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Alluvial fan facies and their distribution in the Lower Talang Acar Formation,
Northeast Betara Oilfield, Indonesia

Article  in  Petroleum Science · June 2007

DOI: 10.1007/BF03187437

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2007 Petroleum Science VolA NO.2

Alluvial Fan Facies and Their Distribution in the Lower Talang Acar Formation,
Northeast Betara Oilfield, Indonesia
Xie Chuanli, Ma Haofan, Liang Honggang, Li Dongmei, Qi Xiuli and Xian Benzhong

(Key Laboratory ofPetroleum Engineering under Ministry ofEducation, China University ofPetroleum, Beijing 102249, China)

Abstract: This paper studies the alluvial fan facies characteristics and distribution in the Lower Talang Acar Formation
in the Northeast Betara Oilfield. The conglomerate sedimentary characteristics and its distribution were studied based on
core data, logging interpretation and seismic property analysis. The research indicated that alluvial fan deposits of Bed F
in the Lower Talang Akar Formation were characterized by coarse granularity, poor sorting and low quality. Sand-bodies
accumulate longitudinally, and inter-layers are poorly developed, extending locally in the transverse orientation. Typical
logging response of alluvial fan system is summarized, and conglomerate is characterized by low gamma-ray (GR)
intensity, low resistance, high density and low value between DLD and LLD, which reflects poor physical reservoir
properties, coarse rocks and relatively high density. Conglomerate is developed mainly in the northeast and middle-south
of the studied area. The upper part of bed F is found in a small area in the middle-south, while the lower part of bed F is
developed in a relatively large area in the middle-south.

Key words: Northeast Betara Field, Lower Talang Acar Formation, alluvial fan facies, logging responses, conglomerate

of the Betara Complex and is immediately to the west

1. Introduction of and adjacent to the Betara Deep hydrocarbon
Northeast Betara (NEB) Field is located in the kitchen (Fig. 1) (Santa Fe Energy Resources Jabung
Jabung Block in South Sumatra. It is the middle host Ltd., 1999).

Fig. 1 Jabung Block and N.E. Betara Field location map (Santa Fe Energy Resources Jabung Ltd., 1999)

The NEB structure, seismically defined as an
anomalous faulted anticline, was found on June 16,
1995 by Well NEB-l that encountered 266 feet of
Lower Talang Akar Formation with 117 feet of net
hydrocarbon-bearing sand in eight individual
sandbodies (Santa Fe Energy Resources Jabung Ltd.,
1999). Three of the sandbodies were tested at a
combined rate of 18.22 MMCFID (million cubic feet
per day) and 432 BCPD (barrels condensate per day).
Well NEB-2, drilled in March, 1996, encountered 42
feet of net gas pay in two sandbodies of Lower Talang
Akar Formation (Salam, et al., 1996). In the following
VolA No.2 AlluvialFan Facies and Their Distributionin the Lower TalangAcar Formation,NortheastBetara Oilfield,Indonesia
years after the discovery of this Talang Akar
accumulation, many delineation and development wells
were drilled and successfully resulted in gas and oil
producers.
Up to date, fifty two oil and gas wells have been
drilled. Twenty wells among these existing wells have
been put on production since January 2001. Sixteen
wells(NEB-7, 8, 9,16,17,18,19,20,21,25,27,28,29,
32, 33, 34) are being put on production (Lu, et al.,
2004). The NEB field is a condensate gas reservoir, and
the CO2 content in the gas varies greatly. Accordingly,
the field is generally divided into three regions: Region
1 in the east, CO2 content about 52%; Region 2 in the
middle and south, CO2 content about 27%; and Region
3 in the west, CO2 content about 16%. The major
reservoirs in the Lower Talang Akar Formation are fine-
coarse grained conglomerate and have higher net
sand/gross interval ratio, compared to the time-
equivalent interval in adjacent Ripah and NB fields to
the west and north, where this interval is a major
producing section (Tangkalalo, et al., 1997).
From the results of production and previous studies,
there are some challenges in NEB field in studying
strata distribution, sandstones prediction, fluids
variances and reservoir simulation (Ambrose, et al.,
1997). So an integrated study was carried out based on
all the data by combining geophysics, lithology,
sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy as well as
reservoir description.
2. Geological setting
Northeast Betara is located in the Jabung Block,
South Sumatra Basin near the transition to the Central
Sumatra Basin, Indonesia. The Jabung Block is situated
on the island of Sumatra along the Sunda Island Arc
where the ocean crust of the Indian Ocean subducted
northward under the Sundaland Craton (Durlofsky,
1992). Extensional back-arc stresses along this Sumatra
Basin extended onto the adjacent Sunda Shelf to the
north. These rift basins are fundamental to the present-
day prolific hydrocarbon system in Sumatra in that they
accumulated thick syn-rift restricted organic-rich
lacustrine sediments that form the primary hydrocarbon
source rocks (Wang, et al., 1997).
Compressive tectonic movement began in the
Middle Miocene and accelerated in the Pliocene,
inverting many of these earlier basins and graben, and
creating a variety of structural trap configurations called
"Sunda Fold" types which are characterized by the
high-angle reverse faulting of reactivated older normal
faults. The majority of the oil and gas fields in Central
Sumatra, South Sumatra and Sunda Basins occur in
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these structural settings (Zhang, et al., 1997).
Hydrocarbon sources for oil and gas charging of
Betara Complex could have come from the Betara Deep,
a large half-graben that lies adjacent to and to the east of
the Northeast Betara discoveries (Cimolai, et al., 1993).
Coals and organic-rich sediments within the Lower
Talang Akar and Lahat formations in the deepest
portion of Betara Deep, the proven hydrocarbon
generation area, are the hydrocarbon source rocks for
these fields. The seal for the Lower Talang Akar
reservoir is the regional transgressive shale of the Upper
Talang Akar, as well as locally, intra-formational shale
of the Lower Talang Akar.
The sedimentary succession in the South Sumatra
Basin comprises a single transgressive cycle, which
commenced from Late Eocene to Early Oligocene with
deposition of the syn-rift transgressive alluvial, fluvio-
deltaic locally lacustrine and marginal marine facies of
Lahat and Talang Akar Formations. These sediments
progressively filled the subsiding half-graben and
eventually covering the basement highs (Sirnlote, et al.,
1985).
Marine conditions were eventually established
during the continuing transgression sequence with
deposition of an open marine facies of the Gumai
Formation, which consists of marine shale, clay-stone,
marls and fine-grained sandstones (Fig. 2).
Initial uplift of the Sunda Shield to the east in the
Middle Miocene marked the end of the Early Tertiary
transgression sequence, and the beginning of the
regression sequence that continues to the present day.
The Middle Miocene uplift and compression caused
inversion of the previous depocenters as well as further
uplift of basement highs. The compression also
continues to the present day and has resulted in many of
the hydrocarbon traps found in the Jabung Block as well
as through South Sumatra.
The regressive distal delta front to marginal marine
fluvio-deltaic facies of the Gumai and Air Benakat
Formations were deposited as a result of increased
sediment load from the Sunda landmass to the northeast.
This regressive cycle was periodically interrupted by
subtle transgressive events primarily comprising distal
delta front shale, distributary mouth bar sands, delta bar
sands, channel sands and interdistributary shale (Fig. 2).
A rapid increase in compressive tectonic movement
in the Late Miocene accelerated sediment influx from
the emergent areas. The regressive lower to upper delta-
plain Muara Enim Formation fluvio-deltaic facies
consist of thick channel sands alternating with
interdistributary shale and coals.
The youngest sequence is the Kasai Formation,