Tectonic Basis for Oil and Gas Potential in the North Kara Prospective Oil and Gas Region (Western Arctic, Russia)

Abstract — Russia’s Arctic shelf and, in particular, the Kara Sea shelf, is one of the unique regions in the world with enormous hydrocarbon potential; however, due to the harsh climate conditions, it has been studied unevenly. The lack of deep and parametric drilling data in the northern Kara Sea leads to numerous uncertainties in regional geological structure models and, as a consequence, in assessing the resource potential of this Arctic region. A vast number of 2D CDP seismic explorations were carried out in the northern Kara Sea. The results of these studies made it possible to refine the geological structure of the Kara Plate, substantiate the boundaries of the North Kara independent prospective oil and gas region and promising areas within it, and assess hydrocarbon resources.