Geology and Petroleum Potential of the Shatsky Ridge (Black Sea)

Alexey L. Meisner¹ and Leonid B. Meisner^2
1Schlumberger logelco Inc, Moscow, Russia
²Yuzhmorgeologiya, Gelendzhik, Russia

The Shatsky Ridge is an anticline structure that is comprised of the Upper Mesozoic-Paleogene rocks. Anticlinels have dimensions up to 66 x 18 km. It lies mainly at water depth about 2 km and extends from the Georgia coast to the Mountain Crimea (Ukraine). The goal of this work was to research perspective of Shatsky Ridge. Seismic and magnetic data have contributed to the recognition of main geological features. There are no wells drilled within the ridge, and the analog data from the Western Georgia and Crimea were used for lithology and reservoir prediction.
The lowest sequence consists of the Low Jurassic thick black shales, deposited on the top of Paleozoic basement. Magnetic anomalies caused most likely by the Middle Jurassic gabbro intrusions. Upper Jurassic-Eocene section consists of mainly carbonate rocks. This section contains the reservoir quality rocks. Limestone porosity varies between 5 - 20 %, range of permeability is 10 - 40 md. Presence of Upper Jurassic reefs, Eocene nummulitic limestone points to a shallow marine sedimentation. These reservoirs are overlain by marine thick shale seals of the Oligocene-Quaternary ages.
A potential of source rocks belongs probably to the Jurassic and the Low Cretaceous rocks. It is also possible that hydrocarbons could migrate into Mesozoic reservoirs from sources rock of the Eocene and the Maikop succession of the adjacent troughs.
Mud volcanoes and seismic anomalies "bright spot" indicate hydrocarbon accumulations in the sedimentary cover of the Shatsky Ridge.
Reservoir prediction, sizes of anticlines and hydrocarbon seeps make conclude that the Shatsky Ridge may contains undrilled prospects and form a basis for its future exploration.

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