11.

1 INTRODUCTION

The East Natuna Basin is located to the west of Kalimantan Island (Figure 1). It is filled with clastic
Tertiary sediments. Large developments of limestones (build-up or platform) are also present within
the Upper Miocene and Pliocene. Exploration wells have demonstrated the presence of large volumes
of gas, both on Indonesia and Malaysian side.

11.2 REGIONAL GEOLOGY

11.2.1 TECTONIC SETTING
The East Natuna Basin is bounded at the west by Natuna Arch, to the east it opens to Sarawak
Basin. The south part is bounded by Sunda Shelf and the northern part by Vietnam Basin. Hutchison
(1989) divided the East Natuna Basin into Sokang Sub Basin and North East Natuna Basin. They are
separated by the Paus-Ranai Ridge, a feature parallel to the eastern side of NatunaArch, which also
forms the northeastern boundary of Sokang Sub Basin. To the east both basins open to Sarawak
Basin. In a Late CretaceousEarly Eocene reconstruction for the area White & Wing (1978) concluded
that the East Natuna Basin was part of a large fore-arc basin extending from offshore Vietnam, across
Natuna waters to Sarawak.
Unlike in the West Natuna Basin, the main structural trend in the East Natuna Basin is NNW-
SSE; only in the northern part SW-NE trending structures exist (Wongsosantiko & Wirojudo, 1984).
This SW-NE trending structures are extensional faults and half grabens similar to the ones found in
West Natuna Basin, but the rift magnitude is generally less than the ones in the West Natuna Basin. In
the East Natuna Basin all the structures are extensional, there seems to be no compressional tectonic
phase happened in this area. White & Wing (1978) stated that the structural trend seems to follow the
underlying basement fabric, which is formed by the eastward migrating subduction zone (Figure 2).

11.2.2 STRATIGRAPHY
The stratigraphic framework for the East Natuna Basin does not appear much in published literature;
the one used in this paper is a compilation of several published and unpublished works. The oldest sediment
found in East Natuna Basin is of Late Oligocene to Early Miocene age (Pertamina & BEICIP, 1985) (Figure 3).
This sediment comprises a lower sandstone unit followed by a shale unit. The sandstone is the equivalent of
Upper Gabus Formation in the West Natuna Basin. This deposit is interpreted to be of alluvial plain and delta
plain origin. The shale that overlies it is the equivalent of the Barat Formation of the West Natuna Basin, and
consists of greenish and grey marine shales. This sequence represents the maximum transgression of the
area. These sequences have not been penetrated by any well in the Sokang Sub Basin. The sediments
overlying this Barat shale are the sandstones of Lower Arang Formation, which is formed in the regressive
phase, terminating the transgression. The regressive phase was immediately followed by a transgression. Both
the regressive and transgressive sandstone sequence forms the Lower Arang sandstones. The transgression
ended by the forming of Lower Arang shale that consists of grey and brown marine shales. In the south,
forming of the Lower Arang shale then followed by the of Sokang sandstones. These formations are deposited
in Early Miocene through Middle Miocene time.
In the north part, overlying conformably the Lower Arang shales is the Terumbu Formation. Pupilli
(1973) divided the formation into a lower member and an upper member. The lower member is termed the
platform member, and is characterized by stratified wackestone, packstone and boundstones. The upper
member is termed the reef member, which consists of highly fossiliferous diagenetic dolomite. The boundary
between the lower member and the upper member is unconformable in as some places. This unconformity
marked the end of the regressive phase. The upper member of this Terumbu Formation is formed of many
reefal build-ups, with marine shale and marls filling the depressions between the build-ups. During the Middle
Miocene to Late Miocene forming of the Terumbu Formation in the North, the southern area undergone
transgressive period later recorded as the upperArang Shale (Pertamina & BEICIP,
1985). This shale was followed by UpperArang sandstone. The sandstone extends also in the northern part,
overlying the Terumbu Formation. The youngest formation Muda overlies unconformably all the oldest
sediment, and formed as a transgressive sedimentary succession.

11.2.3 DEPOSITIONAL SETTING

In East Natuna Basin when the subduction along the line from SW Borneo to offshore Vietnam
became inactive during Oligocene, the previous fore-arc basin sediment deposition was followed by the
deposition of shallow and deep waterfacies White & Wing, 1978). The oldest sediments in this basin are the
Late Oligocene. These sediments are the result of the rifting phase, which also affected the East Natuna Basin,
especially the northern part, forming the SW-NE half grabens. During Early to Middle Miocene, the South China
Sea spreading continued and caused the forming of the NNW-SSE structures, following the basement weak
zone patterns.
In Mid Oligocene to Early Miocene, a period of tectonic quiescence, a post rifting phase happened
(Ginger et al., 1993). The deposition resulted in the Keras and Upper Gabus Formations. Barat Formation
was deposited after them is interpreted to be included in both post-rift and syn-inversion megasequence. The
boundary between post-rift and syninversion megasequence is marked by an onlap surface to lower part of
Barat seen on the upper part ofthe Barat Formation.
Compressional phase during Early Miocene to Mid Miocene, these stresses to East Natuna Basin is
not too significant to form any compressional structures, which only caused regional uplifting. During Early
Miocene to Late Miocene several cycles of sedimentation in the South Sokang Subbasin resulted in the
Arang Formation and the Sokang Sandstones. In The NE Natuna Basin the formations formed the Arang and
Terumbu Formations.
The Period of uplift was ended by a general unconformity in Late Miocene, which formed the
boundary between the syn-inversion and the post-inversion products. The last cycle of sedimentation in East
Natuna Basin formed the equivalent of the Muda Formation.
11.3 PETROLEUM SYSTEM
11 3.1 Source Rock
The Oligocene section is thinner less than 3000 ft, except in some local grabens in the northeast and to
the east towards the central part of the basin. Source rock maturation in thin Oligocene sediments would
require much thicker overburden. Mature Oligocene sediments are believed to be present in Miocene
grabens and in the east and southeast parts of the basin where overlying sediments are sufficiently thick.
Maturation occurred during Pliocene time.
The Miocene section consists of sandstone and shale inter-bedded with some coals deposited
in deltaic or paralic environment. Geochemical analysis indicate that the section contain fair to good
source rock potential for both oil and gas. The coal beds contain up to 25% waxy sapropels which are
known as oil source kerogen. Mature Miocene exists in the eastern and southeastern parts of the
basin.
The Plio-Pleistocene sediments are probably still immature, although subsidence and rapid
sedimentation occurred in the eastern parts of the basin.

11.3.2 Reservoir Rock

The Oligocene section contains sandstones with fair to good reservoir qualities. The sand-
shale ratio in the Oligocene and Miocene sections generally decreases eastward. They are possibly
shale out just to the east of the basin. Both Oligocene and Miocene sandstones constitute a main
reservoir objective for this area. Petrophysical data are rare: the Gabus Formation atweIlAN-1X has
porosities of up to 18% and permeabilities of 33 mD within the uppermost part of the unit. The Arang
Formation at well Sokang-1 contains 40% fine grained net sand with an average porosity of 25% and
permeability 260 mD.
Beside the clastic reservoirs, the Mid Miocene to Lower Pliocene carbonate build-ups provides
excellent potential reservoirs for the East Natuna basin. In general several depositional facies can be
distinguished in both formations, ranging from fore reef and reef slope in the east, to reef, back reef
and finally lagoonal facies in the west. The best reservoirs are expected to coincide with the sand and
reef derived sediments within a back reef setting. Porosities measured in core in AC-1 and Bursa-1
range from 10-28% with permeabilities up to 900mD.

11.3.3 Traps
The East Natuna traps are generally related to normal faults and growth faults, old basement
highs, or diapiric structures. Carbonate build-ups also contribute important
traps for this basin.
11.4 Hydrocarbon Play
Upper Miocene (Pliocene) reefal build-ups on tilted blocks This play has been extensively
explored and comprises carbonate build-ups sealed by bathyal shales and charged by Oligocene-Early
Miocene source rocks from the Oligocene graben and/or Sarawak Basin (Figure 4). Build-ups developed
on the crests and ridges of old tilted fault blocks that reemerged when there was a brief, mild reactivation.
Reefal build-ups are concentrated at the base and the top of the carbonate interval, associated with high-
stands of the Late Mio-Pliocene transgressive phase: Terumbu and Muda carbonates. Charge for both oil
and gas is interpreted to be derived from the deep Sarawak basin to the east. Tests of the hydrocarbon
bearing intervals indicate good reservoir development in these build-ups with packstone and wackstone
the most common lithologies.
Oligocene/Miocene sands in tilted fault blocks and across draped intergraben highs.
This play comprises clastic reservoir sealed by intraformational shales in fault-dip closures and
across draped intergraben highs, both charged from down-dip Oligocene and Early Miocene source
rocks (Figure 4). Lack of sealing shales in the unconformity overlying Upper Arang and Terumbu
limestone is regarded as the main reason for the negative tests of this play.

References
Shell Companies, 1992, Petroleum Geology of the Bursa B Block, East Natuna Area, Report for
Pertamina.
Esso EP Natuna Inc. & Pertamina, 1992, Sourcce rock Potential In the Joint Study Area of East
Natuna Basin, Siuth Cina Sea Indonesia.