Georgina basin shale cores fluoresced, bled oil

Cores from the Middle Cambrian Lower Arthur Creek “hot shale” and Thortonia carbonate formations in the southern Georgina basin of Australia’s Northern Territory exhibited extensive fluorescence throughout and bled oil upon retrieval, said PetroFrontier Corp., Calgary.

PetroFrontier drilled the vertical section of the Owen-3 horizontal well to 1,180 m measured depth and is drilling the horizontal leg a further 1,000 m. The well is the company’s third horizontal penetration in the basin.

PetroFrontier retrieved a combined 32.5 m of core from the two formations. It also wireline logged the well with encouraging results that indicate more than 25 m TVD of hydrocarbon-bearing formation.

Completion is to begin later in August. PetroFrontier intends to conduct 10-stage frac stimulations at MacIntyre-2H, Baldwin-2Hst1, and Owen-3H. The wells will be flow-tested after all three have been stimulated. All three wells showed encouraging oil and gas indications in the hot shale.