Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting, Moscow, Russia

V. Yu. Kerimov, Chief Researcher, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Professor
E. A. Lavrenova, Senior Researcher, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Associate Professor
R. N. Mustaev, Leading Researcher, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Associate Professor

Severneftegaz JSC, Moscow, Russia

T. B. Senin, CEO, senin.office@gmail.com

As concerns marking of Russia’s borders in the Arctic, the Eastern Arctic Seas water zone plays a critical role as it has a substantial underground hydrocarbon potential. Accordingly, a reliable geological model of the area is the first-order condition for an adequate estimate of the oil and gas prospects, as well as for an information framework of the Claim. In this regard, the basins of the East Siberian, Chukchi and the Laptev Seas differ by a number of indicators and feature a complex geological structure because of the specific geodynamic evolution. Despite a more than 30-year history of investigation of the Eastern Arctic Seas, the key issues on their structure and development yet remain to be solved for a few reasons: rigorous climate which complicates organization and execution of geological prospecting, no deep wells drilled, complex structure of sedimentary mantle and basement rock mass, etc. At the same time, as the implemented generalization shows, in recent years in the Eastern Arctic, a large body of geological and geophysical information has been accumulated, including marine seismic surveys, analytical results on the material constitution and formation conditions of sediments on adjacent islands and continental land, as well as dating of regional tectonic events. The research results allow a refresh structure and tectonics model of the shelf on the continental margin of the Eastern Arctic, with updated structural plans of regional surfaces of nonconformity and with reconstruction of formation stages and conditions of sedimentary basins in the Eastern Arctic Seas of Russia. The geological results obtained within the research are appealing from the viewpoint of amendment of the resource potential of the study area, and are applicable in creating an information framework for Russia’s extended continental shelf claim.

1. Chen J., Pang X., Wang Y., Wang X. A new method for assessing tight oil, with application to the Lucaogou formation in the Jimusaer depression, Junggar basin, China. AAPG Bulletin. 2020. Vol. 104, No. 6. pp. 1199–1229.
2. Kapustin N., Grushevenko D. Evaluation of long-term production capacity and prospects of the oil and gas industry of Russian Federation. E3S Web of Conferences. 2019. Vol. 114. ID 02001.
3. Mustaev R. N., Lavrenova E. A., Kerimov V. Yu., Mamedov R. A. Peculiarities of Tertiary petroleum systems evolution under prograding shelf environment on the continental margin of the East Siberian Sea. Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology. 2021. Vol. 11, Iss. 2. pp. 3617–3626.
4. Ignatieva M. N., Yurak V. V., Logvinenko O. A. Natural capital. Approaches to economic assessment. Eurasian Mining. 2021. No. 1. pp. 39–44.
5. Nemčok M., Henk A., Allen R., Sikora P. J. Stuart C. Continental break-up along strike-slip fault zones; observations from the Equatorial Atlantic. Conjugate Divergent Margins : Special Publications. London : Geological Society, 2013. Vol. 369. P. 537–556.
6. Pravikova N. V., Korotaev M. V., Startseva K. F., Belyaev M. O., Nikishin A. M. The evolution of the Pegtymel inverted rift based on the results of kinematic reconstruction (Chukchi Sea). Moscow University Geology Bulletin. 2023. Vol. 78, No. 4. pp. 472–479.
7. Pavlovskaya E. A., Khudoley A. K., Rukh I. B., Moskalenko A. N., Giyon M. et al. Tectonic evolution in the north of the Verkhoyansk fold-and-overthrust belt from the analysis of paleostresses and U–Pb calcite dating. Tectonics and Geodynamics of the Earth’s Crust and Mantle. Fundamental Problems–2022. LIII Tectonic Conference Proceedings. Moscow : GEOS, 2022. Vol. 2. pp. 71–75.
8. Prokopiev A. Late Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic indicators of continental extension on the Laptev Sea Shore (North Verkhoyansk). The Polar Petroleum Potential : 3P Arctic Conference & Exhibition. Stavanger : Geological Society of Norway, 2013. p. 170.
9. Vasilev D. A., Prokopev A. V., Khudoley A. K., Ershova V. B., Kazakova G. G. et al. Thermochronology of the northern part of the Verkhoyansk Fold-and-Thrust Belt according to apatite fission-track age. Prirodnye resursy Arktiki i Subarktiki. 2019. Vol. 24, No. 4. pp. 49–66.
10. Kosko M. K., Sobolev N. N., Korago E. A., Proskurnin V. F., Stolbov N. M. Geology of Novosibirsk Islands—A basis for interpretation of geophysical data on the Eastern Arctic shelf of Russia. Neftegazovaya geologiya. Teoriya i praktika. 2013. Vol. 8, No. 2. DOI: 10.17353/2070-5379/17_2013
11. Grantz A., Eittreim S., Dinter D. A. Geology and tectonic development of the continental margin north of Alaska. Tectonophysics. 1979. Vol. 59, I ss. 1-4. pp. 263–291.
12. Doré A. G., Lundin E. R., Gibbons A., Sømme T. O., Tørudbakken B. O. Transform margins of the Arctic: A synthesis and re-evaluation. Transform Margins: Development, Controls and Petroleum Systems : Special Publications. London : Geological Society, 2016. Vol. 431. pp. 63–94.
13. Sømme T. O., Doré A. G., Lundin E. R., Tørudbakken B. O. Triassic–Paleogene paleogeography of the Arctic: Implications for sediment routing and basin fill. AAPG Bulletin. 2018. Vol. 102, No. 12. pp. 2481–2517.
14. Allen P. A., Allen J. R. Basin Analysis: Principles and Application to Petroleum Play Assessment. 3^rd ed. Chichester : Wiley, 2013. 640 p.
15. Mascle J., Lohmann G. P., Clift P. D. et al. Ocean Drilling Program. Proceedings, Initial Reports. Leg 159. Cote d’Ivoire, 1996.
16. Nikishin A. M., Petrov E. I., Malyshev N. A., Ershova V. P. Rift systems of the Russian Eastern Arctic shelf and Arctic deep water basins: Link between geological history and geodynamics. Geodynamics and Tectonophysics. 2017. Vol. 8, No. 1. pp. 11–43.
17. Nikishin A. M., Malyshev N. A., Petrov E. I. The Main problems of the structure and history of the geological development of the Arctic Ocean. Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 2020. Vol. 90, No. 3. pp. 345–356.
18. Drachev S. S. Laptev Sea rifted continental margin: Modern knowledge and unsolved questions. Polarforschung. 1998. Vol. 68. pp. 41–50.
19. Zavarzina G. A., Shapabaeva D. S., Zakharova O. A. Newly acquired data on the geologic structure and hydrocarbon potential in the eastern part of the East Siberian Sea Shelf. Russian Geology and Geophysics. 2023. Vol. 64, No. 7. pp. 847–859.
20. Moore T. E., Dumitru T. A., Adams K. E., Witebsky S. N., Harris A. G. Origin of the Lisburne Hills–Herald Arch structural belt: Stratigraphic, structural, and fission-track evidence from the Cape Lisburne area, northwestern Alaska. Tectonic Evolution of the Bering Shelf-Chukchi Sea-Artic Margin and Adjacent Landmasses. Boulder : Geological Society of America, 2002. Special Paper 360. pp. 77–109.
21. Miller E. L., Toro J., Gehrels G., Amato J. M., Prokopiev A. et al. New insights into Arctic paleogeography and tectonics from U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology. Tectonics. 2006. Vol. 25, Iss. 3. DOI: 10.1029/2005TC001830
22. Gaina C., Roset W. R., Müller R. D. Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic deformation of northeast Asia. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 2002. Vol. 197, Iss. 3-4. pp. 273–286.
23. Shephard G. E., Müller R. D., Seton M. The tectonic evolution of the Arctic since Pangea breakup: Integrating constraints from surface geology and geophysics with mantle structure. Earth-Science Reviews. 2013. Vol. 124. pp. 148–183.
24. Alvey A., Gaina C., Kusznir N. J., Torsvik T. H. Integrated crustal thickness mapping and plate reconstructions for the high Arctic. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 2008. Vol. 274, Iss. 3-4. pp. 310–321.
25. Wienecke S., Fichler C., Lundin E., Stadtler C., Gram C. Satellite Measurements and global datasets in the Arctic: The benefits of the ASEP Method. 3P ARCTIC : The Polar Petroleum Potential Conference & Exhibition. Halifax, 2011.
26. Franke D., Hinz K., Oncken O. The Laptev Sea Rift. Marine and Petroleum Geology. 2001. Vol. 18, Iss. 10. pp. 1083–1127.
27. Pavlovskaya E. A., Potapovich A. A. Structure and genesis of cupholes of small lakes from GPR and electric tomography data. Interaction of Rosnedra, Ministry of Science and Education of Russia and the Russian Academy of Sciences in Regional Geological Research of the Area and Continental Shelf of Russia : Proceedings of V International Conference of Young Scientists and Specialists in Commemoration of Academician A. P. Karpinsky. Saint-Petersburg : Izdatelstvo VSEGEI, 2017. pp. 565–569.
28. Senin B. V., Kerimov V. Yu., Bogoyavlenskiy V. I., Leonchik M. I., Mustaev R. N. Oil and Gas Provinces of Russian Seas and Adjacent Offshore Areas. Book 3. Oil and Gas Provinces of the Seas of the Eastern Arctic and the Far East. Moscow : Izdatelstvo RGGRU, 2022. 339 p.
29. Kerimov V. Yu., Lavrenova E. A., Shcherbina Yu. V., Mamedov R. A. Structural-tectonic model of the basement and sedimentary cover of East Arctic water areas. Izvestiya vuzov. Geologiya i razvedka. 2020. Vol. 63, No. 1. pp. 19–29.
30. Lavrenova E. A., Gorbunov A. A., Kerimov V. Yu., Shatyrov A. K. SVISION—A new reality in delineation of stratigraphic traps. Eurasian Mining. 2023. No. 2. pp. 14–17.
31. Senin B. V., Kerimov V. Yu., Mustaev R. N., Mamedov R. A. Morphology and evolution of Eastern Arctic structure and geodynamics. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2023. No. 12. pp. 22–28.
32. Pavelkina D. A., Vysokolyan A. M., Lavrenova E. A., Shatyrov A. K. Sedimentary basins in the Southeastern part of the Laptev sea and the adjacent area of the Siberian platform. Izvestiya vuzov. Geologiya i razvedka. 2024. Vol. 66, No. 2. pp. 35–48.