Structure of the sedimentary cover of the Pugachevo mud volcano area in Sakhalin: Evidence from geophysical modeling

Abstract

The geological-geophysical data on the Pugachevo mud volcano group located in the zone of the submeridional Central Sakhalin Fault (CSF) are analyzed. The results of the density and geothermal modeling along two orthogonal profiles passing through the central part of the Pugachevo area are examined. It is found that the Late Cretaceous sequence of this fault-related area contains a subvertical narrow anomalous deconsolidation cone-shaped zone widening from 1 km on the surface to 4 km at its base (at the depths more than 6 km). The density of the deconsolidation blocks is 2.20–2.22 g/cm3, whereas that of the adjacent blocks reaches around 2.4–2.5 g/cm3. The largest deconsolidation block is located in the Lower Cretaceous Ai Formation, where a vast reservoir zone with mainly hydrocarbon gas (HC) is inferred at depths of more than 4400 m with temperatures of more than 140°C. The modeling results showed that the main reservoir of gases periodically ejected from the Pugachevo mud volcano is localized in the Ai Formation sequence in the tectonically weakened zone of the CSF at depths of 4.5–5.6 km. The overlying sequences contain smaller intermediate reservoirs. The Pugachevo area is promising for economic hydrocarbon reservoirs.