Roseneath Formation
Australia
Australia
| Location | Cooper Basin, South Australia |
| Thickness | 105 m |
| Formation Details | Roseneath Shale comprises light and dark brown-grey or olive-grey siltstone, mudstone and minor sandstone. Roseneath Shale is mostly restricted to the Nappamerri and Tenappera troughs. Large ridges that separate the troughs typically have no Roseneath-Epsilon-Murteree (REM) package as the result of a combination of onlap of palaeohighs and erosion during periods of compression and uplift. Roseneath Shale siltstones vary from massive to finely laminated, with minor wavy lamination and wave ripples suggesting possible storm reworking. |
| Notes | Roseneath Shale thickens into the Nappamerri and Tenappera troughs, reaching a maximum thickness of 105m in the Tenappera Trough. During deposition of the Epsilon, Roseneath and overlying Daralingie formations, most of the Patchawarra Trough was a stable platform with little or no accommodation space available for sediment accumulation (Boucher, 2000). Less than 20m of Roseneath Shale exists in the southeastern part of the Patchawarra Trough. The shale gas targets in the Cooper Basin succession are the Early Permian Roseneath and Murteree shales. The shales are separated by fluvio-deltaic sandstones, siltstones and coals of the Epsilon Formation. The package has been informally named ‘REM’ by operators exploring for shale gas in the Cooper Basin. |
