Sedimentary basins and prospects of oil and gas deposits on the shelf of the Eastern Arctic

Numerous riftogenic structures of different ages and orientations are widespread on the vast shelf of the Eastern Arctic region. A schematic tectonic map presents the main structural elements of the Upper Brooksian (Cretaceous-Cenozoic) unit, through which contours of the Ellesmerian (Late Devonian-Jurassic) structures, being the most enriched in hydrocarbon resources in the region under consideration, are seen. Three large sedimentation basins are identified in the upper unit: the Vil’kitskii-North Chukchi, the South Chukchi, and the East Chukchi basins separated by the Central Chukchi Rise, which was most active at the Ellesmerian stage. By analogy with the areas studied both on the shelf and on the continental slope, models of the formation and accumulation of hydrocarbons are presented for each of these three basins, thus, allowing one to outline the zones prospective for gas and oil accumulation.