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Geology and seabed resources in the South China Sea:

a Malaysian perspective Mazlan Madon

Petronas E&P Technology Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Member of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

International Seminar on the Extended Continental Shelf and Seafloor Resources, Tokyo, Japan, 10th Jan 2013

International Seminar on the Extended Continental Shelf and Seafloor Resources, Tokyo, 10th Jan 2013

Disclaimer The views expressed in this document and in the

presentation are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf or PETRONAS

or any other parties.

2 30th Anniversary of the UNCLOS from the Perspective of CLCS, Tokyo, 11 July, 2012

International Seminar on the Extended Continental Shelf and Seafloor Resources, Tokyo, 10th Jan 2013

Geology and seabed resources of the South China Sea: a Malaysian perspective

• Geology and Geomorphology – Northern/Southern margins

– Tectonic Evolution

• Seabed resources activities: Malaysian perspective – Regional Offshore Marine Survey (1986-2010)

– Conventional hydrocarbons – from Shelf to Deepwater

– Unconventionals (e.g. methane hydrates)

ETOPO2v2 satellite derived bathymetry and onshore terrain. Bathymetry of the oceans reflect the nature of basement and crustal thinning

Yang, Wang & Liu, 2008

Base of Slope ~ 3000 m isobath met

res

GEOMORPHOLOGY (BATHYMETRY)

Moho Depth from Gravity Inversion Braitenberg et al. 2006

Continent-Ocean Boundary (COB)

Moho Depth from Huchon et al., 1998

Crustal thickness derived from Gravity Data

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Northern passive margin of the South China Sea

Xie et al., 2006 Model from Watts, 1989. Basin Res.

Deltaic/shelf progradation at passive margins

Three main controlling factors: • Sediment supply (load) • Isostatic response to loading • Subsidence rate

The shape of a typical continental shelf-slop profile at passive margins is determined by

Rifted margins of the South China Sea

Ding et al, 2011 Crustal profile from Ding et al, 2011

Crustal thickness variations in rifted margin of the South China Sea

Taylor and Hayes (1983)

Tectonic Model of the South China Sea

Ding et al, 2011

Crustal Model of the South China Sea across the Northwest Sub-basin

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Southern passive margin of the South China Sea

Geoseismic profile from Yan & LI, 2004

International Seminar on the Extended Continental Shelf and Seafloor Resources, Tokyo, 10th Jan 2013

Southern margin of the South China Sea: NW Sabah and Brunei

Grant, 2004

Gee et al, 2007

Yan & LI, 2004

COB

ocean floor

Southern margin of the South China Sea Dangerous Grounds observed descending beneath Palawan and Sabah

Hutchison, 2004 After Hinz et al, 1989

Hutchison, 2004

Yan & LI, 2004

COB

ocean floor

SARAWAK

SABAH

INDONESIA

BRUNEI

1992 1995

1997

1989 & 1994

1994

2003

LABUAN

1991

Regional Offshore Marine Survey (1986-2010)

1999

1993

1996 1998

1998 1998

2000 2001

2004

Materials from presentation by Dr Vijayan Rajan, Malaysian Dept of Minerals and Geoscience, at the UMT Workshop on Marine Geoscience, 20 Dec 2012, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

Exploration drilling by the Petroleum Industry

oil/gas exploration well

DSDP/ODP site

Seabed Resources: Oil/Gas Exploration 5140 offshore wells @ 17 Dec 2012

Data source: IHS

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Oil/gas Exploration License/contracts as at 17 Dec 2012 Seabed Resources: Oil/Gas Exploration

Data source: IHS

SEDIMENTARY BASINS OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Seabed Resources: Oil/Gas Exploration

Est. recoverable North: 7.7 bboe South: 33 bboe East: 15 bboe

Data source: IHS

NW Borneo Wells 1910-2009: Water depths

114 wells in DW (>200m) 1st DW Well, Z1-1 by Brunei Shell, 1972, 411m 1st DW Well in Malaysia, Mulu-1, 1994, 1170m

Buntal-1 (2189m)

Mulu-1 (1170m)

Lepu-1 (2000m)

Bagang-1 (1738m)

Kamunsu-1 (1070m)

The ‘Push’ for Deepwater Oil

Data source: IHS

SARAWAK BASIN: CUMULATIVE RESERVES WITH TIME

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

- 62 - 63 - 64 - 65 - 66 - 67 - 68 - 69 - 70 - 71 - 72 - 73 - 74 - 75 - 76 - 77 - 78 - 79 - 80 - 81 - 82 - 83 - 84 - 85 - 86 - 87 - 88 - 89 - 90 - 91 - 92 - 93 - 94 - 95 - 96 - 97 - 98 - 99 - 00 - 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08

Total Recoverable (MMboe) Cumulative (MMboe)

F13

F6

E8

M3

K5

E11

M1

F23

Patricia

J4

B11

Bayan

D35

Jintan

Serai

Cili Padi

Saderi

W Patricia

F38

Kanowit

PC4

Lull 1995-99

Carbonate play

Carbonate + Balingian play

Carbonate play

Lull 1975-78

Cu

mu

lati

ve R

eco

vera

ble

s M

MB

oe

Data source: IHS

Sem

aran

g

St J

ose

ph

Kin

abal

u

Keb

aban

gan

Kam

un

su E

Up

Kik

eh G

mu

sut

Kak

ap

Ub

ah

Mal

ikai

Sen

angi

n

Pisa

gan

1976

PSC

1985

PSC

1993

PSC

1997

PSC

Shell, Block G

Shell, Block J

Murphy, Block H

Murphy, Block K

Murphy, Block L&M

PCSB, ND4,5,6

Murphy, Block P

BHP, Block N&Q

Cu

mu

lati

ve R

eco

vera

ble

s M

MB

oe

NW SABAH BASIN, MALAYSIA Cumulative recoverable reserves with time

Erb West

Kinarut

Lull 1982-89

Deepwater play

Data source: IHS

BARAM DELTA PROVINCE (Sarawak, Brunei & Sabah) Cumulative Reserves with time

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

- 10 - 29 - 63 - 66 - 67 - 69 - 71 - 73 - 73 - 73 - 75 - 75 - 76 - 77 - 78 - 79 - 79 - 79 - 79 - 81 - 82 - 84 - 89 - 89 - 90 - 90 - 91 - 92 - 93 - 95 - 97 - 98 - 99 - 00 - 01 - 01 - 02 - 03 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 05 - 07

Total Recoverable (MM Boe)

Cumulative (MM Boe)

Seria

Miri

SW Ampa

Baram

Baronia

Fairley

Champion

Bokor

Samarang

Magpie

Kinabalu

Maharaja Lela

Helang

Kikeh Gumusut

Senangin

Pisagan

Baram Delta Rollover “Giants”

Deepwater Toe-Thrusts

Cu

mu

lati

ve R

eco

vera

ble

s M

MB

oe

Data source: IHS

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International Seminar on the Extended Continental Shelf and Seafloor Resources, Tokyo, 10th Jan 2013

Unconventional Hydrocarbons

• Methane (Gas) hydrates – Gas/methane ‘trapped’ in ice/water molecule

lattice at low temperatures

– 98% occurrences are in 300-3000m (outer shelf and slope), 2% in continental permafrost

– Global estimate (Johnson, 2011) – 43,000 TCF

– Energy of the future (?)

International Seminar on the Extended Continental Shelf and Seafloor Resources, Tokyo, 10th Jan 2013

Sabah/Brunei margin: Gas hydrates

• Initial reports by BGR (late 1980s) but hardly any detailed study done; some description published (Gee et al., 2007)

• Hydrate occurrences associated with the deepwater fold-thrust anticlines offshore NW Sabah and Brunei, indicated by Bottom-Simulating Reflectors (BSR), in post-Miocene sediments 250-300 m beneath sea floor, in water depths 1100-2800 m.

• Future work needed: Volumetric Assessment and Exploitation technology

Deepwater Brunei (Gee et al., 2007)

Terrestrial organic matter

Sediment supply

Oil & Gas Potential

Gas Hydrates

Deep-sea minerals

sedimentary basin

ocean continent

CONTINENTAL MARGINS AND SEABED RESOURCES

International Seminar on the Extended Continental Shelf and Seafloor Resources, Tokyo, 10th Jan 2013

Concluding remarks

• Geology, margin type, and seabed geomorphology closely related to crustal thickness (rifting history)

• Sediment thickness controlled by nature of basement and/or crustal thickness (therefore, margin type)

• Seabed resources: type (hydrocarbons or metallic minerals) and potential/risks depend on these inter-related factors (geology)

• Seabed resource activities for Malaysia: mainly oil/gas exploration on shelf/slope; nearshore sand and mineral exploration

Thank you