Mesoproterozoic Beetaloo Sub-basin

The sub-surface Beetaloo Sub-basin lies within the McArthur Basin and comprises thick sequences of sedimentary and minor volcanic rocks assigned to the following stratigraphic groups or their equivalents: the Palaeoproterozoic Tawallah and McArthur groups, and the Mesoproterozoic Nathan and Roper groups, which hosts the majority of petroleum occurrences.

Information on the geological setting of the McArthur Basin can be found in the McArthur Basin inventory.

Exploration focussed on the shale plays of the Beetaloo Sub-basin has greatly accelerated since 2010 with a number of discovery wells drilled by Origin Energy, Imperial Oil and Gas Pty Ltd, Pangea Resources Pty Ltd, Falcon Oil and Gas Australia Ltd, Santos Ltd and Amour Energy Ltd. Exploration has again rapidly accelerated since 2021 with a number of companies including Empire Energy Ltd, Tamboran Resources Ltd (and Santos Ltd) and Falcon Oil and Gas Australia Ltd (and Origin Energy) announcing significant increases in contingent resources.

Further exploration history can be found in the McArthur Basin inventory.

Petroleum

The Beetaloo Sub-basin is the Northern Territory’s premier shale gas play, with prospectivity increasing as exploration accelerates. The Beetaloo Supersystem contains at least four conventional and unconventional petroleum systems with substantial shale gas resources primarily within the Mesoproterozoic Roper Group. The most prospective shale units in the Roper Group occur within the Velkerri and Kyalla formations. Drilling of the middle Velkerri Formation has demonstrated the consistent presence of gas saturated, quartz-rich shale source rocks that are mature for gas over extensive areas, and which appear to meet all of the physical and chemical parameters for a successful shale gas play (see Revie 2017). The shallower Kyalla Formation also has high potential as a productive shale play, with large areas within the wet gas window.

Download the Shale gas and liquids factsheet PDF (1.9 MB). Additional petroleum potential can be found in the McArthur Basin inventory.

Other energy potential

Minor hydrogen gas shows have been historically recorded from the Beetaloo Sub-basin.

Mineral commodities

For an overview of the mineral prospectivity view the Geology of the Northern Territory Chapter 15 McArthur Basin.

Exploration and appraisal continue to accelerate with Contingent Resources (2C) growing and a number of wells undergoing appraisal by key operators in the Beetaloo Sub-basin.

The following table contains publicly announced best estimate of Contingent Resources (2C) in the advanced Beetaloo Sub-basin in accordance with the SPE-Petroleum Resources Management System. For a summary of Prospective Resources (P50) in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, download the Shale gas and liquids factsheet PDF (1.9 MB)

Additional resources can be found in the McArthur Basin inventory .

^{1 Tamboran B2 Pty Ltd comprises Tamboran Resources Pty Ltd (50%) and Daly Waters Energy (50%)}

^{2 Falcon Oil & Gas Australia comprise 22.5% net share}

^{3 Tamboran Resource Pty Ltd comprise 25% net share}

Shale gas appraisal continues to accelerate by key operators in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, with pilot production projects set to deliver first appraisal gas to the market in 2026.

The Beetaloo Sub-basin is a significant depocentre of Mesoproterozoic Roper Group sedimentary rocks of the McArthur Basin that underlies the Mesozoic Carpentaria Basin in the vicinity of Dunmarra and Daly Waters, and is the Territory's most advanced shale gas play. The B-shale of the Amungee Member of the Velkerri Formation is the primary target for shale gas exploration, with demonstrated continuity of gas-rich productive shales across a vast area of the sub-basin. In 2025, Tamboran Resources Corp and Beetaloo Energy Australia Ltd both progressed appraisal activities as they move towards planned pilot production in 2026.Combined 2C Contingent Ressources of shale gas across all operators in the Beetaloo currently totals 7.126 Tcf gas.

Tamboran Resources Ltd, in joint venture with Daly Waters Energy LP and Falcon Oil and Gas Australia Ltd, is the operator on three permits in the central part of the Beetaloo Sub-basin (EP 98, 117 and 76). Tamboran commenced their Shenandoah South Pilot Project drilling program in August 2024, with the spudding of the Shenandoah South-2 (SS-2H ST1) well in EP98, 5 km north of SS-1H. The well was drilled to a total depth of 6300 m in 35 days, including a 3000 m horizontal section. This was followed by the Shenandoah South-3 (SS-3H) well in late 2024. In February 2025, Tamboran announced that they had successfully completed stimulation activities over 35 stages across a 1671 m horizontal section in the Shenandoah South 2H sidetrack (SS-2H ST1) well. The well achieved an average 60-day initial production (IP60) flow rate of 6.8 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) over the 1671m stimulated horizontal within the Mid Velkerri B Shale. The average flow rate of 12.4 MMcf/d over a normalized 10,000-foot horizontal section is in line with an average of more than 11,000 wells in the Marcellus Shale dry gas area with production for over a 12-month period.

In July 2025, Tamboran commenced a batch drilling program for three wells (Shenandoah South-4H, -5H and -6H) on the same pad as SS-2H and SS-3H. In October 2025, Tamboran announced all three wells had successfully been drilled and cemented with 10,000-foot horizontal sections within the primary Mid Velkerri B shale target. The three wells were drilled with an average spud-to-target depth of less than 27 days. In December 2025, Tamboran announced it had successfully completed stimulation activities on the Shenandoah South 6H (SS-6H) well, comprising 58 stages across a 10,009-foot (~3,050-metre) stimulated length in the Mid Velkerri B Shale. Stimulation of the remaining three drilled wells (SS-3H, SS-4H, and SS-5H) is planned for the first half of 2026, subject to wet season conditions.

Tamboran have reported that the five wells are expected to deliver the contracted 40 TJ/d volume required under their existing Gas Sales Agreement with the NTG. In September 2025, Tamboran secured approvals to sell appraisal gas and announced its Final Investment Decision on the Shenandoah South Pilot Project. In November 2025, APA Group announced commenced construction of the 37 km Sturt Plateau Pipeline (SPP) connecting the Shenandoah South wells with the  Amadeus Gas Pipeline (AGP). The Sturt Plateau Compression Facility will be completed in the first half of 2026 to facilitate the flow from the Tamboran wells in the Sturt Plateau pipeline.

Santos Ltd have EP161 in the eastern Beetaloo Sub-basin in joint venture with Tamboran Resources Corp. EP161 includes the Mount Brown (formerly Tanumbirini)-2H and Mount Brown-3H horizontal wells, and the has a 2C Contingent Gas Resource of 1.88 Tcf gas. During 2025, Santos progressed preparations for a up to three 10,000-foot horizontal well program at the Jibera South and Newcastle South locations in EP 161. Santos plans to undertake the program in 2026 and expects to stimulate each well during the 2027 dry season.

Beetaloo Energy Australia Ltd (formerly Empire Energy Group Ltd) continued drilling and flow-testing of wells in EP187 on the eastern margin of the Beetaloo Sub-basin, and have 2C Contingent Resources of 1.467 Tcf gas within EP187. In November 2024, the company drilled the Carpentaria-5H (C-5H) well on the same pad as the Carpentaria-2H (C-2H) and Carpentaria-3H (C-3H) wells. C-5H is designed to produce gas for the Carpentaria Pilot Project. The well was drilled to a total depth of 5310 m in 41 days, including a 3310 m horizontal section in the target Velkerri B Shale at an average depth of about 1575 m, Carpentaria-5H achieved a peak gas flow rate of 11.2 TJ/day, the second-highest 30-day average flow rate in the basin of 7.1 TJ/day and an exit flowrate of 6.3 TJ/day, confirming a low rate of decline over the 30-day clean-up test. Beetaloo Energy Australia announced a  Final Investment Decision for the Carpentaria Pilot Project in December 2025. Civil construction works for the Carpentaria Gas Plant are well advanced, with gas sales expected to start in the second half of 2026.

See onshore exploration activity .

The Beetaloo Sub-basin has the most extensive seismic coverage of all NT onshore basins and concentrated exploration wells drilled.

Open file petroleum company reports and all NTGS data and information on the Beetaloo Sub-basin is available from the GEMIS website.

Ahmad M, Dunster JN and Munson TJ, 2013. Chapter 15: McArthur Basin: in Ahmad M and Munson TJ (compilers) ‘Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory’. Northern Territory Geological Survey, Special Publication 5

Jarrett AJM,  Munson TJ, Williams B, Bailey, AHE, Palu, T, 2022. Petroleum supersystems in the greater McArthur Basin, Northern Territory, Australia: prospectivity of the world’s oldest stacked systems with emphasis on the McArthur Supersystem, The APPEA Journal 62

Munson, TJ, 2014 NTGS Report 22: Petroleum geology and potential of the onshore Northern Territory

Northern Territory Geological Survey,  2017. Overview of known conventional and unconventional petroleum potential in the Northern Territory, Information brief for the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory

Williams, B, 2019, NTGS Record 2019-015: Definition of the Beetaloo Sub-basin

Williams B, 2020. Definition of the Beetaloo Sub-basin in AGES 2020 Conference Proceedings. Northern Territory Geological Survey