Publication Name: The Cooper & Eromanga Basins Australia
Authors: I.B. Campbell and E.S.T. O'Driscoll
Date Published: June 1989
Number of Pages: 33
Reference Type: Book Section
Abstract:
New petroleum discoveries in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins have added greatly to the resolution of the!rrelationship to structural patterns governing the occurrence of oil and gas,and have provided additional evidence of the lineament-hydrocarbon association at a regional scale. Clusters of discoveries are in positions where the Basins are transected by major lineaments. These lineaments are members of regional systems which control basin morphology as well as internal structural styles, after the manner observed in eastern Australia by E.S.Hills almost three decades ago (Hills, 196l,p.81).
Lineament transections of the Basins also coincide with local structural anomalies and manifestations of nomalous energy release, expressed in geothermal gradient data, and in anomalous vitrinite reflectance levels. The lineaments are seen to correspond to ancient bedrock and basementdislocations, and indicate that lineament-controlled structures and lineament-conducted heat energy have contributed to the subsequent generation and maturation of oil and gas.
The lineament-hydrocarbon association can be used as a valuable guide to petroleum exploration strategies, and offers an effective means of target selection not only in areas already explored but also in basins of untested potential. Among the more interesting examples of such application now available is that recently given by Mollard (1988) who described how deep oil has been discovered in Saskatchewan, Canada, in prospects targeted because of anpmalous well expressed lineaments.