Deep Structure, Tectonics and Petroleum Potential of the Western Sector of the Russian Arctic
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Journal of Marine Science and Engineering Article Deep Structure, Tectonics and Petroleum Potential of the Western Sector of the Russian Arctic Alexey S. Egorov 1, Oleg M. Prischepa 2, Yury V. Nefedov 2,* , Vladimir A. Kontorovich 3 and Ilya Y. Vinokurov 4 1 The Faculty of Geology, Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education, Saint-Petersburg Mining University, 199106 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; [email protected] 2 Oil and Gas Geology Department, Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education, Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Saint-199106 Petersburg, Russia; [email protected] 3 Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, The Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; [email protected] 4 Deep Geophysics Department, Russian Geological Research Institute, 199106 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +7-911-230-56-36 Abstract: The evolutionary-genetic method, whereby modern sedimentary basins are interpreted as end-products of a long geological evolution of a system of conjugate palaeo-basins, enables the assessment of the petroleum potential of the Western sector of the Russian Arctic. Modern basins in this region contain relics of palaeo-basins of a certain tectonotype formed in varying geodynamic regimes. Petroleum potential estimates of the Western Arctic vary broadly—from 34.7 to more than 100 billion tons of oil equivalent with the share of liquid hydrocarbons from 5.3 to 13.4 billion tons of oil equivalent. At each stage of the development of palaeo-basins, favourable geological, geochemical and thermobaric conditions have emerged and determined the processes of oil and gas formation, Citation: Egorov, A.S.; Prischepa, migration, accumulation, and subsequent redistribution between different complexes. The most O.M.; Nefedov, Y.V.; Kontorovich, recent stage of basin formation is of crucial importance for the modern distribution of hydrocarbon V.A.; Vinokurov, I.Y. Deep Structure, accumulations. The primary evolutionary-genetic sequence associated with the oil and gas formation Tectonics and Petroleum Potential of regime of a certain type is crucial for the assessment of petroleum potential. Tectonic schemes of the Western Sector of the Russian Arctic. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9, 258. individual crustal layers of the Western sector of the Russian Arctic have been compiled based on https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9030258 the interpretation of several seismic data sets. These schemes are accompanied by cross-sections of the Earth’s crust alongside reference geophysical profiles (geo-traverses). A tectonic scheme of Academic Editors: the consolidated basement shows the location and nature of tectonic boundaries of cratons and Alexey Cherepovitsyn and platform plates with Grenvillian basement as well as Baikalian, Caledonian, Hercynian, and Early Alina Ilinova Cimmerian fold areas. Four groups of sedimentary basins are distinguished on the tectonic scheme of the platform cover according to the age of its formation: (1) Riphean-Mesozoic on the Early Received: 9 February 2021 Precambrian basement; (2) Paleozoic-Cenozoic on the Baikalian and Grenvillian basements; (3) Late Accepted: 20 February 2021 Paleozoic-Cenozoic on the Caledonian basement; (4) Mesozoic-Cenozoic, overlying a consolidated Published: 1 March 2021 basement of different ages. Fragments of reference sections along geo-traverses illustrate features of the deep structure of the main geo-structures of the Arctic shelf and continental regions of polar Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral Russia. with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- Keywords: tectonic zoning; deep structure of the Earth’s crust; Western Russian Arctic; reference iations. geological and geophysical sections (geo-traverses); petroleum potential of the Western Russian Arctic; resource base of the Arctic shelf Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. 1. Introduction This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and At the present stage of regional oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, much attention is conditions of the Creative Commons given to studies of the deep structure of sedimentary basins in conjunction with studies of Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// the consolidated basement underlying them. Such an approach allows the assessment of creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ the age interval and geodynamic settings of the platform cover formation, the morphology 4.0/). of these structures, and the nature of the tectonic dislocations. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9, 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9030258 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jmse J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 28 J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9, 258 of the age interval and geodynamic settings of the platform cover formation,2 ofthe 26 morphology of these structures, and the nature of the tectonic dislocations. At the present level of regional geological and geophysical studies of the Russian Federation and adjacent continental shelf development of new methodological approachesAt the presentto the geotectonic level of regional modeling geological of structural and geophysicaland compositional studies inhomogeneities of the Russian Federationof the Earth's and adjacent crust, continentaltheir geodynamic shelf development and evolutionary of new methodological interpretation, approaches and the toimplementation the geotectonic of modeling regional of forecast structural-mineragenic and compositional estimates inhomogeneities for various types of theof ore Earth’s and crust,nonmetallic their geodynamic minerals, are and of particular evolutionary relevance. interpretation, and the implementation of re- gionalThe forecast-mineragenic lithosphere-scale 3- estimatesD structural for model various of typesthe Barents of ore andSea and nonmetallic Kara Sea minerals,region of areKlitzke of particular et al. [1 relevance.,2] was the first attempt to combine information about sediments, crystallineThe lithosphere-scale crust and lithospheric 3-D structural mantle. model of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea region of Klitzke et al. [1,2] was the first attempt to combine information about sediments, crystalline This model refines the four main mega-sequence boundaries: the bottom of the crust and lithospheric mantle. upper crystalline crust, the Moho, and the calculated lithosphere–asthenosphere (LAB) This model refines the four main mega-sequence boundaries: the bottom of the upper boundary. crystalline crust, the Moho, and the calculated lithosphere–asthenosphere (LAB) boundary. The Northern (1) and Southern (2) Kara Sea, the Eastern (3) and Western (4) Barents The Northern (1) and Southern (2) Kara Sea, the Eastern (3) and Western (4) Barents Sea, and the oceanic domain comprising the Norwegian–Greenland Sea and the Eurasia Sea, and the oceanic domain comprising the Norwegian–Greenland Sea and the Eurasia Basin (5) are the five main offshore areas. The western Barents Sea is underlain by a thin Basin (5) are the five main offshore areas. The western Barents Sea is underlain by a thin (~80 km) lithosphere. It was formed through multiple Phanerozoic rifting phases and/or (~80 km) lithosphere. It was formed through multiple Phanerozoic rifting phases and/or the opening of the Atlantic starting from Paleocene/Eocene times onwards. the opening of the Atlantic starting from Paleocene/Eocene times onwards. The most important results of the development of the structural model [3] for the The most important results of the development of the structural model [3] for the assessment of petroleum potential relate to the South-West Barents Sea and show a assessment of petroleum potential relate to the South-West Barents Sea and show a classical riftclassical system rift with system major with extensional major extensional faults. faults. MoreMore recentrecent researchresearch resultedresulted inin thethe compilationcompilation ofof aa tectonictectonic mapmap ofof thethe ArcticArctic [[4]4] thatthat showsshows the the age age and and main main structural structural features features of coastal of coastal and oceanic and oceanic sedimentary sedimentary basins ofbasins the Barents, of the Barents, Kara, Laptev, Kara, EastLaptev, Siberian, East Siberian, and Chukotka and Chukotka Seas [5]. TheSeas basement [5]. The b structureasement ofstructure these basins of these and basins Arctic and islands Arctic is alsoislands discussed. is also discussed. TheThe databasedatabase ofof regionalregional investigationsinvestigations ofof thethe deepdeep structurestructure ofof thethe crust,crust, tectonics,tectonics, andand geodynamicsgeodynamics ofof sedimentarysedimentary basinsbasins andand foldfold areasareas includesincludes refractionrefraction andand reflectionreflection (CDP)(CDP) seismicseismic data, data, deep deep seismic seismic sounding sounding (DSS) (DSS) data, data, magnetotellurics magnetotellurics (MT), (MT), audio audio mag- netotelluricsmagnetotellurics (AMT) (AMT) sections, sections digital, potentialdigital potential fields, and fields, remote and sensing remote data. sensing Geological data. mappingGeological results mapping and geologicalresults and and geological geophysical and studies geophysical of wells studies were alsoof wells used towere inform also ourused interpretations. to inform our interpretations. These were collected These were in the collected framework in the of framework government of programs