Australian Journal of Earth Sciences

An International Geoscience Journal of the Geological Society of

Australia

ISSN: 0812-0099 (Print) 1440-0952 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/taje20

HyLogging unconventional petroleum core from

the Cooper Basin, South Australia

A. J. Hill & A. J. Mauger

To cite this article: A. J. Hill & A. J. Mauger (2016) HyLogging unconventional petroleum core from
the Cooper Basin, South Australia, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 63:8, 1087-1097, DOI:
10.1080/08120099.2016.1261369

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2016.1261369

View supplementary material

Published online: 07 Dec 2016.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 158

View Crossmark data

Citing articles: 3 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=taje20
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES, 2016
VOL. 63, NO. 8, 1087–1097
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2016.1261369

HyLogging unconventional petroleum core from the Cooper Basin, South Australia
A. J. Hill and A. J. Mauger
a
Department of State Development, South Australia 101 Grenfell St, Adelaide, 5000, Australia

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The Cooper Basin is currently Australia’s premier onshore hydrocarbon-producing province and hosts Received 23 February 2016
a range of unconventional gas play types, including the very extensive basin-centred and tight gas Accepted 7 November 2016
accumulations in the Gidgealpa Group, both shallow and deep dry coal seam gas associated with the KEYWORDS
Patchawarra and Toolachee formations, as well as the shale gas plays in the Murteree and Roseneath Cooper Basin; Holdfast-1;
shales. Characterisation of mineralogical properties of shales is critical to hydraulic fracture design and unconventional gas;
development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources. Properties are sensitive to variations in HyLogger; spectroscopy; XRD
mineralogy, especially clays, and historically, acquisition of a suite of rock mechanics analyses has
been on a point-source basis rather than on a continuous sampling approach, which is uncommon. In
this paper, a near-continuous 382 m cored section, comprising the lower Permian Daralingie
Formation, Roseneath and Murteree shales, the Epsilon Formation and the top portion of the
Patchawarra Formation from Holdfast-1 well (DH261958) in the southern Cooper Basin, was measured
using robotic core scanning spectroscopy with automated mineral identification. HyLogger 3
incorporates visible, near infrared, shortwave infrared and thermal infrared hyperspectral
measurements recorded every 0.8 cm along the core at the rate of approximately 1 m per minute.
These data are co-registered with a high-resolution image and a laser profile of the core. X-ray
diffraction and thin-section petrology from the Holdfast-1 well-completion report (Beach Energy,
2011) provided relative proportions of minerals including quartz, kaolinite, dickite, muscovite, illite,
chlorite and siderite that enabled the modelled vs actual mineralogies to be constrained in the
thermal infrared with a correlation coefficient of 0.85 for quartz, 0.79 for muscovite and 0.68 for
kaolin; illite and siderite were more poorly correlated. HyLogger logging, when integrated with other
petrophysical and analytical core data, provides a useful tool to better understand unconventional
reservoirs and may assist in identification of zones that are conducive to fracture stimulation.

Introduction troughs contain up to 2500 m of Permo-Carboniferous to

Triassic sedimentary fill overlain by as much as 1300 m of
The intracratonic Cooper Basin (Figure 1) represents a Upper
Jurassic to Cenozoic cover.
Carboniferous to Triassic depositional episode terminated at
The basin contains a number of non-marine depositional
the end of the Middle Triassic with widespread compressional
units within the Upper Carboniferous to upper Permian Gidg-
folding, regional uplift and erosion. It lies unconformably over
ealpa Group and upper Permian to Middle Triassic Nappa-
early Paleozoic sediments of the Warburton Basin and is over-
merri Group (Figure 2).
lain disconformably by the central Eromanga Basin. In the
Since late 2011, exploration activity in the region has
northern Patchawarra Trough, the Cooper Basin is locally
expanded with explorers pursuing a range of newly identified
overlain by the Upper Triassic Cuddapan Formation. The total
unconventional hydrocarbon plays predominantly in the Nap-
area exceeds 130 000 km2, of which »35 000 km2 is in north-
pamerri Trough and the Patchawarra Trough (Greenstreet,
east South Australia. The basin is Australia’s premier onshore
2015; Menpes & Hill, 2012).
hydrocarbon-producing province and is nationally significant,
These include the extensive basin-centred and tight gas
providing domestic gas for the East Coast Gas Market.
accumulations in the Gidgealpa Group, deep coal gas associ-
Three major troughs (Patchawarra, Nappamerri and Tenap-
ated with the Patchawarra and Toolachee formations, as well
pera) are separated by structural ridges (Gidgealpa–
as the less extensive shale gas plays in the Roseneath and
Merrimelia–Innamincka and Murteree) associated with the
Murteree shales. Despite this recent activity, the basin remains
reactivation of northwest-directed thrust faults in the underly-
under-explored in comparison with more densely drilled
ing Warburton Basin. The major tectonic episode separating
North American basins, particularly in terms of its unconven-
the Cooper and Warburton basins is interpreted to be the
tional resource potential (Greenstreet, 2015).
Devonian–Carboniferous Alice Springs Orogeny. The three

CONTACT A. J. Mauger alan.mauger@sa.gov.au

Editorial handling: Belinda Smith
© 2016 Geological Society of Australia
1088 A. J. HILL AND A. J. MAUGER
Figure 1. Map of base Cooper Basin (metres subsea) showing location of key structural troughs and Holdfast-1 well.
This paper will focus on the application of HyLogger
3TM technology and the marriage with X-ray diffraction
(XRD) and core petrology to constrain mineral assemb-
lages of the lower Permian Roseneath–Epsilon–Murteree
(REM) resource play (Figure 3) that has been the subject
of extensive exploration activity in the overpressured
Nappamerri Trough. While this technology has been his-
torically applied to only a few sedimentary sequences
[e.g. Georgina Basin; Ayling, Huntington, Smith, &
Edwards, 2016; and Cariewerloo Basin (Keeling, Mauger,
Wilson, & Raven, 2012: Wilson et al., 2010)], this is the
first trial to integrate and correlate XRD quantitative
mineralogy collected for hydrocarbon assessment with
HyLogger-derived mineralogy.
Exploration history
Between 1971 and 2001, nine petroleum exploration wells
were drilled in the Nappamerri Trough targeting conventional
four-way dip closures. Although these wells were plugged
and abandoned due to uneconomic gas flows, drill-stem tests
confirmed the presence of a basin-centred gas accumulation
 AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES 1089

Figure 2. Geological column. The interval under study in Holdfast-1 encompasses the lower Permian Roseneath Shale in the Cooper Basin.
1090 A. J. HILL AND A. J. MAUGER

Figure 3. Stratigraphic chart showing close up of REM sequence and Cored/HyLogger 3 interval, Gamma Ray (GR), Sonic (DT) and methane readings (ppm) from
mudlog.

comprising gas-saturated Permian succession in excess of
1000 m thick in the deeper parts of the trough that hosts ther-
mally mature, gas-prone source rocks with interbedded tight
sands.
Excluding the Murteree and Roseneath shales, the succes-
sion comprises up to 45% carbonaceous and silty shales and
coals deposited in flood plain, lacustrine and coal swamp
environments (Hall et al., 2015). Resistivity of the Permian suc-
cession exceeds 20 Vm over large intervals (Hillis, Morton,
Warner, & Penney, 2001), tests have recovered gas with no
water, and gas is located within overpressured compartments
indicative of hydraulic isolation.
Following the rise in shale gas exploration success in the
USA and recognising the potential in the Nappamerri Trough,
Beach Energy commenced a 14-well program in 2010 to fully
characterise the REM play and, in doing so, determine opti-
mum well spacing, pad drilling, multi-stage fracture stimula-
tion and microseismic monitoring to improve the
commerciality of the resource and increase recovery factors
(Trembath, Elliott, & Pitkin, 2012).
Well data suggest lower porosity than US shales and high-
light requirement for thicker and overpressured shale sections
to commercialise the resource. HyLogger 3 will assist in deter-
mining zones that are more receptive to fracture stimulation
by identifying zones based on mineralogy. These zones are
characterised as having high concentrations of quartz (30–40
vol%) and illite/muscovite (40–50 vol%) and moderate con-
centrations of siderite (5–10 vol%) and kaolinite (10–15 vol%)
(Trembath et al., 2012).
Characterisation of REM resource play
The principal shale gas play is the REM play comprising lower
Permian Murteree and Roseneath shales divided by tight
sands of the fluvio-deltaic Epsilon Formation (Figure 3). These
two shale units are thick, generally flat lying and laterally
extensive, comprising siltstones and siliceous (and sideritic in
part) mudstones deposited in large and relatively deep fresh-
water lakes. These shales have low porosity and permeability
and are brittle and frackable (Trembath et al., 2012). The Mur-
teree Shale is widespread, reaching a maximum thickness of
92 m in the Nappamerri Trough and thins to the north, reach-
ing a maximum thickness of 35 m in the Patchawarra Trough
(Figure 1); it is absent over crestal ridges. The Roseneath Shale
is less widespread than the Murteree Shale and is restricted to
the Tenaperra and Nappamerrii troughs (Boucher, 2001) but
has been totally eroded in the Patchawarra Trough (Figure 1).
It reaches a maximum thickness of 194 m in Encounter 1 in
the Nappamerri Trough.
The lacustrine Murteree and Roseneath shales have some
source potential [total organic carbon (TOC) values average
3.9 wt% in the Roseneath Shale and 2.4 wt% in the Murteree
Shale], and organic maturity is variable (Boreham & Hill, 1998).
In the Patchawarra Trough, where only the Murteree Shale is
present, maturity, as measured by vitrinite reflectance (Ro), is
sufficient for wet gas generation (0.95 < Ro < 1.7) in the
deepest part of the trough. A significant portion of the REM
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES 1091
section in the Nappamerri Trough lies within the dry gas win-
dow (Ro > 1.7) (Hall et al., 2015). This higher maturity is due
to an elevated geothermal gradient (40–50 C/km) resulting
from high heat-producing granites at depths around 3500 m.
The REM section in the southwestern margin of the Nappa-
merri Trough, northern Tenappera Trough and Mettika
Embayment is mature for wet gas generation (Hall et al.,
2015).
The elevated heat flow within the Nappamerri Trough is
the major contributing factor in diagenetic alteration that
resulted in significant reduction in porosity and permeability
of the sediments. The application of HyLogger 3 to identify
zones that have a suite of minerals in the appropriate and rel-
ative concentrations that make them conducive to fracture
stimulation, which in turn provides access to large resources
of tight gas, is the principal aim of this study.
Holdfast-1 well
Holdfast-1, located about 70 km northeast of Moomba
(Figure 1), was drilled by Beach Energy to a depth of 3492 m
to test the shale gas and tight sand potential of the gas-satu-
rated Permian sequence. A near-continuous sequence com-
prising 382 m of full hole core through the target REM and
Patchawarra Formation was recovered and extensive core
analyses subsequently carried out including desorption analy-
sis of the shales that indicated better-than-expected gas con-
tent. TOC, maturity and mineralogy were all consistent with
pre-drill expectations. Log analysis indicated that the Permian
sand section was gas saturated, including the drilled portion
of the Patchawarra Formation (Trembath et al., 2012).
In June 2011, Holdfast-1 was fracture stimulated. A total of
seven zones were stimulated, one in the Patchawarra Forma-
tion, one in the Murteree Shale, three in the Epsilon Formation
and two in the Roseneath Shale. During the fracture stimula-
tions, various proppant sizes, pump rates and gel systems
were trialled to gather information for future well stimula-
tions. Tilt-metre survey tools were also used to confirm verti-
cal fracture orientation. A very encouraging initial flow rate of
up to 2 MMcfd was achieved, and a production logging run
after two weeks of production indicated that all formations
stimulated were contributing to the gas flow rate (Trembath
et al., 2012)
The successful fracture stimulation and gas flow rate from
Holdfast-1 not only confirmed the pre-stimulation assessment
of the REM and Patchawarra Formations as being gas satu-
rated but also demonstrated that the gas within both the
low-permeability sandstones and the shales could be pro-
duced to surface.
Aims
Based on an extensive suite of routine and special core analy-
ses conducted on Holdfast-1 including XRD, core petrology,
rock mechanics, porosity and permeability determination, gas
desorption, chemostratigraphy and petrophysical analysis
(Beach Energy, 2011), Minerals and Energy Resources Group
1092 A. J. HILL AND A. J. MAUGER

(within the SA Department of State Development) scanned

the complete cored section (Figure 3) using HyLogger 3 to
determine whether the spectra could be calibrated with XRD
petrology to provide meaningful correlations of mineralogy
that could inform target zones for fracture stimulation. In par-
ticular, intervals that are high in silica and illite with moderate
siderite and absence of swelling clays (smectite) are collec-
tively conducive to brittleness and ideal for fracture stimula-
tion (Trembath et al., 2012). Zones of actual fracture
stimulation were subsequently analysed in order to compare
commercial practice with geological theory.
Furthermore, if the results were encouraging, routine scan-
ning using HyLogger 3 could potentially negate the need for
extensive and expensive, time-consuming core analyses that
could assist industry in fast tracking optimum fracture stimu-
lation target zones.

Methodology
The robotic HyLogger 3 (described by Shodlock et al., 2016)
measures reflectance spectra from core stored in core trays
with minimum sample preparation. The Holdfast-1 PQ (85
mm) core was presented as a flat cut face (one-third fillet on
top of two-thirds portion; Figure 4). Incorporating four instru-
ments mounted 100 mm apart over a robotic table, the
HyLogger 3 has a high-resolution camera hereafter called a
‘line-scan’, a VNIR-SWIR spectrometer, a laser profiler and a
thermal infrared (TIR) spectrometer, which recorded measure-
ments as core was passed beneath them. During the importa-
tion of the raw data from HyLogger 3 in October 2014, all four
instrument data streams were synchronised so the data could
be analysed, interrogated and displayed in ‘The Spectral
Geologist’ program [TSG Hot Core v 7.1.0.068; Mason et al.
(1998–2014)].
Depths were assigned during the scanning by the operator
entering the start and end tray depths, however, post-
processing allowed for the further interactive refinement of
depth locations using in-tray depth markers that were visible Figure 4. (a) Configuration of core for Holdfast-1 HyLogger 3 measurements
showing how the plug removed for XRD analysis directly corresponds in posi-
in the co-registered line-scan imagery. Of the spectral range tion to the sample scanned by HyLogger 3. (b) Photograph of core exposing the
recorded by HyLogger 3, this paper will focus on the TIR (6– plug underneath the top fillet.
14 mm) because the TIR measures quartz, a key component of
this study, and in the absence of a key component mineral
abundances would not correlate with quantified XRD analysis.
Within TSG a sub-program called ‘Constrained Least Squares’ Table 1. Restricted mineral set provided to the CLS algorithm
(CLS) (Green, 2014) uses a spectral deconvolution algorithm for analysing the thermal infrared (TIR) spectra.
and a spectral library to estimate the dominant and sub- Restricted mineral set provided to CLS in TIR
dominant minerals interpreted as contributing to each spec- Group Species
trum. CLS enables the analyst to refine the library and apply Silica Quartz
Kaolin Kaolinite
only those minerals applicable to the geological environment Kaolinite-PX
under study (Table 1). The minerals selected were based on White mica Muscovite
the groups of minerals identified in XRD results (silica, kaolin, Illite
Paragonite
white mica and carbonate). This paper examines the quality Carbonate Ankerite
of the numerical abundances of TIR minerals calculated by Siderite
CLS compared with quantitative XRD analyses of the same Calcite
Dolomite
core. Magnesite
Precision and accuracy are two critical aspects of undertak- The minerals in this list exist in the TSG library and were
ing a study comparing mineral matches to the spectral selected based on the mineralogy identified in XRD.
 AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES 1093

Table 2. Analytical data used to establish the correlation between quantitative XRD results and reported proportions provided by spectral analysis of TIR data.
Total
Total Siderite Illite white
Depth Depth From To Sample Quartz Quartz Kaolin kaolin (Mg) Siderite Siderite Ankerite Muscovite 1M mica
(loggers) (drillers) index index method XRD TIR XRD TIR XRD XRD TIR TIR 2M1 XRD XRD TIR
3037.50 3034.00 129 137 Core break 38 0.521 7 0.108 1 2 0.000 0.000 38 12 0.370
3042.50 3039.00 79 802 Core break 60 0.676 5 0.110 9 2 0.075 0.000 15 8 0.139
3047.29 3043.79 1432 1438 Plug 43 0.537 6 0.185 3 2 0.000 0.000 39 5 0.278
3047.50 3044.00 1459 1467 Core break 43 0.587 7 0.130 3 2 0.000 0.000 33 10 0.284
3052.50 3049.00 2124 2132 Core break 57 0.719 7 0.100 0.057 0.003 22 11 0.121
3056.50 3053.00 2656 2664 Core break 49 0.579 6 0.104 11 7 0.131 0.000 19 7 0.187
3057.96 3054.46 2854 2859 Plug 44 0.550 7 0.187 1 1 0.001 0.000 39 5 0.262
3061.50 3058.00 3321 3457 Core break 35 0.548 9 0.166 1 0.004 0.000 42 10 0.282
3066.50 3063.00 3986 3987 Core break 38 0.510 8 0.129 1 4 0.000 0.000 35 12 0.361
3071.50 3068.00 4648 4651 Core break 34 0.878 6 0.066 4 12 0.040 0.000 30 13 0.015
Depths (loggers) were used in Figure 3, which displays geophysical logs and stratigraphy. Depths (drillers) were used to mark depths in the TSG file (Figures 6, 7).
The From- and To- Index values were used to identify precise spectra in the TSG file whose values were averaged to correspond to the XRD sample results. The
Total Kaolin TIR is the sum of kaolinite and kaolinite-PX reported by CLS, and Total White Mica TIR is the sum of muscovite, illite and paragonite as reported
by CLS.

response from the HyLogger 3 using a refined mineral selec-
tion with the CLS algorithm spectroscopy to mineral interpre-
tations by quantitative XRD. In order to achieve the greatest
accuracy of position, the unique spectral index number
assigned by TSG was used to identify relevant pixels in the
associated imagery where sampling points were observed.
Using the XRD sample depths provided in the Holdfast-1
well-completion report (Beach Energy, 2011) it was possible
to focus on particular spectral index numbers by processing
the TSG file in Microsoft Excel thereby retaining the high
precision of depth-marking recorded during post-process-
ing. Understanding the sampling strategy enabled a refine-
ment of identification of those spectral index numbers.
There were two sets of samples retrieved from this hole
(Table 2). The first samples were taken where the core was
broken in order to place it in its core trays, and the second
were from 2.54 cm diameter core plugs drilled perpendicu-
lar to the core at selected locations. Both samples were
submitted to CSIRO for quantitative XRD analysis prior to
HyLogging. Where the sample was retrieved from breaking
the core no sample location is evident in the core itself. It
was therefore deemed that two spectral pixels either side
of the break would represent the absent sample. For the
cored plugs, photographs were recorded for each and then
compared with the line-scan imagery to ascertain an accu-
rate and precise index location for the sample. The nature
of slabbing the core in a ratio of 1:2 and coring the bottom
two-thirds means that first, the plug hole is concealed from
the HyLogger by the overlain top third, second, the sample
scanned is almost identical to the volume assayed by XRD,
and third, the location can be accurately determined
(Figure 4).
Using a file of from-and-to spectral index numbers
recorded interactively from the TSG file while viewing the
line-scan image and checking spectral integrity, the TSG/CLS
results were down-sampled by averaging in the TSG export
facility using those recorded spans. Between four and six
spectral pixels had their weights for each mineral averaged in
order to correlate with the XRD results. There were only two
outliers in 101 samples, one of which could be explained by
poor sample orientation. Both samples were from the tray-
break samples and might be attributed to poor sample collec-
tion technique.
The linear regression equations established using this
technique were subsequently used to estimate the XRD
equivalent mineralogy for the intervals that were perfo-
rated to enhance gas flow. Using the down-sampling
option in TSG, the average proportion of minerals inter-
preted from the TIR using CLS over those intervals were
regressed and values compared with optimal mineralogy
for fracture stimulation.
Discussion of results
The necessity for regression and calibration is caused by the
current state of the technology used for spectral interpreta-
tion. One aspect that could well impact the results is that the
library spectra employed do not always cover all natural varia-
tions of a particular species and at this stage do not address
volume scattering issues (A. Green, pers. comm. 2016). Com-
bined with the mathematical difficulty of unmixing kaolin,
quartz and muscovite in the TIR, the results commonly under-
represent the abundance of kaolin, for example. In spite of
these shortcomings, it was found that by removing the two
outliers the R2 for quartz XRD vs TIR using CLS improved from
0.6859 to 0.8483. The R2 for muscovite XRD vs TIR using CLS
was 0.7911 and for kaolin R2 D 0.6782 (Figure 5). In addition,
an R2 value for siderite XRD vs TIR yielded 0.8069. This demon-
strates the capacity for TIR-CLS to deliver quantitative results
in estimating the abundance of quartz, muscovite, kaolin and
siderite.
The results from applying the HyLogger 3 to the near con-
tinuous Holdfast-1 cored interval confirmed a highly hetero-
geneous quartz/muscovite/illite-dominated sequence with
associated kaolinite and siderite (Figures 6, 7). Visual estimates
of siderite in the core made by the authors, and confirmed by
descriptions in the well-completion report (Trembath et al.,
2012), show that the minerals occur as thin bands (up to
2 cm) and concur with the cyclic nature observed in the
HyLogger 3 data (Figure 7).
1094 A. J. HILL AND A. J. MAUGER

Quartz
y = 0.0085x + 0.1757
Average abundance from TIR (0-1)

1.0 R² = 0.8483

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
XRD quantitative analysis (%)

Muscovite
0.6
y = 0.0094x + 0.025
Average abundance from TIR (0-1)

0.5
R² = 0.7911

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
XRD quantitative analysis (%)

Kaolinite
0.25
y = 0.0145x + 0.0403
Average abundance from TIR (0-1)

R² = 0.6782
0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
XRD quantitative analysis (%)

Siderite
0.5
y = 0.0103x - 0.0065
Average abundance from TIR (0-1)

0.45
R² = 0.8069
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
XRD quantitative analysis (%)
204742-003

Figure 5. Cross-plots of measured XRD derived mineralogy vs HyLogger meas-
urements for quartz, muscovite and kaolinite. Each point represents one XRD
analysis but may be two to four TIR spectra. The y-axes show the average rela-
tive proportion values (in the range 0–1) derived from the multiple spectra rep-
resenting each XRD sample as calculated by the CLS algorithm. These values are
plotted against the reported quantitative XRD result measured in percent. The
quality of the correlation is reported using linear regression, and the R2 value
(0–1) indicates the degree of correlation. By applying the regression equation
to the XRD results, one can predict the TIR estimated abundance.
Figure 6. HyLogger 3 summary screen. Downhole histogram for Holdfast-1 (drill
hole number 261958) showing the relative proportions of each of the minerals
in the Restricted Mineral Set (siderite, kaolinite, muscovite and quartz) used by
the CLS algorithm on the TIR spectra (TIR-CLS) plotted against depth down the
hole in metres. Each histogram bin of 0.8 m (approx. 100 samples) aggregated
the relative weights (proportions) of the minerals for all samples in that depth
interval and normalised to 100%.
 AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES 1095

Figure 7. HyLogger 3 outputs for quartz and muscovite over the 1 m cored interval 3143–3144 m, Holdfast-1 illustrating heterogeneity within the Roseneath Shale.
The core imagery on the left is aligned with the graphs on the right demonstrating that visually monotonous core is mineralogically heterogeneous—a heterogene-
ity that demands careful registration of the removed sample with HyLogger 3 measurements. For the right-hand graphs, each dot represents one 8 mm £ 8 mm
sample. The y-axis records the calculated proportions reported for quartz and muscovite in each sample using the CLS algorithm, where CLS has used a Restricted
Mineral Set consisting of ankerite, siderite, kaolinite, muscovite, illite and quartz.
1096 A. J. HILL AND A. J. MAUGER
Table 3. Mineralogical composition of intervals perforated to increase gas flow.
From depth To depth Quartz % (regressed) Kaolin % (regressed)
3113 3116 32.83 12.56
3165 3168 36.79 10.97
3224 3227 62.18 5.65
3286 3289 81.67 0.0
3312 3315 62.32 3.38
3365 3368 40.63 10.21
The depths correspond to Depths (Loggers) as shown in Table 2. The percentages of minerals were calculated from the CLS-TIR results provided by TSG using
down-sampling averaging over the intervals [converted to Depths (Drillers)] and regressed using equations calculated by Excel using Table 2 data and pre-
sented in Figure 5.
High silica content is beneficial in hydraulic fracture place-
ment, and productivity and brittleness would be enhanced
with the presence of siderite, which averages 10% in the
shales of the REM. In outlining what makes a shale prospec-
tive for successful development of hydrocarbons, Britt and
Schoeffler (2009) documented the need for limited clay con-
stituents, nominally less than 40%. This would suggest that a
threshold of at least 60% non-clay minerals would be desir-
able for shale gas plays. Based on this threshold, at least 50%
quartz is considered necessary for hydraulic fracture place-
ment and productivity when combined with disseminated
siderite. As is expected from the section maturity, illite is the
dominant clay type, with sub-dominant kaolinite (Trembath
et al., 2012)
Of particular interest is the high level of spatial variance in
quartz abundance with fluctuations in the order of 50% within
10 cm [e.g. sample 31077 (3313.7 m) 85.6% quartz compared
with sample 31065 (3313.59 m) 38.8% quartz] meant that the
accuracy of positioning was critical to determining the quality
of this kind of study. A graphical representation of the varia-
tions in muscovite and quartz for the interval between
3413 m and 3414 m is shown in Figure 7. The HyLogger data
provided a more realistic representation of the distribution of
quartz in the sedimentary pile than the XRD, which has sam-
pled only every 5 m.
Holdfast-1 underwent hydraulic fracturing at six sites
within the cored interval that was scanned with HyLogger 3.
The HyLogger 3 derived mineralogy for each site is presented
in Table 3. It should be noted that the perforations were
undertaken for economic purposes, and in this environment
the perforations co-mingled sandy sequences with shale
units. Sandy sequences with elevated gas flows appear to be
the principal targets. Only three perforations were targeted
for the Roseneath and Murteree shales, and the locations
were selected on the basis of peaks in the recorded gas flows.
The methods described in this paper were not rigorously
adopted for fracking of the Holdfast-1 well, and this activity
did not represent a stand-alone test for improving gas flow
directly from the shale units. In spite of this observation, the
values in Table 3 indicate that the three perforation points in
the shale units contained elevated carbonate (most likely sid-
erite), and in the Epsilon Formation the high quartz content
(>60%) implies an elevated brittleness, both preferential min-
eralogical factors suggested when considering placing perfo-
ration points.
Muscovite % (regressed) Siderite % (regressed) Formation
26.95 4.96 Roseneath Shale
24.24 6.40 Roseneath Shale
14.83 1.53 Epsilon Formation
7.82 1.16 Epsilon Formation
18.34 1.4 Epsilon Formation
25.33 3.3 Murteree Shale
Conclusion
While HyLogger 3 technology has been historically applied to
few sedimentary sequences [e.g. Georgina Basin (Ayling et al.,
2016) and Cariewerloo Basin (Keeling et al., 2012; Wilson et al.,
2010)] the marriage with XRD and core petrology to constrain
mineral assemblages is unique and has resulted in moderate
(R2 0.67) to a high degree (R2 greater than 0.8) of confidence,
thereby enabling industry to make informed decisions on
rock brittleness for targeting fracture stimulation in order to
realise unconventional gas resources. Further HyLogging of
sedimentary sequences combined with XRD analyses will
allow testing of these encouraging results.
Once the rock properties of the resource play have been
fully characterised in frontier or semi-explored basins through
a detailed core analysis, particularly XRD and core petrology,
but also rock mechanics, integration with calibrated and con-
strained HyLogger 3 data can realise significant savings as a
mechanism for more effective identification of zones suitable
for fracture stimulation.
Acknowledgements
NCRIS funding from the Australian Federal Government provided through
AuScope enabled the acquisition of the CSIRO developed HyLogger tech-
nology now resident in the Woodall Analytical Laboratory at the Tonsley
Drill Core Facility in Adelaide, South Australia. The scanning of the Hold-
fast-1 drill core was facilitated by the Core Library staff. Georgina Gordon,
Les Tucker, Adam Davey and Sam Williams made significant contributions
to the scanning and digital processing of the core. Dr Andy Green (CSIRO,
retired) provided valuable insights in this study.
HyLogging, HyLogger, TSG and TSA are trademarks of CSIRO.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Supplementary Papers
Table A1. Holdfast 1 XRD data.
Table A2. Holdfast 1 TIR-CLS data.
Table A3. Analytical data used to establish the correlation between quan-
titative XRD results and reported proportions provided by spectral analy-
sis of TIR data. Depths (loggers) were used in Figure 3, which displays
geophysical logs and stratigraphy. Depths (drillers) were used to mark
depths in the TSG file (Figure 6, 7). The From- and To- Index values were
used to identify precise spectra in the TSG file whose values were aver-
aged to correspond to the XRD sample results. The Total Kaolin TIR is the

sum of kaolinite and kaolinite-PX reported by CLS, and Total White Mica
TIR is the sum of muscovite, illite and paragonite as reported by CLS.
References
Ayling, B., Huntington, J., Smith, B., & Edwards, D. (2016). Hyperspectral
logging of middle Cambrian marine sediments with hydrocarbon pro-
spectivity: a case study from the southern Georgina Basin, northern
Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 63, 1069–1085.
doi:10.1080/08120099.2016.1204625
Beach Energy (2011). Holdfast 1 well completion report. South Australian
Department of State Development. Open file WCR 2010/000390.
Retrieved from: https://sarigbasis.pir.sa.gov.au/WebtopEw/ws/samref/
sarig1/image/DDD/HOLDFAST_001.zip
Boreham, C. J., & Hill, A. J. (1998). Source rock distribution and hydrocar-
bon geochemistry. In D. I. Gravestock, J. E. Hibburt, & J. F. Drexel (Eds.),
The petroleum geology of South Australia. Vol. 4: Cooper Basin. Adelaide
SA: South Australia, Department of Primary Industries and Resources,
Report Book, 98/9.
Boucher, R. K. (2001). Analysis of seals of the Roseneath and Murteree Shales,
Cooper Basin, South Australia. Adelaide SA: South Australia, Department
of Primary Industries and Resources. Report Book, 2001/015.
Green, A. (2014). CLS and Domaining for the TIR. North Ryde, NSW:
AuScope – HyLogger Workshop, February 2014.
Greenstreet, C. (2015). From play to production: the Cooper unconven-
tional story—20 years in the making. Extended Abstract APPEA 2015.
Canberra ACT: APPEA.
Britt, L. K., & Schoeffler, J. (2009). The geomechanics of a shale play: What
makes a shale prospective? SPE Paper 125525. Tulsa OK: Society of
Petroleum Engineers.
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES 1097
Hall, L. S., Hill, A., Troup, A., Korsch, R., Radke, B., Nicoll, R. S., Palu, T., Wang,
L., & Stacey, A. (2015) Cooper Basin architecture and lithofacies:
regional hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Cooper Basin, Part 1. Geosci-
ence Australia Record 2015/31. Canberra ACT: Geoscience Australia.
Hillis, R. R., Morton, J. G. G., Warner, D. S., & Penney, R. K. (2001). Deep
basin gas: A new exploration paradigm in the Nappamerri Trough,
Cooper Basin, South Australia. APPEA Journal, 41(1), 185–200.
Keeling, J. L., Mauger, A. J., Wilson, T., & Raven, M. D. (2012). Diagenetic clay
mineral distribution in Mesoproterozoic sandstones of the Cariewerloo
Basin, South Australia – implications for uranium mobilisation. Austra-
lian Regolith and Clays Conference, Mildura, 7–10 February 2012.
Mason, P., Berman, P., Warren, P., Guo, Y., Green, A., Lagerstrom, R., ... Hun-
tington, J. (1998–2014). The Spectral Geologist, HotCore. CSIRO Divi-
sions of Earth Science & Resource Engineering, and Mathematics,
Informatics & Statistics. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation. Retrieved from: http://www.thespectralgeolo
gist.com
Menpes, S., & Hill, A. (2012). Emerging continuous gas plays in the Cooper
Basin, South Australia. Extended Abstract APPEA 2012. City: APPEA
Schodlok, M. C., Whitbourn, L. B., Huntington, J. F., Mason, P., Green, A. A.,
Berman, M., ... Martinez, R. (2016). HyLogger-3 – A visible to shortwave
and thermal infrared reflectance spectrometer system for drill core
logging – Functional description. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences,
63, 929–940. doi:10.1080/08120099.2016.1231133.
Trembath, C., Elliott, L., & Pitkin, M. (2012). The Nappamerri Trough, Coo-
per Basin unconventional plays: proving a hypothesis. Extended
Abstract APPEA 2012, Volume 52. Canberra ACT: APPEA.
Wilson, T., Bosman, S., Heath, P., Gouthas, G., Cowley, W., Mauger, A., ...
Delaney, G. (2010). The search for unconformity–related uranium min-
eralisation in Pandurra Formation, South Australia: an international
multidisciplinary collaboration. MESA Journal, 58, 9–15.