Tectono-Stratigraphic Development of the Barents Sea Shelf: When Arctic Meets the Appalachians

This proposal presents a brief geologic history of the Barents Sea area and its hydrocarbon systems and suggests that parallels with the geologic history and hydrocarbon systems of the well- known Appalachian Basin are present. Inasmuch as the Barents Sea area is relatively complex, has a documented hydrocarbon potential, and is incompletely understood, the possibility of using a well-understood basin analog, like the Appalachian Basin, has many advantages and is a frequently used strategy in the petroleum industry. The Appalachian area includes both a foreland basin and adjacent intracratonic basins just like the Barents Sea area. Moreover, both the Appalachian foreland basin and its intracratonic area are hydrocarbon-rich, as is very likely the situation in the Barents Sea. Although the Appalachian and Barents Sea areas formed at different times, the tectono-stratigraphic framework and basin dynamics are very similar. This similarity provides an opportunity to develop a new approach for understanding the nature and origin of the Barents Sea tectono-stratigraphic framework and its influence on hydrocarbon accumulation.