The Petroleum Potential of the Riphean–Vendian Succession of Southern East Siberia
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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253369249 The petroleum potential of the Riphean–Vendian succession of southern East Siberia CHAPTER in GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY LONDON SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS · MAY 2012 Impact Factor: 2.58 · DOI: 10.1144/SP366.1 CITATIONS READS 2 95 4 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Olga K. Bogolepova Uppsala University 51 PUBLICATIONS 271 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Alexander P. Gubanov Scandiz Research 55 PUBLICATIONS 485 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Available from: Olga K. Bogolepova Retrieved on: 08 March 2016 Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on March 25, 2013 Geological Society, London, Special Publications The petroleum potential of the Riphean-Vendian succession of southern East Siberia James P. Howard, Olga K. Bogolepova, Alexander P. Gubanov and Marcela G?mez-Pérez Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2012, v.366; p177-198. doi: 10.1144/SP366.1 Email alerting click here to receive free e-mail alerts when service new articles cite this article Permission click here to seek permission to re-use all or request part of this article Subscribe click here to subscribe to Geological Society, London, Special Publications or the Lyell Collection Notes © The Geological Society of London 2013 Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on March 25, 2013 The petroleum potential of the Riphean–Vendian succession of southern East Siberia JAMES P. HOWARD*, OLGA K. BOGOLEPOVA, ALEXANDER P. GUBANOV & MARCELA GO´ MEZ-PE´ REZ CASP, West Building, 181a Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DH, UK *Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract: The Siberian Platform covers an area of c. 4.5 million km2 in the East Siberia region of Russia, up to 3.5 million km2 of which is prospective for hydrocarbons. We review the Archaean to Neoproterozoic evolution of the Siberian Platform and the potential oil and gas resources of Riphean, Vendian and Infracambrian sediments. The Riphean was dominated by passive margin sedimentation and was intensely deformed during the Baikalian orogeny. Vendian strata record a clastic transgressive sequence and the eventual re-establishment of carbonate platform sedimen- tation. The late Vendian–early Cambrian is characterized by carbonate deposition including thick salt horizons, which form a regional seal. Hydrocarbon maturation and migration from Riphean and Vendian source rocks occurred during the late Neoproterozoic and Early Palaeozoic, indicating that hydrocarbon reservoirs on the Siberian Platform may have hosted their reserves over a remark- able period of geological time. Despite many years of hydrocarbon exploration in East Siberia, many regions remain under-explored, and aspects of the proven hydrocarbon systems are poorly understood. There are undoubtedly more major discoveries to be made in the region, and the Infra- cambrian succession of the southern Siberian Platform therefore represents an irresistible target for further hydrocarbon exploration. Infracambrian sedimentary basins are a major Estimates of maximum oil and gas production also source of hydrocarbons in many parts of the world, vary significantly (Tables 1 & 2), especially those including Australia, India, Pakistan, Oman, Mauri- provided by the Siberian Academy of Sciences and tania, the USA and East Siberia. Oil shows were Gazprom (Tables 1 & 2). For East Siberia, peak noted in East Siberia more than 200 years ago, and oil production is estimated to be 188 Mbbl/yr by since then East Siberia has become a world-class Gazprom and 450 Mbbl/yr by the Academy, while hydrocarbon province. Oil and gas in-place esti- peak gas production is estimated to be 4.7 TCF/yr mates are 4 billion barrels of oil (Bbbl) (Nakashima by Gazprom and 4.2 TCF/yr by the Academy (Pous- 2004) and .38 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas senkova 2007). Such differences probably reflect the (Ulmishek 2001a, b; Nakashima 2004). Oil in East limited scale of exploration in East Siberia as well as Siberia is of high quality, with a density of political factors. Current estimates of hydrocarbon 318API, sulphur content of 0.1–1.3% and low paraf- reserves in southern East Siberia indicate the rela- fin content (c. 1%) (Poussenkova 2007). The East tive importance of the three oil and gas plays as Siberian gas reserves differ from the gas fields of follows: Riphean carbonates (3%), Vendian clastics West Siberia in that they have a particularly high (67%) and Vendian–early Cambrian carbonates helium content (0.2–0.6%) (Poussenkova 2007). (30%). However, Shemin (2007) concludes that Total helium reserves in East Siberia are estimated the distribution of these reserves reflects the focus to be between 1.9 and 2.5 TCF, exceeding the of earlier exploration, not the actual potential of helium reserves of the USA, which is currently the each oil and gas complex. The opening of the world’s largest producer (Poussenkova 2007). ESPO (East Siberian Pacific Ocean) pipeline is Predicted values of the total volume of hydro- likely to further stimulate exploration in the region. carbon reserves in East Siberia vary substantially depending on the source of the data. Resource esti- mates by Nakashima (2004) suggest that oil reserves Geology range from 18.9 Bbbl (standard case) to 67.2 Bbbl (upside case), representing 13% of in-place Russian The Siberian Platform occupies an area of reserves (Dobretsov et al. 2007). Gas reserves are c. 4 500 000 km2 and is bound by the Enisey– estimated at 386 TCF, or 18% of in-place Russian Khatanga trough to the north, the Enisey and Lena reserves (Nakashima 2004; Dobretsov et al. 2007). rivers to the west and east respectively and by the From:Bhat, G. M., Craig, J., Thurow, J. W., Thusu,B.&Cozzi, A. (eds) 2012. Geology and Hydrocarbon Potential of Neoproterozoic–Cambrian Basins in Asia. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 366, 177–198. First published online January 19, 2012, http:// dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP366.1 # The Geological Society of London 2012. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on March 25, 2013 178 J. P. HOWARD ET AL. Table 1. Oil production (million barrels/yr) 2010 2020 2030 Reference Region 750–788 900–990 Kontorovich (2007) Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk, Irkuksk 81.6 351.6 375 Dobretsov et al. (2007) East Siberia 225 Poussenkova (2007) East Siberia 450 (peak – Russian Poussenkova (2007) Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk, Irkuksk Academy of Sciences) 188 (peak – Gazprom) Poussenkova (2007) Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk, Irkuksk Central Asian Orogenic belt to the south (Fig. 1). incomplete understanding of geological structures The platform comprises Archaean basement over- (Egorov et al. 2003). Correlation of well-exposed lain by a platform succession consisting of four sedi- Riphean platform margin successions, interpreted mentary ‘megacomplexes’ deposited in Riphean, as deepwater deposits, with the shallow marine plat- Vendian–Silurian, Devonian–Carboniferous and form succession observed in boreholes is especially Jurassic–Cretaceous time. The platform margins problematic (Frolov et al. 2010). are characterized by a thick Riphean passive mar- gin succession. The southern part of the Siberian Platform, which Tectonic evolution of East Siberia contains numerous proven and potential Infracam- brian hydrocarbon fields, forms the focus of this The Siberian Craton formed by the accretion of 11 paper. In this section we outline the geological evol- Archaean and 2 Palaeoproterozoic crustal blocks ution of six geological regions – the Baykit Anticlise in the period 2.1–1.8 Ga (Rosen et al. 2006; Glad- the Khatanga Saddle, the Cis-Sayan Syneclise, the kochub et al. 2006). The subsequent tectonic evol- Angara-Lena Step, the Nepa-Botuoba Anticlise, ution of the Siberian continent, and its location and the Cis-Patom Trough, which together form a and orientation with respect to other continents, substantial part of the Lena-Tunguska oil and gas has been the subject of much debate and research. province (Fig. 1; Kontorovich et al. 1976). The It is assumed that the Siberian continent formed Riphean platform succession and passive margin part of the supercontinent Rodinia; however, its pos- sediments deposited along the platform margins ition with respect to Laurentia and the timing of its during the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic separation remain unclear. The lack of reliable contain organic-rich intervals interpreted to have palaeomagnetic data from cratonic basement has been the source of most of the hydrocarbons on led to a number of different reconstructions for the the platform. Thus, the problem of long-term preser- two continents (Pisarevsky & Natapov 2003). vation of Infracambrian hydrocarbons, which is Frost et al. (1998) and Rainbird et al. (1998) point common to Infracambrian hydrocarbon plays else- out that stable platform sedimentation from 1.8 Ga where, may be complicated by the need to establish combined with the lack of Grenville age defor- long-distance migration pathways from the platform mation (1.25–0.98 Ga) implies that the Siberian margins onto the platform itself. continent was on the northeastern periphery of The region remains under-explored away from Rodinia. It is believed that during Neoproterozoic known fields, and correlation of Riphean and time Siberia was located at equatorial/subtropical Vendian strata is hampered by rapid lateral facies latitudes, south of the palaeoequator (Pavlov et al. changes, limited biostratigraphic data and an 2002; Cocks & Torsvik