Oil Potential Prospects of Domanik sediments in the North-East of the Volga-Urals

Abstract

Due to the depletion of available mineral and raw material resources of conventional sediments there is a need to search for new promising areas of oil and gas exploration in Perm Krai. This article addresses Domanik sediments as a new source of hydrocarbons. Stratigraphically, these sediments belong to the Sargayev, Domanik and Mendym horizons and lithologically they are mainly represented by tight carbonate sediments and shales. These sediments are the main oil-source strata in the Volga-Ural province. The paper analyses the geological structure and distribution of these sediments in the study area. Thereupon, exploration recommendations have been formulated for the next few years. These mainly include subject-matter research, core sampling in the Domanik Formation sediments, special studies of reservoir properties, reactivation and study of discovered oil deposits in the Domanik strata. The main activities should be concentrated in the south and south-west of Perm Krai: in the area of the Bashkir Arch, in the south of the Upper-Kama Depression. The Solikamsk Depression is also of interest in this respect.