ASSESSMENT OF OIL AND GAS POTENTIAL IN PRIMORSKAYA ZONE OF CARBONATE UPLIFT OF SOUTHERN PRECASPIAN SEDIMENTARY BASIN

The results of lithofacies studies and paleogeographic reconstructions of the Late DevonianEarly Visean stage and stratigraphic evolution of the Primorskaya zone of uplifts in the south of Precaspian Basin are presented. The complex geological structure of the region is mainly due to the influence of tectonic, volcanic and denudation processes on sedimentation. The spatial distribution of carbonate accumulations in the Primorskaya zone of the Precaspian Basin is determined by the different duration of sedimentation stages and the block structure of the basement. The results of the deep wells drilled in the recent years have made it possible to refine the internal geological structure, justification of new exploration objects in the Late Devonian strata and reevaluate the oil and gas potential and petroleum resources in the south of the Precaspian depression. After recent exploration works, the geological model for the onshore prospective structure traps has been improved, additionally prospective exploration objects have been predicted in the shelf of the Caspian Sea. The most of potential petroleum resources of the Primorskaya zone is the resources of the new offshore exploration objects in Caspian Sea. Non-structural traps can accumulate gigantic hydrocarbon volumes. This is a new highly prospective hydrocarbon exploration direction in the Precaspian Basin