DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY

BUREAU OF MI ERAL RESOURCES, GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS

SMR Record 1973/29

c.3

504455

RECORD NO. 1973/29

THE GEOLOGY OF THE ORD BASIN: A REVIEW

by

P.J. Jones*

Th. information contained in this report has been obtained by the Department of Minerals and Energy "" part of the policy of the Commonwealth Goyernment to assist in the exploration and development of

eral resources. It may not be published in eny form or used in e company prospectus or stltement ,out the permission in writing of the Director, Bur u of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics.

I' .1' ,I I I I I ' ,

I I

" I" I I I I I I I I I I

, f

Record Ho. 1973/29.

THE GEOLOGY OF THE OR!) BASIN : A REVIEU

by

P.J. Jones';"

" ,

* Geologist, BuY'oau of Hineral Rosources , Geology and Geophysics, Canberra, A.C.T . - published with tho permission 6f the Director.

"1 I· I I I · I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I'

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

....

\ t . ,

I ',' " , , ," ',I \!1. , 1, '1 ,"

" l'

. : .! ; ,

I • I i .

Contents

Introduction

Previous investigations

Tectonic setting

Stratigraphy

a. Late Adelaidean-Cambrian

b. Devonian

c. Tertiary

Structure

Petroleu~ possibilihes ,

r :6

1

2

3

4

4

7

8

8

-9

I

·1 I .1

I

I' I 'I I I

I I I I

'. I

SUrIT:IARY

The Ord Basin straddles the border betlTeen ~;Testern A1..~8tralia

and Horthern Territory in the area dra. ined by the middle and louer

reaches of the Ord River. It contains about 570 m of shales and

fossiliferous marine limestones (the Negri Group) of early Middle

Cambrian (Ordian) age, "Thich 1'TCre probably originally continuous,

but nOli occur in three main structural basins (the Harclman, ROSel-TOod,

and Argyle Basins; a total area of about 8,400 km2). '1'he depositional

basin developed over " 'about ' 31,000 km2 of the Antrim Plateau Volcanics

(Upper Adeiaidean - ?L0I1er Cambrian) in the southern half of the

Victoria River Basin, and is itself o-verlain by residuals of ?Devonian

and Cainozoic sediments.

The explorat~on, and tectonic setting of the basin ar'e , "

briefly discusse~. A sLort outline of its Phanerozoic history lends

tb the conclusion that its petroleum possibilities are minimal.

The t;2ntle synclinal structure of the basin, the erosional periods

betueen the Cambrian and the Devonian, and after the Devonian, could

have permitted any possible accmmlation of hydrocarbons to escape.

.. f~ .. _

I I I I I I I I I I I I' I I

I I I I I

" . I , ' . ' , ' , : .

INTRODUC'l'IOl~ .

The Ord B:J,sin lies directly south of the Bonaparte Gulf ,

Basin, from uhich it is sel,arated by a narrOi-T belt of intensely

deforned Jaetamorphic and igneous Precambrian rocks (the Halls Creek

Mobile Zone of Tra~es, 1955). The name Has originally used by

GentilE & Fair'oridge (1951) to delineate the physiogral]hic province

drained by the middle and l.ovTer reas:;hes of the Ord River, and vlaS

adoptec1 by Edlhae et al., (1958) for the depositional basin. It

contains about 570 m of dominantly marine l"i iddle C3.rabrian sediments,

uhich '\'Tere probably oriGinally continuous, but nO'l1 OCCUl' in three

main structtrral basins (the lIa rdman, Roseuood, and Argyle Basins

' of IIathe .son & Teichert, 1948; Fig. 1).

. The basin developed over the Up~er Adelaidean-?LovTer

Cnmbrian Antrim Plate~u Volcanics in the southern half of the' '. Victoria River Basin (G.S.A., 1971), and is itself overlain by

residuals of Devonian and Cainozoic sediments (Fig. 2); (these

, are briefly described in ~his paper, in order to compl e te the account

of the Phanero?oic history of the region). 'l'he mare;in of the bafJin,

as sho\r/D b;)r Travos (1955, fig . 6), defines a physiographic provj.nce

(VIhich includes the Antrim Plateau Volcanics), roq;hly triangular,

covering an area of about 31,000 }~2 , and distributed about equally ,

on each side of the border boh-reen llestern Australia and tho Northern

'i'erri tory. 'rho sedimentary sequence, hOi'Tever, covers only about

2 8,400 kIll , and lies mostly in \1estel'n Australia.

I I I I I I I I I I I

I I I I I I I I

.' , ~ ' . ' .

~.

.. PREVI01JS IHVl~S'lIIGA'l'IOHS

The earliest geological ~'iork in the Ord River ~':as by

Hardman (1885), vrhoseHidespread investigations inclu<led the mapping

of the Harclman Basin • . ' Jack (1906) reported on the hydrology of \he

soutbTestern part of the region, but little Has added to the. kno,"ledge ,

of the geology until the discovery of asphalti te 11ear the junction of

' the Ord an<l Negri Rivers in 1920 (Uaitland, 1920; Blatchford, 1922)

initiated interest in petro],.9wll prospects in the area (t:~ahony, 1922).

Fade (1924) made a valuable contribution to the stratigraphic

krlO'wlcdge of the East Kimberley Tegion, and reported on the prospects

of finding commercial quantities of petroleum in the area.

Hatbeson & rreichert (1948) made a major contribution to

the geological knol-Tledge of the Ord Basin in their report and

reconnaissance maps of the Cambrian rocks in the structural basins.

Th~ir report contains '-'an excellent swumary and biblioV'e.phy of, the.

literature up to 1945, and assesses the petroleu:n potential of the

region. Geological lmollledge of the region ,'ras furtheT advanced

by Traves (1955), "Tho is responsible for many of the formation names

used at the present time.

In 1963, the 'i'Iestern Australian side of the Ord Basin,

uhich is contained uithin the Dixon Ranc e (Dou & Gemuts, 1967) and.

Lissadell (Plwnb, 1968) 1 :250 000 Sheets, \Vas .mapped by the Bureau "

of Nineral Resources and the Geological Survey of ",Testern Austrelia.

During the Sal:le year, the Palaeo.zoic rocks of the Ragged Range Outlier,

south of the Bonaparte Gulf Basin and I-Test of the Ord Basin, i'TerD

mapped by Kaulback & Veevers (1969). In 1969, the Northern Territory

si.de of t he basin ':las mapped by the Bureau of Nineral Resources in the ",

areas covered by the Limbunya (r:lcnclum, 1972) and \{aterloo (S,'Teet, 1973)

1 : 250 000 Sheets. 'l'he Geology of the southern Victoria River r(;;gion

1

·1 I·: 1

I I I 1 I 1 1 I I I I I 1

has been described by Sl'reet, I·len.durn, Bul ti tude, 8; i':organ (in prep.).

" Opik (1958, 1967, 1970), Hho took part in the earlier survey by Traves,

has })l'oduced palaeontological dctta of . considerable biostratigraphic

importance, based on his collections tind those of later surveys~

These suggest that some revision of the mapping is rec;.uired.

TI~CTOHIC SET/rING

Tectonically, the Ord Basin is the uppermost part ~f the

Sturt Block - a relatively stable mass of mostly unaltered Adelaidean

sedimentary rocks, situated on the eastern s:Lde of the Halls Creek

Nobile Zone. Its Hes tern margin is marl;::ed by the H."'.ll s Creek l"aul t,

and by fault Hedges of Precambrian rocl~s betl'Teen it and its north-

easterly splay' faults. Both the Antrim Plateau Volcanics and Middle

·Cambrian sediments have been faulted and eroded to a level Hhere the

I .

sediments are preserved in three structural basins. 'l'hese are from ."t

north to south:

(a) The Argyle Basin, about 40 Ian long and 11 km Hide; its

long axis trends northeast, parallel to the Hall~ Creek Fault.

The Rosm-rood BDsin,'about 64· krn long and 18 kfi:' I'Tide, Hith its

long axis trending east-northeast.

(c) The Hardman B4sin, 120 km long and 56 kra uide, originally

referred to byUacle (1924, p.26) as the Ord River Dasin.

Its long axis trends nOl,theast in Uest~rn Australia and

sVTings southeast in the Northern Territory.

I 4.

srrHATIGRAPITY

( . LATE .A.DI~LAIDEAN-CArBRIAlif

I I

In Latc Adelaidean to possibly Early Cambrian tilae, basal tic

lavas of· the Antrim Plateau Volcanics were extruded over a wide,

I deeply eroded surface of Adelaidean rocks (the Albert Ed1mrd Group),

Hi th a rr.arl~ed regional angular Ul1conformi ty ~ The volcanics, described

I by Eidl'J<:trds & Clarke' ( 1940) as a single province of tholeiitic basalts,

I are about 915 ill thick. rrhey consist of several lavaflOi'ls of

amygdaloidal and ma;:3sive basalts, and thin lenses of sandstone,

1 siltstone, limestone, and chert. The latter contains the stromatolites

C 011 01)hy ton oasalhcura and Q. cf. &1.ubit:;;a; in the U.S.S.R., COl1ophyton

1 is restricted to the Precambrian anc1 Q. gaubitza is probably Vendian

I (Halter, 1972). Lava rloH thicknesses range from less than 15 m

up to about 110 ffi; . most floHS are less thEm 50 ra thick, and many are

1 traceable for several kilometres. Locally, aggloIlcra te and about

9 m of red-broun chert~ quartz sandstone occur at the base. The sandstone, ,

lTbich contains quartz grains of probable aeolian origin, may have been

I deposited in lakes on the Adelaidean land surface. Ueathering profiles

within the basalts suggest that there may have been three distinct

I periods of subaerial extrusion. One such highly ferruginous profile

a t the top of the Antrim Plateau Volcanics may re~present a smaller

1 hiatus than the an[,'lllar unconformity at its base. For other accounts

I· of the Antrim PJ.a teau Volcanics the l'eader is referred to Dunn & Brm!l1

(1969), PricIer (1969), Bultitude (1971), and Viaiter (1972).

1 In early Eiddlc Caiccbrian time, al terna ting liElcstones and

shales ,vi th gyl)SUITl (the Negri Group), }Jl'obably representing cycles of

1 11

marine and non-marine evaporitic conditions (Opik, 1956, p. 262), were

1 deposited over the Ord River area and beyond the present accepted limits

of the basin itself. r1'ho 'oldest sccliments of the Negri Group (sensu

I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

'( • I 1\

I' ' I ~ II .' , I'

5. I •

I ,I I

1\ ' (

Traves, 1955) are preserved in the Rag~ed Range Outlier as the

Blatchford Formation. They contain the trilobite Onarasnis adusta

and the pteropod Diconuli tea hardr:18.ni, the oldest· favnal assemblage

of the Ordian Stage - the basal stOoge of the TUddle Cambrian

" (Opik, 1967, 1970). The fOl"l.na ti on , at least 120 ill thick, consists

of dolomitic siltstone with fossiliferous interbeds of glauconitic

dolomite, overlain by dolomitic quartz sandstorte. It unconformably

overlies the Antrim Plateau Volcanics, and is unconformably overlain

by the Devonian Hagged nange Conglo:!lorate (Kaulback &:, Veevors, 1969) •.

In the Ha.rdman Basin, the j'Tegri Group has a maximum thickness

of 573 ro, and overHes the Antrim Platem.l Volcanics IJith only slight

aDguleT unconformity. ~rhere E:.l'e no l.U1conformi ties v!i thin the Group.

Each formation is considerably thim1.or on the eastern side of the

Hardman Basin than on the western side. 'fhis indicates that altl10ugh

'L~

~h~ basin is preserved)for structural reasons, its origin is depositional

(D.B. Dow, pers. comn.). The base of the Negri Group in the Hard~-::an

Basin - the Headleys Limestone - consists of 46 m of massive grey

limestone ui th chert nodules ,. overlain by lauina ted and thin-bedded

grey limes tone. " Its age is Ordian (Opik, 1967, p. 148; see reference

to the j'.'jount Panton sequence, bel 01'1) , and according to Traves (1955, p. 38),

may be equivalent to that of the Montejinni Limestone, which overlies

the Antrim PIE.teau Volcanics to the east, in th.e Have Hill and Victoria

Hiver Douns areas.

The Helson Shale contains a D8.xiruu.!il thickness of 180 Tn of

shale and 8i1 tstone Vii th gypSUIil and pyrite, and minor thin lenses of

lim.estone and sandstone. Ho fossils have been fOlmd; its age, by

'intrapolation, is Ordian.

I

I -I I I I I I I I

1 I 1 I 1 I I I

• I

I • , •

I

6.

'1'he Lilmekar Limestone consists of 18-40 til of fossiliferous

grey limestone, :nediura-bedc:.ed for the' Im'lest 3-6 m, anet thin-bedded

uith thin marl interbeds for the remainder. Redlichia forresti and

Biconulites hardmani occur in the mC1.rly interbeds at the junction of

Linnekar Creek and Brook Creek (i.jade, 1924; Nathe son &: 'l'eichert, 1948;

II

Opik, 1958). 11

'1'his is Opik' s (1970) Assemblage 4 of the Ordian Stage.

'l'he Panton Formation (~~ Dow &: Gemuts, 1967) is the

name applied to 157 m of shale and subordinate interbedded limestone

betI"Teen the Linnekar Limestone and the Hudson Formation. DmT &: Gem.uts

combined four of Traves' (1955) formations - in ascending order the

Panton Shale, . Shady Camp Limestone, Negri River Shale, and Corby . .Limestone, into the one unit. Biostratigraphic studies and d~tailed

mapping are required to elucidate this sequence, and for this purpose,

trraves' formations sti~lprovicle a f;rameuork for any revisions. For

example, the limestone and shale sequence at J;lount 'Panton, identified . II

by 'l'raves (1955, p. 41) as Shady Car:J.pLimestone, is placed by Opik (1967)

below the Linnekar Limestone, and below the beds with Redlichia forresti.

The Mount Panton strata contain the oldest syecies of Redlichia so far

knovTi"i in the Ordian ~ lie amadeana - "Thich is associated Hi tll an undescribed

" " . nell Sl)ecies of Xy~tridur~ (Opik, 1970); this is Opik' s (1970) Assemblage

5 of the Ordian stage. Other fossils include the much cited Biconulites

1955; McWhae et al., 1958). 'fhe Shady Camp Limestone, on the other

hand, contains the Hccllichia forres-ci fauna. The top of the Panton

F01'1il3. tion is marked by the Corby Li;:lestone of r1'raves (i.e., the fourth

:!.im0stone unit of IIatheson & Teichert, 194.8). It consists of 3 m

of hard, laminated doloniteand limestone uith small chert nodules.

Biconuli tes is present'.

L

.1 1 1 I I

I I I I I I I 1 I I I I I

, "

.1

I •

Thelludson Formation is the name givGn to the top unit of

the Hegri Group. As defined by DOH, Gemuts, Plur!1b, 8; DUlmet (1964),

the Hudson Formation includes 10th the Hudson Shale and the lOHer pent

of the Elder Sandstone of Traves (1955). It consists of about 150 m

of red and {!;rey siltstone and Jilarl vIi th sorae thin beds of glauconitic

limestone, crading up1-Jards into bro1-H1 micaceous sandstone. Thus,

the Hudson Forula.tion marks the transition from the cyclic deposition

of limestones and shales to the deposition of sand.stone. The only

fossils known are the remains of probable jellyfish colle cted from the

Dixon Range. (These arc errone ously reported from the Elder Sandstone

by D01-; 8; Gemuts, 1967, table 4).

DEVONIAl~

After Ordian time, the area l'JaS probably a land surface during ,'t

most of Carilbrian, Ordovician, and Silurian time, for i10 sediments remain.

The next marine transgression probably · toolc place in the Devonian, \1hen

the Elder Sandstone was deprisited on the Negri Group with an erosional

unconformity, and in places overlap on to the Antrim.Plateau Volcanics.

It 1'TaS the recognition of this unconformity in the Dixon Hange area

Hhich led DOH ct aI., (1964) to restrict the name Elder Sanqstone to

the upper part of the Elder Samlstone of 'l'raves (1955). In the north-

eastern Tart of tllC Har (~.man Basin, this unconfoL'mi ty is more diffj.cul t

to r ecocnize, because there the contact bebreen the Hudson Formation and

the Elder Sandstone is paraconfori:lable.· 'l'he :SIder Sandntone is about

200 J!l thick, and consist3 of 18 III of basal conglomera to, overlain by

massive and cross-bedded quartz sane.stone. Ho fossils have been found,

but tIE discovery of probable Upper Devonian pelecypods and gastropods " ..

in tho Hag-cod RanGe Conglomeratc, l)oint to the possibility that Jehe

Elder Sandstone (sew3u Dov; 8; Gcmuts, 1967), vrith 1'lhich II.coves (1948) and

I ,' .1 I ·1 1 I

I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I

8.

\" . ,, ' , "

, I

) ,

Traves (1955) identified the ' Conglomerate, is itself Devonian (Kaul bad;:

& Veevers, 1969, p. 30).

TERTIARY

rl'ertiary sediments, vlhich rest directly on the older rocks

already described, include veneers of teTl'es~rial 'gravel, sandstone,

siltstone, and some laterite. The raain record is preserved as small

residual outliers at VJhite Nountain, and is no older than l'Iiocene

(Lloyd, 1968). Here, the \!hi te EOl.mtain Formation consists , of 113 m

of chert, shale, marl, siltstone, and a little quartz ·sandstone. The

chert contains fresh\'rater gastrOl)ods and ostracods (Chapman, 1937;

l'icEichael, 1968), and the marine foraminifer m:monia l)eccarii (Lloyd,

1968a b). This anoL1a~ms association suggests to Lloyd (1968 a, b) , , a brief incursion of the sea into a lacustrine environment, perhaps

during the latest TUocene or Pliocene, and perhaps at the time v1hen

parts of surfHce III (of Van Andel & Veevers, 1967) possibly becaEle

a marine depositional surface, c;,ftel' the uid-Eiocene aiastrophism of

the Timor Sea region (Veevers, 1969).

STHUCTTJR:~

Over the greater :::-arts of the Hardman, Roseuood, andiirgyle

B.'C.sins, the rocks have a Gentle re gional dip to the northiwst. The

markedly asy;::metrical structure of these basins is tne l'esul t of upI'mrd

drag along faults on their western and northwestern margins. The

northeastern end of the Hardman Basin ,ha s been deformed by a nor(;h-

Hef3 terly fal~l ted Lonocline - the 1 Kelly Creek Ji,nticlinc 1 of ga theson

& Tciqhert (1948, p. 79). This lies on the line of a large shear-zone

'" f. ... .. .t~

I ' I I

I I I I

'I

I I I 1 I I I I , I I

I " , :, ~ ; I , ,',

uhich affects the Halls Creek Group (Archaean or LOVIer Proterozoic)

near the junction of the Ord and Negri Rivel's. The \;Thite fiIotmtain '

Forma tion, uhich has been sliChtly til ted and buckled, probably OI'les

its elevated position to Tertiary movement on the fault. NinoI'

nortlmesterly faults along the southern margin of the Hardrnan Basin

affect both the Headleys Limestone ,and the Antrim Platean Volcanics.

Asphal ti te ha o been I' eJ:JOrted from several localities in the'

Antrim Pl8.teau Volcanics as a black shiny residue in vesicles and

cavities in , ba :::al't (SiT:lpson, 1921; Blatchford, 1922; Farquharson, ,

1 922; liahony,: 1 922 j \'! ade, 1924; Ha theson 8: Teichert, 1 948; Traves,

, 1955). After its discovery in 1920 near the junction of the Ord and

Negri Rivers, the Okes-Durack Kim,berley Oil Company drilled on the , ' )

Kelly Creele ,Anticline, ' in the Negri Group near \'Ihi te Houlltain. " '1'he

bore began in Linnekar Limestone, pass eJ through Nelson Shale and

Headleys Limestone, and penetrated 122 ill into Antrim Plateau Volcanics.

Although trace s of gas and possibly oily matter Here ,found, Hade (1924)

concluded that it Has impossible that oil Has present in commercial

qt~e.nti ties in the Ord HiveI' area. Blatchford (1927), Hobson (1936),

and Reeves (1951) also reported 'lmfavourably on the prospects of

finding ,oil acctunulations.

'rho source of the asphal ti te is not kn01:-rn. (1924) is

of the OI)inion that i t is an oil residue fror:~ th? Negri Group; Eatheson

& ~~eichert (1 948 ) thought that the source I' ocles l'rere in the Upper

PalaecBoic s e(luence to the north, nOH knoHn as the }3Ol~a!)3.rte Gulf

Basin; ",hereas Tr.'lvos (1955) suggests that ~;he da rk shales of his

Victoria River Group i'lith more than 600 m of sediments, including algal

00 . 1-",

limestones, is a more likely source. Dow & Gemuts '(1969) also tentutively

I I I I I I I I I I

I I I I I I.

I I

. \

~

10 •

. , .

.. I ,

sugGest a Precambrian source, . possibly the Albert Edmlrd Group of the

Victoria River Basin.

'1'he possibility of fincline; petroleun in cOlllil1ercial quanti ties

in the Ord Basin is remote, mainly because the sedimentary sequence

lacks suitable traps. The gentle synclinal structure of the basin,

theer"osional periods beh-reen the 'Cambrian and the Devonian, and after

the Devoni2.n, could. all have permitted the escape of hydrocarbons.

I I ·1 I· I·

I

I' I I I I I I I I I I

I '

REFERF:;NCES

BLA'rCHFORD, '1'., 1922 - Interim report on the occurrence of glance pitch

near the junction of the Negri and Ord Rivers, knOlV'll as

'Oalces find'.

Geo1. Surv. VI. Aust. Ann. Prog. Eep. 1921, 20-2.

BLATCHFOHD, T., 1927 - The geology of portions of the Kimberley Division,

H"ith special reference to the Fitzroy ~asin and the possibilities

of the occurrence of mineral oil. Geol. Surv. U. Aust. Bull. 93.

{ 'L~

BU1'l'I'rUDE, R.J., 1971 - 'rhe Antrim Plateau Volcanics, Victoria River Distrj,nt,

Northern-1'errHory. Bur. Hiner. Hei30ur. Aust. Eec. 1971/69 (unp~bl.)

CHAPHAN, F., 1937 - Cherty limestone \lith Planorhis from the Mount Elder

Range~ Western Australia. Troc. Roy. Soc. Vic., 50, 59-66.

DOVI, ·D.B., & GEI'IUTS, 1967 - Dixon Hange, VI.A., 1 :250 000 Geological Series.

Bur. Hiner. HefJOur. Aust. explan. Notes SE/52':"6.

~ ~

DOU, D.B., & GEHUTj'S, 1.,1969 - Geology of the Kimberley Region,

Vlestern Australia: the East Kimberley. Bur. fiIi1}er. ResoUJ~.

Au~t. Bull. 106.

DOH, D.B., GENU'l'S, 1. ,PLUJ.ID, K.A., & DUmiIET, D., 1964 - The geology

of the Ord lUver I{egion, I'lestern Australia. Bur. rUner.

Resour. Aust. Rec. 1964/104 (unpubl.).

DUNN, P.R., & BRmIN, M. C., 1969 - North Australian Plateau Volcanics.

GeoJ.. Soc. Aust. spec. PubJ.. 2, 117-122-.,

gm1ARDS, A. B., &: CIJJOO~, E. de C., 1940 - Some Cambrian basalts {rom the

East Kimberleys, l"iestern Australia. J. Roy. Soc. \"I. Aust.,

26, 77-,-101.

li'AHQUHAESON, H .• A., 1'1922 - Report upon the occurrence of glance pitch at

Oakes' Find. Ceol. 3urv. H. Aust. Ann. Prog. Rep. 1921, 22-3.

GEWPlLLI, J., & Ji'AIRBlUDGJ!i, R."l., 1951 - Physiograph:i.c Diilgranls of Australia.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

\ '

~SA (GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA), 1971

and New Guinea. Sydney:

Tectonic r~ap of Australia

HARDI1AN, I~.T., 1885 - Report on the geology of the Kimberley District.

Hestern Australia. \v. Aust. parle Pap. 34.

HOBSON, IleA .• ,1936 - Summary of petroleum exploration in Western Australia

to January, 1935. GeoI. Surv. H. Aus t. Ann. Hep .. 1935.

JACK, R.L., 1906 - The prospects of obtaining artesian water in the

Kimberley District. Geol. Surv. \I. Aust. Bull. 25.

KAULBACK, .J.A., &, VEEVJ~RS, J.J., 1969 - Cambrian and Ordovician geology

of the southern part of the Bonaparte Gulf Basin. Bur. Hiner.

Resour. Aust. Rep. 109.

LLOYD, A.R., 1965a:- Possible Hiocene marine transgression in Northern

Australia. Bur. Hi.ner. Hesour. Aust. Bull. SO, 85-104.

LLOYD, A.R., 1968b - Outline of the Tertiary geology of Northern Australia •

. , Ibid., 80, 1.05~132.

. lVIclUCHAEL, D. F'., 1968 - Non-marine molluscs from Tertiary rocks in

Northern Australia. Ibi<i. 80, 133-160.

]\ic~mAE, J.R.H., PLAYl~OPJ), P.E., LINDnER, A.H., GmNIS'rEH, B.P., & BAI..ME, B.E.,

1958 - or:he stratigraphy of 1Jestern Australia. J. geoI. Soc.

Aust., 4- (2).

JlWIONY, D. J., 1922 - Report on oil prospects near Ord-Negri Junction,

East Kimberley. Geol. Surv. Id. Aust. File 290/22 (unpubl.).

l\1AITIJ~N]), A.G., 1920 - Note on the specimen of supposed bitumen from Turkey

Creek, Kimberley Division. Geol. Surv. I·I. AList. Ann. Hen.

1.9ZQ, S.

NATrn~SON, R.S., & 'rEICHERT, C., 1940 - Geological recoIL.'1aissance in the

eastern portion of 'the Kimberley Division, Hestern Australia.

Geol. Surv. W. Aust. Ann. Rep. 1915.

'-1

1 1 1 I ,

1 1 I I 1 I I I I I I ·1 I I I

, , 'j t " I I , " ' ','

r •

NENDUH, J.R., 1972 - Limbunya, Northern Territory, 1:250 000 Geological

Series. Bur. Niner. Resour. explan. Notes SE/52-7.

II

OPIK,A.A., 1956 - Cambrian Palaeogeography of Australia.

sistema C&abrico, su paleogeografia y el problema du su

base. , Cone . into geol. 20th Sess. Nexico, 2(2), pp. 239-284.

OPIK, A.A., 1958 - The Cruabrian trilobite Redlichia: orgro1ization and

generic concept. Bur. I1iner. Ee:;?our. Aust. Bull. 42.

OPIK, A.A., 1967 - 'l'he Ordia.n stage of the Cambrian and its Australian

~letadoxididae • Bur. rHnQ.!,. Res our. Aus t. Bul1. 92, 1 33-65.

8PIK, A.A., 1970 - Redlichia of the Ordian (Cambrian) of NOrthern Australia

and Ne\'l South \·[ales. Bur. Hiner. Hesour. Aust. Bull.f14.

PLilliffi, K.A., 1968 "7 1issadell, \LA., 1 :250 ono Geological Series.

Bur. Miner. Resour. Aust . eJCJ?l.an.Notes SE/52-2.

PRImm, R. T., 1969 - Phanerozoic volcanism in Hestern Australia. Geol. Soc.

Aust. spec. Pu~. 2, 123-125. "

REEV1~S, R ./f., 1948 - Report on the geology and oil possi bili ties of the

Bonaparte Gulf Basin. Unpub. Rep. for Standard Vacuum Ltd.,

REEVES, F., 1951 -Australian oil 'possibilities. Bull. Jun. Ass. Petrol.

Geol., 35, 2479-2525.

SIIv]})SON, E.S., 1921 - Bitumen, Texas Station, Kimberley Division. Geol.

Surv. W. Ausi. Ann. Frog. Rep. 1921, p. 23.

SvlEET, I.P., 1973 - Haterloo, Northern Territory, 1 :250 000 Geological

Series. Bur. Niner. Hesour. Aust. explan. Notes SE/52-3.

SWEET, J.P., NENDUl'1, J.n., BULTI'fUDE, R.J., & MOHGAN, C.I1., (in prep.)­

The geology of the Southern Victoria River Region, Northern

'l'erritory. Bur. :fIUner. Resour. Aust. Ilep.

-I I I I I I I I I I I I' I I I I I I I I

· .. .. : ' . '\ ...

, '1. 1 •

I i ' II , ill . I 1 I

I . I. I . II . I,;, \ ~

TRAVES, D.N., 1955 - The geology of the O:cd-Victoria region, Northern

Australia. Bur. Hiner. Resour •. Aust. Bull. 27.

VAN ANDEL, Tj.H., & VEEVERS, J.J., 1967 -Horphology and sediments of

the Timor Sea. Bur. Miner. Resour. Aust. Bull. 83.

VEEVERS, J.J., 1969 - Palaeogeography of the · Timor Sea Region. Palaeo­

({eogr. Palaeoclimato!. t Palaeoecol., 6, 125-140.

. \'1ADE, A., 1924 - Petroleum prospects, Kim~erley District of Hestern ·

Australia and Northern Territory. Comm. Aust. parl~.

142.

WALTER, M.R., 1972 - Stromatolites and the biostratigraphy of the

Australian Precambrian and Cambrian. Special Papers in

Palaeontology, 11.

' .

· -.. ~ - - ... - --.

I .1 1

I I I 1 I I. ·1

1 I 1 1 I I ·1 I I

128"[

I6"S

I7·S

em

~€Ia

em

Fig. 1

• 1. ' I'.

129"[

v

v

v

v v v

v v v v v

v V

V

V €Io

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

v

V

ela

~ Elder Sandstone and R~9.d R~noe Conolomttata

e

130"£ 16·S

&." 17"S

Elo

I8"S

L...::..:.....J NtiJrl Group ~ Undifferentiated I . ~HeadleY~Limutone ond 8 1otthtord formotion .

~ Antrim Ploteau 'Wicanici

o Proterozoic (Adelaidean) ledimentl

~ Prottrot.oie metamorphici

'P, i Y J:, ~ 0

lO 40 !lO CO KI'n

in 50 40 .. E52/A / 22

Geolog~cal sketch-map of the Ord Basin.

. ~ .....

I I I I I

z

I « ffi? ~ « u

w I -1 0 0

:;Ec 0 '0 I .... 0

I L..:.L

I

I I 1 .1. __ .. -' ..

I I

('..

z « Ci: m ~ « u

0:: W :it 9

z « w 0 <C -1 IJ.I 0 <t

Q. ~

" II • I

I . ,: . . I 1 ,' 11

I I j I \ I

•• ' I I , I • , '. II

',I ".-' I

', ; 1\ ,.J I , .

HARDMAN BASIN

WHITE MOUNTAIN FORMATION

113 m

ELDER SANDSTONE 200m

HUDSON FORMATION 150m

PANTON FORMATION

"­"-""--

RAGGED RANGE

000

o 0 0:: 157 m (!)

Corby Limeston~ ,,' Negri River Shale "

Shady Camp Limestone""--

Panton Shale ~ 000

0 : RAGGED RANGE

n: LlNNEKAR LIMESTONE "" 00 0 0 CONGLOMERATE (!) UJ

40m Z

NELSON SHALE 180m

HEADLEYS LIMESTONE 46m

v

v

v ANTRIM PLATEAU VOLCANICS v

915 m

v

--v

v

v

--- ---

100

50

o

III 100 Q)

!:: Q)

::!: 200

300·

400

"" ""-----

Composite section of u.ppermost Adelaidcan.-Midclle Cambrian,

Devonian. an.d Tertiary rocks in the Hardman Basin and the

Ragged Range Ou.tlier.

o

v

E52/A/23

{

L