--> Abstract: Hydrological Controls on Petroleum Generation within the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, Australia: 1 Mathematical Modeling, by M. Person, D. Toupin, J. Wieck, P. Eadington, and D. Warner; #90987 (1993).
[First Hit]

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

PERSON, MARK, DENAH TOUPIN, and JIM WIECK, Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH; PETER EADINGTON, CSIRO, North Ryde, Australia; and DAVID WARNER, SANTOS Ltd., Adelaide, Australia

ABSTRACT: Hydrological Controls on Petroleum Generation within the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, Australia: 1 Previous HitMathematicalNext Hit Modeling

While conductive geothermal models of oil and gas generation within sedimentary basins have been utilized by geologists for over two decades the effects of convective heat transfer as an agent in petroleum genesis has only recently been proposed (Willet and Chapman, 1989 and Person and Garven, 1992). Previous HitMathematicalTop modeling is used in this study to assess the importance of groundwater flow on oil and gas generation within the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, Australia.

The Cooper and Eromanga Basins, Australia's most productive onshore petroleum province, has a regional groundwater flow system over 1000 km in length. Groundwater salinity data indicate that sediments of the fault bound Permo Triassic Cooper Basin are in good hydrologic connection with the overlying, laterally extensive Jurassic-Cretaceous deposits of the Eromanga Basin (Young, 1975). While the hydrology of the Jurassic and Cretaceous aquifer system is well documented (Habermehl, 1980), little is known about the paleohydrology of these basins and it's associated subsurface thermaleffects. Cross-sectional, finite element models of sediment compaction, groundwater flow, conductive/convective heat transfer, apatite fission track annealing, and petroleum generation are constructed in orde to constrain the timing of petroleum generation

in the sedimentary pile.

Quantitative results indicate that Tertiary and Quaternary uplift events within the central and eastern portion of the basin induced a regional, topographically-driven groundwater flow system that had a pronounced affect on the sub surface thermal regime. Computed fluid over-pressuring within the Permian Triassic Cooper basin sediments had little impact on subsurface temperatures. Model results are compared with observed present day temperatures, vitrinite reflectance, hydrocarbon fluid inclusions, isotopic, and apatite fission track data.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90987©1993 AAPG Annual Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25-28, 1993.