Characterzation and Evolution of Carbonate sediments in the Phu Khanh Basin, offshore VietNam

Summary The Phu Khanh basin is a rifted continental margin formed by Paleogen rifting and subsequent post-rift subsidence. The basin is situated along the narrowest part of the Bien Dong Sea's shelf and is characterized by a water depth ranging from a few tens of meters to abyssal depths towards the east. The Carbonates growth initiated during the late Early Miocene along the open marine Vietnamese margin and continued throughout to late Miocene. During this period, the structural grain, tectonic conditions as well as oceanographic e¡ects exerted major controls on carbonate deposition. The Carbonate Platform located in the South-western part of the Phu Khanh Basin is one of the largest carbonate platforms in the South China Sea while Carbonate Built-up within the Early-Mid Miocene sequences are considered the most prospective reservoir of the Phu Khanh Basin. In addition, the other type of Carbonate - reefs may be present in the deep waters of Phu Khanh form important targets for petroleum exploration. The purpose of this paper is to present the Carbonates Characterzation and its Evolution during the post-rift period in the Phu Khanh Basin.