The structure and hydrocarbon potential of the northern Drummond Basin and northeastern Galilee Basin, central Queensland, Australia

Abstract

The Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous northern Drummond Basin developed as a back-arc intracontinental rift basin. The overlying Late Carboniferous-Middle Triassic north eastern Galilee Basin commenced development as a sag basin controlled by extensional basement faults. A second, foreland phase, of basin development was induced by Hunter Bowen Orogenesis and mirrors a similar history for the adjacent Bowen Basin. Hunter-Bowen deformation climaxed in the Middle Triassic, resulting in uplift and tilting of the Galilee Basin. matching inversion of the Bowen Basin to the east. Small gas flows and oil fluorescence has been recorded from exploration wells penetrating the north eastern Galilee Basin sediments. Maturation studies show that the upper sequence in the Drummond Basin and lower sequences in the Galilee Basin have potential for gas generation. Current data shows that reservoir and trap potential is good in the lightly deformed Galilee Basin. Limited data suggests that source rock potential is confined to lacustrine strata in the Drummond Basin and paludal and lacustrine strata in the Galilee Basin.