PETROLEUM POTENTIAL OF
EAST
SIBERIA
PIGGOTT, Neil N.1, GURYANOV, Alexey1, JONES, Robert W.1, and HOMZA, Thomas X.2, (1) Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex, TW16 7LN, United Kingdom, [email protected], (2) Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex, TW16 7LN, United Kingdom, Present Address: Shell Exploration & Production Company, 3601 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99503
The
East
Siberian craton covers an area in excess of 3.8 million sq. km. A
rapid, pragmatic approach to focus attention and resources on the most
hydrocarbon-prospective areas without compromising the study quality has been
developed.
Principal building blocks for prospectivity assessment in chronological order
of appearance were tectono-stratigraphic diagrams consistent with tectonic
evolution of margins of the
East
Siberian craton. These constrained the basins
developed on the margins of the
East
Siberia craton from Pre-Cambrian to
Tertiary times. Relevant paleogeographic maps representing gross depositional
environments at certain time slices were constructed with special attention to
major
reservoir
and source
rock
depositional events. Levels with
reservoir
presence were further analysed for
reservoir
effectiveness at different depths.
Oils and source
rock
geochemical data were input into the geological framework
to characterize the range of petroleum systems. The very long geologic evolution
of
East
Siberia resulted in a wide variety of source rocks spanning from
Pre-Cambrian to Cretaceous in age, most of which generated significant volumes
of hydrocarbons.
The tectono-stratigraphy, gross depositional environment maps, and petroleum
systems were the technical building blocks for a series of common risk segment
(CRS) maps, which were drawn for petroleum charge,
reservoir
, and trap regional
risks, which in turn provided a stratigraphic and geographic focus of which
basins had most potential for further exploration. Commercial considerations
were further addressed by considering minimum petroleum volumes and
reservoir
performance required reflecting the remoteness of
East
Siberia and absence of
significant infrastructure. Based on this approach, a basin and play ranking for
East
Siberia exploration has been developed.