New Seismic Survey Offshore Myanmar and Bangladesh: Implications for the Geodynamic Evolution of the Bengal Basin

Abstract There have been 3 episodes of rifting/ spreading in the Indian Ocean: Bengal Basin with NE-SE rifting in the Cretaceous, Indian Ocean N-S spreading in the Late Cretaceous to Middle Eocene and South Indian Ridge NE-SW spreading from the Late Eocene to Present. Academic seismic cruises have taken MCS and refraction data in the Eastern Bengal Basin in 2006 and 2007. The Eastern Bengal Basin was first surveyed with Multibeam echosounder in 2000 and 2005 and showed the Myanmar margin is controlled by mass gravity sliding and avalanches. The Bengal basin rift is progressively buried by Paleogene Miocene sedimentation. A deep depocenter remains present only bwtween the 90° and 85°E ridges. Keywords: Shwe Gas Field • Indo Burma Ranges…