Imperatives in Petroleum Exploration and Production of Northern and Eastern Parts of Indian Subcontinent: A Review

Brij M. Khar
Exploration, Formerly ONGC, Dehradun, India

Tectonic settings of northern and eastern margins of Indian plate (within geographic regions of Himalayas and Assam-Arakan in Indian subcontinent) are reviewed with an objective to reappraise petroleum systems and make an assessment of their YTF potential within the limitations imposed by availability or otherwise of relevant data/information in public domain. A hierarchy of knowledge based, principally geo-scientific and other related criterion are used to document the known sedimentary packages and their classified stratigraphic units e.g. groups, formations etc together with lithology, depositional environment, source/reservoir/seal occurrence levels and characteristics and hydrocarbon occurrence/shows in terms of their specific ‘Plate’ and ‘Mega’ sequence domains, to facilitate appropriation and a schematic presentation of petroleum ‘play fairways’ known, probable or possible. An attempt has also been made to rank the individual play fairways in terms of their current and future petroleum potential. Risks involved and extent of likely challenges in exploration & production from these locales/levels in such logistically difficult terrain are discussed. Notwithstanding the formidability of aforesaid ventures, it is surmised that these areas are amenable to exploration and production within business models at current and foreseeable petroleum price bands and available technology including the pace at which the later continues to develop rapidly and meet variety of challenges thrown up every now and then.

Presentation GEO India Expo XXI, Noida, New Delhi, India 2008©AAPG Search and Discovery