Petroliferous Basins

of India

Relative amount of normal paraffins in Recent sediments

showing predominance of odd-carbon chains (after Hunt)

Gas chromatograms
showing progressive
degradation of crude oil in
several fields in Alberta,
Canada.
The top graph is of
unaltered oil which contains
all the normal paraffins.
As the oil becomes more
degraded the normal
paraffins disappear, but
pristane and phytane
persist. Finally even they
disappear.
(after Deroo, 1977, courtesy
Geological Survey of
Canada)

Gas chromatograms of known immature condensates of other basins of the

world (after Con an et al.)

Distribution of n-alkanes
in Recent sediments of
various origin.
Gas chromatograms of
saturated hydrocarbons
(left) showing the peaks of
n-alkanes, with their
carbon numbers.
N-alkane distribution
curves derived from gas
chromatograms (right).
(After Dastillung, 1976,
Debyser et al.. 1977)

Ternary diagram showing composition of oils and condensates of Indian

Basins.

Refinements in North Kadi Field Structural modifications

based on limited well data (After Directorate of Geology)

Petroliferous Basins of India

Twenty six sedimentary basins of Indian subcontinent have been classified
into four categories based on the following criteria (after Bhandari et al, 1983)
Category-I: Sedimentary basins with proved hydrocarbon occurrence which
are commercially producing oil/gas
Category-II: Sedimentary basins with known occurrence of hydrocarbon but
lacking commercial production as yet
Category-III: Sedimentary basins where significant shows of hydrocarbon
have not yet been found, but on general geological grounds these appear
fairly prospective
Category-IV: Sedimentary basins ranging in age from Proterozoic to
Cenozoic; The geological analysis of these basins is incomplete and some
corresponding basins in other part of the world have been found to be
prospective
This catagorisation of basins also roughly indicates the magnitude of oil or
hydrocarbon exploration activity in different basins and their stratigraphic
documentation stage

26 Sedimentary Basins covers an area of

~3.14 MSq.km
Prognosticated Reserves: 30 BT of O & OEG
Discovered so far: 6 BT of O & OEG
Explored area: 18%
Yet to be explored: 82%
So far 70 Petroleum Systems have been
identified in India
35 are in the known category
35 are hypothetical & speculative (deep water
sectors, & fold belt and foreland basins)

Stratigraphic Units of Indian Petroliferous Basins

Bombay Offshore Basin

Total Basinal Area : 3134700 sq. km

Foreland & Thrust

belt

Ridge Controlled
Basins

 Central part of the western continental margin (trends NW

SE) of India
Contributes ~65% of indigenous crude oil production
Boundary
Saurashtra arch in north
Vengurla arch in south
Kori arch in west
Western ghats in East
Area: 1,20,000 sq. km upto 200 m isobath
Sediment cover: 3000 m over the shelf
1258 wells were drilled by 1997 (458 were exploratory
wells)
Oil find in 40, gas find in 28; indication of HC in 31 wells
Reserve: 3390 MMT of initial in-place oil & oil equivqlent;
1000 MMT are recoverable
As on 01.04.1999: balance recoverable resource: 352 MMT,
369 BCM

Generalised map of
Arabian Sea, showing
magnetic lineations
(solid lines), fracture
zones (dashed lines)
and main structural
features
(modified after Chaubey
et al., 1995)

Rock units and their reference sections in Bombay Offshore Basin

Regional Geology
BOB is a divergent passive continental margin
Located on broad continental shelf
Three structural units with carbonate dominant stratigraphy
with three major depressions with clastic dominated fill
Tectonically, the basin is a horst graben complex. Divided into
a number of structural units and sub-units
Bombay platform: a stable broad carbonate platform
(limited on the east by N S fault; sub-units are:
Deep continental shelf
Bombay homocline
Bombay high, the uplifted block on the crest and horst
Western shelf edge: N S faulting in the Pliocene

Lithological and thickness parameters of Tertiary subdivisions on the western

Indian Shelf (After Pandey and Guha)

Lithostratigraphic units in different blocks of Bombay Offshore Basin

Stratigraphy
Tertiary sediment fill (>5000 m) directly overlie Deccan trap
Locally sediment lie directly on Precambrian igneous rocks and
metamorphic basement
Sediment over the Bombay high structure is 1800 2000 m thick
due to thinning of Oligocene and absence of Eocene
sediments
Oligocene and Eocene sediments are well developed away from the
high
Sedimentary lithofacies in Bombay high can be broadly classified
into three litho units

Well Bombay Offshore 1

Lithostratigraphic units of Bombay Offshore Basin

Habitat of Oil
Oil-Gas accumulations are present in three different
groups within Bombay offshore basin

Paraffinic and light oil with high wax content

(generated from dominantly terrestrial OM source)
Wet gas from mature source rock

Source Rocks
Mature Paleocene to Upper Oligocene fine grained
sediments at various generative depocentres ( viz., Surat,
Mahim, Ratnagiri, etc.)
Paleocene to Early Eocene Panna Fm. Is the main source
rock (TOC 0.5 20.4%)
HC generation began at ~ 20 MaBP (VRo: 0.6%)
Critical moment ~10 MaBP (VRo: 0.8%)
Reservoir rocks
Lst. (main) and Sst., and also the fractured basement

Source rock-sediment maturity map, Bombay offshore basin, on the basis

of TOC and LOM gradient (after Mishra et. al., 1982)

Cap rocks
Post Middle Miocene shales act as the principal
cap-rocks throughout the basin
Traps
anticlinal reversals and fault closures
in lenticular sands (still at exploration stage)
migration took place during 10 16 MaBP
Present production rate:
@ 21.33 MMT PA (oil)
@ 55.38 MM m3/day (gas)

Cambay Basin

Total Basinal Area : 3134700 sq. km

Foreland & Thrust

belt

Ridge Controlled
Basins

Discovery: 1958
Over 4350 wells were drilled on ~200 structures by
1998
Located on the western margin platform of Indian
craton
Area 56,000 sq. km between 21 - 25N and 7130' 7930'E
Intracratonic basin in the form of N S (NNW SSE)
trending graben flanked in the East by Aravalli and
Deccan Plateau and in the West by Saurashtra plateau
Age: Tertiary with mainly clastic sediments ranging
from Eocene to Recent deposits

Rock units and their reference section in Cambay Basin

Regional Geology
Precambrian basement (igneous and metamorphic
rocks)
Major tectonic lineaments trend NNW SSE
(Probably related to Dharwar orogeny)
Long zones of fractures and gravity high in the axial
part of the basin
Master faults present in the western and eastern
margins sub-parallel with the Dharwar trend

Two stage structure development

Earliest during Jurassic
Later during Late Cretaceous when
Tertiary sedimentary basin came into existence
as a result of crustal tension
following
basaltic lava extrusion
Five tectonic blocks in the basin
Sanchar Patan
Mehsana Ahmedabad
Tarapur Cambay
Jambusar Broach
Narmada Tapti

Stratigraphy
Basin is almost covered with Sabarmati alluvium, and alluvium of
Mahisagar, dadhar, Narmada, and Tapti rivers
Shallower towards north
8000m thick tertiary sediments overlie the Deccan Trap

Neogene succession comprises of six distinct units of sst. And shale

Youngest unit, Jambusar Fm. (Pleistocene) is unconformably
overlain by Gujarat alluvium (Pleistocene / Holocene)

Lithostratigraphic units of Cambay Basin

Habitat of Oil
Rich HC bearing province
85 wells contain oil, holding ~1140 MMT of in-place
oil & oil equivalent of gas
Reserve: 1830 MMT of HC
Major oil in
Anklesvar field (Narmada-Tapti block):
discovered in 1960
subsequently Patan in north to Hazira in south
were discovered
Oil in lenticular sand in Cambay shale in Patan
Oil in sands in Tarapur Fm. Kalol, Kadi, & Cambay
shale

Source Rock
Mature basin with multiple generative depressions
and multiple source rocks at various maturity
levels
As a result, different types of oil occur in different
parts of the basin
Dominant terrestrial OM input with Type III Kerogen in
oxic environment of deposition
Oils of southern part of the Cambay basin are more
mature and migrated updip
Oils of northern part are less mature and close to
their source
Top & base of Olpad Fm. Attained peak generation
maturity (VRo ~ 0.75%) at 5 45 maBP

Reservoir Rocks
Main reservoir rocks are sst & siltstones in Ankalesvar,
and Kadi Fm.
A few subsidiary reservoirs in fractured coals, shales, &
siderite marls

Kalol,

Cap rocks
Tarapur shales (U. Eocene Oligocene) in north Cambay
Telwa & Kanwa shales (M. Eocene Oligocene) & the shales
intercalated with sst in Dadhar Fm.

Traps
Significant structural traps are faulted anticlinal
structures, fault traps, tilted fault blocks, & narrow
fault controlled horst blocks.
In all cases, the structural element is significant in
providing trapping mechanism except in
lenticular sands
Timing
Most structures formed (Miocene) before the main
phase of migration
Formation traps both in Broach and Narmada blocks
seems to have been coincident with the main
phase of oil migration

Cauvery Basin

Total Basinal Area : 3134700 sq. km

Foreland & Thrust

belt

Ridge Controlled
Basins

Occupies most of the coastal plains of Tamil

Nadu and Pondicherry and extends
offshore into the Bay of Bengal (830'
1212' N; 7830' 8030' E)
On-shore: 25,000 sq. km; Off-shore: 30,000
sq km.
Southern part extends to Palk Bay & Gulf of
Manner
Exploration began in 1964 by ONGC

Regional Geology
This basin involves a depression (Cauvery
Srilanka)
Gravity, magnetic & seismic data depicts major
tectonic units of this basin are parallel to the NE
SW Eastern Ghat trend
Consists of horst and graben morphology and nine
major tectonic elements. From N these are:

Ariyalur pondicherry sub basin

Kumbakonum Madanam ridge
Tanjore sub-basin
Tranquebar sub-basin
Karaikal ridge
Nagapattinum sub-basin
Vedaranyam ridge
Pattukottai Mannargudi ridge
Ramnad Palk Bay

Outcrop and Stratotype localities of Cauvery Basin

 cauvery basin developed during the break-up of

Gondwana Land and underwent four phases of
deformation
Late Jurassic / Early Cretaceous syn-rift
extension
Late Cretaceous late rift / early drift stage
cooling contraction
Late Cretaceous Paleogene drift stage strike
slip reactivation
Neogene passive margin subsidence
The basins show alternating NE SW trending
narrow, enechelon basement ridges and wide
depression (troughs)
Sedimentary fill > 6,000 m (Permian Recent);
overlies PreCambrian granites and Syenites;
Permian sequence is localized

Stratigraphy
Late Jurassic to Recent sediments are exposed with large time
gaps along the western margin
Oldest sediments coarse, gritty, & pebbly sst. (U. Jurassic
Cretac.)
Refoidal Lst. overlying black shale (Lr. Cretac.)
Tertiary rocks ocherous sst., lst (Paleocene), Cuddalore sst.
(Mio-Plio)
Five major unconformities

Stratigraphic succession of Cauvery Basin

Nature and Habitat of Oil

Oil/gas pools in Cauvery basin are dispersed in
space and time
Accumulations in various geological formations
Precambrian fractured basement (Mattur &
Pundi fields)
Oligocene multistacked sst. reservoirs
(Narimanam field)
Most of the oil pools are in sandstone reservoirs in
the depth range of 1080 to 3600 m
Both structural and structural cum stratigraphic
traps

Oils are of Paraffinic Naphthenic composition; light to

very light (API gravity 41 49) with 5.4% wax and 0.48%
asphaltenes
More heavier (28 API) and lighter (56 API) oils are also
present
OM of mixed sources in a reducing environment
Isotopic signatures show, oils in various sub-basins are
genetically different
Gases in the various structures are also genetically
unrelated ( 13C)
Oil and gas have been generated from localized
source rocks at different maturity (0.7 to 1.15% VRo)

Source Rocks
Main HC generating centers are located around
Trikadiyur in Tranquebar depression
Orthanadu in Tanjore depression
Thevur in Nagapattinam depression
Type III kerogen during global anoxia at a time of
transgression during Coniacian (Lr. Up.
Cretaceous)
Post-rift Cretaceous shales
Portonavo and Kudavasal (lean); Sattapadi
Syn-rift Andimadam formation (potential source
rocks); Catagenetic stage of maturation (VRo
0.5%) between 40 72 Ma from one sub basin to
another sub basin

Reservoir rocks
Oil/gas accumulations occur in fractured basement
sandstones (Cretaceous to Oligocene)
Main reservoirs are sst. deposited in
Inner to middle shelf environment with drop in
sea level within Bhuvanagiri Fm. in Pondichery
sub-basin
Mid shelf Nannilam Fm. in Tranquebar and
Ramnad sub-basin
Kamalapuram Fm. in Tanjore sub-basin
Fractured Precambrian basement in Tanjore basin is
also a reservoir rock
Large number of HC deposits have been discovered
on southern flank of Karaikal Ridge
(Adiakkamangalam, Kamalapuram, narimanam,
and
Trivarur)

Cap Rocks
Each of the sub-basin has their local cap rock
Kudavasal shale is cap rock of Bhuvanagiri Fm.
(Ariyalur Pondicherry sub basin)
Komarakshi shale acts as cap rock for reservoir in
Nannilam Fm. (Tranquebar & Ramnad sub
basin)
Shiyali claystone forms cap rock for Niravi Fm.
(Nagapattinum sub basin)

Traps
Both structural and combination traps
Timing
Onset of generation: 79 MaBP (Companion)
Peak generation: 56 MaBP (Paleocene)
Post Cretaceous tectonics could have played a
major role in primary migration and charging
Neogene tectonism redistributed Oil/Gas
300 onland and off-shore wells gave rise to 26 small
and medium sized oil/gas fields

Krishna-Godavari Basin

Total Basinal Area : 3134700 sq. km

Foreland & Thrust

belt

Ridge Controlled
Basins

Located on the east coast of India between

Vishakhapattanam in North and Ongole in South
Area: 28,000 Sq.km (Onland); 18,000 Sq. km
(upto 200 m isobath)
Greater part of the onland basin is covered by
alluvium of Krishna-Godavari river system
Sediments ranging in age from Jurassic
Pliocene produce oil/gas
Exploration started in 1959 by ONGC

Outcrops and stratotypes of Krishna Godavari Basin

Regional Geology
K-G Basin is characterized by tensional tectonic regimes with
three distinct successive events
Early rift (Gondwana rift, Late Paleozoic block faulting)
Main rift (Late Jurassic, Horst Graben development
Deposition of Non-marine sediments
Drift, Basin scale break-up aided by
Major basement faults through which volcanic
lava flows could have occurred (End of
Cretaceous)
Marine sediments (clastic and carbonates were
deposited as a result of continued eastward tilting
of the continental block
A Tertiary deltaic system developed on the southeast
ward prograding shelf edge
Non-marine sediments: UpperPaleozoic Lower Mesozoic
(Graben fill)
Marine sediments: Upper Mesozoic to Holocene

Stratigraphy
Mostly covered by alluvium

Oil habitat
Oil/Gas occur in the rocks of Permian Pliocene
(mostly Cretaceous & Miocene) in 1000 4500 m
range mostly in clastic reservoirs.
A few local carbonate & volcanic reservoirs also hold
oil
Offshore oil: High wax, low S, low asphaltic & rich in
saturates; 30 33 API
Onland oil (Cretaceous Paleocene): 14.2 18 %
wax, 0.07 0.22 % S, 40 - 49 API, rich in
saturates (50 87 %), 10 30 % aromatics
Greater terrestrial OM input
Maturity level: Pliocene oils > Miocene oils >
Cretaceous oils
VRo ~ 0.8 1.2 %

Lithostratigraphic succession of Krishna Godavari Basin

Source Rock
Permo Triassic to Pliocene
~40 small to Medium sized oil fields at both
on and off - shore
Potential source rocks: Krishna / Golapalli
Formation and Gajulapadu
(Raghavapuram) shales (TOC: 0.65 10.8 %)
catagenetic zone: VRo ~ 0.7 % (92 Ma)

Traps
Entrapment in the basin is mainly controlled by the
development of medium to high amplitude
anticlines often dissected by a series of faults
Both stratigraphic and structural traps are of limited
vertical and lateral extent
Timing
Most of the traps were formed prior to the generation
& migration of HC
890 MMt of HC; 180 MMt established

Assam Basin

Total Basinal Area : 3134700 sq. km

Foreland & Thrust

belt

Ridge Controlled
Basins

Located in North-Eastern India, Eastern part of

Bangladesh, and Western part of Myanmar in
alluvium covered foreland shelf zone (Upper
Assam Valley)

the

Oil/Gas fields are located in the Naga thrust sheets

of Assam Arakan fold belt
115,000 Sq km of which 56,000 Sq km in Assam shelf
Oil & gas seepages since 1825; Discovery of first oil
field in 1889

Geological set up and Formation stratotypes of North East Basins

Regional Geology
Assam shelf, Schuppen and Arakan fold belt
constitute a part of Assam Arakan Basin
Slightly folded mountain system abutting against
Shillong plateau in North, with Mishmi Hills in
further NE. To South of it extends through
Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram into the Arakan
coast of Myanmar. Due South is covered by Bengal
Alluvium
Assam shelf (Basin) extends from NE of Shillong to
Mishmi Hills, and includes the entire
Brahmaputra Valley
~ 7000 m sediments

Generalised cross section across Eastern Himalaya, Upper Assam

valley, and Naga Hills

Stratigraphy
Basement: Crystallines & metamorphics
shelf facies are thin (up to 2000 m) in Shillong plateau &
Mikir Hills; but ~7000 m below the alluvium of Upper Assam
Cretaceous to Recent
Monotonous clastics except Sylhet Lst. (Eocene)
Coal, coal shale unit in Barail group (Oligocene)

Cretaceous and Tertiary stratigraphy of Assam Arakan Region

Stratigraphic relationship of lithologic successions in North-East Basins

Source Rocks
Upper Paleocene Lower Eocene; and
Barails (Oligocene) are the Significant
source with Type II OM in carbonaceous
shale with thick coal seam at a depth ~2400
3500 m

Lithostratigraphic section along Upper Assam and Dhansiri Valley

Pay Horizons
Most Common Pay
Fractured Precambrian Basement
(Borhola)
Some Paleocene & Eocene Sst.
Oligocene Miocene (Barail Sst.)
Miocene (Tipam Sst.)
Main Pay
Barail Sst. below 2680 m, within 40 370 m
from Miocene Oligocene unconformity

 Principal Pay Horizons

Producing fields (12 Nos.)

Digboi, Naharkatiya, Moran, Badarpur, Rudrasagar, Lakwa,
Lakhmani, Geleki, Charali, Amguri, Borhola, Demulgaon
Average Reservoir Permeability: 30 50 md (+) fair
Flow rate: 40 100 m3/D
Crude quality: Waxy; API gravity 32 to 25 (Barail); 35 (Tipam)

Traps
Mostly anticlinal structures affected by ENE WSW
& NNE SSW faults (Throw up to 300 m)
Stratigaraphic: Lenses, channel type sand bodies
Timing
Formed by Miocene
Migration began from Sylhet & Kopili source rocks
(~10 12 Ma) when all the structural traps had
already been formed

Reserve
1050 MMT in Assam shelf Basin
1860 MMT in Assam Arakan Basin
Production
5.5 MMT (1995 96)
<5 MMT (1996 97)

Bengal Basin

Total Basinal Area : 3134700 sq. km

Foreland & Thrust

belt

Ridge Controlled
Basins

Western fringes of the Bengal Basin were a part of

Gondwana Land during Permo-Carboniferous
and Early Jurassic time
Gondwana sedimentation was terminated by
Rajmahals
All over the Bengal Basin Rajmahal Basalt is present
during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous
Sedimentation in these troughs was initially glaciofluvial (Talchir) followed by mainly fluviolacustrine environment essentially in a warm and
humid climate
Earliest marine transgression reached the northern
and western fringes of the larger Bengal Basin

Well locations and formation stratotypes of West Bengal Basin

Schematic geological section through Bengal Basin

 Sedimentation took place essentially in a narrow

marginal continental margin with slow rate of
subsidence
Depositional regime was terminated by the
development of wide carbonate shelf by late
Eocene
Probably a regression took place in the Late Eocene,
characterized by marine shale and sand
A second major cycle of essentially clastic
deposition commenced in the Early Miocene and
continued up to the Middle Miocene
Active subsidence with balanced supply of clastics
gave rise to the Pandua and Matla formations
Deltaic deposits gave rise to Debagram formation

Stratigraphic units of West Bengal Basin

Petroleum Prospect
Positive indications are plenty
Several commercial gas pools in the Sylhet region of
Bangladesh: Deltaic (Lower Miocene)
No surface indication of HC in the Western part of
Bengal Basin
Subsurface oil and gas indications in Tertiary
sediments have been recorded from many wells
drilled so far in Bengal Basin
Most significant of these shows are from Miocene
rocks penetrated in Port Canning and Bodra
wells
Some gas has also been recovered from off-shore
wells
Asphalt was found in the Bardhaman well within
Jalangi formation

Source Rocks
There is an enormous volume of fine clastics of both marine
and paralic facies deposited in Bengal Basin from
Cretaceous to Recent
In the area, east of Eocene hinge zone, the Ghatal (Cretaceous),
Kopili (Eocene), Memari (Oligocene to Lower Miocene) and
Pandua (Miocene) formations form excellent source rock
facies
Organic geochemical studies in the two off-shore and some of
the land wells are not encouraging as the OC content in
general are low
Reasonably good OC content (0.4 0.5 %) have been reported
from certain restricted sections in Paleogene from
Diamond Harbour and Radha wells
OM are mostly humic, although better quality types (sapropelic)
have also been reported
Detailed subsidence cum maturation profiles have not yet been
drawn up

Reservoir Rocks
Sst. and Siltst. are the most expected reservoir
rocks, although reef Lst. and calcarenites may
be expected
Reservoir facies is present in almost all the
sequences present in West Bengal ranging in
from Cretaceous to Plio-Pliestocene

also
age

Cap Rocks
Main cap rocks in the Bengal Basin are the clays and
shale present throughout the Cretaceous to PlioPleistocene sequences
Impermeable and compact calcareous facies may
also act as local cap rocks particularly in the
Eocene sequence

Traps
Though Gravity and photogeomorphological studies have
brought out several structural highs, seismic surveys have not
confirmed the presence of similar structural features in
the
overlying sediments
Tertiary sequence in Bengal Basin is essentially homoclinal,
interrupted by minor faults, terrace like features in the
platform and by moderately active growth faults in basin
deep
Faults provide local updip closures
Most of wells so far drilled in this Basin are on fault closures or
doubtfully identified stratigraphic features
West Bengal Basin does exhibit major trends of stratigraphic
features which can act as very good stratigraphic traps
These include Mesozoic wedging associated with paleo hinge
lines, carbonate build up in the area west of the Eocene
hinge zone, clastic bars along margins of paleo-delta,
channel-levee complexes, etc.

Cretaceous-Paleocene Stratigraphic correlation in the subsurface of

West Bengal Basin