Organic facies in the Late Cretaceous to Tertiary of the Gippsland and Bass Basin, South Eastern Australia

摘要

Sedimentary basins developed along the southern rift margins of the Australian continent show a Cretaceous to Recent section with the development of coal measures sections being more prominent in the more eastern basins. The coals have been extensively mined onshore, and the offshore areas have been subject to intensive exploration for oil and gas. Gippsland Basin was the first major oil province developed within Australia and contains two giant fields, Kingfish and Halibut. The oils and associated gas are clearly derived from the coal measures sections, although there is still debate concerning the contribution of the coals as opposed to that from the dispersed organic matter (dom).