Abstract
In the Barents Sea, including the Pechora Basin north of 67°N, more than 60 hydrocarbon discoveries have been made. Offshore exploration started in the early eighties and by end of 1989 some 22 and 45 exploration wells had been drilled in the eastern and western parts respectively. Approximately 700,000 km of seismic data had been acquired. Baikalian and Caledonian rocks form the basement throughout much of the region. Six major Phanerozoic tectonic events greatly influenced the evolution of the region. (1) The Caledonian orogenic megacycle with importance in the central and western areas. (2) The Permian to Early Triassic Uralian orogeny. (3) Devonian and Carboniferous rifting. (4) Late Permian and Early Triassic extension in the eastern part with subsequent strong subsidence. (5) Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous rifting in the western area. Finally, (6) the Cenozoic opening of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea and the Arctic Ocean with implications for the western and northernmost areas. Reservoirs are proven in Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian carbonates and Silurian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstones. Important source rocks are Devonian and Upper Jurassic anoxic shales. Permian and Triassic shales and Lower Jurassic coals also have source potential. A great variety of trap and sealing mechanisms exist in the area. Several plays have proven hydrocarbons. Paleozoic carbonates are productive in the Pechora Basin. Huge gas accumulations, the Snohvit and Shtokmanovskoye fields, have been proven in Middle and mainly Upper Jurassic sandstones respectively. Hydrocarbons have also been proven in sandstones of Triassic and Cretaceous age. The largest volumes of hydrocarbons are found in the northern part of the Pechora Basin which is dominated by Paleozoic oil discoveries. Offshore, mainly gas and gas condensate discoveries have been made. The expectations of future discoveries in the area are high, but prospectivity varies considerably within the region. The highest potential for oil is expected in the eastern and southeastern parts, while gas and gas-condensate will be dominant in most of the offshore region.
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