Tectonic basis for oil and gas potential in the North Kara prospective area (Western Arctic, Russia)

Abstract

The Arctic shelf of Russia, and, in particular, the shelf of the Kara Sea, is one of the unique regions of the world with enormous hydrocarbon potential, however, due to the harsh weather conditions, it has been studied unevenly. The lack of deep and parametric drilling data in the northern part of the Kara Sea leads to numerous uncertainties in models of the geological structure of the region and, as a consequence, to uncertainties in assessments of the resource potential of this Arctic region. A large volume of 2D CDP seismic exploration was carried out in the northern part of the Kara Sea. The results of these works made it possible to clarify the geological structure of the Kara Plate, substantiate the boundaries of the North Kara independent promising region and promising areas within it, and assess hydrocarbon resources.