Many of the Northern Territory's onshore basins are known to be prospective but are underexplored and therefore classed as frontier petroleum basins.
The Northern Territory's frontier basins have undergone various degrees of exploration and have a range of seismic and well coverages.
Known petroleum systems and reasonable coverage of seismic data and exploration wells - Georgina Basin, Pedirka Basin
Little to no seismic or well coverage - Birrindudu Basin, Wiso Basin, South Nicholson Basin, Lawn Hill Platform.
Geology and petroleum systems
The Cambrian to Ordovician Georgina Basin is the most prospective of the frontier basins in the Northern Territory (NT) and extends over an area of approximately 330,000km2. While there have been no commercial discoveries to date, the potential for a number of conventional and unconventional petroleum systems has been clearly demonstrated. Three petroleum systems have been recognised with multiple oil and gas shows within the thick sedimentary successions in southern Georgina Basin. The basin is also contains halite-bearing intervals could also host helium and naturally-occurring hydrogen in Neoproterozoic sub-salt plays. View the Georgina Basin inventory .
The Permian to Triassic Pedrika Basin is a component of the stacked basin system in the southeastern corner of the NT (Simpson Desert area), extending into SA and Qld covering an area of about 100,000km2 of which approximately half lies within the NT. The basin has potential to host two conventional oil and gas petroleum systems with oil shows identified in Permian aged sandstones. View the Pedirka Basin inventory .
The Palaeoproterozoic-MesoproterozoicBirrindudu Basin outcrops for more than 35,000 km2 and extends much further under cover. It contains sedimentary rocks that are time equivalent to the petroliferous McArthur Basin. Exploration is extremely limited, however several thick sequences of Paleo to Mesoproterozoic aged shales as well as hydrocarbon indications including oil bleeds have been identified suggesting potential for conventional and unconventional petroleum systems.
The Palaeoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic South Nicholson Basin - Lawn Hill Platform contains sedimentary rocks that are time equivalent to the petroliferous Beetaloo Sub-basin. Exploration, including seismic and well coverage in the South Nicholson Basin is extremely limited with minor oil shows identified. The stratigraphy of the South Nicholson Basin unconformably overlies rocks of the Lawn Hill Platform which is situated across the NT and Qld border and contains Proterozoic aged sedimentary rocks equivalent to the McArthur Basin. The basin is prospective for conventional and unconventional petroleum systems with known shale-gas discovered in Qld. Exploration, including seismic and well coverage in the Lawn Hill Platform in the NT is extremely limited. However, oil and gas shows recently identified in the NDI Carrara 1 well suggests shale gas systems may be present.
The Warburton Basin, Wiso BasinandNgalia Basin cover vast areas of the Territory that remain prospective, but underexplored for oil and gas.
