Development and Reservoir Quality of Cenozoic Carbonate Buildups and Coral Reef Terraces

Moyra E. J. Wilson
Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom

Almost half of SE Asia's considerable hydrocarbon reserves are contained in carbonates. Miocene buildups with diameters of up to tens of kilometres across form the majority of these reservoir units. However, with the exception of a few fields, there is little detailed data on how local depositional and diagenetic conditions influence the considerable inheterogeneities in reservoir quality often encountered. This study focuses on factors influencing the facies, diagenetic and reservoir variability of comparable Modern, Quaternary and Neogene reef associated deposits from the Tukang Besi Archipelago, Central Indonesia.

The Archipelago includes 5 large atolls, a number of smaller buildups and 4 main islands each with modern rimmed shelves or fringing reefs. On the islands, over ten late Neogene and Quaternary coral reef terraces have been uplifted to maximum heights of ~300 m. Analysis of the modern deposits allows initial reservoir potential to be assessed and related to local environmental conditions. The influence of diagenesis on final reservoir quality is evaluated for the depositional facies exposed in the uplifted terraces. The overall spatial distribution in effective porosity across the area is strongly dependent on local energy conditions, water depth, carbonate producers, size of atolls or islands, climate and local meteoric diagenetic processes. This evaluation of spatial variability in carbonate reservoir characteristics provides much needed data as the hydrocarbon industry focuses on improving recovery from existing fields and exploring for new reserves.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90039©2005 AAPG Calgary, Alberta, June 16-19, 2005