Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, Volume 68, December 2019, pp. 1 – 23
Mazlan Madon1,*, John Jong2, Franz L. Kessler3, Colm Murphy4, Lucia Your5, Mursyidah Bt A Hamid6, Nurfadhila Bt M Sharef7
1 Advisor, Malaysian Continental Shelf Project, National Security Council, Malaysia
2 JX Nippon and Gas Exploration (Malaysia) Limited, Malaysia
3 Goldbach Geoconsultants O&G and Lithium Exploration, Germany
4 Bell Geospace, Malaysia
5 International Petroleum Corp., Malaysia
6 Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia
7 Malaysia Petroleum Management, PETRONAS, Malaysia
* Corresponding author email address: mazlan.madon@gmail.com
Abstract: The Penyu Basin is moderately explored but may still have undiscovered hydrocarbon potential for small to moderate size accumulations. Despite the much publicised Rhu-1 oil discovery made in 1991, the Penyu Basin, with only a couple of sub-economic oil discoveries made, has not had much success ever since. This was generally attributed to the poorly developed generative or immature source rocks most likely present in isolated half-grabens within the basin. The Penyu Basin was formed on continental crust, although the exact formation is not properly understood and most authors generally consider it as a pull-apart or “rift-wrench” basin. This is supported by the presence of major strike-slip and associated normal faults being the main basin-bounding faults. The initial half-graben basins developed into isolated lacustrine systems which provide source-rock facies that may have potentially charged traps in the synrift and post-rift sequences. Trap styles identified include compressional anticlines, basement drape structures and synrift stratigraphic/structural traps. Further data acquisition through the last two decades of exploration activities, such as new 3D seismic, geochemical fingerprinting and fluid inclusion investigations, and full tensor gradiometry (FTG) gravity data adding to the past understanding, has enabled a more refined review of the geology and also of the petroleum potential. Undoubtedly, more detailed mapping of new previously undetected structures, coupled with seismic amplitude analyses and advanced quantitative interpretation (QI) techniques may lead to a better understanding of the structural evolution and, hence, to an increase of hydrocarbon prospectivity by identification of additional plays, new leads and to a potential reduction of exploration risk.
Keywords: Offshore Peninsular Malaysia, Penyu Basin, petroleum systems, structural framework
https://doi.org/10.7186/bgsm68201901
