I believe the report newtofo is refering to is the 2007 Silverman report...
http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Minerals_Energy/Geoscience/Cabs/papers/P37_Silverman_et_al.pdf
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My thoughts on the 2007 report and how it relates to what we know in 2013 (given what we've been told lately)
- In the Falcon Oil & Gas 3rd September 2013 Operational Update - it states that the evaluation of the new seismic data (Hess's data) confirmed three distinct hydrocarbon plays. One of which is...
"A conventional play of prominent structural ridges near the basin margins".
In my opinion this conventional play could well be in and around the Arnold Arch. As the 2007 Silverman report states...
"The Arnold Arch along the eastern edge of the basin is a likely catchment area for substantial volumes of hydrocarbons. New modeling suggests that the Arnold Arch has an early, pre-hydrocarbon-generation structural history and should contain the three primary potential reservoir units, the Bessie Creek, Moroak and Jamison sandstones. Live oil shows are common in sandstones and free oil was recovered on DSTs (Drill-Stem Tests). These and other shows in non-source sediments document hydrocarbon migration into the primary potential reservoirs. Significant volumes of oil and gas may have been generated, migrated into reservoirs and preserved in large unbreached traps."
This excerpt on the Arnold Arch talks of 'sandstones', 'free oil' and 'non-source sediments'. This sounds more like a conventional play to me rather than a tighter unconventional shale play. And the Arnold Arch is a large structural high ridge near the eastern basin margin... so it would appear to fit.
