Biomarker Characteristic of Kelesa Oil Shale As Evidence of The Source of Organic Matter, Depositional Environment, and Maturity Interpretation

Abstract

Biomarker analyses can provide information about the source of organic matter, depositional environment, and maturity of source rock that is very useful for basin evaluation and understanding the petroleum system. In this paper, the study focuses on biomarker characterization of the Kelesa Formation that is situated in the Central Sumatra Basin, one of the petroliferous basins in Indonesia. This Eocene formation is equivalent to the Pematang Formation that is well known as acting as source rock in the Central Sumatra Basin. Thirty fresh outcrop samples were taken for biomarker analysis, with specification fourteen samples for gas chromatography and sixteen samples for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The gas chromatography analysis was done with a Perkin Elmer Clarus 600 type instrument while the mass spectrometry was done using a Perkin Elmer Clarus SQ 8C instrument. The results show that the organic matter dominantly comes from terrestrial plants with minor input from planktonic algae. Moreover, possible Botryococcus braunii input in the sediment suggests that the Kelesa Formation has been deposited in a lacustrine environment. Since the Kelesa Formation was deposited in a lacustrine environment, this formation is expected to be highly oil-prone source rock. The maturity biomarker indicators suggest that the formation does not reach appropriate maturity to expel hydrocarbon. However, the formation still has very good potential for oil shale resources. This study supports the previous study in the Kelesa Formation, and improves the understanding of the depositional history of the Kelesa Formation and the potential of the Kelesa Formation as oil shale resources. Moreover, the authors hope that this study can support recent basin evaluation and improve the understanding of the petroleum system in the Central Sumatra Basin.