The Eromanga Basin is a large Mesozoic sedimentary basin in central and northern Australia. It covers parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and New South Wales, and is a major component of the Great Artesian Basin. The Eromanga Basin covers 1,000,000 km2[1] and overlaps part of the Cooper Basin.
The basin is made of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, coal, shale, and red beds.[2] Two impact structures have been identified in the basin, Mount Toondina crater and Tookoonooka crater.
In Queensland and South Australia the Eromanga Basin has been explored and developed for petroleum production.[3] Commercial quantities of gas were first discovered in 1976 and oil in 1978.[1] The basin contains Australia's largest onshore oilfield, the Jackson oil field.[4] Moomba is the centre of South Australia's oil production in the basin.
The geology of the portion of the Eromanga Basin in New South Wales remains under-explored.[3]
During the middle of the Cretaceous period much of inland Australia was flooded by the Eromanga Sea, which shares its name with the contemporary Basin. Various fossil sites spanning the region record a diversity of marine life, including Plesiosaurs and Ichthyosaurs, that were abundant in the Eromanga Sea during the Aptian and Albian ages.[5]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Geothermal Energy: Eromanga Basin". Primary Industries and Resources SA. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "Geology of the Northern Territory: Eromanga Basin". Department of Resources. 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Eromanga Basin - Geological Overview". NSW Department of Primary Industries. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ Wilson, Nigel (2 October 2007). "Innamincka's results fire share surge". The Australian. News Limited. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ Clode, Danielle (August 2015). Prehistoric marine life in Australia's inland sea. Museum Victoria. ISBN 978-1-921833-16-8. OCLC 895759221.
External links
edit- Eromanga Basin geology, Northern Territory Geological Survey (accessed 2010-05-04)
- Great Artesian Basin Factsheet, Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water (accessed 2007-10-27)