New insights into the Kingia Sandstone facies distribution, and implications for hydrocarbon prospectivity, north Perth Basin, Western Australia

Abstract

The Kingia Sandstone has proven to be a prolific play fairway within the north Perth Basin, with primary porosity preservation observed down to at least 4600 mSS. However, the distribution of the Early Permian depositional and diagenetic facies has remained enigmatic. This is especially true given recent exploration results. Recent wells targeting the Kingia Sandstone have highlighted facies variability. As such, an opportunity exists to leverage legacy well data to investigate the interplay between sediment supply and accommodation space, resulting in improved reservoir characterisation. Through the integration of well logs, core and petrography studies, new insights into the spatial and temporal trends governing the presence and effectiveness of the Kingia are proposed. Implications of this work include Kingia Sandstone facies models that may be extended beyond known well control to help reduce subsurface uncertainty.