IPA18-79-G
PROCEEDINGS, INDONESIAN PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION
Forty-Second Annual Convention & Exhibition, May 2018
THE GEOMORPHOLOGY OF BINTUNI BAY, EASTERN INDONESIA
Andromeda Werdaya*
Christopher Birt*
Luqman Bahtiar**
ABSTRACT
Bintuni Bay is a shallow estuary with high tidal range
and currents in the Bird’s head region of Papua Barat
province in eastern Indonesia. BP operates the
Tangguh LNG plant on the south shore of the bay,
with gas piped from the giant Vorwata field under the
Bay. Several surrounding gas fields are due to be
developed with additional wells, platforms and
pipelines.
The scale of the project warranted the acquisition
of a regional site survey, covering all planned
development activities. A variety of shallow
geophysical tools and seabed profilers was
acquired to image the complex shallow geology,
understand the seabed morphology and integrate
with geotechnical boreholes. A geomorphology
map was generated from the high resolution (1m x
1m) bathymetry data. Distinct 1st order zones
(such as sharp, undulating or smooth bathymetry)
can be strongly related to the subcropping geology.
These are locally modified by 2nd order features
including channel cuts, scours, mega ripples and
sand waves. The sandwaves are gently sinuous
features with an amplitude typically up to 20 ft.
Mega ripples have a smaller amplitude and shorter
wavelength. Both features can be automatically
mapped using seabed attributes such as maximum
positive curvature. The sandwaves usually form in
large fields associated with recent fill recording the
lateral migration of the modern seabed channel.
Access to several smaller heritage bathymetry
surveys in the area shows that the sandwaves are
laterally migrating, which has a major impact on
pipeline routing and platform location.
The geomorphology and other features are
captured in a GIS-environment, which allows user-
friendly access to a huge variety of geospatial data.
This has proved an essential integration tool with
the Project and Operations teams at Tangguh.
* BP Indonesia
** Inconis
INTRODUCTION
Bintuni Bay is a shallow estuary with high tidal range
and strong currents in the Bird’s Head region of
Papua Barat province in eastern Indonesia. BP
operates the Tangguh LNG plant on the south shore
of the bay, with gas piped from the giant Vorwata
field under the Bay. Several surrounding gas fields
are due to be developed with additional wells,
platforms and pipelines.
The strategy within Bintuni Bay has always been to
identify and then avoid, where possible, known
hazardous conditions for the location and installation
of seafloor infrastructure and drilling new wells. The
scale of the project warranted the acquisition of a
regional site survey, covering all planned
development activities. A variety of shallow
geophysical tools and seabed profilers was acquired
to image the complex shallow geology, understand
the seabed morphology and integrate with
geotechnical boreholes. The AOI of this study covers
most of the Tangguh gas field area, as shown on
Figure 1.
The shallow overburden in the Tangguh
development area is highly complex, reflecting a
number of active and historical sedimentary
processes, with a wide variation in soil content from
very soft clays to fine sands and coarse gravels.
There is a wide distribution of shallow gas trapped
both stratigraphically and structurally in Pliocene to
Quaternary sediments (Sahidu et al., 2018). Having
highly variable soils and a complex distribution of
shallow gas makes geotechnical engineering and
geohazard mitigation challenging.
DATABASE AND METHODS
This study mainly uses shallow geophysical data
from the 2016 Tangguh Integrated Regional Site
Survey (TIRS) as described by Putri et al., 2018, with
integration of representative geotechnical boreholes
and relevant legacy datasets. One objective of TIRS
was to accurately map water depths within the survey
area and identify manmade (anthropogenic) and
natural (geomorphological) features on the seabed.
Of particular concern were any potential obstructions
that may impact construction activities related to
field development. As well as High Resolution 3D
seismic, the TIRS survey acquired a variety of sub-
bottom profiler data (Pinger and Sparker), Multi
Beam Echo Sounder (MBES) giving Bathymetry and
Backscatter Intensity at 1x1m resolution, as well as
magnetometer profiles.
This paper concentrates on the natural
geomorphology of the seabed, and the most
important dataset for this study was the MBES
Bathymetry;
 Water depth (bathymetry) is computed by
measuring the time that it takes for the signal to
return to the sonar. Figure 1 shows the high-
resolution seabed bathymetry.
 Seabed slope is the vertical angle value between
the seabed plane and the global XY-plane. This
has been used for geohazard assessment to
identify the slope at any offshore activities.
Figure 2 shows the bathymetry slope map.
 Seabed relief creates a three-dimensional effect
that provides a sense of visual relief and a
relative measure of incident light for analysis.
 Maximum Curvature describes how bent a
surface is at a particular point. Figure 3 shows
a small part of the bathymetry maximum
curvature map in an area of sandwaves.
 MBES Backscatter is the amount of acoustic
energy being received by the sonar after a
complex interaction with the seabed (reflection
amplitude). Figure 4 shows the Backscatter
map.
Geomorphology mapping involves integration of
MBES data (backscatter intensity and seabed relief
or hillshade) with seabed amplitude maps from
3DHR seismic data, shallow mapping from 3DHR
seismic and 2D Sparker and geotechnical borehole
information. The main technique of
geomorphology mapping can be divided into four
categories: measurement form, properties of
materials, sedimentation, and ages of process
(Hart, 1986). ArcGIS software was used to
integrate all the interpretation and analysis.
GEOMORPHOLOGY FEATURES
The seafloor across the Tangguh development area is
highly complex and reflects a number of active and
historical sedimentary processes and wide variation
in soil content, varying from the full suite of clays
(very soft to very hard) and clastic sediments ranging
from fine sands to coarse gravels. Seafloor sediment
ages vary from >2Ma (very hard clays of the Upper
Steenkool formation) to what are assumed to be
recent very soft clays. The major seabed feature of
Bintuni Bay is the Bintuni channel (Figure 1). Inside
and outside of the Bintuni channel are a series of
geomorphology units:
• Level 1 features are relatively large-scale
background features (> 5km2 coverage) across
Bintuni Bay which can be linked to the
predominant soil type at the seabed.
• Level 2 features are relatively small-scale features
(< 5km2 coverage) superimposed on the Level 1
background.
Level-1 Geomorphological Features:
1. Rugged and incised geomorphology. This is
an area showing highly variable morphology.
Erosional processes have dramatically altered
the seabed across this area leaving a combination
of relatively planar areas of seabed and sharp,
well defined breaks in slope. This area occupies
the centre of the development area, adjacent to
the Tangguh LNG terminal. This
geomorphology unit covers 10-20 km2 (Figure
5). Correlation with geotechnical and seismic
data shows the dominant seabed sediment type
across this area to be clays and sand (hard to very
hard) of the Steenkool Formation. These are
covered by intermittent patches of younger
mobile sands.
2. Undulating geomorphology. Surrounding the
eroded Steenkool outcrops is a band of seafloor
also showing highly variable topography, but
features tend to show more rounded edges / tops.
This unit is found surrounding the rugged
morphology in the Bintuni channel to the north
and east (where Steenkool sediments are capped
by sands and occasional soft clays) and over a
more extensive area to the west - where
Steenkool sediments are covered by Quaternary
formations of less competent clays and sands
(Figure 5). This unit covers an area of 15-25 km2
and thickens progressively to the west.
3. Smooth geomorphology. Various types of
smooth seabed morphology can be described:
a) Smooth coastal. Where the survey data
approaches coastal area, a notable change to a
smoother seabed form is seen. Geotechnical data
suggest soft clays as the seabed sediment within
these areas, and they are probably related to
modern river-mouth deposits. This
geomorphology covers 12-15 km2.
b) Smooth and incised. To the west of Wiriagar the
seabed shows a smoother form, with large
incised features, contrasting with the constantly
undulating form adjacent to this. This
geomorphology unit covers 10-12 km2 area.
c) Smooth sand sheet. Two areas around the central
parts of the area (east of Roabiba) show a
consistent smoother form, devoid of notable
features save for the bedforms of mobile sands
that cover the area. Geotechnical data suggest
fine sands to soft clays. They appear to sit in
incisions in the underlying Steenkool
sediments,and may in fact be channel-fill
deposits from earlier versions of the main
Bintuni channel. This unit covers almost 15 km2.
4. Sandwaves. These are large bedforms typically
formed by the transport of large grains by high-
velocity currents. The high tidal currents in
Bintuni Bay have sculpted numerous examples
in the TIRS area and they have a variety of
scales, geometries and forms. Some are
straight and symmetrical, whilst others are
sinuous and asymmetrical. Typical features
have a wavelength of 120 to 170m and an
amplitude of 10-18ft, but the largest features
have amplitude up to ~36ft. Individual
sandwaves generally have a N-S orientation,
but they form NNE-SSW clusters, caused by
the tidal currents (Figure 6 and Figure 7).
There are two main families of sandwaves in
the area. In the east and north, there are large
areas of young, mobile sediment that are
actually remnant ‘patches’ of paleo channel-
fill (Figure 8). These recent channel-fill
deposits are unconsolidated and the coarser-
grained sediments can form the sandwaves.
Elsewhere, these deposits form a smooth
seabed morphology.
The second family of sandwaves are detached
from the large ‘pods’ of paleo-channel deposit
and form thin ‘skins’ of migrating bedforms –
often in the deeper part of the channel (where
currents are presumably highest),and elongated
in the transport direction.
A patchy coverage of heritage bathymetric
surveys is available in the area. The 2016 survey
(Figure 9) reveal how far the sandwaves have
moved in this time. Sandwave migration of 1-
4m per year is typical, but there are isolated
examples where sandwaves are moving at up to
10m per year.
Interestingly, most of the sandwaves within the
main Bintuni Channel axis are moving to the
east, whilst most of the those outside the channel
axis are moving to the west. This is not a perfect
correlation, but it does seem that the (east-
moving) flood tide is concentrated in the channel
axis, whilst the (west-moving) ebb tide is more
distributed outside of the channel. There is a
sharp zone of interaction between these two
families in between the Vorwata and Roabiba
fields, which reveals a complex interaction of
seabed currents.
Level-2 Geomorpholological Features:
1. Mega-ripples are a smaller-scale bedform than
the sandwaves,and are typically found in-
between and around them. They are formed by
a combination of smaller grainsize and slower
currents (Figure 10).
2. Sand ribbons. Limited collections of elongate,
ribbon-like features are found in the west,
within otherwise smooth areas (Figure 11). The
main orientation is W-E due to present-day
currents in Bintuni Bay. Lenghts vary from 10 –
200 m, and they typically have 1-2 ft
bathymetric relief. They are sometimes
separated by ripple features. Geotechnical
boreholes show unconsolidated sand and some
clay deposits.
3. Scours of various shapes and sizes can be found
scattered through the whole area, but they are
particularly common in the west. They are
frequently formed on the eastern side of an
upstanding seabed feature – perhaps a more
resistant block (eg Figure 12). Based on Hart
(1986), seabed scouring is related to soil erosion
caused by detachment of particles. Eddy
currents on the lee-side cause erosion and
scouring.
4. River-mouth debris. There are two areas of
scattered ‘comet and tail’ features in the extreme
NW of the area, peppering the otherwise smooth
 seabed. These are likely debris fields adjacent
to the river-mouths that enter the Bay from the
north shore. The western-most area has a
number of aligned, elongate features, up to 10m
long and with 1 to 2ft bathymetric expression,
which are probably tree-trunks (Figure 13).
SUMMARY
Based on this study, the seafloor across the Tangguh
development area is highly complex and reflects a
number of active and historical sedimentary
processes. The main feature is the present-day
Bintuni channel. Other geomorphology features can
be grouped into Level 1 features (which are large-
scale and related to the underlying soil-type) and
Level 2 features (which are small-scale local
modifications).
Migrating sandwaves with up to 36ft bathymetric
relief are a striking feature of the area, and are a
product of the extremely large tidal currents in the
restricted estuary of Bintuni Bay. Comparison with
heritage bathymetric surveys shows that the
sandwave movement is highly variable, but 1-4 m
movement per year is typical. The flood-tide seems
concentrated in the present-day Bintuni Channel,
and eastward movement of sandwaves there locally
reaches 10 m per year. In contrast, the ebb-tide
seems more diffuse, but generally concentrated
outside the channel-axis. Understanding these
features has a profound impact on the planning for
seabed infrastructure such as pipelines, platforms
and rig emplacement.
Figure 14 shows the geomorphology map
superimposed with 3D HR seismic, which has been
used to investigate the shallow soil units.
Integration of geotechnical boreholes confirms how
the surficial soil distribution controls the Level-1
geomorphology features.
ACKNOWLEDMENTS
The authors take this opportunity to gratefully
acknowledge the assistance and contribution to BP
Reservoir Development Indonesia especially New
Well Delivery team who supported the authors. We
would like to say thanks to Hugo Galanes (BP
Geotechnical Specialist) and Andrew G. Hill
(Marine Geohazard Segment Engineering Technical
Authority) for the advise and feedback. We also
wish to extend special thanks to Direktorat Jenderal
Migas for their permission to publish this paper.
REFERENCES
Galanes-Alvarez, H., Ramadhan, A., Putri, S.A.,
Birt, C.S., Higson, M., [2017], Tangguh
Geotechnics and Geohazards Mitigation Part.2:
Solving the puzzle, EAGE-HAGI 1st Asia Pacific
meeting on Near Surface Geoscience &
Engineering extended abstract, in-press.
Hart, M.G.1986. Geomorphology Pure and
Applied. George Allen & Unwin, v.1, p.188-220
Putri, S.A., Birt, C.S., Galanes-Alvarez, H.,
Apriani, R., Eloni, R., Manning, T., Higson, M.,
[2017], Tangguh Geotechnics and Geohazards
Mitigation Part.1: The big picture, EAGE-HAGI
1st Asia Pacific meeting on Near Surface
Geoscience & Engineering extended abstract, in-
press.
Figure 1 - The AOI (Red Polygon) overlay with Seabed Bathymetry Map with relief (hillshading) that covering three major field in Tangguh area. Present day
channel (in Dash) axis orientation is W-E from Vorwata to Wiriagar, then swings to the SW towards the mouth of Bintuni Bay

 
 Figure 2 - Seabed slope map. High slopes are mainly located on the channel edge and the rudged/incised morphology.

 
Figure 3 - Maximum curvature map on sandwaves and ripple (mobile sediment) geomorphology unit. This
map is showing identification sandwave crests.

 
Figure 4 - Seabed backscattered map on Sandwaves and Ripple geomorphology units. Apparently, low
negative value (white to grey) coincide with the sandwaves and ripple morphology.

 
Figure 5 - Level-1 Geomorphology features. ‘Rugged and Incised’ morphology in cyan (generally correlating with areas of exposed Steenkool Formation).
‘Undulating’ morphology in red where Quaternary sediments outcrop. Smooth morphology can be divided into three types; smooth sand sheet
(yellow), incised (green), and coastal (pink). Level-1 features are mainly related to the outcropping soil units.

 
Figure 6 - Individual sandwaves have a N-S orientation, but as a group the orientation is NNE-SSW.

Figure 7 - Sandwave features area with bathymetry superimposed. Lateral accretion surfaces can be
seen in the larger bedforms, and these particular ones are asymmetric with the steep slip-
face to the west, indicating overall westerly movement.

 
Figure 8 - Block diagram viewed from the west showing a MC Sparker profile with recent channel-
cuts and channel-fill deposits. These form large ‘pods’ of relatively unconsolidated and
mobile sediment, giving a variety of smooth, mega-rippled and sandwave morphologies
depending on grain-size and current interaction.

 
Figure 9 - 2016 TIRS (and 2014 V13) bathymetry data. Pink areas show regions of net sandwave movement to the east when compared to heritage bathymetric
surveys. Yellow shows areas of net sandwave movement to the west. Whilst not a perfect correlation, its interesting to note that the sandwaves
within the modern Bintuni channel (blue polygon) are dominantly migrating to the east (mostly influenced by the flood-tide) whilst the sandwaves
outside the channel are dominantly moving to the west (mostly influenced by the ebb-tide).

 
Figure 10 - Mega-ripples in-between and extending beyond the sandwaves. The mega-ripples that
climb on the sandwaves typically have a slightly different orientation. These mega-
ripples have a wavelength of 4-6m and amplitude typically less than 1ft.

Figure 11 - Elongate W-E sand ribbons south of the Wiriagar Deep field.

 
Figure 12 - Large NW-SE orientated scour to the south of Wiriagar Deep field. This feature is 1.3km
long and 120ft deep.

Figure 13 - Suspected tree-trunks debris adjacent to north-shore river-mouths. The features are
aligned N-S indicating entry into the Bay from the river. The larger features are up to
20m long, with 1-2ft relief

 
Figure 14 - Block diagram of Level 1 and (superimposed) Level 2 geomorphology features such as mega-ripples, sand ribbons and river-debris. The TIRS HR
3D Seismic is shown beneath.