The spatio-temporal variation of exhumation and its impacts on the resource distribution in the Northern Carnarvon Basin, Australia

Patrick Makuluni, Lukman Mobolaji Johnson, Laurent Langhi, Juerg Hauser, Stuart Clark

Deformation and rock fracture during exhumation can enhance rock porosity and permeability, thereby improving fluid migration through reservoirs and destroying seal integrity in caprocks. Therefore, analysing the spatio-temporal distribution of exhumation in connection to fluid migration models can be crucial for energy resource exploration and storage. Geological and geophysical evidence suggests that parts of the Northern Carnarvon Basin (NCB) were exhumed. However, the spatio-temporal distribution of this exhumation and its impacts on the region’s resource distribution is yet to be established.

Our study published in Marine and Petroleum Geology (Makuluni et al., 2024) analysed porosity, sonic logs and paleotemperature data from 210 boreholes using compaction and vitrinite reflectance analysis techniques to constrain the spatio-temporal distribution of exhumation and its correlation to the region’s resource distribution.