Prerequisites for Formation of Large and Unique Oil and Gas Fields at the Arctic Shelf of Russia (European Part)

Alla Nemchenko-Rovenskaya¹ and Erik Galimov^2
1V.I. Vernadskiy Institute Organic Geochemistry GEOKHI RAS, Moscow, Russia
²GEOKHI RAS, Moscow, Russia

The Russian Arctic shelf with total area of more than 6 million square kilometers occupies the world's first place by its extension, includes a promising for oil and gas zone of 4,2 million square kilometers. The unique oil and gas fields - Prirazlomnoe oil field (Pechora Sea), Shtokmanovskoe gas-condensate (Barents Sea) with total reserves of 3 trillion m3, Rusanovskoe and Leningradskoe gas fields (Kara Sea) with reserves of 9 trillion m3 - are comparable with Yamal giant gas fields. The number of super giant and giant gas fields (Bovanenkov, Kharasavey, Krusenshtern) were discovered within the limits of Yamal oil and gas bearing area.
The comparative analysis of the Arctic hydrocarbons geochemistry from Alaska to Barents Sea on the basis of hydrocarbons and rocks analytical investigations: carbon isotopic composition, gas chromatography, V and Ni content, chromatography-mass spectrometry, biomarkers, generation potential according to Rock-Eval data of oil and gas fields of Alaska and Russian part of Barents, Kara, Pechora seas, Kolguev island, Franz Josef Land, Spitsbergen and others, allowed to work out the complex of geological and geochemical criteria for scientific grounds for prognosis of oil and gas content and elaboration of future exploration trends on Russian Arctic shelf.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90072 © 2007 AAPG and AAPG European Region Conference, Athens, Greece