U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2008–3020

April 2008

World Assessment of Oil and Gas Fact Sheet

Assessment of Undiscovered Petroleum Resources of the North 

and East Margins of the Siberian Craton, Russian Federation

Printed on recycled paper

Introduction

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed 

an assessment of potential undiscovered, technically recoverable (assuming the absence of sea ice) crude oil, natural gas, 

and natural gas liquids (collectively referred to as petroleum) 

resources in the Yenisey-Khatanga Basin, Lena-Anabar Basin, 

Lena-Vilyui Basin (northern part), and the Zyryanka Basin 

Provinces of the Russian Federation (fig. 1). As with other 

areas and basins assessed in the USGS Circum-Arctic Oil and 

Gas Resource Appraisal (CARA) program, this area shares 

important characteristics with many Arctic basins, including 

sparse data, significant petroleum-resource potential, geologic 

uncertainty, and technical barriers that impede exploration and 

development. As defined for CARA, the Yenisey-Khatanga 

Basin Province includes approximately 391,000 km2; the LenaAnabar Basin Province, approximately 125,000 km2

; the northern Priverkhoyansk part of the Lena-Vilyuy Basin Province, 

approximately 55,000 km2, and the Zyryanka Basin Province, 

approximately 56,000 km2.

Assessment Units

The Yenisey-Khatanga Basin, Lena-Anabar Basin, and 

Lena-Vilyui Basin Provinces formed on the margins of the 

Siberian craton and later underwent compressional deformation 

as a result of collision with other tectonic plates. The sedimentary successions of these provinces are similar because of their 

close proximity (fig. 1) and similar depositional histories. The 

Zyryanka Basin is a foreland basin that developed on top of 

a backarc basin formed during accretion and deformation of 

neighboring tectonic plates. This basin is bounded by extensively deformed rocks derived from oceanic/island arc terranes 

that, in part, were subjected to Cenozoic extension.

Four geologic provinces located along the north and 

east margins of the Siberian craton were assessed for 

undiscovered crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids/

condensates resources as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s 

(USGS) Circum-Arctic Oil and Gas Resource Appraisal. 

Using a geology-based methodology, the USGS estimated 

the mean undiscovered, conventional petroleum resources in 

these provinces to be approximately 28 billion barrels of oil 

equivalent, including approximately 8 billion barrels of crude 

oil, 106 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 3 billion barrels 

of natural gas liquids.

For purposes of assessment, the four provinces were subdivided into seven geologically distinctive assessment units (AUs) 

on the basis of structural style—the Khatanga Saddle, YeniseyKhatanga Basin, Lena-Anabar Basin, Lena-Anabar Updip, 

Sukhan-Motorchun Riphean Rift, Northern Priverkhoyansk 

Foredeep, and Zyryanka Basin AUs (fig. 1). The Lena-Anabar 

Basin AU was evaluated using two mutually exclusive geological 

scenarios (table 1); the differences between them are such that the 

populations of undiscovered accumulations cannot be statistically 

combined into a single distribution. One scenario assumes that 

a thick lower Paleozoic section was deposited and subsequently 

removed by erosion before the Permian. This scenario allows 

for the possibility of Precambrian and Cambrian source rocks to 

have become thermally mature with respect to petroleum generation during the Paleozoic, and thus any accumulated petroleum 

would have been destroyed by the subsequent erosion. The other 

scenario assumes no early Paleozoic deposition and petroleum 

maturation probably occurred during the late Paleozoic and early 

Mesozoic. All of the AUs were quantitatively assessed.

Petroleum System Elements

Two total petroleum systems were defined in each of the 

Yenisey-Khatanga Basin, Lena-Anabar Basin, and Lena-Vilyui 

Basin Provinces—one with Proterozoic and Cambrian source 

rocks and the other with upper Paleozoic through Jurassic source rocks. However, because of suspected mixing of 

petroleum, the two systems were combined into the ProterozoicPaleozoic-Mesozoic Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) 

for these provinces. In addition, a Mesozoic Composite TPS 

was defined within the Yenisey-Khatanga Basin Province to 

exclude Proterozoic and Paleozoic rocks with low petroleumsource potential. A Paleozoic-Mesozoic Composite TPS was 

identified in the Zyryanka Basin Province. This TPS, which 

incorporates the Zyryanka Basin AU (table 1), contains sedimentary rocks that are different from those in the other provinces. The greatest geologic uncertainty for the assessment of 

all AUs is with respect to the timing of petroleum charge and 

preservation of accumulations.

Analyses of crude oil and natural gas from producing 

wells, shows, seeps, and bitumen indicate the presence of 

mature source rocks in all of the AUs. Major reservoir rocks 

include Proterozoic and lower Paleozoic carbonate and clastic 

rocks and upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic clastic rocks. Postulated traps for petroleum accumulations include compressional 

structures (folds and thrust faults) and updip pinchouts, as well 

as other stratigraphic traps.
Reference

IHS Energy, 2006, International petroleum exploration and 

production database [includes data current through December, 

2006]: IHS Energy; database available from IHS Energy, 15 

Inverness Way East, Englewood, CO 80112, U.S.A.

For Further Information

Assessment results are available at the USGS Central Energy 

Team website, http://energy.usgs.gov/arctic, or contact Donald L. 

Gautier, Task Leader for the USGS Circum-Arctic Oil and Gas 

Resource Appraisal (gautier@usgs.gov).

Circum-Arctic Petroleum Resource 

Assessment Team

T.R. Klett (assessing geologist), K.J. Bird, P.J. Brown II, 

R.R. Charpentier, D.L. Gautier, D.W. Houseknecht, T.E. Moore, 

J.K. Pitman, R.W. Saltus, C.J. Schenk, A.K. Shah, K.I. Takahashi, 

M.E. Tennyson, and C.J. Wandrey

Acknowledgment

Geographical Information System analysis was performed by 

F.M. Persits.

Resource Summary

The USGS assessed undiscovered conventional, technically 

recoverable petroleum resources (discovered reserves not included), 

resulting in the estimated mean volumes of a probability distribution 

of approximately 8 billion barrels (1 billion metric tons) of crude 

oil, 106 trillion cubic feet (3 trillion cubic meters) of natural gas, 

and 3 billion barrels (400 million metric tons) of natural gas liquids 

(table 1). The largest volume of undiscovered petroleum is estimated 

to be in the Yenisey-Khatanga Basin AU.

Oil and gas fields (IHS Energy, 2006)

0

Assessed arctic province area

Arctic assessment unit boundaries

Water depth (meters)

-1,000

-500

-100

EXPLANATION

Oil

Gas

YENISEY-KHATANGA, LENA-ANABAR, LENA-VILYUI, AND ZYRYANKA PROVINCES

Clarke 1866 Stereographic North Pole

Stereographic North Pole

False Easting: 0.000000

False Northing: 0.000000

Central Meridian: 130.000000

Standard Parallel: 1:75000000

SIBERIAN

CRATON Zyryanka Basin

12520101

Taimyr fold and

thrust belt

Verkhoyansk fold and

thrust belt

De Long

Islands

East Siberian

Sea

Laptev

Sea

Arctic Ocean

Kotel’nyi Novosibirsk

Islands

Novaya

Sibir

Malyi

Lyakhov

Bol’shoi

Lyakhov

Taimyr

Peninsula

Zyryanka Basin

Province 1252

YeniseyKhatanga Basin

Province 1175

Yenisey-Khatanga

Basin 11750201

Khatanga Saddle

11750101 Lena-Anabar Basin

12000101

Lena-Anabar Updip

12000102

Sukhan-Motorchun

Riphean Rift 12000103

Northern Priverkhoyansk

Foredeep 12140101

100o 110o 120o 130o 140o

65o

70o

60o

350 KILOMETERS

Arctic Circle

Turukhan-Norilsk fold and

thrust belt

Lena-Vilyui

Basin Province

1214

Lena-Anabar

Basin Province

1200

Figure 1. Map showing location of geologic provinces and assessment units along the northern and eastern margins of the Siberian craton north of the Arctic Circle.
Table 1. Assessment results of geologic provinces along the north and east margins of the Siberian craton

(conventional undiscovered resources). 

 Proterozoic-Paleozoic-Mesozoic Composite TPS (117501)

Gas

Oil Khatanga Saddle AU

(11750101)

[MMB, million barrels; BCF, billion cubic feet. Results shown are fully risked estimates. For gas fields, all liquids are included under the natural gas liquids (NGL) category. 

F95 denotes a 95-percent chance of at least the amount tabulated. Other fractiles are defined similarly. Fractiles are additive under the assumption of perfect positive

correlation. TPS, total petroleum system; AU, assessment unit. Gray shading indicates not applicable]

Yenisey-Khatanga Basin AU

(11750201)

Total undiscovered petroleum

resources, Province 1175

Mesozoic Composite TPS (117502)

Total Undiscovered Resources

Total Petroleum Systems

and Assessment Units

Field

Type Oil (MMB) Gas (BCF) NGL (MMB)

2,200 4,847 9,716 5,257 11,604 26,571 55,375 29,078 305 710 1,528 786

38,629 66,089 108,413 68,884 1,009 1,754 2,929 1,835

5,584 99,965 2,675

F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean

AU

Probability

Total undiscovered petroleum

resources 8,031 105,850 2,832

Gas

Oil

1.000

* Aggregate means for the entire assessment unit equal the means times the scenario probability of each scenario.

Oil

YENISEY-KHATANGA BASIN PROVINCE (1175)

0 0 1,376 327 0 0 932 206 0 0 25 6

0 0 6,764 1,797 0 0 182 48

0.500

Proterozoic-Paleozoic-Mesozoic Composite TPS (120001)

Gas

Lena-Anabar Basin AU Oil

(12000101)

Scenario 1, 90% probability

Gas

Lena-Anabar Basin AU Oil

(12000101)

Scenario 2, 10% probability

Gas

Lena-Anabar Basin AU Oil

(12000101)

Aggregate *

LENA-ANABAR BASIN PROVINCE (1200)

0 0 7,451 2,074

0 0 2,611 526

0 0 6,174 1,628

0 0 2,143 416

0

0

0

0

169

58

44

11

0 0 2,693 654 0 0 73 17

0 993 0 0 28 5

1,919 1,507 41

608 16

Total undiscovered petroleum

resources, Province 1200 1,996 2,261 60

0.480

0.320

Gas

Oil Lena-Anabar Updip AU

(12000102)

56 44 1

Gas 47 1

Sukhan-Motorchun Oil

Riphean Rift AU

(12000103)

21 16 0

39 1

Gas

Oil Northern Priverkhoyansk

Foredeep AU (12140101)

LENA-VILYUI BASIN PROVINCE (1214) - Only one AU was assessed in this province

0 0 1,741 379 0 0 1,455 298 0 0 39 8

0 0 4,341 1,044 0 0 117 28

0.400

Total undiscovered petroleum

resources, assessed part of

Province 1214

379 1,342 36

Paleozoic-Mesozoic Composite TPS (125201)

Gas

Oil Zyryanka Basin AU

(12520101)

ZYRYANKA BASIN PROVINCE (1252)

0 0 286 72 0 0 496 106 0 0 13 3

0 942 7,746 2,176 0 22 209 58

0.504

Total undiscovered petroleum

resources, Province 1252 72 2,282 61

0.800

0.072

Proterozoic-Paleozoic-Mesozoic Composite TPS (121401)

0

0

0

0

524

187

0

0

0

0

338

96

0

0

0

0

0

483

465

195

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

9

12

2

11