Warburton Basin GIS Data Atlas

South Australia – The Warburton Basin GIS Data Atlas

This atlas is now part of the Cooper & Eromanga Consolidated Data Package.
To order a free copy please email pirsa.petroleum@sa.gov.au

Warburton Basin GIS Data Atlas cover

The Early Palaeozoic Warburton Basin formed the primary target for the first petroleum exploration conducted in State’s northeastern corner in the late 1950s by Santos and Delhi.  The discovery of gas in the overlying Cooper Basin in 1963 understandably and dramatically changed the focus of exploration in the region for the next 40years.  

 

Shows and discoveries of oil and gas in diverse Warburton Basin rock types over thelast decade and the influx of new explorers following the expiry of PELs 5 and 6in the region have renewed interest in this under explored basin.

Over the last 15 years, the former SA Department of Mines Energy (now PIRSA)conducted a number of research projects on the Warburton Basin stratigraphicframework, biostratigraphy, reservoirs, seals, rock types and the enigmatic weathered horizon around the Cooper/Warburton interface (researchers included Colin Gatehouse, the late Dr Dave Gravestock, Jacque Hibburt and more recently Rod Boucher and Xiaowen Sun).

Rod Boucher (Linex PtyLtd) was commissioned by PIRSA using Targeted Exploration Initiative SA funding to bring together Warburton Basin research concepts and data into a comprehensive atlas.  This atlas has been compiled on a CD which incorporates new and existing petroleum databases including:

  • relevant reports in pdf format,
  • scanned core photographs,
  • scanned composite logs,
  • excerpts from scanned well completion reports,
  • scanned seismic lines,
  • spreadsheets of formation tops, and
  • digital thin section images.

ArcExplorerGIS projects are also included, with subcrop maps, tectonic and magnetic interpretations, wells, petroleum shows and tenements so key data are readily accessible via GIS front ends.

The CD dataset aims to provide company geologists and mud loggers in an office or mud logging truck on a wellsite with sufficient information to quickly and accurately identify Warburton Basin rock units. It was compiled and developed in-house for Rod Boucher by PIRSA Petroleum Group and Publishing Services.