Gorter Et Al APPEA 2009 Permian West Australia

APPEA Journal 2009311
THE PERMIANTRIASSIC BOUNDARY

IN WEST AUSTRALIA:
EVIDENCE FROM THE BONAPARTE
AND NORTHERN PERTH BASINS
EXPLORATION IMPLICATIONS
Lead author
John
Gorter
the presence of reworked sediments and paleontological
material (both conodonts and spore-pollen) and to the
significance of geochemical shifts.
The age of the basal Kockatea Shale (northern Perth
Basin) and the basal Mt Goodwin Sub-group (Bonaparte
Basin) is reassessed using palaeontological data, aug-
mented by carbon isotopic measurements and geochemi-
cal analyses, supported by wireline log correlations and
seismic profiles. The stratigraphy of the latest Permian
to Early Triassic succession in the Bonaparte Basin is
also revised, as is the nomenclature for the Early Triassic
Arranoo Member of the Kockatea Shale in the northern
Perth Basin. The Mt Goodwin Sub-group (new rank) is
composed of the latest Permian Penguin Formation over-
lain by the Early Triassic Mairmull, Ascalon and Fishburn
formations (all new).
KEYWORDS
Permian-Triassic boundary, western Australia, northern
Perth and Bonaparte basins, palaeontology, carbon iso-
topes, well log correlations, 2D and 3D seismic, redefined
Mt Goodwin Sub-group and Penguin Formation, defined
Mairmull, Ascalon, Fishburn formations (new), Arranoo
Member, tectonics, eustacy, source rocks.
INTRODUCTION
The Early Triassic sedimentary succession is one of the
most tightly age-controlled intervals in the Phanerozoic
sedimentary record. Recent advances in the radio-isotopic
methods of dating of ashfall tuff zircons are producing
reproducible results with error bar constraints of +/- 0.2
Ma (Mundil et al, 2001; 2004; Mattinson, 2005; Galfetti
et al, 2008). In China a biostratigraphically (ammonoids
and conodonts) well-constrained succession from the Late
Permian (Changhsingian) through to the Middle Anisian
and containing literally hundreds of interbedded tuff
horizons has been examined (Galfetti et al, 2008). Table
1 shows the revision of the age constraints in the Early
Triassic from GTS 2004 (Gradstein et al, 2004) through a
preliminary revision by Ogg et al (2008) to the most recent
compilation of Galfetti et al (2008). The time constraints
on this Early Triassic interval demonstrate that the dura-
tion of the Griesbachian Substage was only about 0.49 Ma,
the Dienerian about 0.53 Ma, the Smithian about 0.73 Ma
and the Spathian about 2.87 Ma. The short duration of
J.D. Gorter
1
, R.S. Nicoll
2
, I. Metcalfe
3
, R.J. Willink
4

and D. Ferdinando
5
1
Eni Australia
40 Kings Park Road
West Perth WA 6005
2
Geoscience Australia
GPO Box 378
Canberra ACT 2601
3
University of New England
School of Environmental and Rural Science
Earth Studies Building C02
Armidale NSW 2351
4
Origin Energy
339 Coronation Drive
Milton QLD 4064
5
Murphy Australia Oil
London House, Level 1
216 St Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000
John.Gorter@eniaustralia.com.au
Bob.Nicoll@ga.gov.au
imetcal2@une.edu.au
Rob.Willink@originenergy.com.au
Darren_Ferdinando@murphyoilcorp.com
ABSTRACT
Several sedimentary basins in west Australia contain
petroleum reservoirs of Late Permian or older age that
are overlain by thick shaly sequences (4002,000 m) that
have been assigned an Early Triassic age. The age of the
base of the Triassic shales has been, and continues to be,
contentious with strata being variously ascribed to the
latest Permian (Changhsingian Stage) or wholly within
the earliest Triassic (Induan Stage). In the Perth Basin
the Permian-Triassic boundary appears to be located
somewhere in the Hovea Member of the Kockatea Shale.
In the Bonaparte Basin, the boundary would appear to
be either in the uppermost Penguin Formation or at the
boundary between the Penguin and Mairmull formations.
The uncertainty of the boundary placement relates
to the interpretation of the sedimentological, biostrati-
graphic and geochemical record in individual sections and
basins. Major problems relate to the recognition, or even
the presence of unconformities, complications related to
312APPEA Journal 2009
J.D. Gorter, R.S. Nicoll, I. Metcalfe, R.J. Willink and D. Ferdinando
these time intervals may well contribute to our inability
to recognise sediments of the early part of this interval in
some regions of the Western Australia margin.
Marine Triassic rocks are widespread in the Bonaparte,
Browse, Canning, northern Carnarvon and Perth basins
(Fig. 1). Many petroleum exploration wells have penetrat-
ed Triassic strata and together with widespread seismic
profiling in the search for oil and gas resources, enable a
robust lithostratigraphy to be established. The Early Tri-
assic sedimentary succession is predominantly composed
of marine fine-grained clastic sediments and occasional
interbedded carbonates, with total thickness ranging from
4002,000 m, deposited over a time interval of 5.1 million
years (Ogg et al, 2008). Most of the Early Triassic formations
identified in the literature are based on lithostratigraphy,
that is, correlated by electric log profiles and dominant
rock types, with some biostratigraphy included by way of
palynology. Unfortunately, most of the Australian Triassic
spore-pollen zones are endemic to the region (Balme, 1969;
1990; Balme and Foster, 1996; Dolby and Balme, 1976;
Helby et al, 1987) and correlations to better-dated strata
elsewhere in the world is somewhat problematic. In some
instances, particularly in the upper part of the Triassic,
dinoflagellates can be correlated outside of the Australian
region (e.g. Balme, 1969; 1990; Balme and Foster, 1996),
and in even fewer instances conodonts and ammonoids
prove useful in correlation (e.g. Nicoll and Foster, 1998;
Nicoll, 2002; Skwarko and Kummel, 1974).
In the Perth Basin, the basal Triassic shales are seals to
underlying Permian reservoirs (e.g. Cliff Head and Hovea
fields) and also interpreted to be source rocks (Thomas
and Barber, 2004), and minor oil and gas reservoirs are
present in the regressive Early Triassic strata at the Don-
gara oil and gas field (Arranoo Member). In the Bonaparte
Basin the basal Triassic shales form the ultimate seal for
Permian reservoirs at the Prometheus, Rubicon, Fishburn,
Petrel and Tern fields and include thin reservoir quality
and gas-bearing sandstones at Blacktip1 and Ascalon1A
(Ascalon Formation, see below).
The primary correlation is by wireline log curve match-
ing between petroleum exploration wells, supported by
conodont and palynological control in shallow marine to
continental strata. Inter basinal correlations are made us-
ing the same methodology but more emphasis is placed on
the matching of chronostratigraphic surfaces supported
by the generally short-lived conodont faunas. In addition,
carbon isotope profiles over the Permian-Triassic transition
provide information on the base of the Triassic System
by means of correlation to well-dated extra-Australian
measured sections controlled by detailed palaeontology
(Galfetti et al, 2008; Mundil et al, 2001, 2003).
STRATIGRAPHIC NOMENCLATURE AND THE
TRIASSIC/PERMIAN BOUNDARY
Bonaparte Basin
The present lithostratigraphic nomenclature of Triassic
rocks known from the subsurface across the Timor Sea, and
Table 1. Radiometric ages in million of years (Ma) of the base of Early Triassic Substages from different studies.
xmas0027.dgn
Scotese (2000)
60
30
0
30
60
Warm Temperate
Arid
Arid
Arid
Tropical
Perth Basin
Carnarvon Basin
Warm
Temperate
Bonaparte Basin
Figure 1. Locality and palaeogeographic map for the Early Triassic
showing continental distributions and inferred temperature regimes
(after Scotese, http://www.scotese.com/lpermcli.htm) and the
position of the Perth, Carnarvon and Bonaparte basins.
Stage Substage Gradstein et al (2004) Ogg et al (2008)
Anisian
Basal age 245+/-0.15 247.4
Spathian
Olenekian 248.1 249.6
Smithian
Basal age 249.7+/-0.7 251
Dienerian
Induan 250.3 251.5
Griesbachian
Basal age 251+/0.4 252.5
Permian
The Permian-Triassic boundary in west Australia: evidence from the Bonaparte and Northern Perth basinsexploration implications
outcrops in the southeastern Bonaparte Basin (Dickins et
al, 1972; Mory, 1988, 1991), is illustrated in Figure 2. Cor-
relation between wells relied on wireline log similarities.
The basal Triassic unit redefined by Mory (1988) was
the Mt Goodwin Formation of the Kinmore Group, recog-
nised regionally as a seismically bland package from the
southeastern part of the Bonaparte Basin (e.g. Petrel field),
westwards across the Londonderry High (e.g. Osprey1
area) and onto the Ashmore Platform (e.g. Sahul Shoals1
area). The Mt Goodwin Formation was originally defined
by Helby (1974) from Petrel1 well between 2,887 and
3,464 m, where it consists of a series of interbedded shales
and siltstone with minor fine-grained sandstones.
Defining the base of the TriassicBonaparte
Basin
The base of the Triassic in the Bonaparte Basin has gen-
erally been considered to be at the base of the Mt Goodwin
Formation (now Sub-group); however, in some wells there
is a shaly section similar to the Mt Goodwin Sub-group
between the undoubtedly Late Permian Tern Formation
and the well-dated basal Triassic. This unit was called the
Penguin Formation by Gorter (1998). Log correlations in
the southern Bonaparte Basin (e.g. Fig. 3) show that there
is an unconformable contact between Late Permian and
Early Triassic strata in the region of Fishburn1 and this
unconformable relationship is supported by seismic pro-
files and is well illustrated by 3D seismic at Blacktip1,
where well-defined dendritic systems are incised into the
top of the Tern Formation (Fig. 4). The two Permian lime-
stones sequences seen in Petrel2 in Figure 3 are readily
correlated on seismic profiles across the Bonaparte Basin
and the erosion of the Late Permian Dombey Limestone is
evident at Fishburn1. In this well there is a shaly interval
between the eroded top of the Cape Hay Formation and
the base of the dated Mairmull Formation (new name).
This shaly sequence is assigned to the Penguin Formation,
and contains the P. microcorpus Oppel Zone at Fishburn1
(Fig. 5). The major change in the carbon isotopic profile is
seen to occur at the base of the P. microcorpus Oppel Zone
in Fishburn1, but the most negative values lie at the base
of the L. pellucidus Oppel Zone (Fig. 5).
If the top of the Permian is defined as lying between
the L. pellucidus OppelZone and the P. microcorpus Oppel
Zone, then the most likely positioning of the basal Triassic
is at the lightest carbon isotopic horizon, i.e. the top of the
Penguin Formation. The base of the Penguin Formation is
a clearly defined unconformity with the Tern Formation
and Dombey Formations absent by erosion. The base of the
Penguin Formation was cored in Tern5. In the core the
base of the Penguin Formation lies below a granite pebble
lag described from about 2,545.2 m in the core above the
Tern Formation (Fig. 6). Palynological information from
just above the pebble lag indicated the lower P. microcorpus
Oppel Zone is present in a nearshore depositional environ-
ment (Purcell, 2008). The granite pebble horizon suggests
long distance transport from granitic terrain to the south.
The major isotopic break in Tern3 (data from Morante,
1996) also occurs below the base of the P. microcorpus
Oppel Zone (Fig. 7). The isotopic shift in Tern3 is saw-
toothed in pattern, with more negative isotopic values
increasing up section (Fig. 7). Helby (1983, in the Tern3
well completion report) placed the base of the Triassic at
3247.dgn
Early Triassic
Anisian
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Figure 2. Stratigraphy of the Timor Sea region and Bonaparte Basin (modified from Gorter, 2008 unpublished poster).
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the base of the upper P. microcorpus Oppel Zone (Fig. 8).
Detailed examination of the Permian-Triassic transition in
Tern3 shows a sharp boundary between the Tern Forma-
tion and the overlying Penguin Formation indicated by the
gamma ray (GR) curve (Fig. 8). Also shown in Figure 8 are
the palynofacies percentages of opaque organic matter,
plant debris and acritarchs (after Helby, 1983, in Tern3
well completion report). It is clear that over the transition
interval marked by the P. microcorpus Oppel Zone that the
decreasing amount of opaque organic debris parallels the
upward negative shift of the carbon isotopic curve (Fig.
8). Note that the carbon isotopic values were derived from
digitising a figure from Morante (1996) whereas the other
curves are derived from digital data in the Tern3 well
completion report; there may be a slight discrepancy in
depth between these measurements.
In Petrel4 the boundary is not so clearly demarcated
because the isotopic break occurs above the 9 casing
(data from Morante, 1996), with the cuttings-based isotopic
values below the casing shoe having heavier isotopic values.
These cuttings-derived values are not as isotopically heavy
as from the cored Cape Hay Formation section below the
Dombey Formation limestone marker (with the notable
exception of the sample from 3,600 m where over 93.5%
of the kerogen is from acanthomorph acritarchs) (Fig. 9).
The evidence from the southern Bonaparte Basin shows
that the major unconformity lies between the P. microcorpus
Oppel Zone and older Late Permian strata. The uncon-
formity is supported by 2D and 3D seismic data, well log
correlations and palynology. The carbon isotopic profiles
show a negative inflexion at the base of the Penguin For-
mation above relatively monotonous heavy isotopic values
through the Permian (except where complicated by very
negative measurements equated to marine incursions). The
base of the Triassic is marked by the most negative carbon
isotope values and the incoming of the L. pellucidus Zone.
Northern Perth Basin
The basal Triassic stratigraphic subdivisions of the Perth
Basin were established by Playford et al (1976) and the
summary published by Cockbain (1990) is essentially un-
changed by subsequent publications, other than the rec-
ognition of the Hovea Member at the base of the Kockatea
Shale (Thomas and Barber, 2004) and the reinterpretation
that at least some of the sandstone bodieslike the Donga-
ra Sandstoneare of Late Permian age. Nonetheless, there
is considerable debate about the nature of the Permian-
Fig04.dgn
Dendritic
patterns
Dendritic
patterns
Top Tern
Formation
Blacktip1
0 4km
Figure 4. Dendritic channel-like feature near the top of the Tern Formation or base of the Penguin Formation near Blacktip1. Smaller
channel forms are seen to the southeast of the well (note the major linear features shown in red are faults).
Triassic transition (Fig. 10) and the precise placement of
the boundary. Thomas and Barber (2004) contended that
deposition was essentially continuous across the Permian-
Triassic boundary and Metcalfe et al (2008) suggested
that the lack of Early Triassic (Induan) conodont faunas
from any locality in Western Australia probably indicates
a depositional break in the boundary interval.
In establishing the Hovea Member of the Kockatea
Shale, Thomas and Barber (2004) extended the base of
the Kockatea Shale into the Late Permian. They placed
the base of the Kockatea Shale into the upper part of the
Wuchiapingian Stage and included both the D. parvithola
to P. microcorpus Oppel Zones in the Permian. There may
be some question regarding the recognition of the D. parvi-
thola Oppel Zone in the base of the Hovea Member, but the
interpretation of a P. microcorpus Oppel Zone in the base
of the Hovea Member is more certain (Thomas et al, 2004).
The Arranoo Member is the interbedded fine-grained
sandstone and siltstone facies in the upper Kockatea Shale
in onshore wells in the Dongara gas field area (Gilchrist
and Holloway, 1983; Mory and Iasky, 1996: Crostella and
Backhouse, 2000), and is overlain by a regressive unit, the
Woodada Formation (Mory and Iasky, 1996). The Arranoo
Member contains the K. saeptatus Oppel Zone.
Kockatea Shale
The Kockatea Shale crops out in the northernmost Perth
Basin around the Northampton Complex and as far north as
2300
2500
2700
-30 -25
2100
1900
1800
3076.dgn
Hyland Bay
Sub-group
Mt Goodwin
Sub-group
Meters
MD
GR (API)
0 200 500 100 Palynology
(Morante 1996)
marine
marine
marine
Cuttings based
Jurassic
1900
2000
2100
2200
2300
2400
2500
2600
2700
2800
C. torosa
P. samoilovichii
L. pellucidus
P. microcorpus
upper Stage 5c
upper Stage 5b
upper Stage 5a
lower Stage 5b
lower Stage 4
Stage 3b
Fishburn Formation
Ascalon Formation
Mairmull Formation
Penguin Formation
Cape Hay Formation
Torrens Formation
Fossil Head Formation
Pearce Formation
DT (sec/m)
2550
GR (API)
0 200
0 200
2540
2539
2550
2551
Digitised GR (API) Core
2542
2544
2546
2548
2552
2554
2542
2544
2546
2548
Log
Depth
(m)
Core
Depth
(m)
2541
2543
2545
2547
2549
Penguin
Formation
Granite pebble lag
Shelly lag
Tern5
Tern
Formation
Lower
P. microcorpus
Lower
P. microcorpus
Fig06-3400.dgn
Figure 5. Carbon isotopic profile across the Permian-Triassic transition in Fishburn1 (isotopic data digitised from Morante, 1996).
Figure 6. Correlation of cores from Tern5 by means of a gamma ray
log of the cores to the downhole gamma ray logs (data from Tern5
well completion report, Santos, 1998a, b). The core description is
by N.M. Lemon in the completion report. Palynological dating by
Purcell (2008).
2350
2550
-30 -25 -20 -35
3077.dgn
Mt Goodwin
Sub-group
Hyland Bay
Sub-group
Meters
MD
GR (API)
0 200 500 100
Palynology
(Helby WCR)
Cuttings-based
(Morante, 1996)
Dombey Formation
2100
2200
2300
2400
2500
2600
K. saeptatus
L. pellucidus
Weylandites
D. stellata
upper P. microcorpus
lower P. microcorpus
Fishburn Formation
Ascalon Formation
Mairmull Formation
Penguin Formation
Tern Formation
Cape Hay Formation
DT (sec/m)
Figure 7. Carbon isotopic profile across the Permian-Triassic transition in Tern3 (isotopic data digitised from Morante, 1996). Note the
maximum negative shift at the base of the Mairmull Formation below the P. microcorpus Oppel Zone (based on core data).
2350
2550
D
e
p
t
h

(
m
)
3086.dgn
Palynofacies
( Helby, WCR )
1
0
0
1
5
0
2
0
0
05
0
-
3
5
-
3
0
-
2
5
-
2
0
0
2400
2450
2500
Palynology
( Helby, WCR )
Carbon Isotopes
( Morante, 1996 )
9
0
1
0
2
0
3
0
4
0
5
0
6
0
7
0
8
0
L. pellucidus
Weylandites
K. saeptatus
GR
(API)
% opaques
% plant debris
% acritrachs
-?-
T
R
I
A
S
S
I
C
L
A
T
E

P
E
R
M
I
A
N
A
B
DOMBEY FM
CAPE HAY FM
TERN FM
M
A
I
R
M
U
L
L
F
M
P
E
N
G
U
I
N
F
M
upper P. microcorpus
lower P. microcorpus
Figure 8. Details of the Permian-Triassic transition in Tern3, showing the sharp boundary between the Tern Formation and the overlying
Penguin Formation (left hand column), the carbon isotopic profile (after Morante, 1996), and the palynology in the right hand column (from
Helby, 1983, in Tern3 well completion report). Also shown are palynofacies percentages of opaque organic matter, plant debris and acritarchs
(after Helby, 1983, in Tern3 well completion report).
3300
3500
3700
-30 -25
3078.dgn
Mt Goodwin
Sub-group
Hyland Bay
Sub-group
Meters
MD
GR (API)
0 200 500 100
Palynology
(Foster et al. 1997)
Top Pearce
Cuttings and
core-based
marine
(Morante 1996)
K. saeptatus
Cores from
3563.6m
3100
3200
3300
3400
3500
3600
3700
3800
3900
PP5.5 - PP6
PP6
PP5.4 - PP6
PP5.4
PP4.3.2 - PP5
PP4.3.2
Approx. PP5-PP6
in Tern-4
DST 4
9
5
8"
casing
9
5
8"
casing
Ascalon Formation
Mairmull Formation
Penguin Formation
Tern Formation
Dombey Formation
Cape Hay Formation
Fishburn Formation
DT (sec/m)
Approx. P. microcorpus
in Tern-3
Figure 9. Carbon isotopic profile across the Permian-Triassic transition in Petrel4 (isotopic data from Morante, 1996; Foster et al, 1997)
indicating no marked negative shift at the base of the Penguin Formation in this well, possibly because of complications resulting from the
placement of the 9 casing. Note the highly negative marine spike in the Permian section caused by the abundance of spinose acritarchs
and the marked negative isotope excursion at the base of the Mairmull Formation.
3249.dgn
S8
S7
S6
S5
S4
S3
S2
S1
? ?
Kockatea
Shale
? ?
? ? ?
Ol1,2,3
In2
Car3
Car2
Car1
In1
Lad3
Lad2
Lad1
An4
An3
An2
Unnamed
Unnamed
N. aldae
C. timorensis
N. pakistaniensis
P. polygnathiformis
S. ottii
S. quadrifidus
T. playfordii
K. saeptatus
N. dieneri
Early Triassic
Anisian
Ladinian
Carnian
240
250
260
Epoch / Stage
Tethyan
sequences
Palynology Sequences
Age
(Ma)
(Hardenbol
et al. 1998)
Base
conodont
zone
(after Ogg & Nicoll,
in press)
Micro-
plankton
Spores /
pollen West East High Low
(Haq et al.
1987)
Current
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy
West East
Perth / Abrolhos
(GSWA Report 75)
Permian
(Changhsingian)
Long
term
Carnarvon
sequences
(Gorter, 1994)
Sandstone
Limestone
Kockatea
Facies
Beekeeper /
Dongara
Kockatea
Shale
(Condensed
section)
Arranoo Member
Unnamed Lst marker
Lesueur
Formation
Lesueur
Formation
Woodada Formation
Woodada
Formation
Bookara
Sandstone
Wittecarra
Sandstone
Indoon member /
Arranoo Member
Hovea Sapropelic
interval
Hovea Inertinitic interval
and older Permian
Figure 10. Stratigraphy of the northern Perth Basin (from Gorter et al, 2008).
Kalbarri in the southern Carnarvon Basin (Mory and Iasky,
1996). Ammonoids indicate that the base of the Kockatea
Shale in the subsurface in BMR Beagle Ridge10 is Early
Triassic (Griesbachian), and Smithian at the top (Dickins
and McTavish, 1963; Balme, 1990; Gorter et al, 1995; Foster
et al, 1997). North of Beagle Ridge10, at Mt Minchin, ammo-
noids from the lower part of the formation are of Smithian
(late Early Triassic) age demonstrating that the Kockatea
Shale is time transgressive onto the Northampton Block
(Playford et al, 1976). Outcrop in the north of the basin is
generally sparse and weathered, and detailed measured
sections are non existentthe type section is 12 m thick
according to Mory and Iasky (1996)so that well logs and
drill cuttings are the major source of lithostratigraphic
and biostratigraphic information.
The Kockatea Shale is the only Triassic formation in the
northern Perth Basin with established ties to international
biostratigraphy including conodonts and ammonoids, but
most of the non-marine Triassic in the basin relies on long
ranging spores and pollens for age dating. The Kockatea
Shale contains the K. saeptatus Oppel Zone, sometimes
sub-divided into the P. samoilovichii zone and the basal L.
pellucidus zone. Conodonts from the basal limestone are
usually dated as Smithian by the N. dieneri-N. pakistanensis
zones. Carbon isotopic profiles have been established for
the Permian-Triassic transition in Woodada2 (Gorter et
al, 1995; Foster et al, 1997), several Dongara area wells
(Andrew et al, 1999; Morante et al, 1999), and Hovea3
(Thomas and Barber, 2004; Thomas et al, 2004). Morante
et al (1994) and Morante (1996) provided some additional
information on BMR Beagle Ridge10A, but unfortunately
insufficient to enable a vertical profile to be drawn.
The Dongara oil and gas field is the largest hydrocar-
bon pool in the northern Perth Basin. Reservoirs include
several named Permian sandstones that are sealed, and
sourced by the overlying Early Triassic Kockatea Shale. At
Dongara1 the basal part of the Kockatea Shale includes an
inertinitic interval overlain by a sapropel-rich unit called
the Hovea Member (Thomas et al, 2004). The exact age of
the inertinitic unit is still in dispute (see above) but the
sapropelic interval in the upper part of the Hovea Member
is clearly near-basal Triassic in age as it contains distinc-
tive bivalves, conodonts and ammonoids that are of the
same age as well-dated Early Triassic sections elsewhere
in Gondwana. The sapropelic interval and the overlying
Kockatea Shale proper contain the K. saeptatus Oppel Zone
(Fig. 11). The informally named limestone marker, which
overlies the sapropelic unit, dated by the occurrence in
several wells of the N. pakistanensis conodont fauna (e.g.
Corybas1 in Metcalfe et al, 2008), is included in the Hovea
Member by Thomas et al (2004).
Defining the base of the TriassicPerth Basin
Detailed palaeontological and organic geochemical in-
formation derived from cores from Dongara4 is illustrated
in Figure 12. The Rock-Eval T
max
, hydrogen index (HI) and
production index (PI) measurements are from in-house Eni
data measured by Geotech (West, 2000). The GR (API) and
sonic (DT) logs are from digitised electric log data from
the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petro-
leum website. The SC GR (API) is a gamma ray log run
over slabbed core by CoreLab in 1998 for British-Borneo
(now Eni). The ranges of the various fossils in the core
are from Dr Peter Jones (Australian National University,
pers. comm., for the ostracod Carinaknightina discarinata);
RSN (new conodont identifications), and McTavish (1973)
for the N. dieneri zone conodonts. The identification of
Claraia sp was by Dr Mac Dickins (deceased, ex Bureau
of Mineral Resources, pers. comm.) and JDG (in house
identifications). The position of the limestone marker is
derived from the sonic log correlation to nearby wells and
cuttings described from the Dongara4 mud log. Cores were
matched to the down hole logs via the core gamma log for
cores 1 to 3, and are matched at the top of core 4 based on
the reported rounded pebble lag (Backhouse, 1996) and
the gamma ray curve. The interpreted trends for the latest
Permian (blue box) and Early Triassic (pink box) carbon
isotopes follows the Hovea3 data (Thomas and Barber,
2004; Thomas et al, 2004) as shown in Figure 11.
The Dongara4 Rock-Eval data derived from the cored
section (cores 1 to 3) show the contained organic matter
is immature (also shown by vitrinite reflectivity values of
<0.6%; West, 2000) and the conodont colour alteration index
of 1. The carbon isotopic values through the undoubted
Permian section are closely comparable to the Permian
section of Hovea3 (as in Fig. 11), but in Dongara4 the
undoubted Triassic interval shows a marked scatter of
isotopic values from measurements closely comparable
to undoubted Permian values (Fig. 12) to values similar
to those from the undoubted Triassic section in Hovea3.
The undoubted Triassic samples with the heaviest car-
bon isotopic composition in Dongara4 appear to contain
recognisable megaspores (Dr Clinton Foster, Geoscience
Australia, pers. comm.). Megaspores are particularly noted
from the inertinitic member at Corybas1 (Metcalfe et
al, 2008).
Gorter et al (1995) noted possible reworking of the
Permian strata with heavier isotopic measurements in
Woodada2, and Foster et al (1997) attributed the heavy
isotopic values in the same core to reworking. The Don-
gara4 data do not disprove the Hovea3 interpretation, but
the absence of any heavy isotopic values in the Hovea3
Triassic is surprisingperhaps the Hovea location was far
enough from the eroding Permian outcrop that reworked
Permian organic detritus was not deposited (or it was de-
posited during the height of the transgression so that no
hinterland was exposed).
Metcalfe et al (2008, fig. 2) illustrated a section through
Corybas1 to Hovea3/ST1 that could support the inter-
pretation here of an unconformity at the top Permian or
the top of the inertinitic unit at Hovea3. A poorly pre-
served occurrence of the Late Permian conodont Clarkina
jolfensis at the base of the sapropelic interval may indicate
a continuous section, but equally it could be reworked.
Unfortunately at the time of writing there is no palynologi-
cal information from this well. Log correlation between
Hovea3/ST1, Dongara4 and Corybas1 (Fig. 13) implies
that the single specimen of C. jolfensis may be reworked.
The very fine-grained sandstones of the informally
named Indoon member in Indoon1 (Fig. 14) can be cor-
related from Indoon1 to East Lake Logue1 and into some
of the Woodada gas field wells, but sandstones are absent
in other field wells like Woodada2, where the stratigraphic
equivalent may be represented by calcareous shales de-
posited on the pre-existing, pre-Triassic topographic high
(e.g. Gorter and Davies, 1999, fig. 13). In the Dongara area
the Indoon member may merge with the Arranoo Member
(both occur in a section containing the K. saeptatus Oppel
Zone), but further work is required to validate this.
DISCUSSION
Gorter (1994) interpreted regressive-transgressive
events in the Triassic strata of the offshore Carnarvon
Basin (Fig. 1) by correlating palynological zones with the
sea level curve of Haq et al (1988). These transgressive
and regressive events are correlated to sea level events
deduced for the Triassic succession in Tethys as determined
by Hardenbol et al (1998) in Figure 2. The Induan 1 and 2
sea level events are here equated with a sea level fall at
the base of the Ascalon Formation (new name) between
sequences 1 and 2 of Gorter (1994), and the sea level fall
between sequences 2 and 3 is correlated with the Olen-
kian 3 event of Hardenbol et al (1998). In the Early and
Middle Triassic, Ogg (in Gradstein et al, 2004) noted major
regressions in the Induan (In1), middle Olenkian (Ol1) and
near the top of the Olenkian (Ol4) and the late Ladinian
(Lad3). In Ogg et al (2008) this was changed to limit the
major regressions to the Late Permian (late Changhsingian
(end Perm)), the late Olenekian (Ol4) and the late Ladin-
ian (Lad 3). The Ol4 event of Ogg et al (2008) probably
coincides with the Olenekian 3 event of Hardenbol et al
(1998), but given the widespread nature of the regressive
event at the base Ascalon Formation in the Bonaparte
Basin, probably reflected in the incoming of the Indoon
member in the northern Perth Basin, it is surprising that
it is not recognised by Ogg et al (2008). In Ogg et al (2008)
peak transgressive events are shown to have occurred in
the mid to late Olenkian (Neospathodus pingdingshanensis
Zone) and at about the AnisianLadinian boundary level
(top Nevadites secedensis Zone).
Isotope stratigraphy
High-resolution carbon isotope measurements from
many stratigraphic sections in south China have demon-
4
2
0
4
3
0
4
4
0
4
5
0
4
6
0
01
0
0
2
0
0
3
0
0
4
0
0
5
0
0
6
0
0
7
0
0
8
0
0
9
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
D
e
p
t
h

(
m
)
Tmax HI
PI
-
3
2
-
3
0
-
2
8
-
2
6
-
2
4
-
2
2
3073.dgn
13 ! C Kerogen
0
.
2
0 200
D
.

p
a
r
v
i
t
h
o
l
a
P
.

m
ic
r
o
c
o
r
p
u
s
K
.

s
a
e
p
t
a
t
u
s
CORE GR (API) GR (API)
in situ
Evidence of
migrated or
hydrocarbons.
Inertinitic
Sapropelic
DONGARA
SANDSTONE
from Rock-Eval
basic data
Unconformity ?
max T possibly
effected by
hydrocarbons:
Temperature
values too low.
digitised from
Thomas et al.
(2004, fig. 2)
Figure 11. Rock-Eval pyrolysis digital data from Hovea3 plotted against Rock-Eval pyrolysis measurements digitised from Thomas et al
(2004, fig. 2). The overlay of the original hydrogen index (HI) values in red diamonds by the digitised values of the HI (green diamonds) from
Thomas et al (2004, fig. 2) demonstrates that the digitised
13
C values for kerogen is on depth; however, the unpublished production index
data (PI) show that the section with lower isotopic values contain either in situ generated or migrated hydrocarbons, suggesting the Rock-
Eval T
max
values reported are probably too lowthe probable break in maturity of the contained kerogen at about 1,981 m (dashed line)
could indicate an unconformity.
strated that the pronounced carbon isotopic excursion at
the Permian-Triassic boundary is not an isolated event but
merely the first in a series of large fluctuations that contin-
ued throughout the Early Triassic before ending abruptly
early in the Middle Triassic. Composite carbon isotopic
curves (
13
C
carb
) for the well-dated Meishan locality and
other sites in China (e.g. Krull et al, 2004, fig. 8; Payne and
Kump, 2007; Galfetti et al, 2007, 2008), show that the light-
est carbon isotopic content (i.e. the most negative values)
occurs in bed 25 at Meishan in the upper Changsingian.
In marine sections, such as at Meishan, the negative car-
bon isotopic excursion and the Permian-Triassic boundary
may be separated by a few centimetres whereas in non-
marine sections several tens or even hundreds of metres
may separate these events, and the boundary can not be
placed with any certainty within the transitional palyno-
flora or vertebrate fauna (Metcalfe et al, in press). The
Permian-Triassic boundary in the Bonaparte and northern
Perth basins lies within a siliciclastic-dominated succes-
sion that, on the present palaeontological dating, appear
to have been deposited rather rapidlyconsistent with
a stretched carbon isotopic profile (e.g. in Fishburn1,
Fig. 5 and Tern3, Fig. 7). The abrupt break in the carbon
isotopic curve shown by Hovea3 (Fig. 11) is consistent
with extremely rapid sedimentation over the inertinitic
and sapropelic interval boundary or a sedimentary hiatus.
Payne and Kump (2007, fig. 1), demonstrated that at
least four marked swings in isotopic values occur in the
Early Triassic in the Great Bank of the Nanpanjiang Basin
(e.g. Lehrmann et al, 2003), an isolated Permo-Triassic
carbonate build-up at Guizhou in southern China (Fig.
15). Ogg et al (2008) have shown preliminary revised stage
and substage boundary ages (our Table 1) and these have
been further revised by Galfetti et al (2008) and used to
redraft Figure 15 contrasting carbon isotopic curves from
Guizhou (Payne and Kump, 2007) and Guangxi (Galfetti
et al, 2007). Galfetti et al (2007, fig. 2) indicate the most
negative isotopic excursion in the Early to Middle Triassic
occurs in the early Smithian at the base of the Flemingites
rursiradiatus beds in the Jinya/Waili composite measured
section in northwestern Guangxi in southern China, ap-
proximately equivalent to the N. dieneri-N. waageni con-
4
2
0
4
3
0
4
4
0
4
5
0
4
6
0
01
0
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Tmax HI PI
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5
-
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0
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.
5
-
2
5
0 200 GR (API) SC GR (API)
1670
1660
1680
1690
1700
D
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(
m
)
1650
3074.dgn
1000 0.1
13 ! C Kerogen
C
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3
Lost
core
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Rounded
pebble lag
? reworked
Permian
Claraia
C. discarinata
Latest Permian
isotopic trend
Earliest Triassic
isotopic trend
N. dieneri zone
DT (sec/m)
C

4
Figure 12. Dongara4 Rock-Eval Tmax, hydrogen index (HI) and production index (PI) from in house data by Geotech (West, 2000). GR
(API) and DT logs are from digitised data in DoIR website files. SC GR (API) is a gamma ray log run over slabbed core by CoreLab in 1998 for
British-Borneo (now Eni). The ranges of the various fossils in the core are after Peter Jones (pers. comm., for the Carinaknightina discarinata);
Robert Nicoll (pers. comm.) and McTavish (1973) for the N. dieneri zone conodonts; Claraia sp from Mac Dickins (pers. comm.) and Gorter
(in house); and the limestone marker from sonic log correlation to nearby wells and cuttings described in the Dongara4 mud log. Cores
are matched to the down hole logs via the core gamma log for cores 1 to 3, and are matched at the top of core 4 based on the reported
rounded pebble lag (Backhouse, 1996) and the gamma ray curve. The carbon isotopic compositions are from Morante (1996) and Morante
et al (1999). The trends for the latest Permian (blue box) and Early Triassic (pink box) carbon isotopes follows Hovea3 data (Thomas and
Barber, 2004; Thomas et al, 2004) as shown in Figure 11.
C
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1
.
odont zones (composite
13
C
carb
curve reproduced in Fig.
15). Foster et al (1997) had earlier demonstrated that the
carbon isotopic content of kerogen in the Triassic could
be artificially heavy because of the reworking of Permian
woody material with heavy isotopic values. In this isolated
bank, influx of recycled Permian wood is unlikely and the
isotopic swings must be caused by other means, perhaps
sea level fluctuations (see Haq et al (1988) and Hardenbol
et al (1998) for eustatic variations in the Early Triassic),
or the episodic and catastrophic release of methane from
hydrates (e.g. Hesselbo et al, 2000; de Wit et al, 2002;
Retallack and Krull, 2006).
Australian carbon isotopic curves from
13
C
org
over
the Late Permian to Early Triassic transition (based on
data from Morante, 1995, etc.) have been published by
Morante et al (1994) and Morante (1996) for Tern3, Foster
at al. (1997) for Petrel4, and Morante (1996) and Retal-
lack and Krull (2006) for Fishburn1 (see Fig. 5). While
carbon isotopic curves based on the carbon isotope values
from organic-derived carbon (total organic components,
13
C
org
) are not strictly comparable to carbon isotopic
values derived from carbonate minerals (
13
C
carb
) (e.g.
Kump and Arthur, 1999; Retallack and Krull, 2006, fig. 5;
Arthur, 2008), as both presumably reflect the isotopic com-
position of the global atmosphere, it is assumed that the
negative-positive shifts in both measures move in tandem,
as shown by de Wit et al (2002) across the palynologically
defined Permian-Triassic boundary from five basins in
the interior of the former Gondwana Supercontinent. In
addition, as pointed out by Giddings and Wallace (2009),
13
C
carb
values derived from basinal carbonate facies
are generally lighter than proximal facies with changes
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
2200
T. playfordii
Probably Permian
Kockatea Shale
Early Triassic to
Latest Permian
DT (sec/m)
140
0 200
GR (API)
40
K.saeptatus
Palynology
(Balme,
Ingram, WCR)
Jurassic
Londonderry
Equivalent
Osprey
Equivalent
Arranoo
Microfossils
(Ingram, WCR)
5
0
%
1
0
0
%
A
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la
t
io
n
Eneabba
7" @
2109m
3093.dgn
3300
3500
3700
-30 -25
Alternative correlation
Conodonts in
Beekeeper1
APP4.2 to APP5
age range
A
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a
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s
2100
2200
-30 -25 -20 -35
Woodada
Formation
Lesueur
Formation
Beekeeper
Formation
Carynginia
Formation
~2400 km
INDOON1 PETREL4
2000
2100
2200
2300
2400
2500
2600
2700
2800
2900
3000
3100
3200
3300
3400
3500
3600
3700
3800
3900
Meters
MD
GR (API)
0 200 500 100 Microfossils
Cape Hay
Plover
Top Triassic
Datum :
Palynology
(Foster et al. 1997)
PP5.5 - PP6
PP6
PP5.4 - PP6
PP5.4
PP4.3.2 - PP5
PP4.3.2
Top Hyland Bay
Sub-Group
Top Dombey
Top Pearce
Cores from 3563.6m
Base Ascalon
Ascalon Formation
Top Mt Goodwin
Sub-group
Osprey
Formation
Fishburn
Formation
Mairmull
Formation
KB = 25m, WD = 95m, TD = 3975m
Elf Aquitaine, 1988
Troughton
Group
Cape Londonderry
Type Section
2471-2887m
in Petrel-1
?
Approx. PP5-PP6
in Tern-4
5
8 9 "
@
3417m
Possible
fault
5
8 9 "
@
846m
DST 4
Reduviasporonites?
(Morante 1996)
S N
MD
Meters
Carbon isotopic
data in house.
Cuttings show well bottomed
in Pearce limestone
Malita Formation
Type Section
2229-2471m
in Petrel-1
Penguin Formation
DT (sec/m)
Approx. T. playfordii
in Petrel-1
Approx. K. saeptatus
in Petrel-1
Approx. P. microcorpus
in Tern-3
Approx. P. arcoensis
in Petrel-2
'Indoon
member'
Figure 14. Shallowing event (Indoon member) in the Kockatea Shale at Indoon1 recognised from the gamma ray and sonic log profiles
and by a decrease in the spinose acritarch content of the palynofacies (from Indoon1 well completion report). The correlation between
Indoon1 in the northern Perth Basin and Petrel4 in the southeastern Bonaparte Basin shows close similarities in formation architecture,
supported by palynological information and carbon isotopic measurements across the Permian-Triassic boundary.
of 811 in age equivalent facies. Similar gradients can
occur in proximal siliciclastic facies, where much of the
contained organic matter may be derived from land plants
resulting in heavier carbon isotopic values, compared to
distal settings where the organic matter is more likely to
have been derived from marine organisms, with lighter
isotopic values.
The Early Triassic Kockatea Shale in the northern Perth
Basin has a distinctive log facies and contains the K. saep-
tatus Oppel Zone. The last appearance of the species K.
saeptatus is at the top of the B. buurensis-S. milleri conodont
zone, i.e. it is no younger than topmost Smithian (Ogg and
Nicoll, 2007) in the Arctic. The lower part of the formation
contains the N. dieneri to N. pakistanensis conodonts in and
below a limy interval (i.e. the limestone marker) seen in
most northern Perth Basin wells. The overlap of conodont
ranges reported from Corybas1 by Metcalfe et al (2008)
indicates an early Smithian age for this carbonate interval.
Both species have their last appearance near the top of the
B. buurensis-S. milleri conodont zone, i.e. latest Smithian.
These early Smithian limestones lie below a slightly
sandy interval, seen in the Indoon1 and Woodada field
wells, in the K. saeptatus Oppel Zone that is interpreted
to be the equivalent of the Ascalon Formation in the
-2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
252.5
247.88
251.48
dieneri
S
t
a
b
i
l
i
s
a
t
i
o
n
M
i
d
d
l
e

T
r
i
a
s
s
i
c
E
a
r
l
y

T
r
i
a
s
s
i
c
A
n
i
s
i
a
n
S
m
i
t
h
i
a
n
S
p
a
t
h
i
a
n
Age
(Ma)
252.01
G
r
i
e
s
-
b
a
c
h
i
a
n
250.75
-2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5
waageni-milleri
?
D
i
e
n
-
e
r
i
a
n
3082.dgn
13
C
P
T
B

e
x
c
u
r
s
i
o
n
C
h
a
n
g
s
i
n
g
i
a
n
L
a
t
e
P
e
r
m
i
a
n
Time scale from Galfetti et al. (2008)
13
C
Figure 15. Composite carbon isotopic (
13
C) compositional changes measured across the Permian-Triassic boundary in an isolated
deep marine carbonate bank at Guizhou in southern China (after Payne and Krump, 2007, fig. 1) should be relatively free from reworked
terrestrial input which may bias the isotopic measurements. Also shown for comparison is the composite carbon isotopic (
13
C
carb
) curve
from northwestern Guangxi (Galfetti et al, 2007). Both curves are fitted to the Galfetti et al (2008) timescale at the substage boundaries.
Timor Sea wells (e.g. Fig. 14). In Fishburn1, the Ascalon
Formation, while itself not analysed for carbon isotopic
composition, appears to be part of a continuum of carbon
isotopic values. Values are initially increasingly negative,
then switch upward through the Mairmull Formation to
increasingly positive values below the Ascalon Formation
(Fig. 5). Above the Ascalon Formation in the Fishburn
Formation (new name), the isotopic values again become
increasingly negative upwards through the formation to
be the lightest values in the well, immediately below the
unconformity at the base of the Jurassic. If the entire
sedimentary section across the Permo-Triassic boundary
is present in the Bonaparte Basin wells shown in Figure 3,
and assuming the sampling interval is narrow enough to
record all possible perturbations in carbon isotopic values,
the lightest carbon isotopic value can be correlated with
bed 25 at Meishan, and is located in the latest Permian, or
at a younger light isotopic inflexion, for example near the
Griesbachian-Dienerian boundary. If the former correla-
tion is correct, the incoming of L. pellucidus occurs in the
latest Permian, or if the latter in the latest Griesbachian
or earliest Dienerian (cf. Figs 5 and 15).
Unconformities
The most negative carbon isotope values equate to the
lower part of the Kockatea Shale in the northern Perth
Basin and the lowermost Mairmull Formation or topmost
part of the preserved Fishburn Formation in the Bonaparte
Basin (Fig. 16a). The sharp break to the negative at about
1,981 m in the Hovea3 core is of a comparable magnitude.
The lack of any slope between the negative Smithian val-
ues and the positive Permian values suggest that section
is missing in the cored section at Hovea3 and is entirely
consistent with the Late Permian age of the P. microcor-
pus Oppel Zone in the positive isotopic interval, and the
highly negative isotopic part of the K. saeptatus Oppel
Zone interval. Similar conclusions can be drawn from a
comparison of the carbon isotopic curves and palynology
between Hovea3 and Tern3 (Fig. 16b).
Support for absence of the earliest Triassic in western
Australian basins is forthcoming from the fossil record:
there are no unequivocally Griesbachian conodonts, am-
monites or shelly fossils known from any basin on the
western Australian margin. This is not to say that older
Triassic strata may not be present in undrilled basinal
areas. The oldest Triassic rocks on the western Australian
margin, based on isotopic curve matching, are most likely
in the Bonaparte Basin where the latest Griesbachian P.
microcorpus Oppel Zone occurs in the Penguin Formation,
which from well log correlations (Fig. 3) and seismic data
is unconformable on the Tern Formation. Furthermore, in
Tern5 the base of the Penguin Formation with the lower P.
microcorpus Oppel Zone (Purcell, 2008) is a granite pebble
lag overlying the Tern Formation (Fig. 6). In the Blacktip1
region, 3D seismic data indicates channelling of the top
of the Tern Formation (Fig. 17). In the Perth Basin, there
is no conclusive evidence from dipmeter or seismic data
for an erosional break between the sapropelic and inerti-
nitic intervals of the Hovea Member in either Hovea3 or
Corybas1, but in other wells such as Cliff Head4, there
is a clearly defined unconformity between the sapropelic
interval and the older Permian based on palynology (Pur-
cell, 2006). In this well the contact is shale-on-shale and
there is no obvious evidence of the unconformity such as
facies change, weathering, angularity or lag, but there is
a colour change and a marked palynological break (Early
Triassic over Artinskian). A similar shale-on-shale contact
with no discernible evidence of hiatus apart from paly-
nology change and a negative carbon isotopic excursion
occurs in Woodada2 (Gorter et al, 1995; Foster et al, 1997).
From a comparison of the isotopic curves (e.g. Payne
and Kump (2007) and Galfetti et al (2007) in Fig. 16), it
can be argued that the base of the Kockatea Shale (i.e.
above the P. microcorpus Oppel Zone) is no older than lat-
est Griesbachian and there is a substantial time gap in
the order of a million yearswith or without significant
erosionbetween the inertinitic interval of the Hovea
Member and the sapropelic interval at the base of the
Kockatea Shale. This is clearly demonstrated at Dongara4
(Fig. 12) where the unconformity occurs between the sap-
ropelic lowermost Kockatea Shale (upper Hovea Member
of Thomas et al, 2004, fig. 2) and the underlying inertinitic
part of the Hovea Member (Fig. 11).
Throughout the Bonaparte Basin, the base of the Ascalon
Formation demonstrates a widespread downward shift in
facies probably coinciding with the Induan 1/2 lowstand
(Fig. 2). The sandy lithofacies in the proximal parts of the
Bonaparte Basin shales out distally until there is very little
sandstone present in the system. The Indoon and Arranoo
members in the northern Perth Basin may be a similar,
coeval lowstand deposit.
Depositional rates and palaeoclimate
In passing, the new constraints on the ages of the lower
shaly units of the earliest Triassic suggests that the sev-
eral hundred metres of the Mt Goodwin Sub-group were
deposited in basin depocentres in as little as 11.5 million
years (averaged from Table 1), during which time there was
also a marine regression and regional erosion at the base
of the Ascalon Formation. This implies a depositional rate
of ~>500 m/million years for depocentres where seismic
information suggests up to 2 km of Mt Goodwin Sub-group
accumulation (after compaction)a phenomenal depo-
sitional rate for what is essentially a shallow marine to
paralic siltstone unitand implies a vast supply of fine-
grained detritus in the hinterland that was transported into
the shallow sea. There are no known fossil river systems
of basal Triassic or latest Permian age in the hinterland
of the Bonaparte Basin that may have distributed this
weathered material, leaving open the possibility that much
of the finer detritus was dispersed by wind. Possibly the
weathered detritus was from far afield, for example from
a later Permian cool temperature desert that was located
on the craton away from the preserved Late Permian ma-
rine strata (e.g. the Hyland Bay Sub-group contains cool
water limestones and was, in the Bonaparte Basin area at
2250
2350
2200
-
3
2
-
3
0
-
2
8
-
2
6
-
2
4
-
2
2
GR Carbon Isotopes
1
0
0
1
5
0
2
0
0
05
0
Palynology
L. pellucidus
upper
Stage 5c
P. microcorpus
Depth
(m)
Unconformity ?
-
3
2
-
3
0
-
2
8
-
2
6
-
2
4
-
2
2
CORE GR Carbon Isotopes
1970
1980
1990
1995
1985
1975
1965
Palynology
K. saeptatus
P. microcorpus
D. parvithola
1
0
0
1
5
0
2
0
0
05
0
Depth
(m)
2300
Possible correlation
based on carbon
isotopic values
and palynology
Earliest Triassic
isotopic trend
Latest Permian
isotopic trend
Unconformity ?
-
3
2
-
3
0
-
2
8
-
2
6
-
2
4
-
2
2
3156.dgn
2350
1
0
0
1
5
0
2
0
0
05
0
-
3
5
-
3
0
-
2
5
-
2
0
2450
L. pellucidus
Weylandites
K. saeptatus
T
R
I
A
S
S
I
C
A
B
M
A
I
R
M
U
L
L
F
M
P
E
N
G
U
I
N
F
M
upper
P. microcorpus
lower
P. microcorpus
CORE GR
Carbon Isotopes
Carbon Isotopes
1970
1980
1990
1995
1985
1975
1965
TERN
FM
GR Palynology
Palynology
K. saeptatus
P. microcorpus
D. parvithola
Depth
(m)
1
0
0
1
5
0
2
0
0
05
0
Depth
(m)
2400
M
A
I
R
M
U
L
L
F
M
P
E
N
G
U
I
N
F
M
C
A
P
E

H
A
Y
F
M
L
A
T
E

P
E
R
M
I
A
N
T
R
I
A
S
S
I
C
Fishburn1
Hovea3
A
Hovea3
Tern3
B
L
A
T
E
P
E
R
M
I
A
N
Figure 16a and b. Comparisons between the carbon isotopic composition of kerogens in Hovea3 (data from Thomas et al, 2004) and
Fishburn1 (Fig. 16a) and Hovea3 and Tern3 (Fig. 16b) (data from Morante et al, 1994; Morante, 1996). If the carbon isotopic values are
directly comparable, the preserved P. microcorpus Oppel Zone isotopic values (i.e. < -24
13
C) in Hovea3 equates to the lower P. microcorpus
Oppel Zone in Tern3, supporting the suggestion that most of the P. microcorpus Oppel Zone is eroded at Hovea3.
least, located in a temperate climate according to Scotese
palaeogeographic maps; http://www.scotese.com/lpermcli.
htm). Oxygen isotope values of Gradstein et al (2004) as
illustrated by Gorter et al (2008, fig. 3) suggest a cooling
of the global climate around the Roadian-Wordian bound-
ary, but the main period of glaciation in the southeastern
Bonaparte Basin ceased in the Sakmarian (Gorter et al,
2008). Alpine glacial episodes are documented higher in
the Permian (Artinskian) in the Carnarvon Basin (in the
Woomarel Group and lowermost Byro Group, Hocking et
al, 1987), and in the Perth Basin (Carynginia Formation,
Mory and Iasky, 1996), but not in the Canning Basin.
Swamping of normal marine conditions in the Bonaparte
Basin during the Early Triassic by rapid deposition of re-
worked and weathered Permian glacial and post-glacial
(and older) sediments, may explain the impoverished fauna
and lack of Early Triassic source facies in the Bonaparte
Basin. An extensive survey of the open file geochemical
data base in this region shows no enrichment of organic
matter in the basal beds of the Mairmull or Penguin For-
mations comparable to that documented from the Hovea
Member sapropelic interval in the northern Perth Basin
(Thomas and Barber, 2004). While both the sapropelic in-
terval of the Hovea Member and the Mairmull Formation
contain the K. saeptatus Oppel Zone, Early Triassic strata
in the northern Perth Basin contain marine organisms,
including ammonoids, conodonts, several bivalves, spinose
acritarchs and foraminifera that together suggest a more
saline environment than indicated by the impoverished
fauna described from the Early Triassic in the southern
Bonaparte Basin (lingulid brachiopods, spinose acritarchs,
conchostracans and non-diagnostic shelly remains). In ad-
dition, the occurrence of the limestone marker and nodu-
lar carbonate concretions in the lower Kockatea Shale
supports a more open marine circulation in comparison
to the basal Mairmull Formation where limestones and
carbonate nodules are mostly lacking.
Chumakov and Zharkov (2003, and references therein)
discussed evidence for high latitude cold conditions in
southeastern Australia south of about 70
o
during the Late
Permian (Tatarian = Capitanian) and noted that at the
very end of the Late Permian, climate here was sometimes
close to the subarctic one (Chumakov and Zharkov, 2003,
p. 362). Archbold and Shi (1995) and Nicoll and Metcalfe
(1998, fig. 2) from brachiopod and conodont faunas also
interpreted a period of cooling during the Tatarian of the
southern Carnarvon and Canning basins. According to
palaeogeographic maps available for the latest Permian
(255 Ma, latest Wuchiapingian) on the Scotese website, the
northern Perth Basin lay at about 60
o
S indicating a cool
to possibly cold climate. There is good evidence for the
existence of younger than Sakmarian ice caps or valley
glaciers in the vicinity of the northern Perth Basin. Accord-
ing to Eyles et al (2006), the thick transgressive shales of
Fig17.dgn
Splays to
Blacktip high?
Channelling
Formation Sculpt:
32ms Above
96ms Below
A1 Horizon
Channelling
Blacktip1
0 4km
Blacktip1 A1
Formation Sculpt
Figure 17. Flattening on the top Ascalon Formation (A1 reservoir) at Blacktip1 based on the Blacktip 3D seismic survey shows that the
section between the top of the Ascalon and to a depth of about 16 ms (i.e. about 30 m) into the formation, the depositional architecture
includes meandering channels.
the late Early Permian (Artinskian-Kungurian) Carynginia
Formation contain ice-rafted debris reflecting renewed
subsidence but continuing seasonally cool climates with
coarse debris ice rafted into a marine embayment. Just
(2003) interpreted a cool water, shallow ramp origin for the
carbonates of the Beekeeper Formation (Fig. 14), which
contains microfossils indicative of Wordian-Wuchiapingian
age (David Haig, University of Western Australia, pers.
comm. 2009), about 254268 Ma. The overlying Wagina
Sandstone contains coal and so is probably of latest Perm-
ian age (deposited before the earliest Triassic coal gap,
Retallack and Krull, 2006), probably from the Capitanian
to the Wuchiapingian. Tupper et al (1994) interpreted a
cool but not cold environment of deposition. Given the
circumstantial evidence for cool to cold climate around
the northern Perth Basin during the later Permian it would
be expected that a large amount of glacially derived and
weathered material may have been available on the craton
to fill any nearby depocentre.
In a major review of zircon provenances, Veevers et al
(2005) concluded that there was uplift along the Darling
Fault to the east of the northern Perth Basin at about
255 Ma (approximately the Wuchiapingian-Changhsingian
boundary), with drainage to the southeast and east away
from the subsiding northern Perth Basin. Thus, the input
of craton-derived material to the latest Permian strata of
the northern Perth Basin was limitedthe Hovea Member
inertinitic interval may have been deposited at this time.
With transgression in the earliest Triassic and the amelio-
ration of the climate (Fig. 1), the sapropelic interval of the
Hovea Member was laid down in a marine environment
relatively free of influx of weathered material from the
uplifted rift shoulders.
The economic implications of depositing such a large
thickness of shale in such a short period of time needs
to be addressed. Note that the present measured thick-
nesses of these shaly units from wells and seismic data is
after compaction and dewatering. Intuitively, this rapid
deposition should push any underlying source rocks rap-
idly through the oil generation window implying that in
the depocentres at least, oil generation probably initiated
during the Triassic possibly prior to trap formation related
to the Middle Triassic to Early Jurassic Fitzroy Movement
(Colwell and Kennard, 1996).
CONCLUSIONS
This study has shown that a combination of palaeontol-
ogy, carbon isotopic curves, wireline log correlations and
seismic profiles allows inter-basinal correlation of lithofa-
cies across the Permian-Triassic boundary in two basins at
opposite ends of Western Australiathe Bonaparte and
northern Perth basins.
We conclude that the main Latest Permian unconfor-
mity in the Perth Basin lies above the P. microcorpus Oppel
Zone, and in the Bonaparte Basin, the main unconformity
lies below the P. microcorpus Oppel Zone, unless the P.
microcorpus Oppel Zone is time transgressive.
Implications from this conclusion include:
The tectonic history of the Permian-Triassic boundary
differs between the Bonaparte and northern Perth ba-
sins;
The apparent correlation of the Ascalon Formation and
the Indoon member lowstand units in the lower part of
the K. saeptatus Oppel Zone implies a possible eustatic
connection between the northern Perth and Bonaparte
basins; and,
The different tectonic history may partly explain the
lack of an equivalent to the excellent oil and gas source
in the sapropelic unit of the basal Kockatea Shale (up-
per part of the Hovea Member) of the northern Perth
Basin in the Bonaparte Basin.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the following colleagues for data
and/or discussion: Ric Morante, Arthur Mory (Geological
Survey of Western Australia), Robyn Purcell (P&R Purcell
Geological Consultants), Geoff Wood (Santos), and our
referee Roger Hocking (GSWA).
In addition, the following Eni personnel contributed to
this study: Shane McGilligan and Sandra Ball (drafting)
and Kon Kostas who provided the 3D time slices.
We would like to acknowledge Eni for permission to
publish (JDG) and ARC Energy for access to the northern
Perth Basin well data (DF).
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APPENDIX: REVISED STRATIGRAPHIC NO-
MENCLATURE
The stratigraphy of the Permo-Triassic Kinmore Group
(Mory, 1988, 1991) is revised with the elevation of the Mt
Goodwin Formation to Sub-group rank and the recogni-
tion of four subdivisionsthree newto the sub-group.
Mt Goodwin Sub-group (new)
The Mt Goodwin Formation, the upper unit of the Kin-
more Group of Mory (1988) was informally sub-divided
into the Lower and Upper units (Gorter, 1998; Gorter et
al, 1998). As the Ascalon Formation is here proposed for
a mappable unit in the Mt Goodwin Formation overlying
an unconformity, the unit is raised to Sub-group status in
the Kinmore Group. The Kinmore Group is thus made up
of a lower Fossil Head Formation, the middle Hyland Bay
Sub-group and an upper Mt Goodwin Sub-group. The Mt
Goodwin Sub-group is composed of four units: the Penguin
Formation (base), the Mairmull Formation, the Ascalon
Formation and the Fishburn Formation (top). The base of
the Mt Goodwin Sub-group (i.e. the base of the Penguin
Formation) is defined as an unconformity overlying older
Permian strata. The top of the Mt Goodwin Sub-group (i.e.
the top of the Fishburn Formation) is an erosional surface
below the Osprey Formation in the eastern Bonaparte Ba-
sin, and the Sahul Group in the western Bonaparte and
northern Browse basins.
Correlations are made using wireline log signatures,
palynology and limited micropalaeontology supplemented
by seismic profiles. Carbon isotopic values from Fishburn1,
Petrel4 and Tern3 have been used to constrain the Base
Triassic-Top Permian contact.
Penguin Formation (additional information)
Definition and type sectionThe formation was for-
mally defined by Gorter (1998) for a medium grey to dark
grey-brown claystone in Tern3 between (2,4002,449 m).
AgeThe Penguin Formation contains the P. microcorpus
Oppel Zone, considered by Helby et al (1987) to be latest
Permian probably Changsingian.
Depositional environmentIn cores from Tern4 and 5
and sidewall cores from Tern3, the finely laminated shales
contain low percentages of spinose acritarchs, particularly
in the lower part (Tern3, Fig. 5), and exhibit little, if
any, bioturbation. The lithology and palynofacies indicate
oxygen-poor depositional environment. Jeff Wood (Santos,
pers. com., 2007) suggested a lacustrinal facies.
Stratigraphic relationshipsUnconformably overlies
the Late Permian Hyland Bay Sub-group at Fishburn1,
and appears to conformably underlie the Mairmull For-
mation (Fig. 5).
Distribution and thicknessThe Penguin Formation is
present throughout the southern Bonaparte Basin. It may
be absent at Troubadour1 and appears to be missing at
Kelp Deep1 on the Sahul Platform (Gorter and Davies,
1999, fig. 5), where the Mt Goodwin Sub-group onlaps the
Troubadour High.
SynonymsThe unit was previously included in the Mt
Goodwin Formation based on its lithological similarity.
Helby (1983) in the Tern3 well completion report called
the P. microcorpus-bearing interval the A and B shales and
suggested an affinity with the Hyland Bay Formation.
Mairmull Formation (new name)
Definition and type sectionThe Mairmull Formation,
named after Mairmull Creek near the Triassic outcrop of Mt
Goodwin southeast of Wadeye, Northern Territory, where
the unit unconformably overlies the Late Permian Hyland
Bay Sub-group (of Gorter, 1998), and is unconformable
below the Ascalon Formation (new name, see below). The
unit consists predominantly of claystone and siltstone and
coarser sediments are rare. The type section is designated
in Fishburn1 between 2,121 m and 2,320 m (Fig. 5).
AgeEarly Triassic based on its position in the
Kraeuselisporites saeptatus Oppel Zone of Dolby and
Balme (1976). In the Perth Basin the K. saeptatus Oppel
Zone is associated with the N. dieneri to N. waageni conodont
zones suggesting correlation with the Dienerian to late
Smithian sub stages. The transition between the Permian
and the Triassic may be marked by the largest negative
shift in carbon isotopic values as seen in Fishburn1 and
Tern3 (Figs 5 and 7).
Depositional environmentThe Mairmull Formation
was deposited in shallow water conditions as shown by
the occurrence of Lingula and conchostracans in Petrel1,
the presence of spinose acritarchs, and the greenish and
sometimes reddish colouration of the sediment. While the
gamma ray log profile is generally monotonous, in several
wells the lower beds are slightly more radioactive than the
upper part of the formation, and there is a gradual increase
in the proportion of thin sandstone beds in the uppermost
interval below the base of the Ascalon Formation. The car-
bon isotopic profile at Fishburn1 mirrors the gamma ray
profile suggesting an initial transgressive portion of the
formation shown by increasing upward negative isotopic
values followed by a sustained upward trend to heavier
carbon isotope values (Fig. 5). While unproven in this well,
the changes in the isotopic composition probably reflect
the proportion of spinose acritarchs present in the forma-
tion, the larger percentage in the transgressive strata and
a lessening proportion of these saline indicators in the
interpreted regressive part of the unit (e.g. see Gorter et
al, 1995; Foster et al, 1997).
Stratigraphic relationshipsWhere the Penguin For-
mation is absent, the Mairmull Formation overlies uncon-
formably the Late Permian Hyland Bay Sub-group. The
Mairmull Formation unconformably underlies the Ascalon
Formation.
Distribution and thicknessThe Mairmull Formation is
present throughout the Bonaparte Basin. It may be absent
at Troubadour1 on the Sahul Platform where the Mt Good-
win Sub-group onlaps the Troubadour High. The formation
is recognised in Echuca Shoal1 in the eastern Browse
Basin where it is intruded or contains basaltic volcanics.
SynonymsThe only synonym for the Mairmull Forma-
tion is the Lower Mt Goodwin Formation of Gorter, 1998;
Gorter et al (1998), now superseded.
Ascalon Formation (new name)
Definition and type sectionThe Ascalon Formation is
a prominent, widespread, sandstone/siltstone unit roughly
located in the middle of the Early Triassic Mt Goodwin
Sub-group in the southern part of the Bonaparte Basin. In
Ascalon1A, the formation is described from cuttings as
very fine to fine-grained very well sorted sandstone, with
traces of silt and clay minerals, carbonaceous specks and
poor to fair visual and inferred intergranular porosity. The
logs suggest the unit is tight, but a total gas show of 11.31%
associated with a drilling break and the appearance of
unconsolidated or less cemented sandstone in the cuttings,
and a resistivity increase, all indicate some permeability.
The Ascalon Formation is the previously unnamed silty
sandstone encountered in wells usually at the base of the
upper part of the Mt Goodwin Sub-group shales (Gorter
et al, 1998) in the Kraeuselisporites saeptatus palynologi-
cal zone. Gorter et al (1998) showed that these intra-Mt
Goodwin Sub-group sandstones lay unconformably upon
the Mairmull Formation and constituted the lowstand sec-
tion of the Fishburn Formation. The A1 gas reservoir at
Blacktip gas field is this unit where it is characterised by a
prominent amplitude anomaly. Similar amplitude anoma-
lies in the Ascalon Formation were mapped by Gorter et al
(1998, their figure 7). There is no strong amplitude anomaly
associated with the gas-bearing sandstone at Ascalon1A.
The type section is in Ascalon 1A between 4,072.5 m
and 4,105 m (Fig. 18).
AgeEarly Triassic (Early to Middle Scythian) based
on its position within the Kraeuselisporites saeptatus Op-
pel Zone of Dolby and Balme (1976) in all wells where
it is recognised. In wells where the K. saeptatus Oppel
Zone is subdivided, the unit lies in the Protohaploxypinus
samoilovichii Oppel Zone, which Helby et al (1987) regard
as almost entirely equivalent to the K. saeptatus Zone. Both
these palynological zones occur in the Kockatea Shale in
the Perth Basin (Gorter, 1994) where they are associated
with the N. dieneri to N. waageni conodont zones suggesting
correlation with the Dienerian to late Smithian sub stages.
Depositional environmentTransitional paralic to shal-
low marine, probably a sea level lowstand. The Ascalon
Formation is interpreted to overlie a Type 1 sequence
boundary in the Mt Goodwin Formation and is regional
in extent. It forms the lowstand deposits of the Upper Mt
Goodwin Formation (Fishburn Formation) succession. The
depositional environment of the sandstone is debatable
DT (sec/m)
500 100
0 200
GR (API) Metres
MD
Mt Goodwin
Sub-group
Hyland Bay
Sub-group
Crane
Formation
Osprey
Formation
3700
3800
3900
4000
4100
4200
4300
4400
T. playfordii
K. saeptatus
2750.dgn
Palynology
Fishburn Formation
Mairmull Formation
Whimbrel
Sandstone Member
Anjo
Sandstone Member
Ascalon Formation
Tern Formation
Dombey Formation
Cape Hay Formation
Figure 18. Type section of the Ascalon Formation in Ascalon1A. Palynology based on cuttings.
with Mobil in the Ascalon1A well completion report (p.
43) referring to a turbidite sand, apparently mistakenly
accepting the Pattillo and Nichols (1990) contention of
turbidite sandstones near the base of the Mt Goodwin
Formation (based on the erroneous attribution of sand-
stones in the section derived from the gamma-ray logs in
several wellsthe gamma ray low counts are from casing
shoes. Since a marginal marine depositional environment
for the Mt Goodwin Sub-group is inferred from the sedi-
ments and the enclosed microflora, a turbidite origin for
the Ascalon Formation is unlikely.
Stratigraphic relationshipsUnconformably overlies
the Mairmull Formation, conformably and transitionally
underlies the Fishburn Formation. Seismic interpretation
of the Blacktip 3D seismic survey shows that the Ascalon
Formation in the region of the Blacktip1 well is composed
of a series of anastomising channels, many of which appear
to be meandering (Fig. 17). The latter suggests a low relief
delta plain depositional environment.
Distribution and thicknessThe Ascalon Formation is
best developed in a sandstone facies along the southern
margin of the Bonaparte Basin, and shales out towards
the northwest (e.g. at Dillon Shoals1 and Kelp Deep1).
SynonymsIntra-Mt Goodwin Sub-group sandstone of
Gorter et al (1998). It is informally referred to as the A1 gas
reservoir at Blacktip1. It is not the Ascalon sandstones of
Robinson and McInerney (2004). Robinson and McInerney
(2004) considered that the Ascalon Formation of Gorter
et al (1998) is older than their Ascalon sandstones. Per-
haps they equated the Ascalon with the Osprey Formation
sandstones, but stated that they only occur at Ascalon1A,
which is not the case. If they equated the Ascalon with
the Crane Sandstone (Gorter et al, 2008), then they did
not identify it in Crane1, or other wells where it is well
defined by logs and palynology.
Fishburn Formation (new name)
Definition and type sectionThe Fishburn Formation,
named after Fishburn1 in the southeastern Bonaparte
Basin, is widespread in the Bonaparte Basin. The Fishburn
Formation consists of grey and green claystones with minor
siltstone and sandstone. The type section is designated to
lie between 1,904.5 m and 2,084 m in Fishburn1 (Fig. 5).
AgeThe Fishburn Formation contains the K. saeptatus
Oppel Zone (P. samoilovichii Oppel Zone). In Ascalon1A
the T. playfordii Oppel Zone occurs only in the uppermost
beds, based on cuttings samples, so may be caved.
Depositional environmentThe Fishburn Formation
contains spinose acritarchs but in generally low abun-
dance and low diversity, suggesting nearshore depositional
environments. The carbon isotopic profile at Fishburn1
implies a mostly transgressive character above the Ascalon
Formation sandstones (Fig. 5). The gamma ray logs suggest
initial transgression then an aggradational pattern with the
incoming of thin sandstone beds in the upper part below
the unconformity at the base of the Cape Londonderry
Formation.
Stratigraphic relationshipsThe base of the Fishburn
Formation is gradational over the Ascalon Formation and Authors' biographies next page.
it is unconformable below the Cape Londonderry Forma-
tion in the east, and the Sahul Group in the west of the
Bonaparte Basin.
DistributionThe Fishburn Formation is widespread in
the Bonaparte Basin, but towards the southern margin it
is truncated by erosional episodes related to later Triassic
sea level falls or post-Triassic erosion.
SynonymsThe only synonym is the Upper Mt Goodwin
Formation.
Arranoo Member (renamed)
The stratigraphic definition of the Arranoo Member is
retained, but the unit is here-in renamed from the Arra-
noo Sandstone Member (as per the Geoscience Australia
Stratigraphic Names Database) to the Arranoo Member of
the Kockatea Shale. The Arranoo Member is not entirely
a sandstone, but rather a finely laminated sequence of
shale, siltstone and fine-grained sandstone, thus retain-
ing the name Arranoo Sandstone Member is misleading.
The lithological descriptor is not required as defined in
the International Stratigraphic Guide, where the use of
the unit term (Member) is preferred. The use of both the
lithogic term and unit term in the name is discouraged.
Historic usage also supports the renaming, with Mory
(1995), Mory and Iasky (1996), Rasmussen (1997), Crostella
(2001), Bradshaw et al (2003), and Thomas and Barber
(2004) all using the terminology Arranoo Member when
describing this unit. Informal usage by WAPET in the 1980s
(for example, Gilchrist and Holloway, 1983), wherein the
unit was identified, also used the name Arranoo Member.
THE AUTHORS
John Gorter is the new ven-
tures manager for Eni Australia
where he has been employed
since 1992 (previously Hardy
Petroleum and British Bor-
neo). He graduated from the
Australian National University
in 1972 with a BSc (Hons), and
was awarded a PhD from the
University of New South Wales
in 1992. After six years with the
BMR (petroleum branch) he
joined Esso Australia in 1978 and subsequently worked since
1980 with the petroleum exploration industry with various
local and international companies, mainly on Australian basins.
Member: PESA, AAPG, GSA.
Ian Metcalfe obtained a BSc
(Hons) in geology from Durham
University, U.K. in 1971 and a
PhD (conodont biostratigraphy)
from Leeds University, U.K. in
1976. His academic career began
as lecturer at the University of
Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
in 1977 where he taught palae-
ontology, micropalaeontology
and petroleum geology and
supervised postgraduates at
the Institute of Advanced Studies working on petroleum geol-
ogy projects in the Malay Basin and in Sabah and Sarawak. He
has subsequently held academic positions as senior lecturer,
associate professor and professor at the National University of
Malaysia and University of New England, Australia. He was sci-
ence coordinator for the International Ocean Drilling Program
(ODP), Australian secretariat (19925) and secretary of the IUGS
Subcommision on Carboniferous Stratigraphy (19962000). His
research has largely centred on East and Southeast Asia and he
was co-leader of IGCP Projects 321, Gondwana dispersion & Asian
accretion (19916) and 411, Geodynamics of Gondwanaland-
derived terranes in East and South Asia (19982002). He was
Deputy Director of the UNE Asia Centre from 20018 and is
editor of the Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. His international
reputation is for the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic tectonic frame-
work, evolution and palaeogeography of East and Southeast
Asia (eastern Gondwana and the Tethys ocean basins), and for
studies of the Permian Triassic boundary and end-Permian mass
extinction in China and, more recently, in Australia.
Robert (Bob) Nicoll was edu-
cated in the USA and obtained
his PhD from the University of
Iowa in 1971. He worked for the
Bureau of Mineral Resources/
Australian Geological Survey
Organisation for 28 years and is
a school visitor in the Research
School of Earth Sciences of the
Australian National University
and is contracted to Geoscience
Australia developing the Aus-
tralian datapack for Time Scale Creator. His principal research
interest involves all aspects of conodont biostratigraphy and
palaeobiology from the Cambrian to the Triassic.
Continued next page.
Robbert Willink commenced
his career as a petroleum ge-
ologist with Shell in 1978 after
graduating with a BSc (Hons)
from the University of Tasmania
and a PhD in geology from the
Australian National University.
After nine years with Shell that
included international postings
to the Sultanate of Oman and
Turkey, he took up a lecture-
ship in petroleum geology at
the National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics
in Adelaide. In 1988 he returned to industry to join Sagasco
Resources Limited as exploration manager. In time, Sagasco was
taken over by Boral which spun off Origin Energy Limited in 2000
as a separately listed entity on the ASX. Rob holds the position
of executive general manager, Geoscience and Exploration New
Ventures. Origins upstream portfolio of assets includes con-
ventional exploration and production interests in the Cooper/
Eromanga, Bowen/Surat, Perth, Otway and Bass basins in Australia
and in the Taranaki Basin in New Zealand, frontier exploration
interests in the Northland and Canterbury basins, offshore New
Zealand, in the Lamu Basin, offshore Kenya and in the Song Hong
Basin, offshore Vietnam. In addition, the company holds vast coal
seam gas reserves in Queensland that it is currently developing
in conjunction with ConocoPhillips.
Darren Ferdinando attended
the University of Western Aus-
tralia where he completed a BSc
(Hons) in Geology in 1989 and
later a PhD in 2004. He started
his career as a geoscientist work-
ing for the Geological Survey of
Western Australia and has since
worked as a research geologist
in DMPs Petroleum Division and
as a senior geologist with ARC
Energy working on their Perth
Basin assets. In late 2008 he joined Murphy Australia Oil as a
senior staff geologist finding exploration opportunities in the
Browse and Bonaparte basins. Member: PESA, AAPG, FESWA,
ASEG and SEG.

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