Deep Structure of the East Malita Graben Region - Western Arafura and Northern Timor Seas : Cruise Proposal : Project 121.39

The East Malita cruise is part of a program designed to determine the structural architecture ofthe northwestern margin of Australia and the influence of structuring on the location of,migration and trapping of hydrocarbons in the region. The major objectives of the East MalitaGraben project are:
1) determine the regional structural framework of the eastern Timor Sea region by examiningthe boundaries between the major structural elements along a series of transects;
2) provide modern regional seismic tie lines through the wells in the region to facilitateprovince wide correlations;
3) determine the deep crustal structure of the Malita and Calder Grabens;
4) examine the effects of the deep crustal structure and its reactivation on the location of theknown petroleum accumulations.

To examine these problems it is proposed that the R V Rig Seismic be used to collect a total ofapproximately 3000 km of deep crustal multichannel seismic and other geophysical data along 17lines in the East Malita Graben region. The proposed lines tie all 8 wells in the region plusTuatara-1 and Kulka -1 to the east. The lines are designed to examine the major structuralrelationships in the region. Where possible the lines are orthogonal to the principal trends in theregion.