PBE Report 2025
INTRODUCTION
Defini on PBE?
Play based Explora on (PBE) is a strategic approach to hydrocarbon explora on that focuses on
geological “plays” rather than individual prospects. A play refers to a group of oil and gas fields
sharing similar geological characteris c such as source rock, reservoir and trap mechanisms.
Obje vu PBE?
Output PBE?
Historical drilling success on Kelp-High
Conch-1 well
Year: 1998
Target structures: Horst structures (long 16 Km, wide 2Km), fluvial Sst of Plover Forma on
TD: 2763 m
Status: Dry
Hydra-1 well
Year: 1992
Target structures: Plover Forma on
TD: 2347.5 m
Status: Dry
Kelp-1 well
Year: 1994
Target structures: Fault an c, Sst Plover Forma on and Middle Triassic Sst
TD: 3203 m
Status: Dry
Gas methane with minor heavier alkaline to propane. Background gas 1-7 unit at depth 985-
1060 mRT and increase to 4-60 unit at range 1060 – 1430 mRT. (Car er
Forma on).
Kelp-Deep-1 well
Year: 1998
Target structures: Fault an c, Sst Plover Forma on and Middle Triassic sst
TD: 3203 m
Status: Dry
No Well Year Target Status
Structure Reservoir
1 Hydra-1 1992 Structural Sst Plover Forma n Dry
2 Kelp-1 1994 Fault an cline Sandstone of Plover Forma n Dry
and Middle Triassic
3 Conch-1 1998 Horst structure Sandstone of Plover Forma n Dry
4 Kelp-deep-1 1998 Structural Jurassic – Permian Gas show at
Permian
OBJECTIVE
LOCATION
DATA
RESULT
1. Jurrasic Play
2. Triassic Play
3. Permian Play
CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATION
hHps://www.ga.gov.au/bigobj/GA3861.pdf
Although only one petroleum accumula on has been iden fied within the Sahul
Syncline (Rambler-1), the syncline is considered a source kitchen for a number of
petroleum accumula ons iden fied on the adjacent Laminaria and Flamingo Highs
(Plate 1, Figures 8.2 and 8.4).
form viable explora on targets on the
flanks of the Sahul Syncline (in Rambler-1, oil was recovered from the Flamingo
Group and a gas column was iden fied on wireline logs within the Plover Forma on).
Sahul PlaJorm has been sub-divided into the following elements:
the Troubadour High - a culmina on located on the east of the Sahul PlaJorm
where depth to basement is approximately 3,000 metres;
• the Kelp High - located further to the west, where basement is interpreted to be
significantly deeper;
• the Flamingo High - a major pre-Jurassic domal feature which lies between the
Sahul PlaJorm and the Londonderry High;
• the Laminaria High - a small, east-west orientated, drowned plaJorm-remnant
between the Sahul and Flamingo Synclines (Smith et al., 1996).
Permian:
Hayland Bay Fm
The discovery of gas
Triassic – Jurassic
Early Triassic
Mt Goodwin Fm - marine claystone (marine transgression)
Middle Triassic
Sahul Group – fluvio-deltaic (sandtones, claystones, minor carbonates).
Late Triassic-Early Jurassic
Malita Fm (red bed sequence).
Kelp-1, Kelp Deep-1 have been encountered the Triassic sequence.
Early – Middle Jurassic
Plover Fm – sag basin,
Top Plover – shallow marine sandstone, (Elang and Laminaria Fm) – reservoir
Late Jurassic
Flamingo group –
Fonh-1, 19 (gas discovery)
Minotaur-1, 23 (oil show)
Flamingo-1, 12 (gas discovery)
Kelp-Deep-1, 29 (gas discovery)
Wells distant from the Malita Graben and Sahul Syncline have encountered hydrocarbons,
indica ng that source rocks on the Sahul PlaJorm are thermally mature and have generated and
expelled significant quan es of petroleum (Figure 8.1).
Oxfordian (upper Jura) – Valanginian (Lowed Cretaceous) riNing resulted in the development of
east-west trending lted fault blocks, horst and grabens across the Sahul PlaJorm (including the
Flamingo High).
Til ng of the Flamingo High occurred during the Ap an-Turonian (Lower – Upper Cretaceous),
extending the areal extent of the high to the west (at the level of the Ap an Disconformity).
The collision of the Australian con nental plate with the South East Asian
microplates in the Neogene led to increased water depths over the northern half of the
Sahul PlaJorm. Flexuring caused by thrust loading during the Late Miocene-Pliocene
resulted in east-northeast trending normal faul ng, erosion, and extensive channelling
(Bradley and Kidd, 1991; McIntyre, 1995).
The Sahul PlaJorm has been a structural high since Late Jurassic mes. Analysis of
isochores suggests that significant structural closure did not exist on the Kelp High
feature prior to the Pliocene and that the Upper Cretaceous sec on is thin at this
locality.
Kelp-1 well – no HC encountered – reach Triassic, good quality reservoir sands in the Plover and
Flamingo Forma ons. The secondary objec ve (Triassic, Sahul Group sands) exhibited poor
reservoir quality at this loca on.
Kelp-Deep-1 well - The well was designed to test the limestones and fluvio-deltaic sandstones of
the Late Permian Hyland Bay Forma on (together with sandstones of the Lower
Cretaceous/Upper Jurassic Flamingo Group and Plover Forma on). no hydrocarbons were
encountered within the Flamingo Group and Plover Forma on, but gas was recovered on test
from the deeper, Permian Hyland Bay Forma on.
Petroleum System in Sahul PlaJorm
Reservoir
Sandstone of Elang and Plover Fm are the primary explora on purposes. The porosity of these
rock is ranged from fair to good (5-20%). In the southern part of plaJorm, the porosity over 15%
at depth 3,300 m but severely degraded up to depth 3,400 m. For instance, in Fohn-1 well the
Elang and Laminaria at depth up to 3,400 m has porosity less than 10%. Furthermore, the
Minotaur-1 well at depth 3,300 m and 3,400 m has porosity from 10%-15%.
Elang forma on intersected by Flamingo-1 well at depth 3,400 has porosity from 17%-20%. In
addi on, Plover Forma on reservoirs have retained porosi es in excess of 25% on the Kelp High
at depths of between 2,000 and 3,000 metres (Kelp Deep-1). Labu s et al., (1998) has aHributed
this varia on in porosity with depth to differences in deposi onal environments.
Source
Source rock intervals have been iden fied within the Elang / Laminaria Forma on, Plover
Forma on, Frigate Shale and Flamingo Group (Preston and Edwards, 2000). The thickest
succession of Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous source rocks is found in the adjacent Malita
Graben and Sahul Syncline. (Figure 8.2).
BRINCAT, M.P., O’BRIEN, G.W., LISK, M., DE RUIG, M.J., 2001. Hydrocarbon
charge history of the Northern Londonderry High: Implica ons for trap
integrity and future prospec vity. The APPEA Journal, 41 (1), 483-495.
Alterna ve play concepts such as those requiring stra graphic traps have significant aHrac on
in the northern and northeastern Londonderry High, as these would not have the inherent fault
seal problems and have had, or are currently receiving, substan al oil charge. Stra graphic traps
may be found in the Upper Jurassic turbidites of the Nancar Sandstone Member, as
encountered in Ludmilla–1 and Nancar–1/ST1. These sands are known to pinch out
stra graphically towards the north, where age-equivalent deposits (D. jurassicum) consist of a
thin clay drape in Mandorah–1, Fannie Bay–1 and Lameroo–1.
Shelf edge deforma on
Neogene deforma on produced high angle normal fault trending to the NE-SW. These faults
overprinted sediment sequence from Neogene to Pleistocene. 3D seismic data revealed these
structures have en-echelon fault with length approximately 1 – 16 Km.
Linked fault:
In Laminaraia (Thomas Philips et al, 2021) revealed hard and soN linked fault. Reac va on
caused the buried fault (oldest structures) propagates upward.
