The Wunut Field: Pleistocene Volcaniclastic Gas Sands in East Java

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IPA99-G-012

PROCEEDINGS, INDONESIAN PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION


Twenty Seventh Annual Convention & Exhibition, October 1999

THE WUNUT FIELD:


PLEISTOCENE VOLCANICLASTIC GAS SANDS IN EAST JAVA

Arse Kusumastuti*
Agung B. Darmoyo*
Wahyudin Suwarlan*
S.P.C. Sosromihardjo*

ABSTRACT filled with depth. At the deepest pay levels the


structure is filled to the spill-point. This suggests that
Lapindo Brantas, Inc. (formerly Huffco Brantas, Inc.) the sealing capacity of the caprocks becomes better
discovered the Wunut Field in 1994 as a gas with increasing depth.
accumulation in volcaniclastic reservoirs of
Pleistocene age. The field is located onshore Java The discovery of the Wunut Field reveals significant
approximately on the axis of the East Java Basin. The exploration potential in the East Java Basin
lowermost producing interval was deposited in an particularly, and Indonesia in general. This success
outer neritic, turbiditic environment whilst the upper represents the first commercial, volcaniclastic-
part was deposited in a deltaic setting. Overall, reservoired gas discovery in the Pleistocene, which is
shallowing-and coarsening-upward sequences can be generally considered as containing poor quality
clearly recognized. reservoirs. Although relatively small in size, the
Wunut Field is located within an area of well-
The Wunut structure is a simple, four-way-dip developed infrastructure in industrial East Java thus
closure, aligned east-west, which formed as a making its development economically feasible.
response to magmatic uplift which occurred 10-15 km
to the south. The uplift resulted in northward-directed INTRODUCTION
detachment along an intra-Pliocene surface, creating
the Wunut structure during the Late Pleistocene. It The Wunut Field is located in the Brantas Production
was charged immediately with hydrocarbons (mainly Sharing Contract area of East Java and approximately
gas) from the deeper section. The source of the gas is 30 km south of Surabaya (Figure 1). The Brantas PSC
believed to be from hydrocarbons originally trapped was awarded to Huffco Brantas, Inc. in April 1990
in the Porong Reef, of Miocene age, located 10 km to and originally covered an area of 15,000 km2 both
the east and which appears to have leaked due to the onshore and offshore. More than 5,700 km of land
collapse of the overlying sediments. This collapse and marine 2-D seismic were acquired and 5 wildcats
took place at approximately same time as the Wunut were drilled. In 1996, Huffco withdrew from the
structure was formed. block and the operatorship was transferred to Lapindo
Brantas Inc.
Geochemical data show that the gas is thermogenic;
its gravity and wetness both increase with depth The Wunut Field was discovered in 1994. Although
which are thought to be caused by a process of the field is of relatively small size, it is located
fractionation. At a shallow depth the structure is onshore and ideally situated in the fast-growing
partially filled and it becomes progressively more industrial areas of East Java. Therefore, the field was
economically feasible to develop and commerciality
___________________________________________ status was obtained in March 1996. The field was put
* Lapindo Brantas, Inc. on-stream in January 1999 and the produced gas is
supplied to PGN, the government-owned gas Early Tertiary volcanism occurred during the latest
distribution company. Eocene-earliest Oligocene. The site of the volcanic
belt was possibly situated offshore to the north of the
REGIONAL GEOLOGY present-day volcanic belt (ESRI, 1994).

Regionally, the Brantas PSC is located along the Two further volcanic episodes occurred, during
southern flank of the East Java Basin (Figure 2). Oligocene to Middle Miocene times. The first
Throughout its Tertiary history, most of the block was episode happened during the late Oligocene through
situated along the east-west aligned axis of the early Miocene when the ancestral Java arc developed
depocenter of the East Java Basin. There are three to the south of its present-day southern Java position
major distinct structural provinces recognized in the (Old Andesite Formation). The second episode took
East Java Basin: the Northern Platform, the Central place during the early Miocene through to the end of
High and the Southern Basin. The Brantas PSC is the Middle Miocene. This phase is probably related
situated within the Southern Basin, along the northern to the initiation of the modern Sunda-Java arc and
flank of the present-day Java volcanic arc. resulted in the formation of a volcanic belt
approximately fifty kilometers to the north of the
Oligocene-aged volcanic arc. This arc has remained
The East Java Basin is a Tertiary-aged back-arc basin in this position until the present day.
which is bounded to the west and northwest by the
Karimunjawa Arch and the stable Sunda Shelf. To the
north the basin is limited by the Meratus High of SE The tectonic setting present in the Late Miocene
Kalimantan and to the east by the Masalembo-Doang continued through the Pliocene and the Pleistocene.
High. The Southern Java Volcanic Belt or magmatic Widespread reactivation of folds occurred in the late
arc forms the southern boundary of the East Java Pliocene and further reactivation also occurred in the
Basin. Late Pleistocene. The latest phase of volcanism of
the Sunda-Java arc started in the Late Pliocene and
The sedimentary section of the East Java Basin, of has continued until the present day.
Tertiary to Recent age comprises more than 15,000
feet of section ranging in age from Eocene through Stratigraphy
Recent and overlying on Pre-Tertiary basement.
Miocene and Oligocene rocks crop out in the The stratigraphy of the Brantas PSC can be divided
Southern Mountains which are located in the south of into three major sequences, including Eocene-Early
the volcanic arc. To the north of the arc, two major Oligocene, Late Oligocene-Miocene and Plio-
distinct features are observed: the Kendeng Zone and Pleistocene sequences (Figure 4).
the Tuban Ridge (North Rembang Zone) in which
outcrops of Miocene to Pleistocene rocks occur.
Holocene-aged and alluvial sediments cover the The Eocene-Early Oligocene sequence is associated
remaining area. The Brantas PSC is situated within with the early rifting of the East Java Basin and
the Southern Basin between the Kendeng Zone consists of clastics and carbonates of the Ngimbang
(Central High) and the Southern Java Volcanic Belt. Formation. The Eocene clastics were deposited in a
predominantly alluvial-fluvial environment with local
Volcanism lacustrine conditions and believed to contain the main
source rocks for generation of the hydrocarbons in the
The origin of the Tertiary-aged, East Java back-arc East Java Basin.
basin is related to northward-directed subduction of
oceanic crust, which was attached to the leading edge The late Oligocene-Miocene section is separated from
of the Indian-Australian Plate, beneath the continental the underlying sequence by a regional unconformity
Sunda Plate and resulting in a roughly E-W trending, which overlies the ENE-WSW oriented carbonate
volcanic arc. This subduction activity resulted in trends (BD-Porong Trend). Platform carbonates of
several volcanic episodes throughout the Tertiary and the Prupuh Formation were deposited during the Late
provided the sediment influx for most of the southern Oligocene and were followed by the development of
half of East Java Basin (Figure 3) reefal limestones during the Early Miocene.
During the Late-Middle Miocene to Late Miocene a volcaniclastic sedimentary wedge. The unit resulted
massive influx of clastics from both the northern and from erosion of the latest phase of volcanism in East
the southern areas of the basin caused cessation of Java, which has continued until the present-day. The
carbonate deposition. Volcaniclastic deposition depositional environments ranged from inner to
covered the southern half of the basin southward from middle neritic in the deeper section, gradually
approximately just north of the present-day Java- shallowing upwards to continental to terrestrial at the
Madura coast. In the Brantas PSC, the clastics are present-day surface.
dominated by volcaniclastics which are thought to
represent reworking of the "Old Andesite Formation”. Sequence stratigraphic analysis for the volcaniclastic
In the Tuban-Cepu area along the northern coast, the deposits of Pleistocene to Recent age was performed
clastics originated from erosion of granitic rocks and for well sections of the Wunut -1, -2, -8, -10 and
resulted in the deposition of sandstones of the Porong-1 wells. Using the combined litho- and
Ngrayong Formation. biostratigraphic data, five sequences can be
recognized within the studied interval. The base of
The Plio-Pleistocene sequence unconformably each sequence is identified based on biostratigraphy,
overlies the Late Oligocene-Miocene sequence. cuttings and log data. Sequences I, II, III and IV are
Locally, the unconformity removed the entire Middle Pleistocene in age whilst Sequence V is of Holocene-
and Late Miocene sequences. In the Brantas PSC, Recent age (Figure 5, Darmoyo et.al., 1999).
deposition of the sequence commenced in the eastern
part with limestones of the Paciran Formation and These five sequences may have been deposited as a
marls of Kalibeng Formation in the western part. The result of eustatic sea-level changes. Since no
Paciran Formation consists of pelagic limestones rich significant regional tectonic event has been
in globigerinids and grades westwards into the more recognised at the end of the Pleistocene, tectonism
marly sequence of the Kalibeng Formation. may not have had any effect on deposition of these
sedimentary sequences. A comparison is made
Following the sedimentation of the Paciran/Kalibeng between the five cycles and the published eustatic
formations, a rapidly northeastward-prograding sea-level changes (Figure 6).
wedge of sediments was deposited as the Pucangan
and Lidah Formations. The Pucangan Formation The base of Sequence I is a sequence boundary at the
sediments consist predominantly of volcaniclastics top of the Pliocene "Blue Clay” Formation. This
derived from the volcanic arc located to the south of massive clay is overpressured and was deposited in a
the Brantas PSC. In general, the volcaniclastics were middle to outer shelf environment. The faunas at this
deposited from the southwest in shallowing upward. level are dated at 1.74 Ma, which suggests that if
The Lidah Formation is the more marine equivalent eustacy is suspected to cause this sequence boundary,
of the Pucangan Formation and comprises the erosional surface at the top of the Pliocene "Blue
predominantly marine shales with occasional Clay" may be equivalent to the 1.9 Ma sequence
limestones, which probably represent reworked boundary (Figure-6, Mitchum et al., 1993).
carbonate materials from older limestones.
A well-developed sand unit occurs at the base of
During the latest Pleistocene to Recent, most of the Sequence I in the Wunut-10 well and thins rapidly
Brantas PSC was in a non-marine setting during towards the east and northeast through the Wunut-8, -
deposition of the Kabuh and Notopuro formations. 1, -2 and Porong-1 wells. Sedimentary analysis of
cores from the interval in the Wunut-8 well suggests
GEOLOGY OF THE WUNUT FIELD that the unit was the product of high volcaniclastic
input deposited rapidly into the basin and is
Sequence Stratigraphy interpreted as a turbiditic deposit. The sand is massive
and blocky and contains bioturbation structures.
The entire reservoir section of the Wunut Field
comprises volcaniclastic materials deposited during In general, the basal parts of the Sequences II through
the Pleistocene to Recent. The interval of interest IV consist of thin, possibly condensed, shale-rich
occurs within the Pucangan Formation which was intervals which appear to be the transgressive to
deposited as a northeastward prograding, maximum flooding part of a sedimentary cycle.
Much thicker, coarsening- and shallowing-upward, believed to be an unconformity surface in the
highstand systems follow each event. From the faunal uppermost part of the Late Pliocene. The
evidence the shaly section at the base of Sequence II overpressured nature of the clay suggests that it was
may be equivalent to the 1.37 Ma maximum flooding deposited rapidly. The blue clay in outcrops in the
or downlap surface of the Global Sea-Level Chart. Kendeng Zone is equivalent to the upper part of the
Similar to Sequence II, if caused by eustacy, the basal Kalibeng Formation and was deposited in a deeper
part of Sequence III is equivalent to the 0.76 Ma marine setting of outer to middle neritic conditions.
maximum flooding or downlap unit. The
corresponding sequence boundary for this maximum
flooding surface is 0.8 Ma. During the Pleistocene to Recent the region was
transformed from initially a deep marine environment
The uppermost marine section of the Pleistocene-aged to the present-day terrestrial environment of East
volcaniclastics interval in the Wunut Field is Java. In the Wunut area, however, the lowermost part
Sequence IV. The thin, transgressive to maximum of the Pleistocene was deposited in middle to outer
flooding unit at the base of the sequence is equivalent neritic conditions. The high sedimentation rates of up
to the 0.36 Ma maximum flooding or downlap to 1,000 m/million years appear to be associated with
surface. This flooding surface may correspond to the the massive, mostly andesitic volcanism along the
0.4 Ma sequence boundary (Figure 6, Mitchum et. al., active volcanic arc which is located less than 100 km
1993). to the south of the Wunut Field (Willumsen &
Schiller, 1994).
Sequence V is dominated by non-marine deposits.
There is no faunal dating for the section and it is
interpreted as a Holocene deposit. According to the The basal unit, Sequence I was deposited in a middle
Global Sea-Level Chart the basal part of the sequence to outer neritic environment. Although the basal
may include the 0.1 Ma sequence boundary and 0.06 sequence is frequently turbiditic, upwards and
Ma maximum flooding surface (Figure 6, Mitchum et. eastwards the sequence was deposited in a lower
al., 1993). However, the flooding surface is not energy, marine environment.
clearly evident which may be due to the presence of
non-marine sediment or erosion.
Sequences II to IV are three, coarsening upward
sequences representing three different periods of
Sedimentology - Depositional Facies sediment influx, possibly as a result of sea level
changes or different phases of volcanism. These
The majority of the Pleistocene interval in the Wunut sequences were deposited generally in upward
Field is composed of volcanic, epiclastic sediments shallowing conditions from an open marine, inner
which have been extensively reworked by marine and shelf environment (II), a proximal shoreface or inner
fluviatile processes. Based on the volcaniclastic shelf environment (III), and fluvio-marine, delta front
facies classification (Vessel and Davies 1988; after environment (IV).
Mathisen and McPherson, 1991; Figure 7), the Wunut
section can be differentiated as distal, non-marine
and distal deltaic-marine facies. Sequences I through Sequence V, Holocene to Recent age consists of
IV are the distal deltaic and marine parts whilst volcanics and volcaniclastic claystones and
Sequence V represents the only distal non-marine conglomeratic sandstones with occasional tuffs.
facies. The sorting and reservoir quality of the Occasionally, there is abundant mollusc debris
volcaniclastics generally increases as the particles are indicating a high-energy environment. In general the
transported farther away from the source (Willumsen interval was deposited in a fluvial-terrestrial regime
& Schiller, 1994), therefore, generally the distal with high clastic input. The depositional environment
volcaniclastic facies have far greater reservoir is interpreted to be non-marine with strong fluvial
potential than the more poorly sorted, proximal facies. influences and high clastic input. The Wunut Field
surface location is situated just onshore of the modern
The Wunut section of Pleistocene age was deposited Brantas delta which contains brackish water
above the "Blue Clay Formation" the top of which is ostracods.
Petroleum System b. Seal

a. Reservoir The intraformational clays/shales within the


Pleistocene volcaniclastic section act as caprocks
The reservoirs of the Wunut Field are for the Wunut Field reservoirs. However, their
volcaniclastic sands which can be classified as sealing capacity is imperfect as evidenced by the
lithic arkoses or feldspathic litharenites. The rock increase of wetness and gas gravity with depth,
matrix consists predominantly of plagioclase indicating a vertical charging from below.
feldspar and volcanic rock fragments with Wireline logs, RFT pressures and samples, as well
secondary amounts of altered grains and as DST data show that the structure is partially
heavy/opaque minerals. The clay content is filled with hydrocarbons in the shallower
variable and is dominated by smectite. reservoirs and becomes progressively more-filled
with increasing depth, as shown by the "christmas
The Wunut Field reservoirs are generally poorly tree" shape of the vertical charging configuration
cemented. The porosity ranges from 20 to 45 (Figure 9). At the deepest pay levels, the Wunut
percent. The average porosities of the individual Field structure is filled to the spill-point. It is
sands range from 25 to 35 percent whilst the interpreted that the imperfect seals have slowly
average permeabilities range from 25 to 195 leaked the lighter gas to shallower levels, causing
millidarcies. The pore systems are mainly the partial fill in the upper section.
intergranular and have been enhanced by
secondary pores resulting from mineral There are two reasons to explain why the seals are
dissolution. The majority of the secondary imperfect. Firstly, the interval is relatively young
porosity has been developed in most of the and therefore there has been less time for
volcaniclastics by dissolution of unstable diagenesis. Secondly, the poor seal integrity is
framework grains such as plagioclase feldspar, probably because most of the thick clays/shales
volcanic rock fragments and occasional heavy were deposited as highstand, prograding (or
minerals (Willumsen & Schiller, 1994). regressive) wedges. As a potential caprock such
shales are generally not as good as transgressive
Plots of depth versus porosity and permeability shales, the latter of which are usually thin in the
both indicate generally increasing trends from Wunut Field.
depths of 500 to 3,000 feet (Figure 8). Willumsen
& Schiller (1994) stated that secondary porosity c. Trap/Structure
generally increases with depth, as primary porosity
decreases by compaction, and virtually all porosity The Wunut Field structure is a simple, four-way
below 4,500 feet is of secondary origin. The fact dip closure, elongated in an east-west direction and
that both porosity and permeability increase with is approximately 7 km long and 3 km wide with
depth between 500 to 3,000 feet suggests that 700 feet vertical closure. From interpretation of
secondary pores occur at early stage of burial. The seismic data it is evident that the structure
immediate gas charging into the pore space becomes more gentle with increasing depth
potentially prevents the rocks from later diagenesis (Figures 10 & 11).
and compaction.
The origin of the folding which created the
A total of 17 sand layers contain gas at depths of structure could be related to magmatic uplift which
between 500 to 3,000 feet. The net thickness of the occurred 10-15 kilometers to the south and began
individual sands range from 10 to 155 feet (Figure in the Pliocene, intruding into the Late Miocene-
9). Most of the Wunut Field reserves are assigned Early Pliocene depocenter, just to the north of the
to the deepest pay sands which hold more than half present-day volcanic arc. Eventually, this intrusion
of the total gas accumulation. These sand bodies produced a northward-directed detachment along
are interpreted as turbiditic lowstand deposits. The an intra-Pliocene glide surface and resulted in
rest of the reservoirs are part of the lowstand, folding during very late Pleistocene to Recent
prograding-complexes and highstand, prograding- times, as evidenced by onlap sediments above the
wedges of shoreface and deltaic sands. late Pleistocene horizon (Figure 12). This
conclusion is preferred rather than to associate the decrease in the carbon isotope ratio (Table I).
folding with the collision of the Sunda and These characteristics are considered to be caused
Australian Plates, which took place earlier, during by a process of fractionation.
the Pliocene.
CONCLUSIONS
Four wells have been drilled on the Wunut
structure. The Wunut -1, -8 and -10 wells are • The Wunut Field volcaniclastic reservoirs were
located on the crest of the structure, whilst the derived from the products of the latest episode of
Wunut-2 well is on the southeastern flank of the volcanism of the Sunda-Java volcanic arc,
structure. As previously discussed, at the deepest commencing in the Late Pliocene and continuing
pay levels the Wunut structure is filled to the spill- until today. These epiclastic sediments have been
point. Moreover, the depth of the lowest known extensively reworked by fluviatile and marine
gas in the Wunut-10 well is below the spill-point processes and deposited in distal, non-marine and
and suggests that the Wunut trap has a deltaic-marine facies (Vessel and Davies 1988;
stratigraphic component to the trapping to the after Mathisen and McPherson, 1991). In the
south. Further elaboration is beyond the scope of deeper section, the interval was deposited in an
this paper. inner to middle neritic environment gradually
shallowing upwards to continental-terrestrial at
d. Source Rocks and Migration the surface.

The hydrocarbon source rocks for the Wunut Field • Although intensive volcanic activity has occurred
are believed to be Eocene sediments as yet in the area through the Quaternary that could have
undrilled, due to their being beyond drillable overprinted the eustatic effects to a certain
depth. A source rock study based on the well data degree, five depositional sequences can be
indicates that the Eocene sediments constitute the recognized which are related to eustatic sea-level
only known good-excellent quality source rocks, changes. A comparison is made between the five
which may account for most, if not all, the cycles and the published eustatic sea-level
hydrocarbons in the area. These source rocks are changes (Mitchum et.al., 1993) as follows:
largely restricted to organic rich shales and coals
of the Middle-Late Eocene deltaic/estuarine and - SB-I : 1.9 Ma (mfs - 1.74 Ma).
lacustrine sequences. These sediments are believed - SB-II : 1.4 Ma (mfs - 1.37 Ma).
to be at depth over the whole Southern Basinal - SB-III : 0.8 Ma (mfs - 0.76 Ma).
area. - SB-IV : 0.4 Ma (mfs - 0.36 Ma).
- SB-V : 0.1 Ma (mfs - 0.06 Ma).
Hydrocarbons were probably trapped originally in
the Miocene Porong Reef which is located just to • A total of 17 sand reservoirs within the Wunut
the east of the Wunut structure at a depth of 10,000 Field contain gas at depths of between 600 to
feet. Due to the collapse of the seal, as shown by 3,000 feet. The average porosities of the
seismic data (Figure 11), the Porong trap leaked individual sands range from 25 to 35 percent
and hydrocarbons then migrated up through faults. whilst the average permeabilities range from 25
When the permeable, volcaniclastic sands were to 195 millidarcies. Plots of depth versus
reached the hydrocarbons migrated laterally porosity and permeability both indicate a general
through the lowermost sands of the Pleistocene- increase with increasing depth. This suggests that
aged volcaniclastics section and filled the Wunut secondary porosity may be developed at an early
structure (Figure 13). stage of buvial and the immediate gas charging
into the pore space potentially keeps the rocks
When charging the structure, vertical migration from later diagenesis and compaction.
took place through the incompetent seals, as
previously discussed. This vertical migration is • The Wunut structure was formed during the Late
also evidenced by geochemical data, which show or post-Pleistocene and could be related to the
that gas gravity and wetness increase with magmatic uplift which occurred 10-15 kilometers
increasing depth and are accompanied by a to the south. This magmatic uplift produced a
northward-directed detachment along an intra- REFERENCES
Pliocene surface, and resulted in folding during
the Late Pleistocene to Recent (or post Darmoyo, A.B., Satyamurti, B and Sosromihardjo,
Pleistocene). This conclusion is preferred since S.P.C., 1999. The Sedimentology of Pleistocene
the folding is too young to be associated with Volcaniclastic in the Lapindo Brantas Block, East
collision of the Sunda and Australian Plates, Java, Tectonic and Sedimentation - A Regional
which occurred during the Pliocene. Seminar, Indonesian Sedimentologist Forum.

• At the deepest pay levels, the Wunut structure is


filled to the spill-point and, in fact, the depth of Earth Science and Resources Institute (ESRI), 1994.
the lowest known gas is below the spill point. Structural and Stratigraphic Evolution of the East
This suggests that the trapping mechanism for the Java Basin, Indonesia, ESRI Technical Report 94-03-
Wunut Field has a stratigraphic component to the 450.
south.
Mathisen, M.E. and McPherson, J.G. 1991.
• Hydrocarbons in the Wunut Field were probably Volcaniclastic Deposits, Implications for
trapped originally in the Porong Reef of Miocene Hydrocarbon Exploration, in Sedimentation Volcanic
age and located just east of the structure at a Settings, SEPM Special Publication No. 45, p.27-36.
depth of 10,000 feet. Seal collapse above the trap
is thought to have facilitated vertical gas Mitchum, R.M. et al., 1993. Recognizing Sequences
migration through fault-breaching. The and Systems Tracts from Well Logs, Seismic Data,
hydrocarbons then migrated laterally through the and Biostratigraphy: Examples from Late Cenozoic of
lowest volcaniclastic sand beds of the Pleistocene the Gulf of Mexico, AAPG Memoir 58, p.163-197.
and fill the Wunut structure. The incompetent
seals allowed vertical migration up within the
structure as evidenced by "christmas tree" shape Pertamina BPPKA, 1996. Petroleum Geology of
of the gas accumulation, the increasing gas Indonesian Basins, Volume IV - East Java Basin.
gravity and wetness with depth and a decrease in
the carbon isotope ratio. The source rocks for the Vessel, R.K. and Davies, D.K., 1981. Non-marine
hydrocarbons are believed to occur within the Sedimentation in an Active Fore Arc Basin, in Recent
Eocene sediments. and Ancient Non-marine Depositional Environments,
Models for Exploration, SEPM Special Publication
ACKNOWLEDGMENT No. 31, p.31-48.

The authors would like to thank the management of


Lapindo Brantas, Inc. for their permission to publish Willumsen, P. and Schiller, D.M., 1994. High Quality
the results and conclusions of this work. Technical Volcaniclastic Sandstone Reservoirs in East Java,
comments and support from the Exploration group at Indonesia, IPA, Twenty-Third Annual Convention,
Lapindo Brantas, Inc were very much appreciated. Volume I, p. 101-111.

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