Ak-Bura Project
The large Ak-Bura prospecting licence covers prospective beds from Silurian to Palaeogene in age. The prospective reservoir beds identified include the Permian, Middle Jurassic and Palaeogene beds that contain the pay zones within oil fields of the Fergana Basin and Silurian and Carboniferous beds which contain pay zones of oil fields within the Tarim Basin, located 200 km to the south-east in China.
While the large Ak-Bura project is only partially mapped, a number of prospective structures have been identified.
Several large thrust-related structures have been identified on Ak-Bura by detailed mapping traverses and two covering 305sq km have been mapped in detail (Naukat and Aravan). All elements necessary to entrap oil were found in these two structures:
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source rocks with high C-organic content and highly porous reservoir rocks are outcropping on both sides of the structures; and
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live liquid oil in the pore system and bitumen crusts have been described, mapped or encountered in mineral exploration drilling in the overthrusted Palaeozoic rocks and along thrust faults
The target Paleogene and Cretaceous beds consisting of thick, porous sandstone, conglomerate and limestone beds are situated at 1,500m to 2,500m from surface. The plays are essentially ready for seismic traverses followed by drilling.
Naukat Landsat Folded reservoir rocks at Naukat
Several other prospective areas have been located on the extensive licence area. Santos has carried out regional seismic at Ak-Bura in 2009 and the processed data should be available by September 2009.