Cyclicity and prospects of the Jurassic oil-and-gas complex on the Barents Sea shelf

Abstract

The oil and gas potential of Jurassic deposits of the shelf zone of the Barents Sea is confirmed by the discovery of a series of fields, both in the Russian sector of the Barents Sea, and in the Norwegian one. Along with known large gas and gas-condensate fields, the first oil field was opened in the western Norwegian part in April 2011. Peculiarities of the stratigraphy of the Jurassic complex indicate that cyclicity occurred in the development of the basin. The results of the works that were carried out demonstrate that the search for oil and gas fields in sandy reservoirs, deposited at the periods of regression is promising. Regionally extended clayey beds, which were deposited during periods of transgression, are considered as a seal. New oil and gas fields can be found, not only in the anticline structures, but also in lithological traps.