Estimates of the temperatures of hydrocarbon generation in the region of the Sea of Okhotsk

Abstract

Particular features of the tectonic structure and anomalous distribution of the geothermal, geomagnetic, and gravity fields in the region of the Sea of Okhotsk are considered. On the basis of heat flow data, the ages of large-scale structures in the Sea of Okhotsk are estimated at 65 Ma for the Central Okhotsk Rise and 36 Ma for the South Okhotsk Basin. The age of the South Okhotsk Basin is confirmed by the data on the kinematics and corresponds to a 50-km thickness of the lithosphere. This is in accordance with the thickness value obtained by magnetotelluric soundings. A comparative analysis of the model geothermal background and the measured heat flow values on the Akademii Nauk Rise is performed. The analysis points to an abnormally high (by approximately 20%) measured heat flow, which agrees with the high negative gradient of gravity anomalies. The estimates of the deep heat flow and the basement age of the riftogenic basins in the Sea of Okhotsk were carried out in the following areas: the Deryugin Basin (18 Ma, Early Miocene), the TINRO Basin (12 Ma, Middle Miocene), and the West Kamchatka Basin (23 Ma, Late Oligocene). The temperatures at the boundaries of the main lithological complexes of the sedimentary cover are calculated and the zones of oil and gas generation are defined. On the basis of geothermal, magnetic, structural, and other geological-geophysical data, a kinematic model of the region of the Sea of Okhotsk for a period of 36 Ma was calculated and constructed.