IPA17-125-G

PROCEEDINGS, INDONESIAN PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION

Forty-First Annual Convention & Exhibition, May 2017

EXTENSION IN THE KUMAWA BLOCK, WEST PAPUA, INDONESIA

Ramadhan Adhitama*
Robert Hall**
Lloyd T. White***

ABSTRACT They are close to the collision zone of the Australian

continent and the Banda Arc to the east of the Outer
The Kumawa and Aru basins are part of a narrow Banda Arc islands. The area is located south of the
extensional system within the Aru trough in the Bird’s Head of West Papua, between the Lengguru
northern Australian continental margin, located east fold belt in the north, the Seram fold and thrust belt
of the U-shaped Banda Arc–Australia boundary. The in the west, and the Aru Islands to the east (Figure 1).
study area is bounded by the Misool–Onin–Kumawa The Aru trough narrows to the south towards the
Ridge and Lengguru fold belt to the north, the Seram Tanimbar trough.
fold and thrust belt to the west, the Aru shelf to the
east, and it connects to the Tanimbar trough to the There has been little research specifically concerned
southwest. Interpretation of 2D seismic and with the geology of the offshore Kumawa block but
multibeam bathymetry data shows the Neogene there are a few studies of onshore geology in adjacent
history of extension. In the west of the study area the areas relevant to the Kumawa block (Tanimbar,
Kai Arch is a horst block bounded on its west side by Bird’s Head, Seram). Geology and palaeomagnetic
the frontal thrust of the offshore Seram fold and data (Klootwijk et al., 1987; Thrupp et al., 1987;
thrust belt. The east side of the study area is bounded Pairault et al., 2003) suggest little relative motion
by a major normal fault downthrown to the east. The during the Cenozoic between the Bird’s Head and the
arch is capped by a carbonate platform now at depths rest of New Guinea, which forms part of the
of almost 1 km. East of the Kai Arch, there are more Australian plate.
than 5 seconds TWT of Upper Miocene to Recent
sediments. Structures are dominated by N-S to NNE- The collision zone of northern Australia and the
SSW-trending normal faults which can be traced Banda Arc has a unique concave westward geometry
SSW into the Tanimbar trough. The normal faults which results from slab rollback processes into the
terminate in the north at a WNW-ESE-trending fault, Banda embayment (Spakman and Hall, 2010; Hall,
which is partly buried beneath disturbed sediments 2012). This lies near the junction of the Pacific,
transported into deeper water from the shelf south of Australian and Eurasian plates. Fold and thrust belts
the Lengguru fold belt. The Tarera-Aiduna fault zone (FTB) around the Banda arc (Seram FTB and Timor-
is imaged on the seabed and dies out to the west, Tanimbar FTB) verge towards the outside of the “U”
south of the Lengguru fold belt. It is a young shape of the arc. The boundary between the Banda
structure with little displacement. Basin formation Arc and the Australian continent is a complex
started during the Late Miocene and the basin deformation zone. A series of folds, thrust faults and
underwent several periods of subsidence, marked by strike-slip faults dominate within the west part of the
multiple unconformities within the syn-extension zone (e.g. Pairault et al., 2003; Teas et al., 2009), but
units. There is petroleum potential with three to the east of the fold and thrust belt zone deep basins
possible plays: (1) Mesozoic sandstone reservoirs in formed and there is evidence of major extension in
tilted fault blocks; (2) Cenozoic carbonates at the
edge of the Kumawa and Aru basins; (3) Upper the Aru trough region (e.g. Schlüter and Fritsch,
Miocene Klasafet Formation in the Seram fold and 1985; Jongsma et al., 1989; Charlton et al., 1991;
thrust belt. Adhitama et al., 2016).

INTRODUCTION REGIONAL TECTONICS

The Kumawa and Aru basins are located within the The Kumawa and Aru basins are within the
Aru trough (Figure 1) in the eastern part of Indonesia. northwest part of the Australian continent with a
* University of Trisakti
** Royal Holloway University of London
*** University of Wollongong
well-documented geological history from the TGS is given in Teas et al. (2009). After the project
Paleozoic (e.g. Visser and Hermes, 1962; Pieters et was completed additional multibeam bathymetry
al., 1983; Fraser et al., 1993). In the early Mesozoic was provided by GeoData Ventures Pte. (Figure 2)
(Triassic–Late Jurassic) various fragments separated which was used to trace the major faults identified
from northern Gondwana accompanied by the during the project further to the south and east.
closing of the Meso-Tethys ocean and opening of the
Ceno-Tethys (e.g. Metcalfe, 2013). During this SEISMIC STRATIGRAPHY
interval the region of the Aru trough experienced
extension and rifting. In the Late Jurassic a number The Kumawa and Aru basins are stratigraphically
of blocks separated from the Australian margin to closely related, and similar, to the northern
form the Banda embayment which left the Aru Australian continent, especially West Papua.
trough within the eastern passive margin of the Sedimentary rocks range in age from Paleozoic to
oceanic embayment which was floored by Jurassic Cenozoic. Numerous researchers have studied the
oceanic crust of the proto-Banda Sea (Hall et al., sedimentary rocks of West Papua, including Visser
2009; Hall, 2012). and Hermes (1962), Dow and Ratman (1981),
Pigram and Panggabean (1981), Pigram et al. (1982),
Australia–SE Asia collision began in the Early Pieters et al. (1983), Fraser et al. (1993), Pairault et
Miocene when the Sula Spur, a continental al. (2003), Riadini et al. (2010) and Sapiie et al.
promontory north of the Banda embayment, made (2012). Here, the names of geological formations are
contact with the North Arm of Sulawesi (Hall, 2002, adopted from the work of Pairault et al. (2003),
2012). During continued northward movement of which largely followed Fraser et al. (1993). Five
Australia, the Java Trench became aligned with the seismic units were used (Figure 4). Unit 1 includes
northern continent-ocean transition of the Banda all lithologies older than Late Cretaceous and Unit 2
embayment and the trench was able to propagate corresponds to the Jass Polysequence of Fraser et al.
east. The subduction zone rolled back into the (1993). Unit 3 is the New Guinea Limestone, at the
embayment along a lithospheric tear (Spakman and top of which is a major unconformity. This is
Hall, 2010; Hall, 2012). Seram recorded dramatic overlain by Units 4 and 5 which are equivalent to the
extension during the Banda rollback, exhuming the Klasaman and Klasafet Formations of Late Miocene
upper mantle, causing ultra-high temperature and Plio-Pleistocene age.
metamorphism, and melting continental crust of the
embayment’s northern margin (Pownall et al., 2013, A simplified chronostratigraphic chart of the
2014; Pownall and Hall, 2014). The final stages of Kumawa and Aru basins is shown in Figure 4. The
rollback formed the Weber Deep (Hinschberger et pre-kinematic units consist of metamorphic rocks,
al., 2003; Pownall et al., 2016) to the west of the Aru and sedimentary rocks such as the Jass Polysequence
trough and the Seram FTB. Collision processes and and New Guinea Limestone (Figure 3). Based on the
convergence are still active (Stevens et al., 2002; seismic interpretation, formation of the Kumawa and
Bock et al., 2003). The multibeam and seismic data Aru basins began approximately at the beginning of
(Figures 2 and 3) offer the opportunity to assess the the Late Miocene after deposition of Unit 3
roles of extension and collision on the development (equivalent to the New Guinea Limestone). During
of the Aru trough region, particularly during the subsidence, syn-kinematic units (Unit 4 and Unit 5),
Neogene when subduction rollback from the west equivalent to Klasafet (Late Miocene) and Klasaman
began to impact the eastern Banda Arc. Formation (Pliocene – Recent), were deposited.

DATA AND METHODOLOGY STRUCTURAL STYLES

A 2D time-migrated seismic dataset was provided by The multibeam images were used to define the
TGS together with a multibeam bathymetry. The structural elements of the sea bed of the Aru trough.
seismic dataset included forty-nine lines in total: 33 Morphologically the study region can be separated
dip-lines (W-E) with an overall spacing of 5 km, 7 into a number of parts (Figure 5). To the west of the
strike-lines (N-S) with an average spacing of 25 km, approximately N-S trending Kai Arch is the Seram
and 9 oblique regional lines (Figure 3). Five horizons FTB. To the east of the Kai Arch is the Aru trough
were interpreted. Kingdom 8.8 and Opendtect 6.0.5 which has two deep sub-basins in it: a northern area
was used to interpret the seismic sections, ArcGIS of the Kumawa basin and to the east the Aru basin.
10.2 and QGis 2.12.1 were used to interpret the The northeastern part of the area slopes towards these
seafloor structure. Acquisition information two sub-basins from a shallow shelf, termed here the
concerning the multibeam bathymetry provided by Lengguru shelf. Young and probably ongoing
processes of deformation are recorded by structures NW-SE to WNW-ESE normal faults
visible on the seabed. Seismic sections were used to
validate the structures seen on the seabed and A NW-SE to WNW-ESE fault system forms the
investigate their significance at depth. In the northernmost border fault of the Kumawa basin. It
Kumawa and Aru basins the dominant structures are separates the Kumawa basin from Adi Island, and the
normal faults, although minor contractional southern margin of the Misool–Onin–Kumawa
structures are also observed within some areas Ridge (Fraser et al. 1993; Pairault et al., 2003;
(Figure 5). Decker et al., 2009; Sapin et al., 2009) in the
Kumawa Peninsula. This fault system bounds the NE
Kai Arch side of the Kumawa basin and is seen clearly on the
Top Unit 3 time-structure map (Figure 6).Adi Island
The Kai Arch is bounded by normal faults on its east consists of Cenozoic marine and terrestrial clastic
side (Figures 5 and 6) and a narrow N-S trough sediments, mainly fine-grained shales as well as coal;
marking the thrust front of the Seram FTB on its west while the Kumawa Peninsula consists of Neogene
side (see below). At its northern end the arch is reef facies and bioclastic limestones. The bathymetry
capped by an almost flat surface at approximately 1 of the slope descending to the Kumawa and Aru
km depth. We interpret this as a carbonate platform basins shown by the multibeam images suggests this
which is approximately 30 km long in a N-S fault continues WNW-ESE beneath the disturbed
direction and about 6 km wide (Figures 5 and 9). The surface of the slope towards the east side of the Aru
platform top is deeper in the north at about 1100 m trough (Figures 2 and 5), but the quality of the
and shallower in the south at about 900 m; it also dips seismic below this slope is inadequate to identify
at a low angle to the west. The morphology of the top structures.
of the Kai Arch suggests the narrow platform formed
above an earlier larger platform which is Gravity-driven fold structures
approximately 36 km long in a N-S direction and
about 12-14 km wide. This formed above an Fold and thrust structures interpreted as gravity-
erosional unconformity (Figure 7) and rests directly driven are present in the eastern parts of the Kumawa
on Unit 3, the New Guinea Limestone. The ages of basin. The axial traces of the folds trend NW-SE
the carbonate platforms are unknown, except that (Figure 5). The structures are confined to the late
they postdate the New Guinea Limestone, but we syn-extension unit (Unit 5) which has its maximum
suggest they are probably of similar age to the thickness in the Kumawa basin (Figures 7 and 8). In
carbonate platform tilted into the Seram trough the southern part of the Kumawa basin the folds have
further west (Patria and Hall, 2017) which is Late an en echelon configuration. The distribution of the
Pliocene to Pleistocene in age. The unconformity is folds and the bathymetry of the Kumawa and Aru
interpreted as the intra- Pliocene unconformity basins suggests that the basin had a deep triangular
identified by Pairault et al. (2003). The subsidence of shape, narrowing southwards from the WNW-ESE
the Kai Arch carbonate platforms is attributed to northern faulted margin. Rapid subsidence is
loading by east-directed thrusting of the Seram FTB. suggested to have led to failure of the former
southern Lengguru shelf and its upper slope which
moved downslope into the deeper basin towards the
NNE-SSW normal faults
SSW. Folds formed with axes parallel to the strike of
the slope. The present morphology of the upper
On the east side of the Kai Arch is a series of linked surface of Unit 5 in the Kumawa basin (Figure 7) is
normal faults dipping steeply east and trending NNE- seen most clearly on 3D images of the multibeam
SSW to NNW-SSE (Figure 5). These and numerous bathymetry (Figure 9). The irregular morphology is
other normal faults with broadly NNE-SSW strike interpreted as the result of a mass transport complex
directions are the dominant structures in the block, of wet overpressured sediments moving downslope
and are distributed over almost all of the area (Figure towards the SSW. Mud diapirism is also suggested
6). These faults cut through Paleozoic to Cenozoic by small volcanic shapes, pock marks and other
rocks. The faults are hard linked at the basin edges features on the seabed that indicate fluid escape.
on the west and east sides creating basin-bounding
faults, defining the Aru trough which widens Fold and thrust belt
northwards. Some of the large faults are slightly
curved (Figure 6). Many of them are segmented, On the west side of the Kai Arch is a narrow trough
dipping to the east and to the west, creating horst and oriented roughly N-S (Figure 5). This is the trace of
graben structures (Figure 7). the thrust front of the Seram FTB in the western part
of the area. In the study area there are sets of thrusts westwards offshore south of the Bird’s Head coast in
and folds with axial traces that strike N-S. These an area not covered by the multibeam data. This fault
form the eastern part of the Seram FTB and extend strand may terminate in the southern end of the
to the west of the Kai Arch where the Seram FTB Lengguru fold belt although one N-S seismic line
finishes abruptly. The N-S trough links to a WNW- shows a probable E-W fault NE of Adi Island which
ESE trending structure in the north just beyond the could be this strand.
study area (Figure 2). In the study area the thrust
front has previously been traced by different authors Age and effect of faulting
on both the west and east sides of the Kai Arch. The
multibeam bathymetry and seismic lines show Unit 3 (New Guinea Limestone) has a similar
clearly that thrust front is traceable southwards on the thickness across most of the study area except
west side of the Kai Arch, and out of the study area beneath the young carbonate platform capping the
to the south between the islands of Kai Kecil and Kai Kai Arch where it is thinner below an erosional
Besar, as previously shown by Charlton et al. (1991). unconformity (Figure 7). Most of the normal faults
The steep feature on the east side of the Kai Arch is cut Unit 3 and many terminate at the unconformity.
an east-dipping normal fault, not a thrust (Figures 5, Some normal faults elsewhere in the basins appear to
6 and 7). terminate at the base of Unit 4, whereas others cut
Unit 4, and several important faults cut Unit 5 and
The seismic lines crossing the eastern part of the reach the seabed. Unit 5 thickens significantly to up
Seram FTB and thrust front show that deformation to 5 seconds TWT in several graben (Figure 8) within
resembles a sequence of thin skinned imbricate fans the Kumawa and Aru basins. The downslope
(Figure 7). The multibeam images (Figures 2, 5 and movement that produced the irregular surface of the
9) also display numerous structures that indicate mass transport complex and gravity-driven folds
widespread and young mud volcanism as reported indicates rapid young subsidence. The Aru trough is
from the Kai Islands (Charlton et al., 1991). the site of young seismicity and CMT solutions
indicate present-day E-W extension. These
Tarera-Aiduna strike-slip fault system observations indicate the phase of broadly E-W
extension that produced the Aru trough began after
The sinistral Tarera-Aiduna strike-slip fault system Unit 3, was active during deposition of Units 4 and
is well known in eastern Indonesia. The fault is often 5, and continues at present. It is possible that
shown as a single fault which trends E-W south of extensional faults have reactivated older structures in
the Bird’s Head from the western end of the Central Australian margin as implied by maps in Charlton et
Ranges. It is commonly projected to join the Seram al. (1991) but it is not possible to resolve this from
trough, or even to cut it and continue westwards into the seismic lines.
the Banda Sea (e.g. Hamilton, 1979; Silver et al.,
1985; Linthout et al., 1991, 1997; Charlton et al., The extensional features terminate south of the
1991). The fault zone has only minor expression on Kumawa Peninsula and Lengguru shelf. To the north
land (Hamilton, 1979; Katili, 1986). Teas et al. are the Misool–Onin–Kumawa Ridge and Lengguru
(2009) mapped the southern strand of the fault zone fold belt. We suggest that the NW-SE to WNW-ESE
and showed its sinistral character using multibeam fault system identified above is the main
data in the study area (Figure 9). northernmost border fault of the Aru trough and can
be mapped westwards towards Seram. The E-W
Based on seafloor bathymetry and seismic Tarera-Aiduna fault zone is further north, relatively
observations at the northern side of the basin the young and less important. It may be taking over from
southern strand of the Tarera-Aiduna fault zone cuts the WNW-ESE fault system.
the Lengguru shelf and has a small normal offset
downthrown in different places to both south and A simple sequential 2D palinspastic restoration of
north. This, with features seen on multibeam two E-W lines was carried out to assess extension in
bathymetry images, supports the interpreted sinistral the study area using Midland Valley Move software.
strike-slip displacement and suggest the fault is Compaction was ignored in the bedding restoration.
locally transtensional and transpressional. This E-W Figure 10 summarises the results for the extended
strand of the Tarera-Aiduna fault zone does not reach region east of a pin on the Kai Arch. A Late
the Seram trough or cut the deformation front; its Miocene–Pliocene phase caused 4.1 km (3%)
orientation and position suggest it may change extension on the northern line and 2.4 km (4.4%) on
direction or terminate near Adi Island (Figure 5). The the southern line. A Pliocene–Recent phase caused
northern strand mapped on land must continue an additional 15.1 km (14.2%) extension on the
northern line and 7.0 km (17%) on the southern line. sedimentary rocks of Units 4 and 5 (Klasafet and
The total extension estimated is 19.2 km and 9.41 km Klasaman Formations). The main reservoir unit for
on the northern and southern lines respectively. this play is the New Guinea Limestone Group.
Possible traps include three-way dip closure
PETROLEUM POTENTIAL anticlines cut by normal faults. The folds were
produced by normal faulting during the early stage of
The Kumawa and Aru basins contain a maximum of subsidence of the Kumawa basin (Late Miocene).
7 seconds of Upper Neogene sedimentary rocks. The The potential seal is the shale-dominated Lower
thickness and extreme depth of the basin increases Klasafet Formation.
the chance of young sedimentary rocks entering the
oil and gas window. Significant subsidence in the Play: 3 Upper Miocene Klasafet Formation in
late stages of basin formation mean traps formed the Seram FTB
long before oil and gas expulsion. Potential source
rocks are Mesozoic to Early Pliocene in age. The For this play an oil and gas kitchen is located under
similarity of the geology to the north (Salawati and the Seram fold and thrust belt, like play 1. There is
Bintuni basins) and to the south (Tanimbar area) no influence from the Kumawa basin. Potential
suggests three possible petroleum plays within the source rocks are Mesozoic shales, reservoirs are
Aru trough (Figure 11): (1) Mesozoic sandstone in sandstones, and potential seals are intra-Klasafet
tilted fault blocks, (2) Tertiary carbonates at the Formation shales. Possible traps are anticlines
periphery of Kumawa and Aru basins, (3) Upper related to the formation of the Seram fold and thrust
Miocene Klasafet Formation in the Seram fold and belt.
thrust belt.
CONCLUSIONS
Play 1: Mesozoic sandstone in tilted fault blocks
The Kumawa and Aru basins contain up to 7 seconds
The Mesozoic play in the Kumawa block is basically of Upper Neogene sedimentary rocks. The basins are
the petroleum play proposed by Pertamina BPPKA dominated by NNE-SSW trending normal faults.
(1996) and Roberts et al. (2011) for the Tanimbar Significant extension began in the Late Miocene and
area. This suggests an oil and gas kitchen under the major subsidence occurred between the Pliocene and
Seram FTB, with subsidence and flexure caused by present day. A NW-SE to WNW-ESE fault system
thrust loading. Hydrocarbons may have migrated forms the northern border of the Kumawa basin. The
from the kitchen towards the east, into Mesozoic E-W Tarera-Aiduna fault zone is relatively young
tilted fault blocks near the Kai Arch horst. and less important. Mass transport complexes and
Hydrocarbons could also have been generated in the folding are gravity-driven structures produced by
Kumawa and Aru basins. Active subsidence on the rapid Pleistocene subsidence of the basin which
major faults bounding the basin will increase the exceeded sediment supply. The thrust front of the
chance of the faults acting as conduit to the Kai Arch. Seram fold and thrust belt is on the west side of the
Potential reservoir rocks are sandstones of the Sebyar Kai Arch not on the west side of the Aru trough.
polysequence, Roabiba polysequence, and There is petroleum potential with three possible
Inanwatan polysequence (Fraser et al., 1993). The plays: (1) Mesozoic sandstone reservoirs in tilted
potential seals for the sandstone reservoirs are the fault blocks; (2) Cenozoic carbonates at the
shale-dominated Cretaceous–Paleocene Jass periphery of Kumawa and Aru basins; (3) Upper
polysequence and possible intra–Mesozoic seals Miocene Klasafet Formation in the Seram fold and
within other polysequences. thrust belt.

Play 2: Tertiary carbonates at the periphery of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Kumawa–Aru basin
We thank TGS for providing the multibeam and 2D
Potential source rocks range in age from Mesozoic to seismic data for this study. We also thank GeoData
Late Cenozoic. Mesozoic sources could be important Ventures Pte. Ltd. for additional multibeam data. The
near the southern boundary of the Kumawa basin, consortium of oil companies who support the
where subsidence is less than in the northern area. Southeast Asia Research Group funded the MSc of
Mesozoic sources in the northern and central Ramadhan Adhitama at Royal Holloway University
Kumawa basin are likely to be over-mature, but of London. We are grateful to colleagues in the
sources could include Upper Miocene to Pliocene SEARG for discussion.
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Figure 1 - Tectonic elements of eastern Indonesia (modified from Hall, 2012). The study area is marked by
the red box. Faults are marked by solid black lines; subduction zones are indicated by toothed black
lines; dashed black lines mark the troughs around the Banda Arc. LFB: Lengguru fold belt; SFTB:
Seram fold and thrust belt.
Figure 2 - Multibeam bathymetry coverage of the Aru trough with principal features named. The study area
is outlined in black.
Figure 3 - Overview of the seismic dataset used in this study.
Figure 4 - Summary of seismic stratigraphic units used in this study for the Seram FTB, Kai Arch and the
Kumawa and Aru basins.

Figure 5 - Major faults and folds in the study area shown on the coloured multibeam bathymetry map with
simplified structural summary.
Figure 6 - Time-structure map of Top Unit 3 (New Guinea Limestone) showing major faults mapped from
2D seismic lines.

Figure 7 - Interpreted N-S and E-W seismic sections crossing the study area with details of the Kai Arch.
Figure 8 - Time-thickness map for Unit 5.
Figure 9 - Multibeam bathymetry map of the study area in centre, with 3D images of bathymetry above and
below showing Kumawa and Aru basins, mass transport complex interpreted to have moved SSW,
and details of the Kai Arch carbonate platform and the Tarera-Aiduna fault zone.
Figure 10 - Summary of 2D palinspastic restoration of two E-W lines using Midland Valley Move software
to assess timing and amount of extension in the study area.
Figure 11 - Hydrocarbon potential of the Kumawa and Aru basins.