Pripyat Basin, U.S.S.R.: An Oil Productive Middle Paleozoic Rift

ULMISHEK, GREGORY F., U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO

The Pripyat basin occupies the extreme northwestern part of the Pripyat-Donets middle Paleozoic rift, which separates the Ukrainian shield from the rest of the Russian craton. The basement structure is typical of rifts and consists of a series of east-west-trending tilted fault blocks. The prerift sequence is chiefly composed of Middle Devonian clastic and carbonate rocks. The rift sequence is of Late Devonian age and is composed of two thick salt formations separated by lower Famennian carbonate rocks. The upper salt formation is significantly deformed by salt flowage; the lower one is only locally affected. The postrift sequence includes uppermost Devonian and Carboniferous strata.

Principal source rocks are black-shale facies in the synrift intersalt carbonate formation. This same formation contains about two-thirds of the hydrocarbon reserves. The rest of the reserves is in prerift carbonate and clastic rocks beneath the lower salt. Faulted structural traps control all fields. Stratigraphic traps and lower Famennian (intersalt) reefs are potential exploration targets.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91004 © 1991 AAPG Annual Convention Dallas, Texas, April 7-10, 1991 (2009)