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Igor V. Chikirev
Igor V. Chikirev
Ph.D.
Head of Department
Apatity Branch of Murmansk Arctic University
Head of Department, Ph.D.
Apatity Branch of Murmansk Arctic University
Apatity
Russia

Co-authors

Articles

Article
Geology
  • Date submitted
    2024-10-24
  • Date accepted
    2025-07-02
  • Online publication date
    2025-11-14

Physical properties of Paleozoic-Mesozoic deposits from wells in the South Barents Basin

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The Arctic shelf zone is an important research target due to its significant hydrocarbon potential. A study of the physical properties (density, elasticity, elastic anisotropy index, specific acoustic impedance, and porosity) was conducted for core samples from six wells in the South Barents Basin: Admiralteyskaya-1, Krestovaya-1, Ludlovskaya-1, Shtokmanskaya-1, Arkticheskaya-1, and Severo-Kildinskaya-82. The sample collection consists of sandstones, siltstones, and limestones. Core analysis revealed that rocks from non-productive wells (Arkticheskaya-1, Admiralteyskaya-1, and Krestovaya-1), located in the central part of the South Barents Basin and within the Admiralty High, differ in their physical and petrographic properties from rocks in gas and gas-condensate wells (Shtokmanskaya-1, Severo-Kildinskaya-82, and Ludlovskaya-1), located near the boundaries of the South Barents Basin. Core samples from productive wells (Shtokmanskaya-1, Severo-Kildinskaya-82, Ludlovskaya-1) exhibit lower average P-wave velocities, lower specific acoustic impedance, and higher open porosity and/or elastic anisotropy index compared to non-productive wells (Arkticheskaya-1, Admiralteyskaya-1, Krestovaya-1). This combination of petrophysical parameters provides the reservoir properties of rocks prospective for hydrocarbons. The petrographic variation of the reservoir properties of the studied rocks from productive to non-productive wells is associated with a decrease in grain size and a transition from pore-filling cement to thin-film and basal cement. The sandstones from the Shtokmanskaya well have a larger grain size (0.1-0.5 mm), whereas the sandstones from the Arkticheskaya-1 and Krestovaya-1 wells are finer-grained (0.1-0.2 mm). The Shtokmanskaya-1 well is characterized by pore-filling cement, the Arkticheskaya-1 ‒ by thin-film cement, and the Krestovaya-1 ‒ by cement of the basal type. The established physical properties of sedimentary rocks, suitable for the development of productive strata, will allow for the screening out of empty areas at the preliminary stage of analyzing geophysical materials during the search for geological and tectonic structures prospective for hydrocarbon accumulations.

How to cite: Ilchenko V.L., Chikirev I.V. Physical properties of Paleozoic-Mesozoic deposits from wells in the South Barents Basin // Journal of Mining Institute. 2025.