Mezen

Commentary

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Updated

June 18, 2024

Location

Description

The MZB is situated along the White and Barents Seas in the north-eastern part of the Russian Federation. Only a small area of the province extends north of the Arctic Circle onto the KaninKola monocline, where it converges with the Timan-Varanger deformed belt and the Fennoscandian shield. Not much is known of the prospectivity of the MZB due to the fact that one of the source rocks is deemed thermally mature (Riphaean), while the younger Proterozoic (Vendian) rocks are deemed immature.

Summary

The main petroleum potential in the Mezen’ Basin Province is associated with grabens in which clastic Proterozoic source and reservoir rocks are present. One Proterozoic-Palaeozoic Composite Total Petroleum System was defined, although Palaeozoic and younger strata are too thin (<1 – 2km) for significant petroleum accumulation.