JOINT CONVENTION 2003

Indonesian Geologists Association and Indonesian Geophysicists Association

Mulia Hotel, December 15-17, 2003, Jakarta

THE CENTRAL SUMATRA BASIN AIRBORNE GRAVITY AND

MAGNETIC SURVEY; AN EXAMPLE OF THE USEFULNESS OF AN
AEROGRAVITY SURVEY AND THE APPLICATION OF
GEOLOGICALLY CONSTRAINED GRAVITY INTERPRETATION
William R. Gumert*, Victor Graterol*, Fauzil Fanani**

*Carson Services, Inc., Perkasie, Pennsylvania, U.S., aerogravity@carsonservices.com

**Kondur Petroleum S.A., Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Kondur Petroleum S.A. contracted Carson Services, Inc. to fly an airborne gravity and magnetic survey
over portions of their Malacca Strait Block in Central Sumatra, Indonesia. Carson flew their fixed wing
DeHavilland Twin Otter aerogravity system in a 2 × 4 kilometer grid over a portion of the concession and
acquired 2,657 kilometers of high quality gravity and magnetic data. The data were collected at a survey speed
of 85 knots, (150 kilometers per hour), at an elevation of 1,133 meters above mean sea level. It required five
weeks to acquire the data.

The surveyed area is in the Central Sumatra Basin and covers the islands of Bengkalis and parts of
Padang and Sumatra. The area is one of shallow water and low-lying land, which makes airborne surveying
methods an ideal tool to explore for structural mapping.

The study confirmed the presence of elongated Tertiary basins oriented mainly north to south and
northwest to southeast and connected with each other by major strike slip faulting. These basins were separated
by local structural highs and limited by normal faults. These structures appear to be small rift basins that also
have small-scale inversions in their central parts. The area between these lows and highs, along the elongated
basins, is a complex step where structural highs are present. Further profile modeling has revealed each basin is
a number of small complex deep basins that could have a good potential for hydrocarbon generation.

This survey and its’ interpretation are a good example of the usefulness of aerogravity surveying and
the application of geologically constrained gravity interpretation.