Aaron Cummings

PhD student - Geo

Aaron completed his BSc majoring in Earth Sciences from the University of Queensland in 1997, going on to graduate with first class honours in 1998. His honours thesis was entitled "Geology of the Cania region, western Yarrol Province, southern central Queensland", which was sponsored by North Limited. He began a PhD at the National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics in 2000. His current research is an investigation of the structural history and hydrocarbon migration in the Bass Basin. He received an AAPG Grants in Aid scholarship in 2001. Aaron worked part-time for a number of years with Placer Exploration (Brisbane office), and has also worked with Geoconsult and the Queensland Museum. He is a member of PESA.

PhD Research Project:

Structural History and Hydrocarbon Migration in the Bass Basin

Supervisors: Prof Richard Hillis, Dr Peter Tingate

Funding support: Mineral Resources Tasmania, Globex Far East

Scholarship support: Australian Postgraduate Award, MRT PhD Scholarship

Project Description

Knowledge of the structure of the Bass Basin at the time of hydrocarbon generation and migration is required to predict hydrocarbon migration pathways. A model of basin evolution has been developed in order to define the timing and nature of major tectonic events that occurred in the Bass Basin region. This model is based on both kinematic structural analysis of interpreted seismic data, and on an evaluation of the subsidence history of the basin. The structural restoration software 2DMove and 3Dmove has been used in order to reconstruct basin architecture to the time of hydrocarbon generation and migration. Structural analysis has been combined with maturation modelling to elucidate the probable timing of hydrocarbon generation and the initial migration pathways.

In addition to providing an understanding of basin configuration at the time of hydrocarbon generation and initial migration, structural analysis has focussed on the localised Tertiary inversion within the Bass Basin and its influence on the breaching of existing traps, and possible subsequent up-dip remigration of hydrocarbons. A specific focus of the project has been to characterise structures that have undergone inversion/reactivation in the Tertiary as well as those that have not been reactivated. A model describing the effect of structural inversion on seal breaching within the Bass Basin has been developed.

Finally, the project will analyse the contemporary stress field of the Bass Basin in order to predict which faults and fractures are currently close to critically (with respect to tensile and shear failure) and thus which carry the greatest risk of seal breach.