Chapter 5 Frontier onshore petroleum basins of Myanmar

Abstract

The Myanmar Ministry of Energy has identified as prospective the three basins discussed here, but they have seen little exploration activity. Arguably the Hukawng Basin is distinct from the others insofar as exploration drilling has been carried out, and a potentially prospective stratigraphic succession has been encountered. Moreover, this basin lies on trend with the petroliferous basins of the Central Myanmar Depression. But it would be hard to argue that it is anything other than a frontier basin, and for that reason it is included here. For various reasons we consider the other basins discussed here to carry higher risk. The Ministry's onshore map accompanying the details of the 2013 bidding round included two blocks on the western flank of the Shan Plateau in what MOGE calls the Kalaw Basin: Blocks PSC-U and PSC-V. These blocks, which lie NE and east of the capital Naypyidaw (see Chapter 4, Fig. 4.2), were not however included in their list of blocks on offer. It is an area of complex folding (e.g. Garson et al. 1976), much affected by NNW–SSE faults of which some (such as the Panlaung Fault) are considered by Ridd & Watkinson (2013) to have had a history of dextral strike-slip movement during the Late Cretaceous–Palaeogene. The western part of the two blocks (i.e. west of the Panlaung Fault) exposes Palaeozoic sediments of the Slate Belt intruded by granites (Mitchell et al. 2007), and is considered to have no petroleum potential. The eastern part of the blocks is more difficult to assess. Above the ubiquitous Permian–Triassic Plateau Limestone (=Shan Dolomite), Triassic flysch (Shweminbon Formation) passes up into non-marine younger Mesozoic rocks including red beds and coal-bearing intervals. We are not aware of any petroleum exploration having taken place, and any potential this area may have is considered to be high …