Publication Name: Central Australian Basins Symposium IV
Authors: Angus L. Nixon, Stijn Glorie, Derrick Hasterok, Alan S. Collins, Nicholas Fernie, and Geoff Fraser
Publication Volume: 1
Date Published: July 2023
Number of Pages: 4
https://doi.org/10.36404/OVUF8939
Abstract:
The greater McArthur Basin of the North Australian Craton is one of the very few places on Earth where extensive hydrocarbons are preserved that were generated from Mesoproterozoic source rocks, prior to the development of extensive multicellular life (e.g. Cox et al., 2022). It is, however, unclear precisely when hydrocarbons from these source rocks matured, and if this occurred as a singular event or multiple phases (e.g. Crick et al., 1988; Dutkiewicz et al., 2007). In this study we present new apatite fission track data from a combination of outcrop and sub-surface samples from the McArthur Basin (Figure 1) to investigate the post depositional thermal history of the basin, and explore the timing of potential hydrocarbon maturation.