IPA, 2006 - 26th Annual Convention Proceedings, 1998

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PROCEEDINGS, INDONESIAN PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION

Twenty-Sixth Annual Convention, May 1998

COMPRESSION OR STRIKE SLIP ALONG THE NORTH SUMATRA MOUNTAIN FRONT :

CONTROLS ON FRACTURE PERMEABILITY
W W . Musgmve"
Aman C. Sunaryo"

Production rates from wells at Mobil Oil Indonesia'

Pase A field development along the Mountain Front of
the North Sumatra Basin are controlled by tectonically
induced fractures in a tight limestone reservoir. DST
flow rates up to 30 MMCFPD have been recorded
from reservoirs with 5 to 10% porosity where
fractures exist, whereas wells in the same reservoir
without fractures do not flow. Very tight zones,
between fractured areas, have been documented by
pressure and liquid/gas composition differences where
no apparent reservoir discontinuities or faults exist.
An interpretation of the well and seismic data, map
view structures, and the regional tectonics explains the
well, pressure, and flow rate data and predicts where
the best fracture permeability will be located. The
area appears to have had transpressive deformation
associated with the oblique plate collision nearby.
Prediction of fracture locations by model will depend
on the relative strengths of the compressive and the
strike slip components and which model is more
applicable. Fractures in a compressive area will be
concentrated on the anticlinally bent areas of the folds
and will be perpendicular to the direction of maximum
compressive stress. Fractures in a strike slip area will
be concentrated as swanns near the master faults and
in 60' offset features.
Examination of the performance of wells that are
predicted to be fractured or not by these two models,
analysis of the section and map view of the
deformation, and understanding the tectonic history of
the area, show that there is much support for a
dominantly compressional tectonic model and only
little evidence for strike slip deformation after the
reservoir was deposited. The evidence includes
*

Mobil Oil Indonesia, Inc

fractured anticlines, tight synclines, compressional

fold geometry perpendicular to the principle
compressive stress (parallel to mountain front), and
lack of long straight strike slip faults, and associated
60" en-echelon deformation or pullapart and
compressional areas at fault bends. The model is
being tested by three extended offset production wells.

INTRODUCTION
Mobil Oil Indonesia is currently operating the
development of the Pase A gas field in the Pase PSC
of North Sumatra. The gas is reservoired in tight,
fractured limestone, dolomite, and sandstone of Lower
and Middle Miocene age. The produced gas will be
used as feedstock to the Arun LNG plant. Initially,
three wells will be drilled to test the long term
sustainability of production rates which will be
dependent on recharge of the fractures from the
reservoir storage porosity. The wells are designed to
penetrate areas of the most dense fracturing to
maximise the recharge area to which the fracture
systems are attached. The challenge has been to
understand the fracture mechanisms and predict
where they will be densely developed and cover the
largest area.
Fracture systems can be predicted only if the tectonic
history of an area is fully understood. Figure 1 shows
idealized fracture systems predicted for extensional,
wrench, and compressional faults. Figure 1 a through
l c are in order of increasing areas of predicted
fracturing for a single fault in the three tectonic
regimes. Extensional deformation should produce
fractures parallel to the main fault and only close to
the fault for widely spaced faulting and little internal
fault block bending or deformation (Figure la).
Wrench deformation should produce more extensive

but patchy fracturing on en-echelon 60' anticlines on

both sides of the fault (Figure 1b). These anticlines
should be fractured across their width extensionally
and along their axis by bending. Although the
deformation can extend a good distance from the
wrench fault, the intervening synclines are not
expected to be heavily fractured. Compressional
deformation is expected to create the most extensive
fracture systems through bending on the large
anticlines commonly developed on the hanging wall
side of the fault (Figure lc). The synclines commonly
developed on the foot wall side of the fault are
expected to be tight.
This study examines the regional setting, the well
penetrations, seismic profiles, and structures in map
view to discern the most likely types of deformation
that have occurred at the Pase A field area.

DATA
The study area is approximately 20 km by 30 km
(yellow, Figure 2) and straddles the Barisan uplift and
the North Sumatra Basin. The regional tectonics of the
area are driven by the oblique convergence of the
India-Australian Plate with the Eurasian Plate at the
Sunda Arc subduction zone (lower left, Figure 2).
Back arc extension and major right lateral strike slip
zones (Great Sumatra Fault) were created. Initially in
the late Eocene to early Oligocene, the oblique
convergence created E-W extension and a series of NS oriented horsts and grabens resulted. The giant
Arun and Kuala Langsa reef gas fields and other reefs
grew on the remnant topography of the horsts in the
Middle Miocene during a relatively quiet time. The
Great Sumatra strike slip system has been active from
Oligocene to the present day. The beginning of the
Barisan Uplift marks a change in plate motion that
causes compression at the end of deposition of the
Lower Baong clastics (N13, late Middle Miocene, 12
mya) which continues to the present. The structures
trapping the Pase A gas field were formed during this
end Lower Baong event. What is not known is how
much of the continued oblique subduction wrenching
forces were being transferred to the study area during
this time.
The local structures in the study area must be
examined on seismic profiles and in map view to
understand the local forces that were active when the
fracture systems were formed. Figure 3 is a structure

map on top of the Middle Miocene aged Peutu

limestone reservoir. The map is made on a strong
reflection marking the boundary between the Baong
shales and the Peutu limestone. The data used is a 3D
survey acquired in 1988 and 1991 in the North half
over the SLS A and D fields and high quality 1990
vintage 2D data on a half mile spacing in the
Southern half (plus other older 2D data). There are
seven wells that penetrate to below the Peutu
limestone in the Pasc A and SLS B areas (Southern
half) and nine in the SLS A and D field areas
(Northern half) to control the seismic interpretation
and to gain insight into the reservoirs and structural
timing. There are also seven more horizontal wells in
the SLS A and D fields.

RESERVOIRS
Figure 4 is a cross-section (hung on the Top Peutu
limestone) showing the SLS B and Pase A wells.
There is a big difference between this area and the
SLS A and D field areas. The SLS-A field has up to
900' of reefal limestone with relatively high porosity
and permeability resting on basement. The reefs grew
at SLS A & D because this area was a paleohigh at
the time of the carbonate highstand. By contrast, the
same age reservoirs at SLS B and Pase A are thin,
non reefal limestones deposited in relatively deep
water in an area of only slight paleotopography. There
are also Belumai dolomite and Bruksah sandstone
reservoirs below the Peutu in this area attesting to the
area generally being lowlying.
The Bruksah sandstone (yellow, Figure 4) is a "basal
sandstone" deposited during the Oligocene in gentle
relief valleys. It is lithologically quite variable but
generally has about 5% porosity in the SLS B and
Pase A areas. The Bampo shales sometimes separate
the Bruksah-sandstones from the Belumai dolomites.
The Belumai dolomites were also deposited in gentle
relief valleys in the Lower Miocene. These reservoirs
have the best matrix porosity at 5-8%. The Peutu
shale sometimes separates the Peutu limestone from
the Belumai dolomite. The Peutu Limestone is the
basinal equivalent of the base of the Peutu reefs and
has very low porosity at approximately 3%. These 3
to 8% porosity reservoirs will only be producible at
economic rates where dense nests of fractures provide
the permeability to connect the tight matrix storage.
The wells Pase A l , A2 and SLS B1, B2, B3 are all

3
gas saturated. Pase A3 has no reservoir and Pase A4
is too far downdip (locations, Figure 3). Well test
flow rates have been quite variable in the five gas
wells, probably due to the variable density of the
fracture networks at the wells. Pase A1 flowed at a
maximum rate of 20.5 MMCFPD, A2 at 23.9
MMCFPD, SLS B1 at 7.8 MMCFPD, SLS B3 at 12.7
MMCFPD, and SLS B2 did not flow. The gauge data
from these tests are not good enough and the flow
periods are not long enough to judge the sustainability
of these flow rates or the fracture recharge rate.

STRUCTURAL STYLE
The Top Peutu carbonate reservoir map (Figure 3 )
shows that both reverse and normal faults exist in the
mapped area. The dominant fault trend is NNW with
subsidiary trends NE and NNE. The NNW trend is
subparallel to the Barisan Mountain Front Fault which
is located just east of the Peutu outcrop in the
mountains (SW area of the map) and also to the Great
Sumatra strike slip fault. It is likely that some
elements of both compression and wrenching have
been active in this area.
The NNW trending fault that extends across the whole
mapped area (Eastern portion of map) looks like a
strike slip fault. It is long and straight, has a scissors
fault like change in throw from upthrown on the East
side in the SE area to downthrown on the East side in
the NE area, and shows several NNE trending
anticlines and reverse faults associated with it. These
latter features have the diagnostic 60" angle from the
master fault. The interpreter may get the immediate
impression from the map view scissors fault that there
has been right - lateral (dextral) motion on this fault
offsetting high and low areas. This would match the
regional stress field set up by the oblique subduction
and which has been demonstrated by the Great
Sumatra fault. Actually, the subsidiary reverse faults
and anticlunes have the wrong orientation to be
caused by a right lateral wrench fault. These are
typical "left-stepping" anticlines and faults indicating
a left lateral wrench. This means that if you walked
down the axis of one of the folds or faults you would
step left at its termination to get to the next fold.
How could this be a left lateral fault in an area driven
regionally by right lateral shear ? It could happen, but
clearly this is not a major feature with a significant
amount of strike slip offset. Maybe it is a secondary
feature driven by Barisan uplift compression. Or

maybe it only looks like a strikeslip fault and is

actually an extension fault which has been
compressively inverted over a portion of its length.
Maybe the N or NNE trending faults and anticlines
that look like strike slip en-echelon folds are actually
affects of compressive reactivation of the old N-S
oriented grains and horst-graben pairs from the
Oligocene.
What about the NE trending extensional faults ?
These appear to be younger faults which are probably
related to secondary extension caused by compression
from the Barisan Uplift along a NE principal stress
vector. A comparison of the Top Peutu structure map
(Figure 3) to that of the Top Baong shale (near end
Middle Miocene, Figure 5 ) shows this difference. The
NNW and NNE faults form before the end Middle
Miocene and do not cut the Top Baong horizon
(Figure 5 ) . Only the NE faults cut this horizon. Some
of them sole out in the Baong shales whereas others
cut through to the basement such as the large fault in
the NW. The separate faulting ages can be seen
clearly on the following seismic displays. Therefore
these faults are not indicative of wrench forces.
Instead it appears that two anticlines subparallel with
the Mountain front fault have been created post-Baong
by compression from the SW and that the extensional
faults have opened in the direction of least
compressive stress.
The faults in the region of the Pase A wells appear to
indicate a classic foreland basin compressional system
just basinward of the main thrust (Mountain Front
Fault). There is a foredeep Basin just in front of the
Mountain Front Fault and then a set of faults that are
highly segmented and arcuate as they are in most
compressional belts. There are no long straight faults
and generally the faults are sub parallel with the
Mountain Front Fault except in the transfer zones.
There are no features trending at 60"off the fault zone
trend except possibly the fault bounding the SLS B1
& B3 structure which would indicate right lateral
wrenching. Since this is the only feature of its kind,
it is more likely to be a compressioqal feature
indicating slightly transpressive forces or reactivation
of an older lineament.
The map features can be studied on seismic profiles.
Line B90 - 438 (Figure 6, location on map Figure 3)
shows a dip oriented view of the fault trends. The
lowest bright reflector is the Peutu carbonate ('yellow)

4
which can be seen to be faulted by four major faults.
The horizon itself has the typical "S" shape commonly
created by compression where the hanging walls are
bent anticIinally and the footwalls are bent synclinally.
There appear to be repeat horizons in vertical planes
where they are thrust over themselves. The Mountain
Front foredeep can be seen on the SW end of the line.
The faults can be traced through the relatively
reflective Lower Baong section where truncations
indicate dipping reverse faults (particularly the two
Southwesternmost faults). The faults appear to become
inactive in the less reflective Upper.Baong section and
the more recent deformation of the overlying section
is detached within the over pressured, nearly pure
shale of the Upper Baong. On individual seismic
profiles it is possible (and tempting) to draw flower
structures through to the top of the section, but in map
view the older and younger faults have different
trends (Figures 3 & 5 ) . A classicficompressional,
"triangle zone'' with faults detaching in the Upper
Baong shale appears to be located over the first
structural buttress past the foredeep basin as it is in
many thrust belts.
The compressional overlap of the reverse faults and
the detached nature of the post-Baong structuring is
even more apparent on line B87-228 (Figure 7). The
post-Baong section is generally not faulted except for
a slump fault near the NE end of the line. Hanging
walls and footwalls are bent correctly and the
reflective Lower Baong section terminations clearly
show the dipping reverse fault nature.
Note that the fault with the arrow point to it (Figure
7) is the long, straight strike slip looking fault on the
map (Figure 3). This fault certainly has a compressive
element to its deformation vector. The same fault can
be seen on Figure 6 (see arrow) where it is also
compressional. The conclusion must be that the
deformation in the area was dominated by
compression during the Lower Baong and that it was
most intense just at the end of the Lower Baong.
There may be an element of transpression to the
"long, straight fault" but wrenching is not necessary.
An alternative explanation for the features observed is
that this older lineament has been repeatedly
reactivated.
This scenario would have a lineament in the position
of the "long, straight fault" created pre-Middle
Miocene during the Oligocene or Lower Miocene,

possibly as a strike slip fault parallel to the Great

Sumatra fault (Figure 2). The NNE lineaments would
also be created pre-Middle Miocene along with the
series of horsts and grabens shown in Figure 2.
Compression from the SW occurred during Lower
Baong time creating reverse faults along these
lineaments. The portion of the "long, straight fault"
which is scissored to be down thrown to the NE
would be a Lower Miocene (pre-Peutu) normal fault
that has been partially inverted during Lower Baong
time. Indeed, a profile extracted from the 3D volume
(Figure 8) shows that the Lower Miocene aged synrift
section (identified at SLS A8, north of this line and
just east of the fault from S L S A field) has been
inverted into a reverse sense of throw.

FRACTURING
It appears that compression during the Lower Baong
has been the dominant deformation mechanism in the
study area. There may be some transpression in the
area of the "long, straight fault" but other explanations
are possible and the slip orientation is inconsistent
with the regional setting. Certainly, the Pase A field
area has no evidence for wrenching deformation.
Therefore, the fracture permeability which will control
production rates should be associated with the
anticlinally bent hanging wall areas. (Figure 1).
Figure 9 shows the Top Peutu reservoir structure map
with an area of possible gas filled structure (yellow)
and the areas of anticlinally bent hanging walls
(orange).
The well test results corraborate the hypothesis. Figure
10 shows portions of seismic lines through the
anticlines of Pase A I and A2 and SLS B1 and B3
(locations Figure 3 and 9) where the fractures allowed
the wells to flow on test and through the syncline of
SLS B2 where there was no fractures and no flow
Gas compositions and pressures also match the
hypothesis. Since SLS B1 and 33 have different gas
compositions (radically different CO, content and
condensate), the syncline that separates the two
anticlinally fractured well locations must be
completely tight. Similarly, the Pase A1 and A2
wells have vely different compositions and pressures
indicating that the separating syncline must also be
tight. This evidence indicates that the synclines not
only don't have fracture permeability but that the
compression has been focused there sealing off any
communicating natural rock permeability.

5
Three producing wells are being drilled initially to
produce the Pase-A field as shown on Figure 9 (A5,
A6, and A1 redrill sidetracks). The Pase-A5 and A6
are being drilled from a central cluster and the Pase
A1 recompletion is being tied back by a pipeline to
the cluster facilities. The wells are all focused on the
anticlinally bent areas in the hanging walls of the
thrusts. If these wells have sufficient fracture networks
that can be recharged fast enough by the matrix stored
gas to maintain high enough flow rates, more wells
will be drilled at a later date.

to be the extensional bending fractures on the

anticlines and the fractures caused by extension
normal to the principle compressive stress (NE-SW).

WELL RESULTS

Additionally. the lack of depletion during production

on the Pase A5 to date suggests an extensive fracture
system more consistent with the whole anticline being
bent and fractured by compression rather than the
fractures existing in sheared pods (Figure 1).

The Pase A5 was completed as a 45" deviated well in

December 1997 and found a 700' section much like
the Pase-A2. Significant lost circulation problems and
the Rayleigh wave sonic tool indicate that it is heavily
fractured and will be a good producer. Although
natural rock porosity and pernieability are very low,
the Pase A5 has produced 25 MMCFPD with very
low drawdown (no indications of depletion) for three
months suggesting that the fracture system is
extensive and well connected. Unfortunately, lost
circulation did not allow a formation micro imager run
to indicate the fracture orientation.
The Pase A6 was completed as a 40" deviated well in
April 1998 and has penetrated 200 feet of fractured
Peutu limestone and Belumai dolomite, SO feet of
Bruksah sandstones and 400 feet of basement
metasediments (Figure 11) and had considerable lost
circulation problems indicating good fracture
permeability. The DSI log on Figure 11 shows the
typical "chevron" patterns associated with open
fracturing. Analysis of the FMS data (Figure 11)
shows that the fractures have two dominant
orientations, NW-SW and NE-SW. We interpret these

The Pase A1 sidetracks have not been drilled yet but

hopefully further support for the compressive fracture
orientation will come from a difference in fracture
intensity in the two sidetrack orientations. More
fracturing in the across anticline direction than in the
along anticline direction will indicate a compressional
model.

CONCLUSIONS
The evidence from seismic profiles, wells, map view,
and regional tectonics favors compression as the
dominant deformer of the Peutu reservoir along the
North Sumatra Mountain Front, especially in the area
of the Pase A field study area. The well test results
and fluid compositions are consistent with fractures
opened on the anticlinally bent portions of the
hangingwalls and with permeability barriers created in
the synclines. Two new deviated producing wells have
shown that the fracture systems are intense and
extensive on the anticlinal areas drilled.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank the Management of Mobil Oil Indonesia
and Pertamina for encouraging this work and allowing
us to publish it. We also acknowledge the helpful
comments and ideas from our colleague Dave Ward.

FIGURE 1

Models of anticlinal features and expected fracture areas and orientations (short dashed lines) for
a) extensional system, b) left lateral strike slip system, and-c) compressional system.

FIGURE 2

Location of the study area bellow) onshore North Sumatra southeast of the Arun Field and LNG
plant and along the frontal zone of the Barisan Mountain Front fault system. Plate vectors (red)
show oblique convergence.

FIGURE 3

Top Peutu depth structure map showing locations of seismic lines of figure numbers in circles.

PASE A-2

5ATA I

400

300

200

100

Unscaled cross-section of the well control in the Pase A and SLS B areas showing Peutu limestone (blue brick pattern), Belumai dolomite
(pink), and Bruksah sand and conglomerate (yellow) with separating shales (no color).

600

SLS E3-2

600

SLS B-1

500

PASE A-1

500

200

FIGURE 4

100

PASE A-3 ST

SLS E3-3

FIGURE 5

4Km

Top Baong time structure map with same reference well control as Figure 3 and showing two
anticlines trending parallel with the mountain front (one fully developed into a detached triangle
zone) and faults of different orientation than Figure 3.

33

Bata-I

NE

FIGURE 6 - Seismic profile BP 90 - 438 (location, Figure 3) showing the prominent Peutu limestone reflector (yellow) bent anticlinally in hanging
walls and synclinally in footwalls indicating compression. The section overlying the Top Baong formation (orange) is deformed into two
anticlines that are detached from the deep deformation. The bold arrow marks the long, straight fault discussed in the text.

sw

Pase A-5

2 Kms

BP 87-228

NE

FIGURE 7 - Seismic profile BP 87 - 228 (location, Figure 3) showing the Peutu limestone reflector (yellow) compressionally deformed and the Top
Baong reflector (orange) detached and deformed into two anticlines. The dip angle of the compressional faults are well defined by the
hanging wall reflector terminators above the Peutu reflector. The "long, straight fault" is marked by the bold arrow.

sw

SLS 6-3

12

13

FIGURE 9

4Km

Top Peutu depth structure map (as in Figure 3) showing SLS A and D field areas (red), Pase A
and SLS B closures (yellow) and interpreted areas of anticlinally bent fracturing (orange). Areas
between orange anticlines must be tight to explain different gas compositions and pressures across
syn clin es.

FIGURE 10

BP 90-432

_f

._I__

7;-

Pas, A-4

2'7_+---

3"z

Pasa A-2

Pase 82-38

Seismic profiles through fractured anticlines (locations, Figure 3) drilled by a) SLS B1, b) SLS B1 and new well Pase A6, c) Pase A1
and Pase A6, and d) Pase A2 and though tight synclinally bent wel1.b) SLS B2.

c_lc_c_*__*nr

NE

BP 96-429

PgT3

15

Cond tlv

racture

%ueEtF;p

Deg

ConductiveFracture
(Smusoid)
Orientation Norfh

9C

Bed Boundary
(Sinusold)
Orientation North

FIGURE 11

Well log interpretation display for Pase A6. Track one (left) is tadpoles of borehole dip and
azimuth. Track two is interpreted lithology. Track three is fracture energy from DSI log. Track
four is DSI waveforms showing "chevrons" produced at open fracture locations. Track five is
tadpoles and rose diagram o,f dip angle and dip azimuth of interpreted fractures from the four
tracks of the FMS log (track six).