Intgerated Sequence Stratigraphy of the Tertiary Deepwater Deposits of Northwest Sabah, Malaysia, Using Well, Seismic, and Outcrop Data

In onshore East Sabah, Malaysia, deepwater outcrops can be tied to offshore subsurface deepwater deposits just few tens of miles to the north. This will provide a unique opportunity to obtain a better picture of depositional processes that controlled the distribution of hydrocarbon reservoir sands, as well as seal and source rock distribution, and possible migration fairways in the subsurface. Some previous investigations on the basin-floor fan complex of the Crocker Formation provided insight into the depositional nature and sedimentary characteristics of these deposits. However, the present study is intended to provide an integrated approach of studying the deepwater deposits of Northwest Sabah and tie it to subsurface data in order to get a clearer picture of the depositional systems within a sequence stratigraphic framework and to unravel the paleogeographic and chronostratigraphic history of these deposits. The large areal and vertical extents of these deposits is expected to give the chance to better understand the depositional history and, in turn, help create a relatively accurate lead and prospect inventory in the subsurface by providing an analog from surface data. This would be possible by analyzing and interpreting available well logs, cores, and seismic data and integrating them with detailed outcrop sedimentological and biostratigraphic interpretations using a sequence stratigraphic approach.