Application of Spectral Decomposition Technique to Delineate the Evolution of Karst on Carbonate Platforms of Central Luconia, Offshore Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Karstification in carbonate platforms of the Miocene age in Central Luconia province, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia, has been discussed since the onset of exploration and initial discoveries in the region, with over 200 mapped platforms to date. An extensive drilling program over the last decade confirmed the existence of karst during the drilling process where issues such as total loss circulation and bit drops were common. Karst in Central Luconia has been proposed by several authors; however, detailed quantitative description of the observed features have not yet been conducted. This study involves systematic mapping of loss circulation depths, chalkified/rubble/vuggy zones described from cores, and vugs of >2 mm in size and moldic porosity observed on thin sections of the Jintan platform. These data supplement the interpretation of karst from multiple 3D seismic attributes. Seismic interpretation of the Jintan and M1 platforms revealed an extensive dendritic pattern which is on average 70–100 m deep and 3–5 km long, and circular geobodies of 1 km in width that exist on the upper part of the platform. Spectral decomposition, also known as time-frequency analysis, was used to enhance the interpretation of karst features on seismics within a specific wavelength. In this study, a comparison of three spectral decomposition methods applied on the 3D seismic cube of the Jintan and M1 platforms was undertaken to determine the method which allowed for better delineation of the karst features. The results show that the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) method using frequencies of 46, 54, and 60 Hz delineated most of the karst features compared to the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) Morlet and CWT Ricker wavelet methods. This paper aims to discuss the dimensions, evolution and geometry of the karst features quantitatively on three selected karst horizons named “K1”, “K2”, “K3”. Interpretation revealed that the dendritic karst features were found to be most prominent on the K2 horizon which lies below a conspicuous change of the external geomorphology of the platform. Backstepping of the platform margin by 12 km is observed in both platforms. Quantitative seismic interpretation shows that the karst observed in M1 platform is approximately 70–100 m deep, and the dendritic features are around 1–2 km in length and approximately 500 m wide; whereas, in the Jintan platform the dendritic features observed are up to 5 km in length with several 1 km wide circular/sinkhole features. More than 20 dendritic features orientated SE and NS were mapped mainly in the transitional area as well as the center of both platforms. The nature of the karst morphology in Central Luconia remains controversial; however, it is proposed to be of mixing zone karst origin.