Bonaparte Basin facts for kids
The Bonaparte Basin is a huge area in Western Australia and the Northern Territory of Australia. It's mostly under the ocean, but some parts are on land. This basin is like a giant bowl filled with layers of rock and soil that have built up over millions of years. It's very important because it holds a lot of Australia's natural gas and oil.
Where is the Bonaparte Basin?
The Bonaparte Basin starts near the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and stretches out into the Timor Sea. Imagine it as a big underwater valley. It sits next to other geological areas like the Pine Creek Orogen and the Fitzmaurice Basin. To its north is the deep Timor Trough, and to its west is the Browse Basin. On its northeast side, you'll find the Money Shoals Basin.
What's Inside the Basin?
The layers of rock in the Bonaparte Basin are incredibly thick. On land, they can be about 5 kilometers (3 miles) deep. But under the ocean, these layers can be more than 15 kilometers (9 miles) thick!
This basin formed a very long time ago, between 540 and 360 million years ago. That's even before dinosaurs roamed the Earth! Inside these ancient layers, you can find different types of rocks, including:
- Limestone
- Sandstone
- Mudstone
- Basalt (a type of volcanic rock)
- Coal
- Sediments left behind by glaciers
Natural Resources and Energy
The Bonaparte Basin is a major source of energy for Australia. It contains several important oil and natural gas fields. In fact, about 18% of Australia's known natural gas reserves are found here.
Scientists estimate that the basin holds about 29 million barrels of oil and 860 petajoules of gas. These resources are very valuable for powering homes and industries.
Besides oil and gas, the Bonaparte Basin also has other valuable minerals. On land, you can find deposits of:
Studies have led to successful oil and gas wells in the basin. There are even two undersea pipelines that carry these resources to the Northern Territory. This helps provide energy to many parts of Australia.
