Mines

Base metals

Diamonds

Precambrian Public airport

Unsealed road

Track

Railway

Port

Community

Proposed pipeline

Gas pipeline

Town

West KimberleyPower Project (LNG)

Port Hedland

Nullagine

Marble Bar

Goldsworthy

FitzroyCrossing

HallsCreek

Wyndham

Kununurra

Kalumburu

100 kmRB75 04/02/14

126°122°

18°

16°

14°

20°

22°

Oil pipeline

Figure 10. Simplified Canning Basin infrastructure, illustrating key transport routes, mines, towns and pipelines.

• GeothermalExplorationorProductionLicencesexistunderthesamesystemand legislation as petroleum titles, and can co-exist over the same areas. Only one geothermal license, GEP-43, has been granted in the Canning Basin, but this license has been surrendered.

21


Selected references*

General

Cook,P,Beck,V,Brereton,D,Clark,R,Fisher,B,Kentish,S,Toomey,J,andWilliams,J2013,Engineering Energy: unconventional gas production. Melbourne Australia, Report for the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA).

Energy InformationAdministration2011,Worldshalegas resources:An initialassessmentof14regionsoutsidetheUnitedStates–areportpreparedforU.S.DepartmentofEnergy:AdvancedResourcesInternationalInc.,Arlington,Virginia,USA.

Energy Information Administration 2013, Technically recoverable shale oil and shale gas resources: AnAssessmentof137shale formations in41countriesoutside theUnitedStates–areportprepared forU.S.Department ofEnergy:AdvancedResources International Inc.,Arlington,Virginia,USA.

PetroleumDivisionandGeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia2012,WesternAustralia’sPetroleumandGeothermalExplorer’sGuide—2012Edition:WesternAustraliaDepartmentofMinesandPetroleum, 140p.

Petroleum systems and geochemistry

Carlsen, GM and Ghori, KAR 2005, Canning Basin and global Palaeozoic petroleum systems — a review: APPEA Journal, v. 45, p 349–364.

Edwards, DS, Summons, RE, Kennard, JM, Nicoll, RS, Bradshaw, J, Bradshaw, M, Foster, CB, O’Brien,GWandZumberge JE1997,Geochemical characteristics ofPalaeozoic petroleumsystems in northwestern Australia: APPEA Journal, v. 37, p. 351–379.

Ghori,KAR2011,PetroleumgeochemistryoftheCanningBasin,WesternAustralia:basicanalyticaldata2005–10:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Record2011/13,80p.

Ghori, KAR 2013, Petroleum geochemistry and petroleum systems modelling of the Canning Basin, WesternAustralia:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Report124,33p.

Ghori,KARandHaines,PW2007,PaleozoicpetroleumsystemsoftheCanningBasin,WesternAustralia: a review, in Extended abstracts: American Association of Petroleum Geologists; AAPG InternationalConferenceandExhibition,Perth,WesternAustralia,5November2006,6p.

Ghori,KARandHaines,PW2006,PetroleumgeochemistryoftheCanningBasin,WesternAustralia:basicanalyticaldata2004–05:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Record2006/7,66p.

Basin-wide

Apak, SN and Carlsen, GM 1997, A compilation and review of data pertaining to the hydrocarbon prospectivityof theCanningBasin:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Record1996/10,103p.

Cadman,SJ,Pain,L.Vuckovic,VandlePoidevin.SR1993,AustralianPetroleumAccumulation—CanningBasin,WA:BureauofResourceSciences,DepartmentofPrimaryIndustries,Report 9,88p.

Jonasson,KE2001,WesternAustraliaAtlasofPetroleumFields,OnshoreCanningBasin:PetroleumDivision,MineralandPetroleumResourcesWesternAustralia,v.2,part1,72p.

SRK Consulting Pty Ltd 1998, Canning Basin Project, 1998. Report prepared for Shell Development Australia:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,petroleumexplorationreport†, P6353 R1 A5 (unpublished), 124p.

Hocking,RM,Playford,PE,Haines,PWandMory,AJ2008,PaleozoicgeologyoftheCanningBasin—afieldguide:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Record2008/18,40p.

Zhan,Y andMory.AJ 2013,Structural interpretation of the northernCanningBasin,WesternAustralia, inTheSedimentaryBasinsofWesternAustraliaedited byMKeepandSJMoss:WestAustralianBasinsSymposium,Perth,WA,18August2013,18p.

* GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustraliapublicationsmaybeaccessedhere: http://geodocs.dmp.wa.gov.au/document/documentSearchCriteria.do?from=topNav&cabinetId=1101

†Petroleumexplorationreportsmaybeaccessedhere:www.dmp.wa.gov.au/4187.aspx

22


Central Canning Basin

D'Ercole,C,Gibbons,LandGhori,KAR2003,Prospectsandleads,centralCanningBasin,WesternAustralia,2003:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Record2003/14,89p.

Ferdinando, D 2003, Regional play analysis of the central Canning Basin: Department of Industry andResources,PetroleuminWesternAustralia,October2003,p.41–44.

Eastern Canning Basin

Burt,A,Champ,PandParks,A2002,PetroleumprospectivityoftheeasternCanningBasin,WA:Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, 84p.

Young, H and Griffiths, C 2002, Sedsim simulation of the eastern Gregory Sub-basin, Canning Basin, WA:CommonwealthScientificandIndustrialResearchOrganization(CSIRO),55p.

Permian–Carboniferous

Apak, SN and Backhouse, J 1999, Stratigraphy and petroleum exploration objectives of the Permo–Carboniferous succession on the Barbwire Terrace and adjacent areas, northeast Canning Basin, WesternAustralia:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Report68,30p.

Havord, PJ, Apak, SN and Carlsen, GM 1997, Permo–Carboniferous petroleum reservoir data, selectedwells,CanningBasin,WesternAustralia:Geological Survey ofWesternAustralia, Record1996/11,155p.

Redfern,JandWilliams,BPJ2002,CanningBasinGrantGroupglaciogenicsediments:partofthe Gondwanan Permo–Carboniferous hydrocarbon province, in The Sedimentary Basins of WesternAustralia3edited by M Keep and SJ Moss: Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia, WesternAustralianBasinsSymposium,Perth,WesternAustralia,20October2002;Proceedings,p. 851–871.

Margin,JR,Redfern,JandWilliams,BPJ2006,UnlockingthePotentialoftheGrantGroup(CanningBasin,WestAustralia),PartoftheGondwananGlaciogenicHydrocarbonProvince,in Extended Abstracts: American Association of Petroleum Geologists; AAPG International Conference and Exhibition,Perth,WesternAustralia,5November2006.

Mory,AJ 2009,A reviewof themid-Carboniferous –Permian,CanningBasin, inGSWA2009extended abstracts: promoting the prospectivity ofWesternAustralia:GeologicalSurvey ofWesternAustralia,Record2009/2,p.17–18.

Mory,AJ 2010,A reviewofmid-Carboniferous toTriassic stratigraphy,CanningBasin,WesternAustralia:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Report107,130p.

Devonian

Copp, IA 2000, Subsurface facies analysis of Devonian reef complexes, Lennard Shelf, Canning Basin,WesternAustralia:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Report58,127p.

Playford, PE, Hocking, RM and Cockbain, AE 2009, Devonian reef complexes of the Canning Basin, WesternAustralia:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Bulletin145,443p.

Silurian and Ordovician

Haines,PW2004,Depositional faciesandregionalcorrelationsof theOrdovicianGoldwyerandNitaFormations,CanningBasin,WesternAustralia,withimplicationsforpetroleumexploration:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Record2004/7,45p.

Haines,PW2009,TheCarribuddyGroupandWorralFormation,CanningBasin,WesternAustralia:stratigraphy,sedimentology,andpetroleumpotential:GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,Report 105, 60p.

Haines,PWandGhori,KAR2006,Richoil-proneOrdoviciansourcebeds,BongabinniFormation,onshoreCanningBasin,WesternAustralia, in Extended Abstracts: American Association of PetroleumGeologists;AAPGInternationalConferenceandExhibition,Perth,WesternAustralia,5 November 2006, 4p.

Taylor,D1992,AReviewofOrdoviciansourcerocks,CanningBasin,WesternAustralia:BureauofMineralResources,BMRRecord1992/43,149p.

Documents

Summary of Petroleum Prospectivity: Canning Basin · 3 Summary of Petroleum Prospectivity: Canning Basin Petroleum geology of the Canning Basin Introduction The onshore Canning Basin