Multi-Scale Volcanic Facies Characterization of Deccan Volcanic Complex in the Barmer Basin

of Rajasthan: Implication for Exploration in a Flood Basalt Province*

Adesh Pandey1, Soumen Dasgupta1, Utpalendu Kuila1, Raj Kumar Yadav1, Premanand Mishra1,
and Pinakadhar Mohapatra1

Search and Discovery Article #11174 (2019)**

Posted January 7, 2019

*Adapted from oral presentation given at 2018 International Conference and Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa, November 4-7, 2018
**Datapages © 2019 Serial rights given by author. For all other rights contact author directly. DOI:10.1306/11174Pandey2019
1
Exploration, Cairn Oil and Gas, A vertical of Vedanta Limited, Gurgaon, Haryana, India (adesh0805@gmail.com)

Abstract

The Barmer Basin marks the northern limit of the Western Indian Rift system. It is a prolific hydrocarbon province with 38 discoveries and 6.4
BBOE in place. Cairn has discovered 3 fields in Deccan age volcanics, with over 700 MMBOIP. Raageshwari Deep Gas is the largest field,
producing approximately 40 MMCFD of gas from a large rift block. The reservoirs are very similar to Deccan volcanic outcrops exposed in
western and central India and form the northernmost limit. We map two seismic facies within the volcanic unit. The lowermost transparent unit
is over 1000 m thick and unconformably overlies deeper reflections. It consists of very thin, compound braided and anastomosing lobes up to a
few meters in thickness but covers broad areas. The upper reflective unit varies from 0-700 meters in thickness. It is dominated by much
thicker (10-50 m) simple tabular basalt flows and pyroclastics. Porosity development and reservoir distribution are variable. The upper simple
lava flows consist of a basal zone, a middle dense core with low vesicular porosity, and an upper highly porous (vesicular, brecciated/fractured)
crust. The lower compound flows and ignimbrites have porosity controlled mainly by the amount of syn-depositional welding. Future volcanic
hydrocarbon exploration requires an understanding of the emplacement processes, internal architectures, and controls on rock properties of the
lava flows. We characterize the volcanic complex across the Barmer Basin integrating seismic, well logs, and core data. Learnings derived
from this study can be applied widely to other basins and help delineate more resources within the Barmer Basin.

Selected References

Barreto, C.J.S., E.F. de Lima, and K. Goldberg, 2017, Primary Vesicles, Vesicle-Rich Segregation Structures and Recognition of Primary and
Secondary Porosities in Lava Flows from the Paraná Igneous Province, Southern Brazil: Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 79,4, Article 31.
doi.org/10.1007/s00445-017-1116-x

Bondre, N.R., R.A. Duraiswami, and G. Dole, 2004, Morphology and Emplacement of Flows from the Deccan Volcanic Province, India:
Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 66, p. 29-45.
Cairn RDG Report, VBPR.

Jerram, D.A., 2002, Volcanology and Facies Architecture of Flood Basalts, in M.A. Menzies, S.L. Klemperer, C.J. Ebinger, and J. Baker (eds.),
Volcanic Rifted Margins: Geological Society of America Special Paper 362, p. 119-132.

Nelson, C.E., D.A. Jerram, and R.W. Hobbs, 2009, Flood Basalt Facies from Borehole Data: Implications for Prospectivity and Volcanology in
Volcanic Rifted Margins: Petroleum Geoscience, v. 15/4, p. 313-324. dx.doi.org/10.1144/1354-079309-842

Passey, S.R., and B.R. Bell, 2007, Morphologies and Emplacement Mechanisms of the Lava Flows of the Faroe Islands Basalt Group, Faroe
Islands, NE Atlantic Ocean: Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 70, p. 139-156.
Multi-scale volcanic facies characterization
of Deccan volcanic complex in the Barmer
Basin of Rajasthan: Implication for
exploration in a flood basalt province

Adesh Pandey,
Soumen Dasgupta, Utpalendu Kuila,
Raj Kumar Yadav, Premanand Mishra, Pinakadhar Mohapatra
Cairn Oil and Gas, a vertical of Vedanta Limited
 Seychelles Rifting and Deccan Volcanism in India

India- Seychelles
Rifting

 Deccan volcanism: Continental flood basalt with area >500000

sq. km.
 Contemporaneous to Cretaceous- Paleocene (KT) global
dinosaurs extension event Modified after Bondre et. al. 2001
 Volcanic event result of reunion hotspot activity when Indian Surface Expression of Deccan Flood basalts in India
plate migrating northwards during Indian-Seychelles rifting
 Barmer Basin Tectono-Stratigraphy and Deccan volcanism

 Barmer Basin: NNE-SSW trending rift basin with ~6800 sq. km. area
 Deccan Volcanic Rocks known as Raageshwari Volcanic Complex in Barmer Basin
with area >2700 sq. Km.
 3 Oil and Gas fields in Volcanic rocks with over 700 MMBOIP
 Raageshwari Deep Gas Field producing approximately 40MMCFD
Why this Study?

• Prospects identification in Volcanic rocks

• Macro Scale volcanic Facies classification
• Core, well log, seismic data integration to constrain the 3D
nature and structure of volcanic sequence in Barmer Basin
• Volcanic reservoir characterization for Reservoir derisking
 Volcanic Facies Identification Approach
 3 major scale Observations

Representative Facies from Well Facies from

Facies from Core Log
Outcrops Seismic

• Volcanic flow types • mms to meters • mts to 100s of • Kms to tens of kms
meters
• Volcanic emplacement, • Within lava flow • Province to seismic
architecture and scale • Lava flow to lava scale
process field scale
• 4th and 5th order • 1 and 2nd order
• Multi-order features features • 3rd order features features
 Outcrops : Simple Pahoehoe Lava Flows
Architecture and connectivity

Simple Lava Flows

~80m

~300m

 High volume ,high effusion

rate eruptions
 Laterally extensive in Deccan
Volcanic Province (DVP)
 Dominant in upper Deccan
Passey et. al. 2007
Stratigraphy
Simple flows, Beinisvord Formation, Faroe Island Deccan outcrops, Mahabaleshwar, India
Outcrops: Compound Pahoehoe Lava Flows
Architecture and connectivity

130m
Passey et. al. 2007

Compound flows, Enni Formation, Faroe Island

 Low volume, Low effusion

rate eruptions
 Laterally constrained in DVP
 Dominantly in lower Deccan
Stratigraphy

Cairn RDG Report, VBPR Passey et. al. 2007

(e),(g): Compound flows lobes, Malinstindur Formation, Faroe Island
 Volcanic Facies from Core
Simple Lava Flow unit Compound flow lobes

Soil Horizon
2804.9 Raag-4z [MD]
MD GR RHOB DT Core Interval

1:397 0.00 gAPI 150.00 2.2500 g/cm3 3.1500 100.00 us/ft 40.00 0

2810 Color fill Flow base

Heavily weathered
vesicular Flow Top,
2815 vesicles filled with
Core 5
secondary minerals Densely porphyritic
2820 simple lava interior
Weathered
2825 Flow Tops

2830

2835

2840

2845
Natural fractures
filled with zeolites

Flow crust Flow core Flow base

Well Log Facies for Volcanic Sequence
Simple Lava Flows Compound Lava Flows
MD GR RHOB DT
MD GR DTP RHOB
0.00 gAPI 100.00 2.2500 g/cm3 3.1500 100.00 us/ft 40.00
100.00 us/ft 40.00

3407.2
1:875 0.00 gAPI 100.00 2.2500 g/cm3 3.1500

2770
50
MD GR RHOB DT

0.00 gAPI 100.00 2.2500 g/cm3 3.1500 100.00 us/ft 40.00

3273.2
MD GR RHOB
1:4465 0.00 gAPI 150.00 2.2500 g/cm3 3.1000

3298.3
2780
DTP

3419.2
100.00 us/ft 40.00

3322.7
2700

2790

3347.2

3432.3

Serrated Log Response

3372.2

thin core-crust pairs

70m2800
2800 Very Thin

75m
3395.2
Flows

3444.7
Flow Crust

3419.2
2810
Barreto et. al. 2017

3444.7
2900

Flow Core

3456.9
3469.6
2820
Thin Flow Base

3493.3
3000

2830

3517.7

3469.6
3543.8
40
3100

3573.3
100 Flow core 200

3602.9
80 Flow Top 150
3200

3633.7
60

Frequency
Frequency

Interbeds
100

3664.6
40
50

3696.4
20
3300

Nelson et. al. 2009

0

3726
0
3 3,5 4 4,5 5 5,5 6 6,5 7 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36

3753.2
3400.6

Vp (km /s) 3774

Vp (km /s)
Simple Flow Well Tie
units (800m)
Simple flow

Reflective
Stacked

Seismic
character
 Compound Flow Well Tie
compound flow
units (1000m)
Dominantly

Transparent
Seismic
character
 Seismic Facies for Volcanic sequence
Fatehgarh Formation (Lower Paleocene)

Raageshwari volcanic Formation

Prithvi Member

Agni Member

Reflective Facies

Tranparent Facies

Seismic Reflector Characteristics Emplacement

Facies Shape Boundaries Internal Geometry Environment
Top: High amplitude peak, smooth, High to moderate laterally changing amplitude,
continuous reflection semi- continuous to continuous reflections,
Reflective Wedge Subaerial
Base: Low amplitude trough, erosial pinchouts, chaotic semi-continuous
discontinuous reflection character at places
Top: Low amplitude trough, discontinuous
Very low amplitude chaotic transparent
reflection
Transparent Sheet reflections, moderate amplitude discontinuous Subaerial
Base: High amplitude Trough/Peak(?),
isolated reflections at places
smooth, continuous reflector
Volcanic Distribution in Barmer Basin
Volcanic Time Structure Volcanic Flow
Thickness Volcanic Top Type Distribution

Compound Flow/
Transparent facies
Area

Simple Flow/
Reflective facies
Area
Regional Correlation
Dominantly Compound
Pahoehoe

Dominantly Simple
Pahoehoe

Surface Expression of Deccan Flood basalts

Subsurface Expression of Raageshwari Volcanic complex
Reservoir Distribution and Risk
Stacked Simple Flow Lava Units Compound Flow lava units

Flow Tops,
Laterally Restricted
continuous Reservoirs
reservoir; Fractures
Reservoir and Joints
risk low Important;
Reservoir
Risk High
Conclusion
• Simple and Compound flood basalt eruptive lavas
• Effusion rate and volume controls emplacement architecture
• Integrated multi-scale volcanological characterization and
correlation of volcanics in Barmer Basin
• Reflective and Transparent seismic volcanic facies in Barmer
Basin
• Simple flow unit crust provide primary reservoir zones
• Reservoir in Compound flows is dependent on secondary
mechanism i.e fractures etc
References
• Barreto, C.J.S., de Lima, E.F. & Goldberg, K. Bull Volcanol (2017) 79: 31.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-017-1116-x
• Bondre, N.R., Duraiswami, R.A., Dole, G., 2004a. Morphology and emplacement of flows from the
Deccan Volcanic Province, India. Bull. Volcanol. 66, 29–45.
• Nelson, C.E., Jerram, D.A. & Hobbs, R.W. 2009a. Flood basalt facies from borehole data:
Implications for prospectivity and volcanology in volcanic rifted margins. Petroleum Geoscience, 15,
313–324, http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/1354-079309-842.
• Jerram, D.A. 2002. Volcanology and facies architecture of flood basalts in Menzies, M.A.,
Klemperer, S.L., Ebinger, C.J. & Baker, J. (eds) Volcanic Rifted Margins. Geological Society of
America Special Paper, 362, 119–132.
• Cairn RDG Report, VBPR

Acknowledgement:
The author would like to thank Rajasthan Exploration team members for their technical
guidance and support. We would like to thank the management of Cairn Oil and Gas, Vedanta Limited
for allowing us to present our work.