Deep-water depositional architecture and sedimentary evolution in the Rakhine Basin,northeast Bay of Bengal

Since the consecutive discovery of several gas fields from 2004 to present,the Rakhine Basin has been an active area for petroleum exploration in the Bay of Bengal.High-resolution 3D seismic data and well data from blocks AD1,AD6 and AD8 offshore northwest Myanmar are used to study the Miocene–Pleistocene depositional architecture and sedimentary evolution in the Rakhine Basin.Analysis of seismic facies and seismic attributes indicates that deep-water architectural elements include submarine canyons,confined slope channel complex systems,aggradational channel–levee complexes,isolated channels,frontal splays and mass-transport complexes,which have variable characters(shape,dimension,sedimentary architecture)within predominantly background deep-water slope-basin floor facies.Most of the sediments are interpreted to be sourced from the Ganges–Brahmaputra fluvio-deltaic system to the north with only minor lateral input from the IndoMyanmar Ranges to the east.Investigation of the depositional evolution and architectural elements transformation during the filling history of the Rakhine Basin suggests the Rakhine Basin experienced rapid progradation during the Oligocene–Middle/Upper Miocene,gradual retrogradation during the Middle/Upper Miocene–Early Pliocene and gradual progradation during the Early Pliocene–Pleistocene.Published exploration results indicate that the main reservoirs of the discoveries in blocks A1 and A3 are Pliocene frontal splays and channel–levee fills,dominated by fine and very fine-grained sandstones,in structural and structural–stratigraphic traps.Analytic results from seismic characters and several exploration wells indicate that channel complexes and associated overbanks and frontal splays with fine-grained sandstones and siltstones trapped by the four-way closures are primary reservoir targets.

Pliocene hyperpycnal flow and its sedimentary pattern in D block of Rakhine Basin in Bay of Bengal

Based on core,logging,lab test and seismic data,sedimentary characteristics and pattern of marine hyperpycnal flow,the distribution rules of hyperpycnal flow reservoir,prediction method of favorable hyperpycnal flow reservoir zones,hydrocarbon accumulation model in hyperpycnal flow reservoir in D block of Bay of Bengal were investigated,and the favorable exploration zone and well sites were predicted.Pliocene in D block has typical hyperpycnal flow sediment,which is a set of fine-medium sandstone held between thick layers of marine mudstone and features a series of reverse grading unit and normal grading unit pairs.The hyperpycnal flow sediment appears as heavily jagged box shape,bell shape and tongue shape facies on log curves with linear gradient,and corresponds to multiple phases of deep channels on the seismic section and high sinuous channel on stratal slices.The sedimentary bodies formed by a single phase hyperpycnal flow which include five types of microfacies,namely,supply channel(valley),channel complex,branch channel,levee and sheet sand.The hyperpycnal flow sediments appear in multiple branches,multiple generations and stages in space,forming high-quality reservoirs in strips on the plane and superposition vertically,with fairly good physical properties.The channel complex sandstone,with large thickness,coarse particle size and good physical properties,is the most favorable exploration facies.Based on the guidance of the sedimentary model,distribution of the channel complex microfacies was delineated in detail by seismic reflection structure analysis,spectrum waveform characteristic analysis,slice and attribute fusion,and combined with the structural feature analysis,the favorable drilling zone was sorted out,effectively guiding the exploration deployment of the block.