A. A. KREMENETSKIY, A. G. PILITSYN, L. I. VEREMEEVA (IMGRE), A. F. MOROZOV (Rosnedra), O. V. PETROV (VSEGEI), E. I. PETROV (MNR RF)

Circumpolar Arctic: Basement evolution, rifting and hydrocarbon potential

The paper portrays geological and geochemical history of the Circumpolar Arctic basement evolution; spatiotemporal inheritance of the basic structural and tectonic taxa during the pre­Mesozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic­Quaternary stages is demonstrated. The Mesozoic volcanic­terrigenous plate cover overlaying the acoustic basement of the Amerasian Basin is considered as a reliable benchmark for substantiating the continuity of the continental slope in the littoral – shelf – deep­sea rises and ridges system. Various age groups of riftogenic structures of the Circumpolar Arctic and the relationships of Jurassic­Cretaceous rifts to the closure of the East Pacific global spreading belt and Cenozoic­Quaternary rifts to the Mid­Atlantic one are characterized. The formation of the Gakkel Ridge is associated with the initial rifting without significant bottom expansion of the Eurasian Basin. Considerable contribution of rift systems of various ages to the established and predicted hydrocarbon and mineral potential of the Circumpolar Arctic are substantiated.
Keywords: geology, geochemistry, tectonics, evolution, basement, rifts, metallogeny, hydrocarbon potential, the Arctic Ocean.