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Petroleum Exploration Initiatives
The petroleum component of the Victorian Initiative for Minerals and Petroleum is aimed at increasing the level of petroleum exploration activity in the State. Petroleum-related VIMP projects are the responsibility of GeoScience Victoria (GSV) . These projects include regional studies and acreage evaluations and maintenance of the seismic and well database by the Energy Geoscience Group.
Petroleum Geological Projects | VIMP Petroleum Data Preservation and Retrieval Projects
Petroleum Geological Projects
As part of the Victorian Initiative for Minerals and Petroleum, GSV continues to study the regional geology of the Gippsland and Otway basins in order to assess the remaining hydrocarbon potential of these provinces. Since VIMP was launched, 27 petroleum VIMP reports have been prepared by the Energy Geoscience Group in GSV and a further two are currently in preparation.
A summary of the regional investigations were recently published in the " Petroleum Atlas of Victoria”. The Atlas provides a broad overview of the State’s major oil and gas provinces and together with the VIMP reports that cover the hydrocarbon prospectivity of vacant on- and offshore exploration blocks, allow explorers to assess the petroleum potential of open acreage.
Regional Studies
Petroleum Resource Atlas
VIMP Acreage Release Reports
New Geophysical Data
1999 Gippsland Basin Deepwater Seismic Survey
Airborne Magnetic, Radiometric and Gravity Surveys
Other Basins VIMP Projects
Gippsland Basin Source Rock Database
Otway and Gippsland Basin Resource Potential
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Regional Studies
Two recently completed regional studies address the links between trends in the basement rocks and the the hydrocarbon bearing basin-fill (VIMP Report 69 on the Gippsland Basin was published in June 2002 and VIMP Report 78 on the Otway Basin is currently being prepared for publication).
These reports document valuable regional interpretations integrating techniques normally used by mineral explorers, such as airborne magnetic and gravity data, with traditional seismic petroleum exploration data. They provide petroleum explorers with important information on the regional setting and structural history of the sedimentary basins and link the basement geology in the offshore with the better known onshore areas. |
Petroleum Resource Atlas
As part of the VIMP 2001 Initiative, the Energy Geoscience Group has produced a set of regional maps to illustrate the petroleum geology of the State. These maps have been published in the Petroleum Atlas of Victoria (external link).
The Atlas is divided into three sections:
1. Geological Framework of Victoria,
2. Gippsland Basin
3. Otway Basin.
The Atlas contains a compilation of maps and diagrams that summarise the relevant geological and geophysical background to the oil and gas occurrences. It provides summary information for exploration companies new to the area, as well as an overview of the petroleum potential for established explorers. The Atlas complements the earlier Oil and Gas Resources of Victoria (external link), which includes field descriptions and production data (See the Reserves and Production page).
VIMP Acreage Release Reports
Prospectivity assessments are carried out on both a regional scale and, more locally, in support of specific acreage release blocks that are offered to the petroleum industry on an annual basis (see Acreage Release section). Open-file company and other published data are used for the interpretations. Reports and supporting products are available for free download or purchase as hardcopy/CD by industry and the public from our Online Store (external link)
New Geophysical Data
1999 Gippsland Basin Deepwater Seismic Survey
A collaborative project with Seismic Australia for data acquisition and processing in the deep-water region of the Gippsland Basin was carried out in 1999/2000. The survey GDW99 provided modern, comprehensive regional data in a previously largely unexplored region. The objective of the survey was to assist explorers to identify likely economic targets prior to the release of deep-water blocks in 2000. Seismic Australia exercised a GSV tender option of expanding the initial planned guaranteed coverage of 400 line km to make it part of a larger 960 km multi-client survey.
The interpretation of the data was evaluated in VIMP Report 65 (external link). As a result of this work, the deepwater acreage was subsequently awarded to EnCana, a major Canadian exploration company in their first exploration venture in Australia as operator. |
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Airborne Magnetic, Radiometric and Gravity Surveys
Gippsland Basin:
In 1998-1999, AGSO (now Geoscience Australia) and this department (at the time NRE) co-ordinated a regional airborne magnetic survey of the offshore Gippsland Basin. The data was recorded and processed by AGSO. In 2000 - 2001, VIMP funded a further airborne and radiometric survey covering the western onshore portion of the Gippsland Basin. GSV recently published VIMP Report 69 (external link) which details the results of an interpretation of these data.
Otway Basin:
World Geoscience conducted an airborne magnetic and radiometric survey for the department over the onshore Otway Basin also funded by VIMP 2001. The survey adjoins an earlier 1994 offshore airborne and radiometric survey funded by Government and industry. VIMP Report 78 (external link) contains an interpretation of Otway Basin data.
Seismic Reprocessing:
In 2000 the department reprocessed 4271 line km of seismic data comprising 2865 km offshore Gippsland, 1106 km offshore Otway Basin and 200 km of regional lines onshore Otway Basin, in order to provide industry with contemporary data.
Other Petroleum Geology VIMP Projects
Gippsland Basin Source Rock Database
In order to make additional petroleum discoveries in relatively mature basins, such as Gippsland, and extensive appreciation of the operating petroleum systems is required. Therefore, an evaluation of the oil and gas source rocks in the deeper and older parts of the prospective Latrobe Group (Golden Beach Sub-group, Emperor Sub-group) has commenced. This deeper section of the Latrobe Group has been insufficiently studied in the past and may be a potentially significant contributor to the Gippsland petroleum systems.
The work is a joint project with Geoscience Australia (external link). It will establish and update the source rock and geochemistry database for the Gippsland Basin, ensuring that all available historical analytical data from industry is captured onto the department's and Geoscience Australia databases. The geochemical results will be integrated with Geoscience Australia’s work on Gippsland hydrocarbon fluids and used to promote further activity in the basin.
Otway and Gippsland Basin Resource Potential
A VIMP project is currently being planned to establish how much more additional gas and oil exist in the region and where these accumulations are located. This study will be carried out by the Basin Studies and Petroleum Resources groups in co-operation with Geoscience Australia. This year (2002 – 2003) the focus will be on the Gippsland Basin, with the Otway resource potential being evaluated at a later date.
VIMP Data Preservation and Retrieval Projects
The aim of this petroleum component of the VIMP Initiative is to manage, preserve and effectively retrieve the vast amount of valuable petroleum data that the department has accumulated during the last four decades. The proper preservation of the collated data and its ease of retrieval will greatly increase the ability of explorers to study Victoria’s sedimentary basins and to make investment decisions with greater speed and ease.
The objectives of this project are to:
- acquire a state-of-the-art petroleum database,
- preserve the extensive and valuable petroleum datasets which are in the custody of the department,
- produce data packages,
- effectively retrieve petroleum information and enable the use of the retrieved data in specialised software modules in geological and geophysical applications.
Another objective of the project is the preservation of the large volume of seismic computer tapes and hardcopy data, worth tens of millions of dollars in replacement value. Preserving this data and later transforming it into more useable and accessible formats will ensure the longevity/continuity of petroleum exploration investment in the State.
Computer tapes in the custody of the department are degrading with time, and the transcription of this large number of tapes is fairly expensive. The cataloguing of these datasets on the acquired database, and their subsequent transcription (in the order of priority) will enable the department to deliver these data in a more reliable, cost effective manner while at the same time preserving the data from further degradation.
Hardcopy datasets have also been degrading with time and these may become dispersed when manually processed. In order to preserve this information, a prioritised set of hardcopy data has been catalogued and electronically scanned. These images can be distributed and printed in a much more efficient and timely manner.
Petroleum Information Database
The VIMP initiative provided a major contribution to the acquisition of a Victorian Government petroleum database. In response to a tender for the supply and maintenance of database software, Petrosys Pty Ltd, an Australian company which specialises in developing software for the international oil exploration and production industry, was the successful bidder. Petrosys supplied their "dbMap" software product, the required database support services and modified/added the necessary software to meet GSV's specific requirements.
The VIMP 2001 funding over its four years period will enable the Information Group to meet their objectives of improving access to information by preparing it into digital information packages, populating a relational database and enabling internet access to the Victorian petroleum data-sets in dbMap.
So far, the acquired software has enabled GSV to deliver the populated data efficiently and eventually, the data will be available on CD-ROM, tape media and the internet to those industry and geoscientists who need it most.
Petroleum Data Packages
Petroleum data available at present includes a series of DVDs and CD-ROM packages which are designed to be a useful method of non-confidential data distribution. These petroleum data packages (external link) and report compilations (external link) are available in our Online Store. Not all information is distributed in this form – but by making the most frequently requested information widely available in a convenient form, explorers are able to evaluate Victorian exploration acreage more effectively and efficiently.
These packages contain both raw data and metadata (data that describes the data - where, who, how, why, when) including:
- Well Completion Reports on DVD
- Seismic Navigation and well, field, permits GIS data on CD
- Petroleum geochemistry data on CD
- Scanned petroleum published papers on CD
- Palynology and other biostratigraphy reports on CD
- Departmental petroleum related publications on CD
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