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Geology of the Northern Territory




Arafura Basin

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Arafura Basin

Lithology:
Sedimentary: dolostone, limestone, sandstone, siltstone, basalt, coal.
 Arafura Basin
Epoch Min:
Carboniferous.
Epoch Max:
Neoproterozoic.
Age Min:
298 Ma.
Age Max:
1000 Ma.
Summary:
A pericratonic Basin, extending from the Arnhem Land coastline to West Irian.
Relationship:
Overlies Proterozoic rocks of the Pine Creek Orogen and McArthur Basin, and is unconformably overlain by the Mesozoic Money Shoal Basin.
Thickness:
Up to 5 km.
Economic:
Nine petroleum wells have been drilled within the region (through Money Shoal and Arafura basin successions); several of these intersected significant oil shows in both carbonate and clastic sequences.
Exploration:
Mainly explored for offshore oil and gas.
Metamorphism:
Unmetamorphosed.
Main Reference:

Petroconsultants Australasia Pty Ltd, 1989. Northern Territory Geological Survey Petroleum Basin Study.

Ellis GK, Baillie PW and Munson TJ (editors), 2004. 'Timor Sea Petroleum Geoscience. Proceedings of the Timor Sea Symposium, Darwin, Northern Territory, 19-20 June, 2003'. Northern Territory Geological Survey, Special Publication 1.