Identification of depositional features in the Albian and Aptian sections over the hydrocarbon exploration block M2 on the Mannar Basin, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Mannar Basin extends over 45,000 km2 off the western coast of Sri Lanka. It has evolved due to the multiphase rifting between Indo-Lanka landmasses during the Barremian-Paleocene time. The sediment thickness of the basin ranges from about 4 to 10 km. The northern part of the basin is a targeted area for hydrocarbon exploration in Sri Lanka. Though two natural gas discoveries were made in 2011, the basin remains a frontier due to lack of well penetration and 3D seismic coverage. As a result, the depositional features of sediment in the basin are little known. This study focuses on identifying paleo depositional features in the Albian and Aptian strata using 650 km2 3D seismic data from the Mannar Basin. Root Mean Square (RMS) amplitude was used to characterize the depositional features in three-time windows on IHS Kingdom software (v.8.3). The results show the existence of a multi-level paleo submarine fan system in the Albian and Aptian strata. They are located relatively close to the western coastline compared to the fan system in the Eocene strata. The deposition of this paleo submarine fan system has taken place in a shelf marine environment and has been influenced by relatively high sea levels during the Albian and Aptian compared to the relatively low sea levels in the Paleocene and Eocene.