Abstract

Since oil exploration began in Indonesia in 1870, over three thousand exploratory wells have been drilled in Western Indonesia and some seven hundred and fifty discoveries have been reported. Western Indonesia is a mature hydrocarbon province with over three hundred fields presently producing in twelve geological basins. A further hundred fields have either been abandoned or shut-in.

A correlative framework based on the application of sequence stratigraphy, which has been established for the hydrocarbon productive basins, is illustrated with an example each from areas in Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan. These examples review in detail the 'hydrocarbon system' in each area from the perspective of source, reservoir, seal and timing of structure.

The ideas developed are then expanded and integrated into an examination of the future hydrocarbon potential for Western Indonesia, which is refreshingly different and perhaps more encouraging than those made using the 'traditional tools' of lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy.