Estimation of barents sea hydrocarbonate resources on complex deep geophysical surveys

Russian arctic offshore transect program developed as a part Russian Marine Doctrine is aimed at investigations of deep structure of Russian artic shelf. Seven transects named 1/2.../7-Arctic have to cover all seas from the west to the east of Russian arctic. Investigations include the following geophysical methods: 4C wide angle refraction/reflection profiling, CDP seismic, airborn and/or marine gravity and magnetic. The Program main contractor is state company Sevmorgeo, St.Petersburg. At present time transect 1-Arctic (1- AR) in Barents Sea, Cola Peninsula - Franz Josef Land, is already completed. Transect 2-AR in Barents and Kara Seas has to be finished this year. Images down to Moho boundary obtained as a result of investigations on AR-1 transect demonstrate main geophysical parameters of the media: boundary geometry, P and S velocity models, density model, distribution of magnetic bodies. On the interpretation stage new geophysical data acquired have forced reviewing of our understanding of Barents region geological structure. First of all it concern to south and north Barents depressions. South Barents depression is well known as a geological structure with high hydro carbonate potential. It was assumed that north Barents depression is of the same geological nature as south one. Investigations show that it is not so and deep structures of both depressions are different. The results obtained forced reviewing of regional hydrocarbonate potential. Pictures of seismic, complex geophysical sections, forecast of oil and gas resources are shown.