Hydrocarbon Bearing Area in the Eastern Part of the Ukrainian Black Sea

Sergiy Stovba¹ and Oxana Khriachtchevskaia^2
1“Naukanaftogaz” - Scientific Research Institute of Oil and Gas Industry of National Joint-Stock Company “Naftogaz of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine
²Naukanaftogaz, Kyiv, Ukraine

A regional investigation of the eastern part of the Ukrainian Black Sea has been carried using a vast set of regional seismic reflection profiles, including the new set of regional seismic profiles by Naftogaz of Ukraine. To the south of the Crimea peninsula 20 large structures with closures of 50-200 sq. km have been mapped within Oligocene-Miocene-Pliocene sediments. Huge structures (>350 sq. km) in Tertiary and older sediments exist further to the east within Sorokin Trough and Andrusov Ridge. In the easternmost part of the Ukrainian Black Sea a number of high-amplitude anticlines has been mapped in shallow water depth and a huge Mesozoic structure of 400 sq. km in deep water depth (150-700 m). Eocene, Oligocene and Miocene sediments are considered as source rocks with good generative potential for hydrocarbons. There are strong direct hydrocarbon indicators on seismic data. According to expert appraisal, each major lead formed within Upper Mesozoic-Cenozoic section in water depths of 100 m to 2000 m has an area of several hundred sq. km, with vertical closure of hundreds of meters, and has the potential to contain hundred million barrels of recoverable hydrocarbons. The drilling of Subbotina well up to 4300 m has confirmed the high oil and gas potential of Kerch shelf. Plenty of oil and gas reservoirs were determined along the section of the well. Some of them were tested in the lower part of Oligocene sequence with successful result and commercial oil inflow.

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