Abstract

The swampy, densely forested Merang Triangle had very limited exploration for many years. Numerous plays have been established by a JOB that has been operating in the area of Jambi-Merang, with numerous assistant operators, since 1988. Production has been established from the Talang Akar in the Gelam field, which is unitised with Gulf Indonesia Resources and partners, A field has been established in the Baturaja carbonates and further stratigraphic potential has been highlighted. The various components of the petroleum systems are discussed along with the challenges encountered in evaluating the carbonate reservoir. A Plio-Pleistocene structural uplift, the Sembilang High, which resulted in the erosion of thousands of feet of sediment, is demonstrated. It is shown that this uplift is associated with a regional tilt to the southeast, causing possible re-migration. Also shown is that recent faulting has broken up a carbonate complex and the resultant off-reef platform facies being currently structurally higher than the original reef crest. This resulted in earlier drilling at the structural crest encountering the platform facies and missing the build-up. The block comprises an area of many overlapping plays and an interesting petroleum system.