--> Abstract: Petroleum Prospectivity in Manipur and its Comparison with that in Regions along Same Subduction Zone - Myanmar & Assam, by Manas Pathak; #90181 (2013)

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Petroleum Prospectivity in Manipur and its Comparison with that in Regions along Same Subduction Zone - Myanmar & Assam

Manas Pathak
University of Utah

The Petroleum deposits and system in Manipur is an extension of the oil blocks in Bangladesh, Tripura and Assam in India and also in Arakan in Myanmar. The surface oil and natural gas seepage in several parts of Manipur are telltale evidence of oil deposits in Manipur.

The prolific areas in the State are located in the Assam-Arakan Basin, onshore NE India in the state of Manipur. The area is tectonically active due to the collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent. Geological picture depicts the spread of Tertiary rocks over the entire state with small patches of Quaternary sediments in the central part and a long narrow N-S trending ophiolite belt towards the eastern margin of the state. It, thus, emerges that geotectonically three distinct domains exist which are: (1) Neogene Surma basin, (2) Inner Palaeogene fold belt and (3) Ophiolite zone associated with Late Mesozoic-Tertiary sediments.

The potential source rocks in the area are the shales of the Eocene age Disang Group and the Oligocene Jenam Formation. The Disang claystones show Total Organic Carbon (TOC) values as high as 8%. The potential reservoirs are the Lower Bhuban, Renji, Jenam, Laisong and Upper Disang Formations. The main regional seal is the Middle Bhuban Formation.

Due to geographical and political reasons, there has been little hydrocarbon exploration activities. Proper intensive geophysical surveys therefore, may reveal a better picture of the oil structures in the state.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90181©2013 AAPG/SEG Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, September 27-30, 2013