Bight Basin

FAQs - Grant of the Petroleum Exploration Permits to BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd.

Detailed Report
Petroleum Geology of South Australia
Acreage Release (Australian Dept of
Resources, Energy & Tourism website)
Contact a Geologist

    Click on the map to view a 
detailed Regional Map

 bight

Age

 ?Late Jurassic - Late Cretaceous
Area in South Australia ~325 000 km2 (125 000 sq. miles)
Depth to target zones 1000 - 3000 m (Duntroon Sub-basin); 2000 - 6000 m (Ceduna Sub-basin)
Thickness 15 km
Hydrocarbon shows Oil shows Greenly 1 (1993)
First commercial discovery None
Identified reserves Nil
Undiscovered resources (50% prob.) Not determined
Production Nil
Basin type Rift - passive margin
Depositional setting Non-marine to paralic (Early Cretaceous), marine to fluviodeltaic (Late Cretaceous)
Reservoirs Non-marine to to marine sandstone
Regional structure Anticline closure against tilted faulted blocks, flower structure
Seals Non-marine and marine shale and mudstone
Source rocks Non-marine to marine shale, coaly interbeds
Depth to oil/gas window 1700 - 3500 m
Number of wells 9 offshore, 1 onshore, numerous stratigraphic
Seismic line km 92 298 2D offshore, 2731 3D offshore, 358 2D onshore


Promising results from Geoscience Australia’s Bight Basin survey (AUSGEO News website)

Acreage Releases

For all information on acreage releases visit Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au or
www.ret.gov.au/resources/upstream_petroleum/offshore_petroleum_exploration_in_australia/Pages/offshorePetroleumExplorationinAustralia.aspx

Bight (2010 acreage release):
http://minister2.ret.gov.au/MediaCentre/MediaReleases/Pages/PetroleumExplorationPermitsGrantedFrom2010AcreageRelease.aspx

Bight (2009 acreage release): 
http://minister.ret.gov.au/MediaCentre/MediaReleases/Pages/2009ReleaseofOffshorePetroleumAcreage.aspx

1999 Acreage Release