These basins in Queensland and South Australia contain the nation's major onshore oil and gas-producing province.
The Cooper Basin contains numerous gas fields and minor oil fields while the Eromanga Basin contains several oil fields but only a few gas fields.
The report, Geology of the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, Queensland, describes the basin units in Queensland and discusses their petroleum geology using the results of specialised mapping.
Presented in .pdf format on CD, the 85-page report (including references), contains 93 colour figures and maps, and five lithostratigraphic cross-sections across the basins.
The Department's geoscience manager (Hydrocarbons), Mr John Draper, said the report, the first compilation of the geology of the basins for oil and gas, would assist explorers identify future prospects in this rich area.
Part of the department's Queensland Minerals and Energy Review Series, the report was released at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference and exhibition in Adelaide last week.
It costs $66 including GST and is available from the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines sales centre on phone 07 3237 1434.
The report was prepared as part of the National Geoscience Mapping Accord (NGMA) Cooper-Eromanga Basins Project. The project was initiated to develop a quantitative petroleum generation model for the Cooper and Eromanga Basins by delineating basin fill, thermal history and generation potential of key stratigraphic intervals.
Participants in the project were the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (NR&M); Primary Industries and Resources, South Australia (PIRSA); Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO); New South Wales Department of Mineral Resources; and Northern Territory Department of Mines and Energy. Mr Ian Deighton of Paltech Pty Ltd, using WinBury software, prepared the hydrocarbon generation and expulsion model.
