MEASURED SECTION FOR THE POSSIBLE STRATOTYPE OF THE MIRI FORMATION, AT MIRI HILL, NORTH SARAWAK, MALAYSIA

Abstract

The Miri Formation is continuously studied by many researchers in various aspects and disciplines in geology due to the important petroleum reservoir since the period of production in 1920-1941. The aim of this study is to analyse a basic principle of postulated type locality found in Miri area. A complete sequence of the Miri Formation (measured section) is exposed at Oil Well road which is related to the Miri Formation. The distribution of outcrops is widely distributed at a few localities in Miri region such as Tanjong Lobang, Airport road, Hospital road and Oil Well road. The rock formation is preserves a complete sequence of sedimentary facies established for the Miri Formation. The section comprises the following facies; facies 1: planar cross stratified (PcS), facies 2: swaley cross stratified (ScS), facies 3: swaley-Hummocky cross stratified (SHcS), facies 4: Hummocky cross stratified (HcS) and facies 5: parallel laminae facies. Those facies are interpreted to have been deposited from offshore, lower shoreface to foreshore setting at a shoreline system. This measured section found stands by itself without referring to another rock unit either lateral or vertical distribution except the information reported by former researchers that they used subsurface data to evaluate other formation (lithostratigraphic unit) related to it.

Keywords

• Miri Formation
• facies
• stratotype
• type section
• foreshore