A reflection seismic survey was conducted in late 1959 on Authority to Prospect 55P by Austral Geo Prospectors Pty Ltd for Associated Australian Oilfields N.L. (A.A.O.) through A.A.O. 's management affiliate, Mines Administration Pty Ltd, in an area south of Roma, Queensland.
The primary purpose of the survey was to determine the subsurface conditions producing the gravity maximum mapped by the Bureau of Mineral Resources in 1947-1948.
No structural features worth drilling were found by the survey, but significant information regarding the geology of the area was obtained. A summary of the conclusions, using data from both the East Roma area (A.A.O., in preparation) and the South Roma area, is given below.
(a) The Cretaceous or Upper Jurassic strata thicken toward the south.
(b) The Lower Triassic or Permian strata become thinner toward the south and, in spite of the thickening of the formations near the surface, basement should be encountered at depths equivalent to those of the central portion of the East Roma area.