Publications

Heat flow, geothermal gradients, and bulk thermal conductivities compiled from published and unpublished bottom hole temperatures (corrected for circulation times) of Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea are incorporated with published oceanographic heat flow analyses from the surrounding seas in order to form a new thermal data base for the New Guinea region. The generated contour maps and three dimensional surface plots provide new insight into the geometric distribution of these important thermal parameters and their control upon the spatial and temporal generation of hydrocarbons.The present thermal state may be described in two dimensions as a pervasive northwest striking trend paralleling the central cordillera with basinal and intra-basinal anomalies. The heat flow averages for the Salawati, Bintuni, and Papua Basins are 1.98 -+ 0.76 HFU, 1.49 -+ 0.77 HFU, and 1.57 2 -+ 0.49 HFU, respectively. The average geothermal gradients for the three basins are 3.90 -+ 1.48 oC/l00m, 3.31 -+ 1.51 oC/l00m, and 2.61 -+ 0.81 oC/100m, respectively.Regional variations in heat flow are attributable functions of 1) lithospheric thickness, 2) age of lithosphere and/or heating events, 3) proximity to ",leaky", plate boundaries (eg. the Northern New Guinea Fault Zone), and 4) crustal heterogeneities. As a result, the observed heat flow distribution is a record of the post-Cretaceous thermal-tectonic activities of New Guinea.Using the spatial distribution of geothermal gradients and specific source rock ages, kinetic calculations of hydrocarabon maturities are in general agreement with recent drilling results. However, in utilizing the present-day thermal information, hydrocarbon exploration strategies must also take into account the tectonically perturbed heat flow history of the region.