Properties of Rodinia
The oil and natural gas basins of Australia were created approximately 800 to 540 million years ago (Neoproterozoic) when most of the world's land masses were merged as one super continent known as "Rodinia." As a result of the rifting apart of the super continent, as illustrated below, the Australian basins share analogous geological features with geologic basins in Siberian and Arabia (Oman). These analogous features include the existence of Cambrian/Neoproterozoic reservoirs with massive basil sands, similar algal/bacterial source beds, similar salt structures created by the evaporation of sea water, and the subsequent creation of similar salts seals which are ideal for long term hydrocarbon trapping.
The Ghaba and Fahud Basins in Oman have proven oil reserves exceeding 6 BBL, and the Irkutsk and Sakha basins of Siberia have proven oil reserves exceeding 26.5 BBL, in addition to 165 tcf of natural gas. The Officer Basin has the potential for significant oil and natural gas reserves based on analogous geological features to Siberia and Oman, as identified through existing geological knowledge compiled by government surveys and the oil and mining industries.
Rodinia has focused its exploration activities in the Officer Basin in South Australia and Western Australia. What follows is a detailed description of the Corporation's oil and natural gas exploration interests.