Abstract

Deep water Kerala-Konkan (KK) is a sub-basalt basin and extremely challenging as it is seismically difficult, mostly unexplored and geologically complex. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) took the challenge and carried out integrated Marine-Magnetotelluric (MMT) and Controlled Source Electromagnetic (CSEM) survey on the block KKIIID2 during April-May 2010 to delineate the sub-basalt formations. The integrated MMT and CSEM survey used a new workflow to study the deep-water sub-basalt basins and has been used for the first time in this sub-continent. This is also the first commercial MMT survey in India. The survey successfully maps the top of the basalt layer and maps the base of basalt. Results indicate that the top basalt of deep-water KK is thin and there is a conductive zone below the resistive top basalt layer.