From Australian Oceans Data Network
JSON format icon JSON RDF format icon RDF ISO19115-3 XML

Integrated petroleum systems analysis to understand the source of fluids in the Browse Basin, Australia

Created 21/12/2025

Updated 21/12/2025

JSON format icon JSON RDF format icon RDF ISO19115-3 XML

The Browse Basin is located offshore on Australia's North West Shelf and is a proven hydrocarbon province hosting gas with associated condensate and where oil reserves are typically small. The assessment of a basin's oil potential traditionally focuses on the presence or absence of oil-prone source rocks. However, light oil can be found in basins where source rocks are gas-prone and the primary hydrocarbon type is gas-condensate. Oil rims form whenever such fluids migrate into reservoirs at pressures less than their dew point (saturation) pressure. By combining petroleum systems analysis with geochemical studies of source rocks and fluids (gases and liquids), four Mesozoic petroleum systems have been identified in the basin. This study applies petroleum systems analysis to understand the source of fluids and their phase behaviour in the Browse Basin. Source rock richness, thickness and quality are mapped from well control. Petroleum systems modelling that integrates source rock property maps, basin-specific kinetics, 1D burial history models and regional 3D surfaces, provides new insights into source rock maturity, generation and expelled fluid composition. The principal source rocks are Early-Middle Jurassic fluvio-deltaic coaly shales and shales within the J10-J20 supersequences (Plover Formation), Middle-Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous sub-oxic marine shales within the J30-K10 supersequences (Vulcan and Montara formations) and K20-K30 supersequences (Echuca Shoals Formation). All of these source rocks contain significant contributions of land-plant derived organic matter and within the Caswell Sub-basin have reached sufficient maturities to have transformed most of the kerogen into hydrocarbons, with the majority of expulsion occurring from the Late Cretaceous until present.

Files and APIs

Tags

Additional Info

Field Value
Title Integrated petroleum systems analysis to understand the source of fluids in the Browse Basin, Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/en/dataset/1a5ac532-a98c-492c-bf58-291e679e9fc7
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 22/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        118.0,
        -18.0
      ],
      [
        126.0,
        -18.0
      ],
      [
        126.0,
        -12.0
      ],
      [
        118.0,
        -12.0
      ],
      [
        118.0,
        -18.0
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Integrated petroleum systems analysis to understand the source of fluids in the Browse Basin, Australia". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/integrated-petroleum-systems-analysis-to-understand-the-source-of-fluids-in-the-browse-basin-au1