The Late Triassic Mungaroo Formation of the Exmouth Plateau was investigated through an integrated, stratigraphically and geographically extensive study to characterize its source rock potential and depositional controls. Geochemical, petrographic, and palynological analyses reveal highly variable organic richness across the formation, with total organic carbon (TOC) content values ranging from very low in sand-dominated intervals to notably high in coal-bearing mudstones. The Mungaroo Formation exhibits diverse organic composition, with TOC content ranging from 0.63% to 54.18%, demonstrating that while certain intervals contain significant organic richness, others are notably lean in organic content. Petrographic analyses reveal the presence of dinoflagellates, liptodetrinite, sporinite, and cutinite, suggesting transitional settings with varying marine influence. Thermal maturity assessments indicate a range of maturity levels, with vitrinite reflectance (R_o) values ranging from 0.45% to 1.39%, reflecting thermal maturity of immature to post-mature stage. Rock-Eval pyrolysis parameters support these observations, highlighting varying stages of hydrocarbon generation. Biomarker characteristics further confirm the mixed organic origin and complex paleo-depositional environments within the Mungaroo Formation. The presence of both marine and terrigenous biomarkers underscores the depositional history of the region, with Pristane/Phytane ratios (Pr/Ph) indicating oxidizing environments typically associated with terrigenous plants’ input. Palynological data indicates strong terrigenous influence within both the wells Mercury-1 and Jupiter-1, characterized by proximal delta-plain environments.

An integrated study on source rock characterization and hydrocarbon generation potential modeling was conducted for the selected Dingo Claystone, Barrow Sub-basin, Australia. In this study, data were collected solely from two wells represented by the Bambra-1 and Bambra-2 wells. The collected data include those from bulk geochemical analyses of cuttings and sidewall cores sampled from the Late Jurassic Dingo Claystone. Geochemical data obtained from Rock-Eval pyrolysis and gas chromatography (GC) of extracted organic matter were integrated for source rock characterization and the construction of burial history and hydrocarbon generation in the Dingo Claystone. To improve the accuracy of thermal maturity estimations, only samples with S₂ greater than 1 were considered due to potential issues with peak integration and uncertainties of T_max determination in samples with lower S₂ values. Furthermore, Rock-Eval data from the Bambra wells may be unreliable due to the contamination of cuttings and side-wall core (SWC) samples by drilling mud additives and natural hydrocarbons, which could impact the reliability of the data for determining thermal maturity. This study reveals that the Dingo Claystone Formation has total organic carbon (TOC) contents ranging from 0.66 % to 8.31 %. A poor to good hydrocarbon generation potential is indicated, with a production yield (PY=S₁ + S₂) ranging from 1.37 to 10.44 mg HC/g rock. Hydrogen index values vary between 42 and 226 mg HC/g TOC, confirming that the Dingo Claystone is dominantly kerogen Type Ⅲ, with minor contributions from types Ⅱ/Ⅲ and Ⅳ. Thermal maturity ranges from immature to late mature and is mostly in the oil window. This is indicated by T_max values of 398–462 ℃ and vitrinite reflectance (R_o, %) of 0.47–1.99. Some samples show suppressed T_max and a higher production index, which is typical for samples affected by drilling fluids during drilling operations. Additionally, gas chromatography (GC) analyses are used to interpret the paleodepositional environment showing mixed input between marine and terrestrial origins of the source rocks. One-dimensional basin modeling for the Bambra-1 and Bambra-2 wells was carried out to evaluate the burial and thermal history of the formation. The transformation ratio suggests that hydrocarbon generation has not reached its peak and is still in an ongoing phase. An indication of hydrocarbon migration can be observed in this formation based on the transformation ratio. The effects of contamination warrant further investigation, as it could significantly impact maturity estimates and data reliability.