Directorate General of Hydrocarbons 1

Assam-Arakan Basin

Basin Introduction :.

Fig. Assam-Arakan Basin

The Assam-Arakan Basin is situated in the northeastern part of India categorized as

category-I basin. The basin covers an area of 116000 Sq.Km. Major tectonic elements
of the basin are:

• Assam Shelf
• Naga Schuppen belt
• Assam-Arakan Fold belt.
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Assam-Arakan Basin

Oil exploration in India commenced with the discovery of the Digboi oilfield in
Upper Assam more than 100 years ago, when, based on surface oil shows, a well was
drilled on an exposed anticline, associated with the Naga thrust. Other significant
milestones in oil exploration in Upper Assam were the discoveries of the
Nahorkatiya, Moran and Rudrasagar oil fields in 1953, 1956 and 1960, respectively.
Subsequently, more than 100 oil and gas fields, including Jorajan, Kumchai, Hapjan,
Shalmari, Lakwa, Lakhmani, Geleki, Amguri, Charali, Borholla, Khoraghat, Baghjan,
Dirok etc. have been discovered.

Bulk of the oil and gas, discovered in Upper Assam till late 1980s, has been found in
the Barail Group of Upper Eocene to Lower Oligocene age and the Tipam Group of
Upper Miocene age. During the last decade, oil and gas accumulations have been
discovered within the Langpar and Lakadong formations of Paleocene to Lower
Eocene age in several structures like Dikom, Kathaloni, Tengakhat, Tamulikhat,
Shalmari, Baghjan, Panidihing, etc. In the Borholla oil field, oil occurs in fractured
granitic basement rock of Precambrian age. The oilfields, discovered so far, are
situated mainly in the areas south and southeast of the Brahmaputra river and a few
in the thrust belts, associated with Naga-Patkai hills. However, the area to the north
of the Brahmaputra river up to the Eastern Himalayan foothills has remained poorly
explored. In the Naga Schuppen zone, apart from the Digboi oil field, two more
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Assam-Arakan Basin

major oil fields, namely, the Kharsang field, having oil accumulations in Upper
Miocene to Pliocene reservoirs and the Champang field, having oil accumulations in
fractured granitic basement rock of Precambrian age, have been discovered.

In the Khoraghat and Nambar fields situated in southeastern part of the Dhansiri
Valley, oil occurs in the Bokabil Formation (Middle Miocene) which is not developed
towards north in the Brahmaputra valley. In some of the exploratory wells, drilled in
the southwestern part of the Dhansiri valley, good shows of oil have been observed
in Eocene and Oligocene sands.

Tectonic History :.

The Assam-Arakan sedimentary Basin is a shelf–slope–basinal system. The shelf part

of the basin spreads over the Brahmaputra valley and the Dhansiri valley, the latter
lying between the Mikir hills and the Naga foothills. From the Digboi, the shelf runs
westward to the southern slope of the Shillong plateau. The shelf-to-basinal slope,
i.e., the hinge zone lies below the Naga schuppen belt. The basinal (geosynclinal)
part is occupied by the Cachar, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur fold belts.

The shelf part rests on Precambrian granitic basement, whereas the basinal part lies
on transitional to oceanic crust. The area within the Upper Assam shelf, having high
petroleum potential, measures approximately 56000 sq km and contains about
7000m thick sediments of mostly Tertiary period, and the area in the basinal part
with moderate to high hydrocarbon potential measures about 60,000 sq km and
contains more than 10,000m thick sediments of mostly Tertiary period.

The major structural elements of the Assam–Arakan Basin and the salient features of
each element are briefly described as following.
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Assam-Arakan Basin

Upper Assam Shelf

1. Southerly to southeasterly moving thrust sheets of younger (Miocene to Plio-

Pleistocene) sedimentary rocks in the Assam Himalayan foothills.
2. The Himalayan Foredeep zone north of the Brahmaputra river lies in the
northern periphery of the foredeep is overridden by the southerly moving
thrust sheets of younger sedimentary rocks.
3. The Brahmaputra-Arch, running along the southeastern side of the
Brahmaputra river in Upper Assam.

4. The southeastern slope of the Upper Assam Shelf, southeast of the

Brahmaputra arch, having local structural highs and lows, upto the Naga
thrust, and extending 8 to 10 km beneath the Naga schuppen belt . This
element contains most of the oil fields of the Upper Assam Shelf.
5. The Shillong Plateau and Mikir hills Uplift, composed mostly of Precambrian
granitic and metamorphic rocks. The southern slope of the Shillong Plateau
exposes Gondwana, Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks.

Shelf–To–Basinal Slope To Basinal Area

1. The Naga Schuppen Zone,occurring between the Naga and the Disang
thrusts. In this shelf–slope–basinal architecture, the hinge zone, at and across
which the Upper Cretaceous-Eocene shelf facies changes over to basinal
facies, is envisaged to lie below the Naga schuppen belt. The Kharsang,
Digboi and Champang oil fields are located in this element.
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Assam-Arakan Basin

2. The Assam – Arakan Fold Belt This fold belt may be divided into two zones
bounded by prominent thrusts, viz, (i) the Naga fold zone, lying in between
the Disang and Tapu thrusts and having exposures of Disang shales and
Barail sediments, and (ii) the central flysch zone, lying between the Tapu
thrust and Changrang – Zunki thrust and having exposures of mainly Disang
shales.
3. The Zunki schuppen belt, containing mostly older Disang shales (Upper
Cretaceous) & occurring between the Zunki and Moya thrusts.
4. The Ophiolite Complex, occurring in between the Moya and the Eastern
thrust. Disang shales, occurring in association with ophiolites, are somewhat
metamorphosed here.
5. The Naga Metamorphic Complex, east of the Eastern thrust. The
metamorphic complex occurs mostly to the east of the Indo-Myanmar
international border.

Stratigraphy :.

Sedimentary sequences ranging in age from Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic are exposed
in the Assam-Arakan Basin. The sequences can be divided into shelf facies and
basinal (geosynclinal) facies. The shelf facies occur in Garo hills, Khasi-Jaintia hills,
parts of North Cachar hills and Mikir hills, and below the alluvial cover in Upper
Assam, Bengal and Bangladesh. The basinal facies occur in the Patkai range, Naga
Hills, parts of North Cachar hills, Manipur, Surma valley, Tripura, Chittagong hills
of Bangladesh and Chin hills of Myanmar (Burma).

Fig. The generalized stratigraphic succession.

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Assam-Arakan Basin

Geological History

The Assam-Arakan basin witnessed two major phases of tectonic development. It

developed as a composite shelf-slope-basinal system under a passive margin setup
during the period from Early Cretaceous to the close of Oligocene. During the post-
Oligocene time, however, different parts of the mega basin witnessed different
evolutionary trends, mostly under compressive tectonic forces.

During Middle to Late Cretaceous, when the Indian plate was moving northward, a
number of horst and graben features developed on the granitic crust in the southern
slope of the Shillong Plateau and Dhansiri valley. In these grabens, a sequence of
sandstones, shales and subordinate limestone towards top, assigned to the Khasi
Group, was deposited in the southern slope of the Shillong Plateau, and a sequence
of sandstone and shale, assigned to the Dergaon Group, was deposited in the
Dhansiri valley. Presence of pelagic fauna indicates that these sediments were
deposited in shallow shelf to open marine conditions during Maestrichtian to Early
Paleocene time. During this time, the basinal area to the east and southeast
witnessed deposition of Lower Disang shales, radiolarian cherts and subordinate
limestones in the distal deeper part of a marginal downwarp, i.e., tilted broad shelf
adjacent to ocean basin. The limestones with negligible impurities were, perhaps,
deposited on sea mounds.

The Indo-Burmese trench system that

developed during the oblique
subduction of the Indian plate below
the Burmese plate became the locus
of deposition of Upper Disang shales
under deep marine conditions. The
formation of the trench system was,
possibly, initiated in the northeastern
part and gradually progressed
southward. The closing of the trench
system was also initiated in the
northeast and then gradually
progressed southward. The
Andaman trench, which has been
receiving mostly argillaceous
sediments since, possibly, Upper
Cretaceous-Paleocene, is the
southward extension of the Indo –
Burmese trench system.
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Assam-Arakan Basin

During Paleocene, there was a marine transgression on the southern edge of the
Shillong Plateau, depositing sediments of the Therria Formation consisting of
limestone, sandstone and shale. The Lakadang Formation (Early Eocene) comprising
limestone and coal bearing sandstones was deposited in shallow marine to lagoonal
conditions, while the overlying Tura Sandstone Formation (Early Eocene) was
deposited under fluvio-deltaic environment. The Tura Formation is extensively
developed in the Upper Assam Shelf and is oil bearing in Borholla, Champang and
Nahorkatiya oil fields.

During Eocene to Oligocene, due to the rise of the peripheral arc system (rise of the
basement ridge) consequent upon the active oblique subduction of the Indian plate,
the intervening sea became progressively narrower southward. During this period,
the Assam Shelf was being evolved in a passive margin tectonic setting and under
shallow marine to brackish water sedimentation conditions.

Following the deposition of the Tura Sandstone, there was a wide spread marine
transgression in which the Sylhet Limestone (Middle Eocene) was deposited almost
all over the Upper Assam Shelf. Towards the close of Middle Eocene, limestone
deposition ceased because of an increase in the influx of finer clastics in the shelf.
These clastics, making the lower part of the Kopili Formation, were deposited in
open marine conditions during Late Eocene, when marine transgression was waning
out. Further increase in the clastic influx in the stable shelf during Late Eocene to
Early Oligocene resulted in marine regression with the deposition of the upper part
of the Kopili Formation, consisting of shales, siltstone and subordinate sandstones,
in shallow marine to pro-delta environments. In the North Bank of the Brahmaputra
river, however, environmental conditions were deltaic with the deposition of
sandstones with minor shales and siltstones.

East of the hinge zone, i.e., in the basinal area, Upper Disang shales, which are lateral
facies equivalent of the Sylhet and Kopili formations, were deposited in deep water
basinal conditions. During shallowing of the sea in the basinal area, the succeeding
sediments of the Barail Group were deposited under environments ranging from
moderately deep marine to deltaic.

Following completion of collision and subduction of the oceanic part of the Indian
plate during Late Oligocene (to Early Miocene?) when the continental part of the
Indian plate seems to have come close to Tibetan and Myanmar (Burmese) plates,
there was upliftment and erosion all over the shelf and in a major part of the basinal
area. This event was followed by a pronounced south to southeastward tilt of the
basin, mostly the geosynclinal part, which was, perhaps, caused by subduction
related tectonic loading. This foredeep was the site of deposition of the Surma Group
of sediments under shallow marine (lower part) to brackish water (upper part)
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Assam-Arakan Basin

environments. Continued indentation by the Indian plate caused westward

propagation of tectonic forces, which in turn caused development of a decollement
thrust at the base of the Upper Disang shales, and a number of synthetic thrust
faults. These lateral tectonic movements were accompanied by upliftment and total
withdrawal of the sea, heralding the onset of continental sedimentation (the Tipam
Sandstone Formation) on the Assam Shelf as well as on the earlier basinal area.
Presence of radiolarian chert and ophiolite fragments in the lower part of the Tipam
Sandstone in many of the Dhansiri Valley and Upper Assam wells suggest that a
certain fraction of the sediments making the lower part of the Tipam Formation
came from the rising Barail Range towards east (Barail sediments in the Barail Range
are reported to contain volcanogenic particles) or from the Ophiolite belt.

Towards the end of the Tipam Sandstone deposition, there developed a series of N-S
to NE-SW trending compressive structures in the basinal area. During the growth of
these structures, the Girujan Clay Formation was deposited in the synclinal lows
(structural basins) in Cachar area as indicated by seismic and well data from the
Katakhal syncline of Cachar area where the Girujan Clay Formation is named as the
Govindpur Formation. The Girujan Formation in the eastern & northeastern parts of
the shelf also was deposited in structural lows. The most prominent structural
depression was formed in Kumchai – Manabhum area in front of the Mishmi uplift,
where the Girujan Clay Formation attains a thickness of about 2300m.

The development of the frontal foredeep in front of the rising Himalaya, during Mio-
Pliocene and later times, due to tectonic loading by thrust slices was filled with
coarser sediments. During this time, sedimentation in the Surma basin (including
Sylhet trough) and the Kohima synclinorium took place in intermontane basins,
depositing the arenaceous Lower Dupitila sediments over a post–Girujan
unconformity and the argillaceous Upper Dupitilas over a post-Lower Dupitila
unconformity. During Pleistocene time, there was the last major folding movement
and further upliftment of the Barail Range, the Central Disang uplift, the Mishmi
Hills and the Himalaya. The Dihing boulder conglomerates, shed by the rising
mountains were deposited at the feet/toes of the rising mountains. The Dhekiajuli
Formation, consisting of mostly soft sandstones, was deposited at the mountain
fronts in the Upper Assam Shelf and in areas now overridden by younger Naga
thrust.

Petroleum System :.

All the oil and gas fields, discovered till date in the Upper Assam shelf, are situated
mostly on the southeastern slope of the Brahmaputra arch, and almost all the major
oil fields like Nahorkatiya, Lakwa, Lakhmani, Geleki, Dikom Kathaloni etc. lie in a
belt bordering the Naga thrust. In the Dhansiri valley also, oil fields like the Borholla
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Assam-Arakan Basin

and Khoraghat and Nambar lie in the same belt. In the Naga Schuppen belt, oil
accumulations in the Lakshmijan and the Champang oil fields occur in that zone of
the shelf which is overridden by the Naga thrust. In the Digboi and Kharsang oil
fields, oil occurs in Tipam Sandstone and Girujan Clay formations, respectively,
overlying the Naga thrust.

Source Rock and Hydrocarbon Generation

The important source rock sequences occur within the argillaceous Kopili Formation
and in the Coal-Shale Unit of the Barail Group. The average TOC of shales within the
Sylhet Formation is about 0.60%, in the Kopili Formation, about 2.5% and in the
Barail Coal-Shale Unit, about 3.8%. The average TOC ranges of different formations
(shale samples) are as follows:

Formation Average TOC Range Remarks

Barail (shales) 2.5% to 4.5% Excellent source potential
Kopili (shales) 1% to 3% Excellent source potential
Sylhet Limestone ~ 0.61% Poor source potential
Basal Sandstone ~ 0.62% Poor source potential
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Assam-Arakan Basin

Organic matter richness of shales increases towards the Naga thrust. In both Kopilis
and Barails, the organic matter is terrestrial type-III with varying contributions of
Type-II.

Barail Coal-Shale Unit in the Schuppen belt also form important source rock
sequence. In the Naga fold belt, in addition to above, Disang shales also possess
excellent source rock characteristics with TOC around 4% and VRo varying from
0.69% to 1.94%.

Geochemical analysis of exposed sediments from the Schuppen belt show a TOC
range of 0.64-1.20% for Barail shales. The dominant organic matter type is structured
terrestrial. Presence of amorphous (upto 60%) and extractable organic matter (upto
55%) indicates a fairly good liquid hydrocarbon generating potential. Organic matter
is mainly humic and sapropelic. TAI of 2.6 to 2.75 and VRo of 0.57 to 0.67% show
that the sediments are thermally mature and within oil window. In the subthrust, the
source sequences occur at greater depths and, therefore, should be in a higher state
of thermal maturity. It is expected that the source sequences within the Kopili and
Barail formations in the subthrust would be at the peak oil generating state.

Reservoir Facies

Barring the Borholla and Champang oil fields of the Dhansiri valley and the adjacent
schuppen zone respectively, where oil occurs in fractured granitic basement rock
(Precambrian) and Tura sandstones (Upper Paleocene/ Lower Eocene), oil in the
Upper Assam Shelf and schuppen belt occurs in sandstone reservoirs ranging in age
from Upper Paleocene-Lower Eocene to Mio-Pliocene. However, the major
accumulations occur in Upper Paleocene + Lower Eocene, Oligocene (Barail
Formation) and Miocene (Tipam Sandstone) sandstones. The major oil fields, where
oil occurs in Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene sandstone reservoirs are
Tengakhat, Dikom, Kothaloni, Baghjan and in Oligocene sandstone reservoirs (Barail
Formation), are Nahorkatiya, Hapjan, Shalmari, Geleki, Lakwa, and Rudrasagar etc.
Oil reserves in Kopili sandstones (Upper Eocene) are found mainly in the Geleki
field. Most of the oil in the Tipam Sandstone is found in the Lakwa-Lakhmani and
Geleki fields. In the Kumchai and Kharsang fields of Arunachal Pradesh, oil occurs
in the Girujan Formation of Mio-Pliocene age. Recently gas has been discovered in
the sandstone reservoir of Dirok structure within Girujan Formation. The Girujan
Clay being floodplain deposits, the reservoir sands are generally lenticular and some
what erratic in distribution. In the Khoraghat oil field of Dhansiri valley, oil occurs in
sandstone reservoirs within the Bokabil Formation (Middle Miocene). In the North
Cachar area of Assam, potential reservoir rocks are expected to be fractured granitic
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Assam-Arakan Basin

basement rock (Precambrian)and sandstones in the Tura (Paleocene), Kopili (Upper

Eocene), Renji (Oligocene), Bhuban and Bokabil (Middle Miocene) formations.

Cap Rock and Entrapment

There are three well developed regional cap rocks within the Tertiary sedimentary
succession, the lower one, occurring in the Upper Eocene is the argillaceous Kopili
Formation, the middle one is the Barail Coal-Shale Unit and the upper one, overlying
the Tipam Sandstone is the Girujan Clay. Most of the oil accumulations, discovered
till date in the Upper Paleocene-Lower Eocene, Oligocene (Barail) and Miocene
(Tipam Sandstone) reservoirs, occur in structural combination (fold + fault) traps
developed by compressive forces during Mio- Pliocene and later times. Most of these
hydrocarbon traps, particularly those developed in post- Barail sediments, orient
parallel to the Naga thrust. Faults associated with these traps in the southeasterly
sloping shelf zone in the Brahmaputra and Dhansiri valleys have NE-SW to NNE-
SSW orientation. Most of the prominent faults continue upward into post-Tipam
sediments, and the rest die out in the lower part of the Tipam Formation. Some of
the prominent faults, particularly those near the Naga thrust, are reverse faults, e.g.,
one at the northeastern flank of the Geleki structure, another at the northern flank of
the Rudrasagar structure. It may be mentioned that oil, generated in the Kopili and
Barail source beds, accumulated in post-Barail sediments by vertical migration
through such prominent faults. Oil within the Kopili Formation (composed
predominantly of shales with subordinate sandstone) occurs in strati-structural
combination traps, as in the Geleki field. Oil within the Girujan Clay Formation as in
the Kumchai and Kharsang fields also occurs in combination traps, but here the
control of lithology on accumulation is more than that of structure. In the Borholla
field of the Dhansiri valley and Champang field of the neighbouring schuppen belt,
oil reserves occur in structurally controlled subtle trap in fractured basement rocks.
Oil accumulations within the Bokabil Formation (Middle Miocene) in the Khoraghat
and Nambar fields of the Dhansiri valley, occur in structural combination traps.

Fig. A Comprehensive Petroleum System events of Assam basin

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Assam-Arakan Basin

Hydrocarbon Potential

The Brahmaputra Valley part of the Upper Assam Shelf south of latitude 27° 30',
where active exploration for hydrocarbons has been continuing for about half a
century, seems to have reached the middle stage of exploration maturity. But, the
Dhansiri Valley shelf, areas north of Lat. 27° 30' and the Naga Schuppen belt are still
in the early stage of exploration maturity. In the North Cachar area, exploration by
deep drilling is yet to be initiated. Whatsoever, in view of what has been narrated on
Upper Assam and Nagaland oil fields, and source, reservoir and cap rocks, and
entrapment mechanism, the Brahmaputra valley still holds a large quantity of ‘yet-
to-find’ oil, and Tinsukia – Sadiya area which partly falls in the Mishmi Depression;
the Dhansiri valley and the Schuppen belt possess high hydrocarbon potential worth
pursuing intensive exploration. The prognosticated resource base of the Upper
Assam shelf and the Naga schuppen belt is roughly 3180 MMt, of which about 27%
has been converted into inplace geological reserves. It is envisaged that the
undiscovered oil would continue to be found in structural, strati- structural and
subtle traps in areas mostly bordering the Naga thrust and in the Naga Schuppen
belt.

Petroleum Plays :.

S.No. Plays Formation Major Field

1 Mio- Girujan Kharsang, Kumchai, Dirok
Pliocene
2 Miocene Tipam Hapjan, Digboi, Geleki, Charali
3 Oligocene Barail Naharkatiya,Lakwa, Lakhmani,
Rudrasagar, Demulgaon, Sonari,
Amguri, Hapjan, Shalmari,Kusijan,
Laiplinggaon, Geleki
4 Mid-Upper Kopili Geleki
Eocene
5 Lower Lakadong+Therria Dikom, Kathaloni, Baghjan, Panidihing,
Eocene Tamulikhat, Tengakhat
6 Archean Fractured Granatic Borhola, Champang
Basement