Seepage Areas Research Articles

Occurrence of microplastics in the Haima cold seep area of the South China Sea

The pollution of deep-sea microplastics has received increasing attention. As a special ecosystem in the deep sea, the cold seep area is of great significance for studying the distribution of microplastics in the deep sea. In this work, the distribution and characteristics of microplastics in seawater, sediments, and shellfish in the Haima cold seep area and the correlation between the characteristics of microplastics in different media and the type of media were studied. Microplastics were found in all three media. The abundance of microplastics in different samples from the Haima cold seep area ranged 1.8–3.8 items/L for the seawater, 11.47–96.8 items/kg (d.w.) for the surface sediments, and 0–5 items/individual (0–0.714 items/g) for the shellfish. The amount of microplastics ingested by shellfish varied among different species. The microplastics in these three media were mainly fibrous, dark-colored, small-sized rayon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene (PE). In the correlation analysis of microplastic characteristics among the three media, it was found that the characteristics of microplastics in different media in the same area were closely related, and each pair of variables showed a significant positive correlation (P ≤ 0.05). The distinctive geographical conditions would accelerate the interchange of microplastics among various media. Principal component analysis showed that habitat contribute to microplastic feature differences in shellfish. Differences in correlation were observed between the characteristics of shellfish microplastics in different regions and the characteristics of microplastics in surrounding seawater and sediments.

A vast repertoire of secondary metabolites potentially influences community dynamics and biogeochemical processes in cold seeps.

In deep-sea cold seeps, microbial communities thrive on the geological seepage of hydrocarbons and inorganic compounds, differing from photosynthetically driven ecosystems. However, their biosynthetic capabilities remain largely unexplored. Here, we analyzed 81 metagenomes, 33 metatranscriptomes, and 7 metabolomes derived from nine different cold seep areas to investigate their secondary metabolites. Cold seep microbiomes encode diverse and abundant biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Most BGCs are affiliated with understudied bacteria and archaea, including key mediators of methane and sulfur cycling. The BGCs encode diverse antimicrobial compounds that potentially shape community dynamics and various metabolites predicted to influence biogeochemical cycling. BGCs from key players are widely distributed and highly expressed, with their abundance and expression levels varying with sediment depth. Sediment metabolomics reveals unique natural products, highlighting uncharted chemical potential and confirming BGC activity in these sediments. Overall, these results demonstrate that cold seep sediments serve as a reservoir of hidden natural products and sheds light on microbial adaptation in chemosynthetically driven ecosystems.

Real-time tunnel lining leakage image semantic segmentation via multiple attention mechanisms

One of the key objectives in tunnel illness detection is identifying tunnel lining leakage, and deep learning-based image semantic segmentation approaches can automatically locate tunnel lining leakage. However, in order to meet the real-time processing needs of professional mobile inspection equipment, existing leakage image segmentation approaches have difficulties in identifying real-time, dealing with voids, and dealing with edge discontinuities in the leaking zone. To address the aforementioned issues, this study introduces the PP-LiteSeg-Attn model, which takes the real-time semantic segmentation model PP-LiteSeg-B as baseline model, and combines the multi-layer CBAM attention mechanism and the CoT attention mechanism. Using the publically available dataset Water-Leakage, we trained and validated the PP-LiteSeg-Attn model, and attained IoU and F1 values of 88.18% and 93.72%, respectively, outperforming similar models in both measures. Extensive experiments show that the segmentation speed of the PP-LiteSeg-Attn model reaches 112.28 FPS, which meets real-time requirements, and that the model can effectively solve problems such as the appearance of voids in the seepage area, discontinuity, and fuzzy segmentation of seepage edges. The PP-LiteSeg-Attn model is better applicable to complicated tunnel settings, offering technical references for real-time diagnosis of tunnel illnesses.

Analysis of Groundwater Salinity Levels in the Lampulo Coastal Area Kuta Alam Sub-District

The problem of seawater seepage in coastal areas can result in a decrease in groundwater quality due to the mixing of seawater and groundwater, so seawater seepage has an impact on increasing salinity, including in the research area. The research location is in the Lampulo beach area, Kuta Alam sub-district. Phreatic well water is generally not liked by residents of this coastal area because it tastes brackish. The high salinity of phreatic groundwater is caused by seawater seepage into alluvial land. The aim of this research is to analyze the level of groundwater salinity in the Lampulo coastal area, Kuta Alam sub-district. This research uses a grid sampling method and criteria for assessing groundwater salinity (o/oo) based on salt content. Groundwater salinity was measured randomly in 50 phreatic wells using a refractometer and marked with sample coordinates using the Avenza Maps application. Field measurement results show that there are variations in salinity values ranging from 0 to 32 ppt. Phreatic well water at the research location based on its salt content is grouped into three groups, namely fresh water, brackish water and salt water. For the freshwater group, a percentage value was obtained with a prevalence of 68%; for the brackish water group, a percentage value was obtained with a prevalence of 26%; and for the salt water group, a percentage value was obtained with a prevalence of 6%.Keywords: Salinity, Groundwater, Phreatic Well, Seawater Seepage, Grid Sampling 

Adaptive AUV Mission Control System Tested in the Waters of Baffin Bay

The primary objectives of this paper are to test an adaptive sampling method for an autonomous underwater vehicle, specifically tailored to track a hydrocarbon plume in the water column. An overview of the simulation of the developed applications within the autonomous system is presented together with the subsequent validation achieved through field trials in an area of natural oil seeps near to Scott Inlet in Baffin Bay. This builds upon our prior published work in methodological development. The method employed involves an integrated backseat drive of the AUV, which processes in situ sensor data in real time, assesses mission status, and determines the next task. The core of the developed system comprises three modular components—Search, Survey, and Sample—each designed for independent and sequential execution. Results from tests in Baffin Bay demonstrate that the backseat drive operating system successfully accomplished mission goals, recovering water samples at depths of 20 m, 50 m, and 200 m before mission completion and vehicle retrieval. The principal conclusion drawn from these trials underscores the system’s resilience in enhanced decision autonomy and validates its applicability to marine pollutant assessment and mitigation.

Identification and Characteristics Analysis of Micro-Seismic Signals in the Haima Seep Area

Identification and Characteristics Analysis of Micro-Seismic Signals in the Haima Seep Area

Manifestation of Gas Seepage from Bottom Sediments on the Sea Surface: Theoretical Model and Experimental Observations

The key area of the Arctic Ocean for atmospheric venting of CH4 is the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS). Leakage of methane through shallow ESAS waters needs to be considered in interactions between the biogeosphere and a warming Arctic climate. The development of remote sensing techniques for gas seepage detection and mapping is crucially needed for further applications in the ESAS and other areas of interest. Given the extent of the seepage areas and the magnitude of current and potential future emissions, new approaches are required to effectively, rapidly, and quantitatively survey the large seepage areas. Here, we consider the main features of gas seep detection on the sea surface in the characteristics of wind waves and radar signals. The kinematics of wave packets based on the kinetic equation for the spectral density of the wave action of surface waves is described. The results of a full-scale experiment on the remote radar observation of a model gas seep to the sea surface in the radar equipment signals are considered. The characteristic radar signatures of the gas seep in a wide range of hydrometeorological conditions, the parameters of which were recorded synchronously with the radar mapping, were determined. The results of the first radar observations of natural methane seeps on the ESAS are presented, and their radar contrasts are evaluated. The theoretical conclusions are in good qualitative agreement with the results of the model experiment and field studies and can be used for further research in aquatic areas with potential gas seepage, both of natural or anthropogenic origin, such as bubbling release from broken underwater gas pipelines.

Source and significance of Cretaceous oil seepage in the northern Ordos Basin, China

It has long been believed that the region on the north of the Dongsheng gas field has only limited exploration potential due to the lack of effective source rocks. However, several areas of Cretaceous oil seepage have been discovered in the area and their sources are unclear. In this study, the organic geochemical characteristics of these oil seepages and potential source rocks (coals and carbonaceous mudstones of different formations) are examined using TOC analysis, pyrolysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and carbon isotopes. The results show that the oil seepages are low-to-moderately mature (0.63 %-0.78 % Rc) and slightly biodegraded. The molecular biomarker compositions of the oil seepages are characterized by C29≫C28>C27 normalized relative abundance of regular steranes, high values of Pr/Ph, (C19TT + C20TT)/C23TT and C24TeT/C26TT ratios, low values of Ga/C30H, and low abundance of dibenzothiophenes. The biomarker compositions, as well as the stable carbon isotopes, indicate that the source of the oil seepages was deposited in a lacustrine fluvial/deltaic environment under oxic to sub-oxic conditions, with organic matter input predominantly from terrigenous higher plants. Oil-source correlation revealed that the oil seepages were closely related to the coals in the Shanxi formation in the south source kitchen, implying that the hydrocarbons generated in the south source kitchen have been able to migrate to the north edge of the Ordos Basin. The oil seepages are accompanied by significant gas leakage. The zone between the Dongsheng gas field and the Wulangar Uplift is therefore likely to have very good accumulation and preservation conditions and may offer a promising exploration prospect for natural gas.

Stability analysis and grouting treatment of inclined shaft lining structure in water-rich strata: A case study

The stability of inclined shaft lining structure (ISLS) in complex water-rich strata is affected by many factors, such as water pressure, joint, soft rock, lining corrosion and so on. The instability of the ISLS will affect the safe and efficient coal mine production. Bathe sed on the geological conditions of the Xiaobaodang coal mine, this paper tested the evolution characteristics of concrete composition in long-term water seepage areas and revealed the influence mechanism of corrosion weakening of shaft lining (SL) in water-rich strata. Meanwhile, transient electromagnetic, ground penetrating radar, and infrared monitoring are used to detect the water-rich zones, and damage zones of surrounding rock and lining water seepage zones, and a three-level safety evaluation model for the instability risk of ISLS is constructed. Water abundance of the surrounding rock, surrounding rock deterioration, and shaft lining seepage were the specific indicators in the model. The main inclined shaft (MIS) in the studied coal mine is divided into three levels: non instability risk zone, potential instability risk zone, and high instability risk zone. According to the evaluation results, comprehensive prevention and control measures of “hydrophobic hole drainage” and “back-lining grouting” are adopted for the water inrush source and the surrounding rock micro-crack water channel. The precise prevention and control of ISLS is realized. The research results also provide a reference for the stability evaluation of ISLS and the accurate prevention and control under similar conditions.

Characterizing Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano (Barents Sea) cold seep systems by combining ROV-based acoustic data and underwater photogrammetry

Cold-seeps have a unique geo-ecological significance in the deep-sea environment. They impact the variability of present-day submarine sedimentary environments, affecting the evolution of the landscape over time and creating a variety of submarine landforms, one of which is Mud Volcanoes (MVs). MVs form due to the extrusion of mud, fluids, and gas, mainly methane, from deeper sedimentary layers. These natural gas seepage systems could significantly affect climate change and the global carbon cycle. We present a comprehensive method that combines ROV-based multibeam mapping and underwater photogrammetry to enhance the understanding of the physical relationships between geomorphic units characterizing the Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano (HMMV) and the distribution of associated habitats. HMMV is indeed characterized by high thermal and geochemical gradients from its center to the margins resulting in a clear zonation of chemosynthetic communities. Our approach integrates multi-resolutions and multi-sources data acquired using a work-class ROV. The ROV-based microbathymetry data helped to identify the different types of fine-scale submarine landforms in the central part of HMMV. This revealed three distinct geomorphic units, with the central hummocky region being the most complex. To further study this area, ROV images were analyzed using a defined Structure from Motion workflow producing millimetric resolution 2D and 3D models. Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), applied on orthomosaics, allowed us to obtain a fine classification of main benthic communities covering a total area of 940m2, including the active seepage area of the hummocky rim. Four major substrate types were identified in these regions: uncovered mud, bacterial mats high-density, bacterial mats low-density, sediments and tubeworms. Their relationship with terrain morphology and seepage activity were investigated at different spatial scales, contributing to a deeper understanding the ecological functioning of cold seep ecosystems in MVs. The applied workflow is proposed as an innovative processing technique for future studies on cold-seep systems. Geomorphic and ecological processes in extreme environments are inherently linked and marked by spatial patterns typifying associated habitats and sedimentary environments. This is poorly investigated in previous studies, leaving a substantial gap in the geomorphological drivers responsible for habitat distribution and extent in cold seep systems.

Lipidomic diversity and proxy implications of archaea from cold seep sediments of the South China Sea

Cold seeps on the continental margins are characterized by intense microbial activities that consume a large portion of methane by anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) through anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Although ANMEs are known to contain unique ether lipids that may have an important function in marine carbon cycling, their full lipidomic profiles and functional distribution in particular cold-seep settings are still poorly characterized. Here, we combined the 16S rRNA gene sequencing and lipidomic approaches to analyze archaeal communities and their lipids in cold seep sediments with distinct methane supplies from the South China Sea. The archaeal community was dominated by ANME-1 in the moderate seepage area with strong methane emission. Low seepage area presented higher archaeal diversity covering Lokiarchaeia, Bathyarchaeia, and Thermoplasmata. A total of 55 core lipids (CLs) and intact polar lipids (IPLs) of archaea were identified, which included glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), hydroxy-GDGTs (OH-GDGTs), archaeol (AR), hydroxyarchaeol (OH-AR), and dihydroxyarchaeol (2OH-AR). Diverse polar headgroups constituted the archaeal IPLs. High concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) with depleted δ13CDIC and high methane index (MI) values based on both CLs (MICL) and IPLs (MIIPL) indicate that ANMEs were active in the moderate seepage area. The ANME-2 and ANME-3 clades were characterized by enhanced glycosidic and phosphoric diether lipids production, indicating their potential role in coupling carbon and phosphurus cycling in cold seep ecosystems. ANME-1, though representing a smaller proportion of total archaea than ANME-2 and ANME-3 in the low seepage area, showed a positive correlation with MIIPL, indicating a different mechanism contributing to the IPL-GDGT pool. This also suggests that MIIPL could be a sensitive index to trace AOM activities performed by ANME-1. Overall, our study expands the understanding of the archaeal lipid composition in the cold seep and improves the application of MI using intact polar lipids that potentially link to extent ANME activities.

An Arctic natural oil seep investigated from space to the seafloor

Due to climate change, decreasing ice cover and increasing industrial activities, Arctic marine ecosystems are expected to face higher levels of anthropogenic stress. To sustain healthy and productive ocean ecosystems, it is imperative to build baseline data to assess future climatic and environmental changes. Herein, a natural oil seep site offshore western Svalbard (Prins Karls Forland, PKF, 80–100 m water depth), discovered using satellite radar images, was investigated using an extensive multiscale and multisource geospatial dataset collected by satellite, aerial, floating, and underwater platforms. The investigated PKF seep area covers roughly a seafloor area of 30,000 m2 and discharges oil from Tertiary or younger source rocks. Biomarker analyses confirm that the oil in the slicks on the sea surface and from the seep on the seafloor have the same origin. Uranium/Thorium dating of authigenic carbonate crusts indicated that the seep had emanated since the Late Pleistocene when ice sheet melting unlocked the hydrocarbons trapped beneath the ice. The faunal communities at the PKF seep are a mix of typical high latitude fauna and taxa adapted to reducing environments. Remarkably, the inhospitable oil-impregnated sediments were also colonized by abundant infaunal organisms. Altogether, in situ observations obtained at the site provide essential insights into the characteristics of high–latitude oil seeps and can be used as a natural laboratory for understanding the potential impacts of human oil discharge into the ocean.

Exploring carbon content variation in microplastics sequestrated from seawater to sediment in the Haima cold seep area

In the decades since plastic has become widely used, deep-sea areas, specifically cold seeps, have developed into plastic sinks. Cold seeps contain clean energy natural gas hydrates and act as a barrier reducing methane migration to the upper water column. However, the impacts of microplastics (MPs) on the carbon content in the cold seep remain unclear. In this study, we explored spatial changes in the MPs’ carbon content (MPC) selecting the Haima cold seep (HCS) as the study area. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) For active seepage areas, the mass abundance of the MPs increases with the methane seepage strength in all water columns and sediment of strong seepage areas. It decreases with the seepage strength in the sediment cores in other areas. (2)The MPC is positively correlated with the depth of the water column in the non-seepage area, while it is negatively correlated in the sediment core. (3) The surface roughness of the MPs was greater in the middle of the water column and the sediment core at ROV1. In the high-pressure and oligotrophic cold seep, the amount and method of microbial utilization of carbon from the MPs deserve greater attention.

Study of fracturing fluid re-discharge based on percolation experiments and sampling tests – An example of Fuling shale gas Jiangdong block, China

Abstract Shale gas development requires the use of hydraulic fracturing, and the relationship between fracturing fluid drainage and production is not clear. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt the method of core experiment combined with engineering validation to achieve the description of the seepage-absorption-return mechanism of shale and to optimize the selection of fracturing fluids and the testing work system in engineering. In this study, a “seepage experiment → sampling test → engineering validation” working procedure is proposed, and it is found that seepage occurs only on the surface of the fracture where the liquid medium intrudes into the fracture and that the amount of water absorbed is directly proportional to the area of seepage; the rate of return is inversely proportional to the production rate in the same secondary tectonic unit; and the absorption rate per unit area of four types of cores with the same surface area is directly proportional to the yield of the fractured shale in the same medium. Under the premise of the same medium, the water absorption per unit area of the four types of cores varies with the rate of change with time, but the general trend is the same. Under the premise of different secondary tectonic units, when the time of good closure is similar, the correlation between the return rate and the test production is weak.

An approach for quantifying the calcium leaching effect on service performance of concrete cutoff wall of embankment dams

Calcium leaching is one of the essential diseases of concrete impermeable structures; therefore, an effective numerical approach to quantifying the effect of calcium leaching on concrete impermeable structures is critical for evaluating the long-term service performance of the structure. To this end, a seepage and dissolution coupling model for simulating the degradation of hydraulic concrete properties is proposed in this paper by introducing performance parameter evolutionary models based on saturated–unsaturated seepage and calcium dissolution and migration theories. The model is developed in COMSOL with a staggered solution scheme, and a detailed numerical implementation method is presented. The effectiveness of the proposed method is examined by laboratory calcium leaching tests. On this basis, the model was applied to evaluate the effect of calcium leaching on the service performance of a concrete cutoff wall (CCW) of an embankment dam in Shaanxi Province, China. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively reproduce the calcium leaching process of concrete, and the variation of leaching depth based on model simulations is highly consistent with the experimental results. Calcium leaching primarily occurs at the CCW’s upstream waterfront surface, bypass seepage area and the partition of adjacent soil layers where the permeability varies greatly. Under seepage dissolution, the amount of leached calcium, average porosity, diffusion coefficient and hydraulic conductivity of the CCW increased exponentially with service duration, and solid-phase calcium leaching was the underlying cause of structural performance degradation. The length of the seepage path in the CCW decreases as the service duration increases, and the hydraulic gradient within it gradually increases. Based on the allowable hydraulic gradient of CCW, the safe service life of the CCW considering the calcium leaching effect was determined to be approximately 52a.

Predicting the acoustic characteristics of seafloor sediments containing cold spring carbonate rocks

The acoustic and physical properties of two valuable marine cold spring carbonate rock samples gathered from the Chaoshan Depression in the South China Sea were measured. The Wyllie time-average equation was applied to analyze the measured sound speeds and their trend under different porosities, and the sound speeds of marine cold spring carbonate rocks were found to be consistent with those of terrestrial carbonate rocks. The Voigt model, Reuss model, and Voigt-Reuss-Hill model were used to predict the characteristics of the sound speed for four states of seafloor sediments containing cold spring carbonate mineral particles or rocks. For these four states of marine cold spring carbonate mineral particles existing on or in seafloor sediments, the sound speed and reflection coefficient of a mixture of seafloor surface sediments containing cold spring carbonate mineral particles or rocks decrease with an increase in the volume ratio of the seafloor sediment. This method for predicting the reflection coefficient provides evidence to explain the high and low reflection coefficients observed in Chirp sub-bottom profiles of cold spring seepage areas.

Study on tide characteristics and mechanism of PSP in buried pipeline along the lake

The fluctuations of the Pipe-to-Soil Potential (PSP) in buried pipes are influenced by the geoelectric field induced by changes in the Earth's magnetic field, which can accelerate pipeline corrosion. Monitoring data of PSP along China's West–East Gas Pipeline near the lake indicates obvious tidal changes. This study proposes that the periodic movement of the conductivity boundary of the seepage area near the lake shore caused by tides is the fundamental cause of the tidal changes in PSP. The movement of the boundary changes the range of the H polarization of the geoelectric field, resulting in periodic changes in the PSP of the pipeline outside the seepage area. To investigate this mechanism, a dynamic boundary model of conductivity in the seepage area of Sailimu Lake in Xinjiang was established, and the characteristics of PSP at different distances from the boundary were analyzed using electromagnetic field finite element method and DSTL pipeline model. The study compared the simulation results of the model with the PSP data of the cathodic protection station and PSP monitoring station near Sailimu Lake, during a geomagnetic disturbance on September 23–24, 2016. The results of the study, as well as the corrosion of the test strips along the lake, verified the validity of the boundary change mechanism and model of the seepage zone. This study provides a theoretical basis for corrosion protection of pipelines near the lake’s edge.

Viruses in deep-sea cold seep sediments harbor diverse survival mechanisms and remain genetically conserved within species

Deep sea cold seep sediments have been discovered to harbor novel, abundant, and diverse bacterial and archaeal viruses. However, little is known about viral genetic features and evolutionary patterns in these environments. Here, we examined the evolutionary ecology of viruses across active and extinct seep stages in the area of Haima cold seeps in the South China Sea. A total of 338 viral operational taxonomic units are identified and linked to 36 bacterial and archaeal phyla. The dynamics of host-virus interactions are informed by diverse antiviral defense systems across 43 families found in 487 microbial genomes. Cold seep viruses are predicted to harbor diverse adaptive strategies to persist in this environment, including counter-defense systems, auxiliary metabolic genes, reverse transcriptases, and alternative genetic code assignments. Extremely low nucleotide diversity is observed in cold seep viral populations, being influenced by factors including microbial host, sediment depth, and cold seep stage. Most cold seep viral genes are under strong purifying selection with trajectories that differ depending on whether cold seeps are active or extinct. This work sheds light on the understanding of environmental adaptation mechanisms and evolutionary patterns of viruses in the sub-seafloor biosphere.

A Simplified Lattice Boltzmann Boundary Conditions for Gas Transport in Self-Affine Microchannels with an Inherent Roughness of in a Tight Reservoir

A simplified method of determining lattice Boltzmann boundary conditions based on self-affine microchannels with an inherent roughness in a tight reservoir is presented in this paper to address nonlinear efficiency problems in fluid simulation. This approach effectively combines the influence of rough surfaces in the simulation of the flow field, the description of L-fractal theory applied to rough surfaces, and a generalized lattice Boltzmann method with equivalent composite slip boundary conditions for inherent roughness. The numerical simulations of gas slippage in a two-dimensional plate model and rough surfaces to induce gas vortex reflux flow are also successfully carried out, and the results are in good agreement with the simulation results, which establishes the reliability and flexibility of the proposed simplified method of rough surfaces. The effects of relative average height and fractal dimensions of the rough surfaces under exact boundary conditions and equivalent coarsened ones are investigated from three perspectives, namely those of the average lattice velocity, the lattice velocity at average height position at the outlet, and the coefficient of variation for lattice velocity at average height position. It was found that the roughness effect on gas flow behavior was more obvious when it was associated with the enhanced rarefaction effect. In addition, the area of gas seepage was reduced, and the gas flow resistance was increased. When the fractal dimension of the wall was about 1.20, it has the greatest impact on the fluid flow law. In addition, excessive roughness of the wall surface tends to lead to vortex backflow of the gas in the region adjacent to the wall, which greatly reduces its flow velocity. For gas flow in the nanoscale seepage space, wall roughness hindered gas migration rate by 84.7%. For pores larger than 200 nm, the effects of wall roughness on gas flow are generally negligible.

FEATURES OF THE STRUCTURE AND NATURE OF POLLUTION OF THE UPPER PART OF THE SECTION OF OIL STORAGE FACILITIES IN THE VOLGA RIVER VALLEY

Link for citation: Mingaleva T.A., Shakuro S.V., Egorov A.S. Features of the structure and nature of pollution of the upper part of the section of oil storage facilities in the Volga River valley. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Аssets Engineering, 2023, vol. 334, no. 7, рр. 137-147. In Rus. The relevance of the study is caused by the fact that soil pollution with oil products has a complex dynamic character in the spatio-temporal region. Therefore, the physical properties of soils in solving geophysical problems of contouring and determining the thickness of pollution can change under the influence of various factors, expanding the range of search signs of pollution. Determination of physical parameters for areas of oil pollution, similar in nature of development and geological conditions, can help in the future for the effective parameterization of hydrocarbons in soils. The main aim is to build a generalized model with physical properties (electrical resistivity, сompressional and shear-wave velocities) for the soils of long-term oil depot territories. Methods: analysis of literary sources on the research topic; processing and interpretation of field geophysical material for tank farms located on the banks of the Volga River; building a generalized model with a description of the physical characteristics of soils based on the results of geophysics for the soils of tank farms. Results. The authors have studied the nature of soil pollution of two oil depots in the Volga River region using materials published in domestic and foreign literature, which made it possible to substantiate the parameters of a generalized physical-geological model of soil pollution of oil depots. In the general case, the distribution of pollution areas is subject to the features of the geological structure and hydrogeological regime of the areas under consideration and generally includes five zones (the upper area, the area of pollution above the free-flow horizon, the area of seepage in the hydrogeological window, the area of groundwater pollution, the zone of secondary accumulation). This model can be used to predict the nature of pollution in tank farms, loading and unloading points, car repair shops, washing sites and gas stations located near river and lake basins. The model of distribution of oil products in soils will be complex, which will also be expressed in geophysical sections.