Cenozoic development of southwestern Malay Basin: new

insights from subsidence analysis and thermal history

Wajeeh Ullah
Shams ul Arfeen
Saddam Hussain
Umer Jabbar Khan
Muhammad Sami Saleem
 Contents
• Geological setting and regional stratigraphy of Malay
Basin
• Location map of the deep wells and seismic survey
lines in the southwestern Malay Basin
• Objectives
• Method and materials
• Results and discussion
• Summary
a, b location map of the Malay Basin with regional tectonic features and basins of Southeast
Asia (Fyhn et al., 2007).
Stratigraphy of the Malay Basin showing the sedimentary units from M–A (Oligocene to
Recent), Modified after (Madon et al. 1999)
Location map of the deepwells (red dots) and seismic survey lines in the southwestern
Malay Basin
 Objectives
• To understand the Cenozoic evolution of the SW Malay
Basin by the analysis of ten deep wells situated in
the graben
• The study is based on:
 Subsidence analysis of the wells
 To construct 1D thermal model of the selected wells
 Heat flow is calibrated with vitrinite reflectance (paleo
heat flow) and bottom hole temperature (present day
heat flow)
 Meterial and methods

Backstripping technique Heat flow modeling

Present day Paleo

Parameters for the Estimation of eustatic sea heat flow heat flow
calculation of total, level change and paleo
tectonic, loading water depth
subsidence and 1D
basin modeling
 Meterial and methods

Time Depth function Contour map

 Estimation of eustatic sea level change
and paleo water depth
• Long-term global eustatic sea level curve for the
Cenozoic by Haq (Haq et al. 1987) has been used to
estimate the paleowater depth and the changes in eustatic
sea level for subsidence analysis.
• Subsidence analysis of different paleobathymetric values
revealed that paleobathymetric variations do not
significantly influence calculated tectonic subsidence
(<10%) (Michon et al. 2003).
 Heat flow modeling
• Present day heat flow
• In order to establish present day heat flow, bottom hole
temperature was gathered through wireline logs and
production test (DST) in eight (8) scattered wells.
• The Horner plot method was applied to temperature data
(BHT) acquired from wells before using it for temperature
calibration (Dowdle and Cobb 1975).
• A software PetroMod was used to construct the 1D burial
model and calibrated using bottom hole temperature.
• Paleo heat flow
• The paleo heat flow have been estimated through vitrinite
reflectance data and compared with subsidence analysis.
• Vitrinite reflectance data have been gathered from three
wells.
• Paleo heat flow histories have been calculated from vitrinite
reflectance data using this equation:
VRr = e ^(−1.6+3.7F)
• In this equation, F is a stoichiometric factor ranging from 0
to 0.85 and VRr is the mean vitrinite reflectance measured
in oil immersion on randomly orientated grains
Results
 Structural analysis
• Interpretation of seismic data revealed that normal fault
geometry is common with several basement horst and graben
structures in the SW Malay Basin
 Stratigraphic well correlation
• Stratigraphic well correlation was developed through
wireline logs (LAS & DLIS)
• The well tops network was established by well and
seismic data interpretation
• The section presents the continuation of the stratigraphic
units in all ten (10) wells through GR log, whereas units
M and L are missing on the Tenggol Arch
• Thickness of sedimentary units increase towards the
basinal side which could be due to the movement of
normal faults
Stratigraphic well correlation
 Time-depth function
• Time-depth function or
curve was developed by
using check shot (time
vs depth) data in the
Petrel software.
 Subsidence analysis
• Subsidence analysis was conducted on ten (10) wells
located on the Tenggol Arch (W-1–W-4) and basinal side
(W-5–W-10) in the SW Malay Basin.
• The tectonic subsidence curves show that on the Tenggol
Arch the activity is less as compared to the basinal side (NE
side).
Subsidence analysis
• Tectonic subsidence curve and paleo heat flow for the Cenozoic period in the study
area is established through subsidence analysis and 1D basin modeling.
• An anomalous heat pulse struck the basin during inversion that could be one of the
causes for the presence of basement metasediments and present-day high heat flow
 Summary
• The structural interpretation of seismic data revealed that
normal faults with horst & graben geometry is common in
the study area, whereas Tenggol fault separates Tenggol
Arch from the basinal side and has penetrated through all
the Cenozoic sedimentary units
• Tectonic subsidence curves suggest that during the Cenozoic
development of the SW part of the Malay Basin the activity
was high on the basinal side as compared to the Tenggol
Arch, through Oligocene (33.9 Ma) to Miocene (13.5 Ma)
which could be due to the normal fault movement in the
basinal side
• Paleo heat flow shows a link with tectonic subsidence, in
that the increase in heat flow is related to rapid tectonic
subsidence whereas the basin experienced an anomalous
heat pulse (100–130 mWm−2) during the Middle to Late
Miocene (13.5–10 Ma) which could be related to mantle
uplift during inversion of the basin
• Present day modeled heat flow are also high (66–69
mWm−2) and related to the lowering of heat flow due to
thermal relaxation of the mantle following the anomalous
heat pulse.
Thank You