An integrated approach to the Surat Basin stratigraphy

The stratigraphy of the Surat Basin, Queensland, has historically been sub-divided by formation and unit nomenclature with a few attempts by other authors to apply sequence stratigraphy to existing formation boundaries. At a local- to field-scale, lithostratigraphy may be able to represent stratigraphy well, but at regional-scale, lithostratigraphic units are likely to be diachronous. To date, this lithology-driven framework does not accurately reflect time relationships in the sub-surface. An entirely new integrated methodological approach, involving well tied seismic data and sequence stratigraphic well-to-well correlations compared with published zircon age dates, has been applied to hundreds of deep wells and shallower coal seam gas wells. This method sub-divides the Surat Basin stratigraphy into defendable 2nd order to 3rd order sequence stratigraphic cycles and has required the use of an alpha-numeric sequence stratigraphic nomenclature to adequately and systematically label potential time equivalent surfaces basin-wide. Correlation of wells is the first step in building models of aquifers and coal seam gas fields for numerical simulation of fluid flow, which is necessary for responsible resource management. Lithostratigraphic correlations will overestimate the extent and hydraulic connectedness of the strata of interest. The result may be fluid flow models that do not represent a realistic pressure footprint of the flow. The present sequence stratigraphic method more accurately reflects the disconnectedness of sub-surface coals and sandstones (aquifers) on a field-to-field scale, adjacent field-scale, and basin-wide scale. It forms the basis for improved and more representative modelling of the sub-surface.