Geological Structure and Petroleum Potential of the Kara Sea Shelf

Abstract

On the Kara Sea shelf, there are two sedimentary basins separated by the North Siberian sill. Tectonically, the southern part of the Kara Sea covers the South Kara regional depression, which is the northern end of the West Siberian geosyncline. This part of the water area is identified as part of the South Kara oil and gas region, within which the Aptian–Albian–Cenomanian sedimentary complex is of greatest interest in terms of the gas content; in terms of liquid hydrocarbons, the Neocomian and Jurassic deposits are of importance. The northern part of the Kara Sea is an independent North Kara province, for the most part of which the prospects of the petroleum potential are associated with Paleozoic sedimentary complexes. Promising oil and gas zones of this basin may be associated with anticlinal, nonstructural traps and reef structures.