Evolution and Formation Conditions of Petroleum Potential of the Barents-North Kara Sea Shelf Based on Basin Modelling

Kara Sea shelf allow establishing of the modern stratigraphic and basin model of the Barents Sea and North Kara Sea Basins. The common history of the geological evolution of these basins began in the Early Paleozoic. The identification of erosional truncation contributes reconstruction of the paleoprofiles and restoring the thickness of eroded sediments, which were considered in the basin model.

Basin modeling has shown that the timing of generation, migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons are different depending on the history of the first-order tectonic elements development. No significant flows of hydrocarbons between first-order structural elements were defined.

Lower Paleozoic source rocks influenced great on the emerging of oil accumulations in the North Kara Sea Basin.

Despite the low thermal maturity of Upper Jurassic source rocks, the use of an individual kinetic spectrum of kerogen destruction leads to earlier and faster generation of hydrocarbons in comparison with standard kinetic spectra for type II kerogen.

The intrusions influenced the generation of hydrocarbons by Mesozoic source rock to varying degrees. Intrusions influenced on generation greater in the Lower-Middle Jurassic source rocks and less in the Upper Jurassic and Early Cretaceous source rocks. For the Triassic source rocks, the impact of intrusions has a negative effect, due to the rapid “burning” of the petroleum potential, as well as an increase of gas generation due to secondary cracking.

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