RC.

885 til

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 885

Petroleum Geology and Resources of

the Volga-Ural Province, U.S.S.R.
Petroleum Geology and Resources
of the Volga-Ural Province, U.S.S.R
By James A. Peterson and James W. Clarke

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 885

A resource assessment and a brief description

of the petroleum geology of the largest
petroleum-producing area of the European part
of the U.S.S.R.

1983
 United States Department of the Interior
JAMES G. WATT, Secretary

Geological Survey
Dallas L. Peck, Director

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Peterson, James A.
Petroleum geology and resources of the Volga-Ural Province, U.S.S.R.
(Geological Survey circular; 885)
Bibliography: p. 26
1. Petroleum Russian S.F.S.R. Volga-Ural region.
2. Petroleum Geology Russian S.F.S.R. Volga-Ural region. I. Clarke, James W. (James Wood) II.
Title. Ill Series.
QE75.C5 no. 885 557.3S [553.2'8'09478] 83-600028 [TN874.S652V64]

Free on application to Distribution Branch, Text Products Section,

U. S. Geological Survey, 604 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, MA 22304
 ASSESSMENT OF ENERGY RESOURCES
The World Energy Resources Program of the U.S. Geological Survey intends
to develop reliable and credible estimates of undiscovered petroleum resources
throughout the world. Initial program efforts have focused on the major produc-
ing areas of the world in order to gain a broad geological understanding of the
characteristics of petroleum occurrence for resource assessment as well as for
analysis of production potential. Investigations of production potential are car-
ried out in cooperation with other U.S. Government agencies; specifically, studies
of the main exporting nations of the free world, of which this study is a part, are
carried out in cooperation with the Foreign Energy Supply Assessment Program
of the Department of Energy.
The program seeks to investigate resource potential at the basin level, primari-
ly through analogy with other petroleum regions, and thus does not necessarily
require current exploration information commonly held to be proprietary. In con-
ducting the investigations, we intend to build a support base of publicly available
data and geologic synthesis against which to measure the progress of exploration
and thereby validate the assessment. Most of these investigations will lead directly
to quantitative resource assessments; to be effective, resource assessment, like
exploration, must be an ongoing process that takes advantage of changing ideas
and data availability- the results produced are but progress reports reflecting on
a state of knowledge at a point in time. Because the program is coordinated with
the Geological Survey's domestic assessment program and uses similar assess-
ment techniques, the user can be assured that a thread of consistency will permit
comparisons between the various petroleum basins of the world, including those
in the United States, that have been assessed in the overall Survey program.
In addition to resource estimates, the program provides a regional base of under-
standing for in-country exploration analysis and for analysis of media reports
regarding the exploratory success or failure of ventures in studied areas.
Geological Survey publications relating to the assessment of undiscovered con-
ventionally recoverable petroleum resources include the following:

Open-File Report 81-986-Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of Persian

Gulf basin and Zagros Fold Belt (Arabian-Iranian basin)
Open-File Report 81-1027-Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources, Volga-
Urals basin, U.S.S.R.
Open-File Report 81-1142- Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of Indonesia
Open-File Report 81-1143 - Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of north-
eastern Mexico
Open-File Report 81-1144-Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of south-
eastern Mexico, northern Guatemala, and Belize
Open-File Report 81-1145-Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of Trinidad
Open-File Report 81-1146-Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of Venezuela
Open-File Report 81-1147-Assessment of conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of the West
Siberian basin and Kara Sea basin, U.S.S.R.
These reports are available from Open-File Services Section, Branch of Distribution, U.S. Geological
Survey, Box 25425, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225.
 CONTENTS

Page

Abstract ________________ 1 Stratigraphy - Continued

Acknowledgment ___________ 1 Paleozoic cycles -Continued
Introduction _____________ 1 Fourth (upper Lower Permian and Upper
Information sources ______ 1 Permian) ____ > 13
Geography __ __ 1 Alpine cycle (Mesozoic) _ 14
Regional geology __________ 5 Petroleum geology _____ 14
Structure _____ ___ 5 Introduction ___ 14
Archean crystalline basement structural stage __ 5 Productive sequences __ 14
Proterozoic Y and Z (Riphean-Vendian) struc- Proterozoic Y and Z (Bavly beds) section 14
tural stage ___________ ___ 7 Devonian clastic section _ 14
Middle to Upper Devonian (Eifelian-Frasnian) Upper Devonian and lowermost Carboniferous
structural stage _______________ 7 carbonate section _ 15
Upper Devonian-Lower Carboniferous (Famen- Visean clastic section _ 17
nian-Tournaisian) structural stage ______ 7 Lower and Middle Carboniferous carbonate
Carboniferous-Lower Permian structural section _____ 17
stage ______________________ 7 Moscovian clastic section 18
Upper Permian and Mesozoic-Cenozoic struc- Middle and Upper Carboniferous carbonate
tural stages _______ _ 7 section _____ 18
Stratigraphy ___________ _ 10 Lower Permian carbonate-evaporite section 18
Riphean (lower Bavly) cycle ___________ 10 Upper Permian clastic-carbonate section _ 20
Vendian (upper Bavly) cycle _ _ 10 Giant fields ___________ 20
Paleozoic cycles __________ ___ 10 Present exploration and future prospects 24
First (Middle Devonian-Tournaisian) ___ 10 Assessment of undiscovered conventionally recoverable
Second (Vise"an, Namurian, and Bashkirian) _ 13 petroleum resources ___ 25
Third (lower Moscovian through Lower Per- Comments _______ 25
mian) _________________ 13 References _ _ 26

ILLUSTRATIONS

FIGURES 1-4. Maps showing:

1. Volga-Ural basin assessment region _________________________________ 2
2. Main structural features of Russian Platform region and locations of cross sections A-A' and B-B' 3
3. Positions of oilfields and gasfields with respect to main structural features of Volga-Ural province 4
4. Regional structure of Archean crystalline basement in Russian Platform region _________ 6
5. Stratigraphic column showing general lithologic fades, productive intervals, and regional sedimentary
cycles of Volga-Ural province ________________________________________ 8
6, 7. Generalized structural-stratigraphic cross sections showing:
6. North-south line A-A' from Sysola arch to Peri-Caspian depression ________________ 9
7. Northwest-southeast line B-B' from Soligalich depression to Ural Mountains ___________ 11
8-11. Maps showing:
8. Post-Proterozoic sedimentary cover _________________________________ 12
9. Net sandstone content of Devonian clastic section and areas of Frasnian shale having an organic
carbon content greater than 1 percent _______________________________ 16
10. Marine facies patterns in Permian beds in Volga-Ural province __________________ 19
11. Structure on top of Pashiy horizon in Romashkino oilfield _____________________ 22
12. Profile of Devonian clastic section of Romashkino oilfield __________________________ 23
13, 14. Graphs showing probability distribution of:
13. Volga-Ural recoverable oil ______________________________________ 25
14. Volga-Ural recoverable gas _____________________________________ 25
 TABLES

TABLE 1. Estimated ultimate recoveries from 11 giant oilfields and gasfields in the Volga-Ural petroleum province ___ 20
2. Stratigraphic section of the Romashkino oilfield in the Volga-Ural petroleum province _________ __ 21
3. Assessment of undiscovered conventionally recoverable petroleum resources in the Volga-Ural petroleum
province _______________________________________________________ 25
4. Supplementary and comparative data supporting the petroleum resource assessment of the Volga-Ural petro-
leum province ____________________________________________________ 25

VI
 Petroleum Geology and Resources of the
Volga-Ural Province, U.S.S.R.

By James A. Peterson and James W. Clarke

Abstract age contains the major recoverable oil accumulations, including

the supergiant Romashkino field.
The Volga-Ural petroleum province is, in general, coincident Cumulative production to 1980 is estimated at 30 to 35 billion
with the Volga-Ural regional high, a broad upwarp of the east- barrels of oil equivalent, identified reserves at about 10 billion
central part of the Russian (East European) Platform. The cen- barrels of oil equivalent, and undiscovered resources at about 7
tral part of the province is occupied by the Tatar arch, which billion barrels of oil equivalent. Identified reserves of natural
contains the major share of the oilfields of the province. The gas are estimated at 100 trillion cubic feet and undiscovered
Komi-Perm arch forms the northeastern part of the regional resources at 63 trillion cubic feet.
high, and the Zhigulevsko-Pugachev and Orenburg arches make
up the southern part. These arches are separated from one
another by elongate downwarps. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The platform cover overlies an Archean crystalline basement The resource assessment for this report was
and consists of seven main sedimentation cycles. (1) Riphean
(lower Bavly) continental sandstone, shale, and conglomerate prepared in collaboration with the Resource Ap-
beds, from 500 to 5,000 m thick, were deposited in aulacogens. praisal Group of the Branch of Oil and Gas
(2) Vendian (upper Bavly) continental and marine shale and Resources.
sandstone are up to 3,000 m thick. (3) Middle Devonian-Tour-
naisian transgressive deposits, which are sandstone, siltstone,
and shale in the lower part and carbonates and abundant reefs INTRODUCTION
in the upper part, range from 300 to 1,000 m in thickness. The INFORMATION SOURCES
upper carbonate part includes the Kamsko-Kinel trough system,
which consists of narrow, interconnected, deepwater troughs. Data and information used in preparing this
(4) The Vis6an-Namurian-Bashkirian cycle began with deposi- report were compiled primarily from Soviet jour-
tion of Vis6an clastic deposits, which draped over reefs of the
previous cycle and filled in an erosional relief that had formed in nals and other publications on the petroleum
some places on the sediments of the previous cycle. The Vis6an geology and the general geology of the area. Of
clastic deposits are overlain by marine carbonate beds. The cy- particular value were publications by Maksimov
cle is from 50 to 800 m thick. (5) The lower Moscovian-Lower and others (1970), the Atlas of Lithological-Pale-
Permian cycle consists of 1,000 to 3,000 m of terrigenous clastic ogeographical Maps of the U.S.S.R. by the
deposits and marine carbonate beds. (6) The upper Lower Per-
mian-Upper Permian cycle reflects the maximum growth of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. (1966), trans-
Ural Mountains and the associated Ural foredeep. Evaporite lations of the Soviet journals Geologiya Nefti i
deposits were first laid down, followed by marine limestones Gaza and Neftegazovaya Geologiya i Geofizika
and dolomites, which intertongue eastward with clastic (published in the American journal Petroleum
sediments from the Ural Mountains. (7) Continental red beds of Geology), the Robertson Research International,
Triassic age and mixed continental and marine clastic beds of
Jurassic and Cretaceous age were deposited on the western, Ltd. (1976) report on the Volga-Ural petroleum
southwestern, and northern margins of the Russian Platform; province, and the information files of Petrocon-
they are generally absent in the Volga-Ural province, however. sultants, S.A.
Approximately 600 oilfields and gasfields and 2,000 pools
have been found in the Volga-Ural province. Nine productive se- GEOGRAPHY
quences are recognized; these are, in general, the same as the
sedimentation cycles, although some subdivisions have been The Volga-Ural petroleum province is an area of
added. The clastic section of Middle and early Late Devonian about 500,000 km2 (200,000 mi2) located on the
 FIGURE 1.-Volga-Ural basin assessment region (shaded).
Russian Plain between the Volga River on the The plain is a low erosional surface having eleva-
west, the Ural Mountains on the east, and the Peri- tions of 100 m (325 ft) or less along the Volga and
Caspian depression on the south (figs. 1, 2 and 3). Kama Rivers, but, as it approaches the Ural Moun-
 54°

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0 300 KILOMETERS

FIGURE 2.-Main structural features of the Russian Platform region and locations of cross sections A-A' (fig. 6) and B-B' (fig. 7).
Dashed outline encloses Volga-Ural province.
 PERI-CASPIAN DEPRESSION

EXPLANATION
Kamsko-Kinel trough system Outline of major structures Dashed
where uncertain
Oilfield
Axis of structural high
Oilfield and gasfield

Gasfield

FIGURE 3. - Position of oilfields and gasfields with respect to the main structural features of the Volga-Ural province. The large field
in the middle of the map area is Romashkino.

tains, it becomes a low erosional plateau having the hot, dry desert of the Caspian on the south,
elevations of 200 m (650 ft) or more. The region ex- Climate is Atlantic continental, and precipitation
tends from the cold, humid taiga on the north to ranges from 30 to 40 cm (12 to 18 in) per year.
Average mean January temperature is -12° to Proterozoic Y and Z-early Paleozoic structural
-16°C (10° to 3°F); that for July is 20° to 24°C trends. The arches are separated by relatively nar-
(66° to 76°F). The region lies at lat 50° to 60° N., row, elongate basement-fault-bounded troughs or
about the same as the southern half of Canada. It aulacogens (Maksimov and others, 1970; Nalivkin,
lies in a forest-steppe belt of forest and grasslands 1976; Valeyev and others, 1969). The arches form
that are extensively cultivated. The region was large (regional) uplifts on which more localized but
long neglected by Soviet planners and held to relatively large "highs" are superposed. The inter-
agricultural production. After World War II and nal structure of the major arches consists of
the discovery of significant petroleum resources, polygonal block and interblock linear-zonal struc-
this area (the "Second Baku") became the most tures. The polygonal block structures are
rapidly developing industrial region in the Soviet characterized by relatively mild deformation of the
Union. sedimentary cover, a relatively thinner sedimen-
tary section, and primary development of car-
REGIONAL GEOLOGY
bonate facies. The interblock linear-zonal struc-
STRUCTURE tures are marked by greater deformation and a
thicker sedimentary cover.
The Volga-Ural petroleum province is, in Both the aulacogens and the interblock linear-
general, coincident with the Volga-Ural regional zonal structures formed through the action of deep
high, a broad upwarp of the east-central part of the faults in the basement. Movement along these
East European (Russian) Platform. The province is basement faults was certainly associated with the
bordered on the east by the Ural foredeep, on the contemporary subsidence in the Ural geosyncline
west by the Kazansko-Kirov aulacogen, and on the to the east and in the Dnieper-Donets depression
south by the Peri-Caspian depression (figs. 2 and farther to the southwest, as well as with the
3). The central part of the province is occupied by downwarping of the Peri-Caspian depression to
the Tatar arch, an elongate basement uplift that in- the south. The fault zones are characteristically
cludes the structurally highest part of the regional associated with the steep gravity of magnetic gra-
high and contains the major share of the petroleum dients.
deposits in the province. The Komi-Perm arch
forms the northeastern part of the regional high,
ARCHEAN CRYSTALLINE BASEMENT STRUCTURAL
and the Zhigulevsko-Pugachev and Orenburg STAGE
arches make up the southern part adjacent to the
regional Peri-Caspian depression. Subsurface In general, the Volga-Ural regional high is divid-
elevation of the Archean crystalline basement ed into three prominent ridge systems separated
ranges from about -1,500 m (-4,900 ft) on the by elongate depressions or aulacogens (Maksimov
Tatar arch to more than -5,000 m (-16,000 ft) and others, 1970). The Komi-Tatar ridge system is
along the eastern border of the province (fig. 4) about 700 km (435 mi) long and 200 km (125 mi)
and more than -8,000 m (-26,000 ft) in the Ural wide and includes the Komi-Perm and Tatar arches
foredeep. Maximum relief on the basement thus and their local highs (fig. 3). The Lower Kama
exceeds 6,000 m (19,500 ft) in the province. dislocation zone, which extends northeast across
Thickness of the sedimentary cover ranges from the central part of the Tatar arch, is a zone of ex-
1,500 m (4,900 ft) to more than 8,000 m (26,000 ft). tensive faults of the basement and sedimentary
The relief on the basement surface differs signif- cover related to the Kama abyssal fault, which ex-
icantly from the structure in the overlying tends from the Voronezh arch to the Ural
sedimentary rocks because of deformation that oc- foredeep.
curred during deposition of successive strati- The Kama-Bashkir ridge system forms the
graphic units. These structural differences are the northeastern part of the Volga-Ural regional high.
basis for recognizing seven structural stages: It is separated from the Komi-Tatar ridge system
Archean crystalline basement, Proterozoic Y and by the Upper Kama depression and the Birsk sad-
Z, Middle to Upper Devonian, Upper Devonian- dle; this regional structural low (sometimes called
Lower Carboniferous, Carboniferous-Lower Per- the Birsko-Upper Kama aulacogen) is bordered by
mian, Upper Permian, and Mesozoic-Cenozoic. faults and is filled by thick Proterozoic Y and Z
Many of the structural features, particularly the (Bavly) sedimentary and basic intrusive rocks. The
larger arches and downwarps, are inherited from Kama and Perm-Bashkir arches are the main
 54°

V
60C

52C

^ y Orenburg /
«r»« S^i.. -''

100 150 MILES

PERI-CASPIAN DEPRESSION I _I
100 200 KILOMETERS

FIGURE 4.-Regional structure of the Archean crystalline basement in the Russian Platform region. Structure contours in
kilometers. Dashed outline encloses the Volga-Ural province.

structural highs on the Kama-Bashkir ridge The Zhigulevsko-Pugachev and Orenburg arch
system, which is bounded on the east by the north- system occupies the southern part of the Volga-
ern segment of the abyssally faulted Ural foredeep. Ural regional high and is separated from the Tatar
arch by the Melekess depression and the abyssally Sernovodsko-Abdulino aulacogen and the Oren-
faulted Sernovodsko-Abdulino aulacogen. The burg arch become buried structures beneath the
Zhigulevsko-Pugachev and Orenburg arch system monoclinal southeastern flank of the platform.
is bounded on the south by the northern border of UPPER DEVONIAN-LOWER CARBONIFEROUS
the deep Peri-Caspian depression and the Buzuluk (FAMENNIAN-TOURNAISIAN) STRUCTURAL STAGE
depression. On the east, it is bounded by the Ufa-
Orenburg monocline (fig. 2), which is separated Sedimentary processes, mainly carbonate mound
from the southern Ural foredeep by an abyssal or reef buildups, become significant in the develop-
fault system. On the west, the deep-seated Ryazan- ment of the structural forms of the Famennian-
Saratov depression separates the arch system Tournaisian. The Kamsko-Kinel trough system,
from the lower Volga monocline, which forms the which extends about 900 km (560 mi) and is from
western border of the Peri-Caspian depression. 20 to 90 km (13-56 mi) wide, formed at this time
(fig. 3). The pre-Mendym (Domanik and older)
PROTEROZOIC Y AND Z (RIPHEAN-VENDIAN) structure generally does not reflect either the
STRUCTURAL STAGE troughs or the bordering highs of the Kamsko-
Kinel system. However, structural closure in-
Proterozoic Y and Z sedimentary rocks are as creases abruptly at the top of the Devonian owing
much as 10,000 m (32,500 ft) thick and, to a great to draping of the overlying beds, which is related to
extent, infill the deep aulacogen trough system reef growth near the trough borders and thinner
within the basement (Kazan sko-Kirov and (uncompensated) deposition within the troughs.
Sernovodsko-Abdulino aulacogens, Upper Kama, During the upper part of this structural stage
Buzuluk, and Ryazan-Saratov depressions, and the (Tournaisian), draping of beds over the Devonian
Birsk saddle) (figs. 5 and 6). A regional unconform- reef buildups caused a general lessening of relief;
ity is present between the Riphean and Vendian this lessening continued into the overlying struc-
sedimentary rocks; consequently, two independent tural stage and resulted in a tendency to return to
structural substages are recognized. The dominant structural elements more like those of the earlier
regional structures in the Proterozoic Y and Z beds Eifelian-Frasnian or Middle to Upper Devonian
are rounded anticlines, separated by basins or structural stage.
troughs; the outlines of these anticlines are less
sharply defined than those of anticlines in the CARBONIFEROUS-LOWER PERMIAN
Archean basement. STRUCTURAL STAGE

MIDDLE TO UPPER DEVONIAN (EIFELIAN-FRASNIAN) Draped structures continue into the lower Vis-
STRUCTURAL STAGE San clastic beds, but, during middle to late Vis6an
time, surface evidence of the Kamsko-Kinel trough
The general structure of this Devonian clastic in-
system and associated carbonate buildups disap-
terval does not differ substantially from that of the peared owing to depositional processes. After this
underlying basement surface. These clastic beds time, the main tectonic elements again became
are thinner or absent altogether on some struc-
dominant but tended toward greater complexity.
tural highs. Depositional thinning on the Kukmor
The main structural highs on the Tatar, Perm-
high of the Tatar arch results in the Al'met'yev
Bashkir, Zhigulevsko-Pugachev, and Orenburg
high's being structurally higher than the Kukmor
arches and the Birsk saddle remained clearly de-
high for the Devonian beds; the relationship is
fined. During Early Permian time, a thick, narrow-
reversed for the basement surface. Deposition of a
ly defined belt of reef growth developed along the
great thickness of Devonian clastic rocks in the
eastern and southern borders of the Russian Plat-
Kazansko-Kirov aulacogen led to almost complete
form, the result being a narrow band of reef struc-
infilling of this trough. On the eastern edge of the tures adjacent to the Ural foredeep and the Peri-
trough, a lava flow present in the lower Frasnian
Caspian depression.
rocks suggests possible renewed faulting along the
borders of the aulacogen. The Tatar arch has a
UPPER PERMIAN AND MESOZOIC-CENOZOIC
closure of 160 m (520 ft) on the top of the Eifelian-
STRUCTURAL STAGES
Frasnian structural stage; this closure is 50 to 80 m
(163-260 ft) less than that on the surface of the During the Upper Permian and Mesozoic-
basement. In this structural stage, the Cenozoic structural stages, a large zone of highs
 PRODUC-
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Oil production Larger dot Dolomite {££$ Sandstone (mostly marine)
indicates greater production Anhydrite jijl Red beds (partly marine)
Gas production
Halite Shale (gray or black, marine)
Unconformity

FIGURE 5. -General lithologic facies, productive intervals, and regional sedimentary cycles of the Volga-Ural province.
 TATAB A D r*U
PERI-CASPIAN
I Ml An AnUn
KAZANSKO-KIROV ROMASHKINO ORENBURG ARCH ORENBURG
SYSOLA ARCH DEPRESSION KOMI-PERM ARCH

|£^#v;v| Sandstone and gray or black Fault Arrows show direction

shale (mostly marine) of relative movement
Red beds (partly marine) - Contact Dashed where approximate
Limestone ~ Unconformity
Dolomite .A. Oilfield or gasfield
Anhydrite Oil production
Halite 4 Gas production

FIGURE 6. -North-south generalized cross section A-A' from the Sysola arch on the southeastern flank of the Baltic shield to the Peri-Caspian depression. Location of cross sec-
tion shown on figure 2.
developed along the eastern flank of the Perm- Maksimov and others (1970) recognize seven
Bashkir arch and extended southwest across the main sedimentation cycles in the Volga-Ural prov-
Birsk saddle and the Belebey high of the Tatar arch ince: Riphean, Vendian, first Paleozoic, second
to merge with a similar zone of highs extending Paleozoic, third Paleozoic, fourth Paleozoic, and
northwest across the ATmet'yev and Kukmor highs Alpine (figs. 5, 6, and 7 show the elements of this
of the Tatar arch; within this arcuate system of subdivision). The general lithologic characteristics
highs is the Upper Kama depression. During the and thickness variations of the Paleozoic cycles are
Mesozoic, the northwestern part of the Volga-Ural shown on regional cross sections (figs. 6 and 7)
regional high subsided and became part of a compiled from numerous Soviet literature sources,
depositional basin. The Buzuluk depression is par- including regional thickness and facies maps,
ticularly well defined in the Mesozoic systems. The geologic analyses of local areas, and oilfield data.
Zhigulevsko-Pugachev arch became highly In general, the cycles are separated by unconform-
elevated and was eroded down to Middle Car- ities of regional extent and are related to trans-
boniferous beds. gressive-regressive episodes of the Paleozoic
seaway. The lower part of each cycle consists
STRATIGRAPHY
mainly of near-shore marine sandstone and shale,
which grade upward to predominantly marine car-
bonate beds commonly containing reef or organic
The sedimentary history of the Russian Platform mound buildups. Evaporites in varying amounts
is closely related to its structural stages. Soviet are present in each cycle and are particularly
geologists subdivide the stratigraphic section into prominent at the close of the third Paleozoic cycle
a correlation framework of series and stages (Kungur halite beds). Continental and marine red
similar but not identical to those used in North beds, evaporites, dolomite, and alluvial con-
America (fig. 5). Sedimentary rock sequences of glomerate beds dominate the uppermost cycle.
Proterozoic Y and Z, Devonian, Carboniferous,
Permian, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic age make up the RIPHEAN (LOWER BAVLY) CYCLE
sedimentary cover on the platform (figs. 6, 7, and
8). The total thickness of the post-Proterozoic Riphean beds are from 500 to more than 5,000 m
sedimentary cover ranges from about 1,500 m (1,625 to more than 16,250 ft) thick and consist
(4,875 ft) on the Tatar arch to more than 8,000 m primarily of terrigenous, coarse, clastic continen-
(25,000 ft) along the northern border of the Peri- tal sandstone, shale, and conglomerate beds de-
Caspian depression (fig. 8). Cambrian through posited directly on crystalline basement, mainly in
Silurian rocks are not reported in the Volga-Ural elongate grabenlike depressions (aulacogens), and
province, although Ordovician and Silurian beds some marine deposits in the upper part.
have been recognized in the complexly folded and
faulted Ural foredeep a short distance to the east, VENDIAN (UPPER BAVLY) CYCLE
and Lower Cambrian clastic rocks are present in Vendian beds are as much as 3,000 m (9,750 ft)
the western part of the platform. Middle Devonian thick and are much more widespread than the
through Permian strata occur in more or less con- underlying Riphean sedimentary rocks. Basal Ven-
tinuous depositional sequence, interrupted at dian beds are coarse continental and marine clastic
several horizons by disconformities of variable ex- sediments that unconformably overlie Riphean
tent. Upper Permian rocks make up the surface ex- beds. The lower Vendian grades upward to a se-
posures over most of the province, and, except for quence of marine shallow-water shale and sand-
the southern border of the region adjacent to the stone that contains some carbonate and phos-
Peri-Caspian depression, Mesozoic rocks are ab- phorite beds.
sent. Tertiary rocks are present only in a narrow
belt along the Volga River valley in the south- PALEOZOIC CYCLES
western part of the province, where Pliocene con-
FIRST (MIDDLE DEVONIAN-TOURNAISIAN)
tinental beds of conglomerate, sandstone, and
shale as thick as about 500 m (1,625 ft) are pre- Rocks of the first Paleozoic cycle are 300 to more
served. Most of the platform was emergent in early than 1,000 m (975 to more than 3,250 ft) thick and
Paleozoic time and again during Mesozoic and represent a major transgressive marine cycle that
Cenozoic time. spread westward from the Ural eugeosyncline and,

10
B B'

TOKMOVO-KOTEL'NICH UFA-ORENBURG URAL

SOLIGALICH DEPRESSION ARCH KAZANSKO-KIROV MONOCLINE FOREDEEP
AULACOGEN A A -A /ft

f- ^__7-"? ~~ *V*^ ~> i- -' " ~^~ ' t '^ * - ~~ ' "" T ''-

5*VAMSKO--'^S"~
-/"J(INEL - - ?X^'

CAVIJR^AN

PROTEROZOIC Z AND Y

Sandstone and gray or black Fault Arrows show direction

shale (mostly marine) of relative movement
Red beds (partly marine) Contact Dashed where approximate
Limestone Unconformity
Dolomite
Anhydrite
Halite

FIGURE 7.-Northwest-southeast generalized cross section B-B' from the Soligalich depression to the Ural Mountains. Location of cross section shown on figure 2.
00
'l

URAL MOUNTAINS
by the end of the cycle, had covered the entire Rus- Age followed by fossiliferous marine carbonate
sian Platform. The lower part represents the Devo- beds of late Moscovian, Late Carboniferous, and
nian clastic beds of Middle and earliest Late Devo- Early Permian age. Lower Moscovian sandstones
nian age. These beds, which contain the major are generally .fine grained and primarily of marine
petroleum deposits of the province, grade upward origin and grade to a relatively narrow band of
to a predominantly reef and mound carbonate sec- deltaic and interdeltaic facies west and northwest
tion of latest Devonian (Famennian) and earliest of the Volga-Ural province. This sequence grades
Carboniferous (Tournaisian) age. The cycle closed upward to upper Moscovian marine limestone,
with a marine regression and the emergence of the dolomite, and intertonguing shale beds, which con-
platform when erosion, karstification, and prob- tain porous carbonate mound buildups in places.
ably early dolomitization of the carbonate beds oc- Rocks of Late Carboniferous age form a
curred prior to deposition of the lower VisSan blanketlike carbonate deposit 150 to 200 m (490 to
clastic beds of the succeeding cycle. 650 ft) thick over much of the Volga-Ural province
The middle and upper parts of this cycle contain and mark the maximum transgressive stage of the
the highly bituminous Domanik facies, a restricted cycle. These beds are overlain conformably by
marine black shale, marl, and argillaceous lime- shallow-water carbonate rocks of earliest Permian
stone facies that was deposited primarily in the (Asselian) age. Permian reef growth was initiated
deeper water Kamsko-Kinel troughs of the shelf. at this time in a relatively continuous belt along the
The unique Kamsko-Kinel trough system com- eastern and southern borders of the platform, adja-
prises a grouping of narrow, interconnected, cent to the deepwater Ural foredeep and the Peri-
deeper water troughs that persisted between late Caspian depression. Reef growth continued along
Frasnian and Tournaisian time. The origin of the this band during the remainder of the third Paleo-
trough system is thought to be related to a com- zoic cycle of deposition, and the main part of the
bination of structural and sedimentary processes Volga-Ural province was covered by back-reef car-
involving block faulting of the platform basement bonate, evaporite, and fine clastic beds. The reef
followed by deposition of an extensive shelf car- bodies are primarily limestone, dolomitized to
bonate reef and mound facies that reached its varying degrees and ranging up to several hundred
greatest development along the trough borders. meters thick. More than 2,000 m (6,500 ft) of deep-
water clastic bituminous shale, sandstone, and
SECOND (VISEAN, NAMURIAN, AND BASHKIRIAN) siltstone are deposited in the Ural foredeep, which
The second Paleozoic cycle comprises a 50- to was actively subsiding at this time during the early
about 800-m (160 to 2,600 ft) sequence of ter- growth stages of the Ural Mountains chain.
rigenous clastic deposits of early and middle
VisSan Age, followed by fossiliferous marine car- FOURTH (UPPER LOWER PERMIAN AND UPPER PERMIAN)
bonate rocks of late VisSan, Namurian, and The fourth Paleozoic cycle reflects the maximum
Bashkirian Age. The basal VisSan beds are con- growth of the Ural Mountains and the associated
tinental and near-shore marine sandstone and Ural foredeep. At the close of the third Paleozoic
shale that represent the initial transgressive cycle, evaporite deposits consisting of gypsum or
deposits of the depositional cycle. These deposits anhydrite and some dolomite formed on the main
fill the Kamsko-Kinel troughs and the ir- platform, and thick deposits of halite accumulated
regularities of the underlying channeled and in the Peri-Caspian depression and the southern
karstified erosion surface on the Tournaisian car- part of the Ural foredeep. This event was followed
bonate beds. Vis6an clastic beds grade upward to by marine transgression and deposition on the
marine carbonate and shale units and finally to platform of limestone and dolomite interbedded
widespread fossiliferous marine carbonate beds of with some gypsum (Ufimian beds). These strata in-
Namurian and Bashkirian Age that covered the en- tertongue eastward with clastic sedimentary rocks
tire platform. from the Ural Mountains, which began to uplift
vigorously near the close of the third Paleozoic cy-
THIRD (LOWER MOSCOVIAN THROUGH LOWER PERMIAN) cle. During the remainder of the fourth Paleozoic
The third Paleozoic cycle comprises a 1,000- to cycle, continental coarse-grained clastic deposits
more than 3,000-m (3,250 to 9,750 ft) sequence of from the Ural Mountain chain became increasingly
terrigenous clastic deposits of early Moscovian dominant and continued until complete withdrawal

13
of marine conditions in latest Permian time. Parts stratigraphic traps. Many of the fields contain
of the Upper Permian beds are removed by post- multiple pays, and some produce from all the main
Permian erosion. The total thickness of the fourth productive intervals of the province, particularly in
Paleozoic cycle sequence ranges from less than 500 the Kuybyshev-Orenburg area. The province is in a
m (1,625 ft) on the Tatar arch to more than 1,500 m mature stage of exploration and production, and
(4,875 ft) in the southern part of the Ural foredeep increasing emphasis is being placed on exploring
and the Peri-Caspian depression. for both clastic and carbonate stratigraphic trap
prospects, which were not emphasized during the
ALPINE CYCLE (MESOZOIC) structural stage of exploration drilling. These ef-
forts, aided by refined methods of seismic inter-
The Alpine cycle was apparently a time of pretation, have resulted in the discovery of many
emergence of the platform area. Mesozoic rocks fields of both the stratigraphic and the structural
are not present in the main area of the Volga-Ural type in recent years. A large percentage of the
province and, according to most Soviet authors, known reserves of the province is depleted, but
were never deposited there. Continental red beds Soviet geologists have identified a significant
of Triassic age and mixed continental and marine number of deeper, more complex prospects that
clastic beds of Jurassic and Cretaceous age are promise to add continuing reserves for some time.
present in the Peri-Caspian depression and in the
southwestern, western, and northern parts of the
Russian Platform. Rocks of this age, however, are PRODUCTIVE SEQUENCES
generally absent in the Volga-Ural province (figs. 6 Maksimov and others (1970) divide the
and 7). petroleum-bearing and prospective strata into nine
Lower and middle Tertiary rocks are not productive sequences (fig. 5) on the basis of
reported in the Volga-Ural province, and there is stratigraphic characteristics, the nature of the oil
no evidence to show that they were ever deposited and gas occurrence, hydrologic conditions, and the
there. Continental clastic beds of Pliocene age 100 geochemical character of the oil and gas. These
to 400 m (325 to 1,300 ft) thick are present along productive units fit well with natural stratigraphic
the Volga River valley in the southwestern part of facies divisions within the geologic column of the
the province. province and are considered separately in the
following discussion.
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
PROTEROZOIC Y AND Z (BAVLY BEDS) SECTION
INTRODUCTION

Maksimov and others (1970) list 525 fields in the Soviet geologists report that the Bavly beds are
Volga-Ural province (480 oil or oil and gas and 45 not highly metamorphosed and contain a signifi-
gas) and 1,450 recognized oil and gas pools (425 in cant thickness of porous marine and continental
Devonian rocks, 890 in Carboniferous, and 135 in sandstone beds that have good reservoir qualities
Permian). Since the publication of the Maksimov (Stankevich and others, 1977; Suleymanov and
report, a large number of additional fields or pools Bazev, 1974). The Bavly beds are also highly frac-
have been discovered, notably in the Ural foredeep tured in some areas. Carbonaceous and bituminous
and on the northern border of the Peri-Caspian beds, as well as algal carbonate bodies, are also
depression. Bol'shakov (1975) reports a total of reported. These factors indicate that accumula-
1,900 oil and gas pools in the province. Many of the tions of indigenous gas and nonindigenous oil and
fields are small, but several are giants. Halbouty gas may be found, particularly as deep drilling pro-
(1970) lists seven giant oilfields (more than 500 gresses.
million barrels of ultimately recoverable oil), total-
DEVONIAN CLASTIC SECTION
ing about 28 billion barrels of recoverable oil, and
two giant gasfields, of which Orenburg (now The Devonian clastic section of Middle and
reported as about 70 trillion cubic feet) is the earliest Late Devonian age has been the main oil
largest. Most of the fields are located on anticlinal objective in the Volga-Ural province. These beds
structures (either tectonic or draping over reef contain the major recoverable oil accumulations on
buildups), but, according to Shaykhutdinov (1975), the Tatar arch, which includes the Romashkino,
almost half the pools on the Tatar arch are Novoyelkhov-Aktash, Tuymazy, Shkapovo,

14
 Mukhanovo, and Yarino-Kenennyy oilfields, tions have been found during field development
among the largest in the province. Significant pro- drilling, mainly on the flanks of the larger struc-
duction from these beds (mainly oil) is also present tures (BoPshakov, 1975). More than 300 pools of
in all other parts of the province as well. More than this type are reported. The lower Frasnian shale
200 oilfields produce from the Devonian clastic and lensing sandstone interval provides a regional
reservoirs, and 9 main productive sandstone or impermeable seal for most structural accumula-
siltstone horizons are reported. The main pays oc- tions, and individual dark shale units of lesser ex-
cur in the uppermost Givetian and lower Frasnian tent provide local cap rock beds for stratigraphic
sequence; almost half of the Devonian pools of the and structural pools.
Volga-Ural province are in the lower Frasnian Possible analogs to the Devonian clastic section
clastic section. The Devonian clastic sandstone, of the Volga-Ural province include the productive
shale, and minor limestone interval occurs in a Chesterian (Upper Mississippian) sandstone and
north-south belt extending across the central part shale sequence of the northern Midwestern United
of the province. The greatest thickness is in the States (Illinois basin and adjacent area), the Upper
northern and southern parts of the region (fig. 9) Devonian clastic section of the northern Ap-
The reservoirs are marine near-shore sandstone palachians ("Bradford" and other sands), and beds
and siltstone derived from a west-to-northwest of the Simpson Group (Middle Ordovician) of the
source area. Net sandstone content is highest to midcontinent region. Of these three, the
the north and northwest-175 to 300 m (570 to 975 Chesterian sequence is probably the best analog
ft). A belt of sandstone facies also extends from with respect to paleogeography, the nature of the
north to south across the southern crest of the sandstone facies and its source, and the interrela-
Tatar arch. Sandstone intervals pinch out to the tion with indigenous source-rock facies.
west along the eastern flank of the northern crest
of the Tatar arch and the Komi-Perm arch and also UPPER DEVONIAN AND LOWERMOST CARBONIFEROUS
to the east along the border of the platform. CARBONATE SECTION
Porosity and permeability are highly variable in The Upper Devonian and lowermost Car-
the clastic Devonian reservoirs, ranging from very boniferous carbonate interval contains the Volga-
low in siltstone reservoirs to as much as 25 to 30 Ural province's most widespread and fully
percent and 3 to 4 darcies in the cleaner and better developed reef and organic carbonate facies, which
sorted quartz sandstone reservoirs. Fracturing is attains a thickness of more than 500 m (1,625 ft) in
important in increasing reservoir quality in many all the paleostructurally high areas of the province.
fields, particularly those controlled partly by fault At least 150 fields and 10 or more reservoir inter-
traps. vals from these beds are productive, although the
The sandstone beds of the Devonian clastic sec- total amount of oil discovered is considerably less
tion are interbedded with dark near-shore marine than that found in the Devonian clastic section.
and lagoonal dark shale beds, which have variable Most of the oil pools of this interval are in the Tour-
contents of organic carbon. The organic carbon naisian reefal and organic mound carbonate sec-
content increases upward in the section, reaching tion, especially its upper part, which, in most
an overall maximum source-rock quality in the up- places, is considerably thicker than the underlying
permost Givetian and lower Frasnian when the Upper Devonian carbonate beds (Ovanesov and
Domanik facies began to be deposited in the more others, 1972). Most pools found thusfar are in
depressed areas of the shelf (Ronov, 1958). Inter- structural traps in reservoirs where primary inter-
tonguing and interbedding of the dark organic crystalline and skeletal porosity is accompanied by
shale beds with individual sandstone reservoir fracture and vuggy porosity. Porosity, generally
bodies, many of which are lensing in nature, have not high, averages about 8 to 10 percent. Excellent
provided an efficient interrelationship for the source-rock beds of the Domanik facies are present
generation and preservation of petroleum ac- in the Kamsko-Kinel trough system that surrounds
cumulations. all of the main carbonate buildup belts (figs. 3, 6,
Most of the important Devonian clastic oilfields and 7). These beds are highly bituminous and have
are located on structural closures, mainly an- an organic carbon content of as much as 5 percent
ticlinal, but some are also partly fault controlled. or more. The Domanik facies beds, however,
Numerous "lithologic" (stratigraphic) accumula- generally do not intertongue widely with the car-

15
52° -

EXPLANATION

* Greater than 100 m sandstone in 50 100 MILES

clastic Devonian section i _i
r i i
-V Greater than 1 percent organic carbon, 0 50 100 KILOMETERS
-^ Frasnian shale facies
FIGURE 9.-Net sandstone content of the Devonian clastic section and areas of Frasnian shale having an organic carbon content
greater than 1 percent. Areas of major oil accumulation (see fig. 3) tend to occur where a belt of good source-rock facies com-
bines with a higher sandstone content. A western area having a sandstone content of more than 100 m is outside the main belt of
good source rocks and contains no oilfields. The structurally highest area of the northwestern side of the Tatar arch has low
sandstone and source-rock contents and contains no oilfields. Contours in kilometers.
16
bonate buildup facies and thus may not be as effec- Ural province. The Vis6an oilfields are concen-
tive a source-rock facies for these carbonate reser- trated in this northeast-southwest belt.
voirs as they are for the underlying clastic beds. Many of thfc oilfields producing from the Vis6an
In general, Upper Devonian-Tournaisian car- clastic section were discovered on structural
bonate beds have not yet been of primary impor- closures, mostly anticlines or domes, mapped on
tance as petroleum reservoirs in the province. Permian strata at the surface or on shallow seismic
However, in the poststructural phase of explora- horizons. Traps formed by draping over Upper
tion, greater attention is being paid to the isolated Devonian-Tournaisian reefs are widespread. The
nature of some reefal porosity; some success is ap- Arlan field, the second largest field in the province,
parent in infill drilling on larger structures is of this type. Lithologic or stratigraphic trapping
(Shikhov and others, 1976; Yarullin and Yunusov, is involved in most accumulations, and, because of
1976.) the consistent lensing nature of almost all the sand
VISEAN CLASTIC SECTION bodies, many primarily stratigraphic trap fields
have been found. Many are relatively small, but,
At least 10 or 12 regionally productive sandstone according to Soviet geologists, significant reserves
intervals are present in the lower VisSan section are now being added by the current emphasis on
(Malinovka and Yasna Polyana beds) of the Volga- delineating isolated sandstone reservoir bodies on
Ural province. More than 250 fields produce from the flanks of large structures or along sand trends
Vise"an sandstone and siltstone reservoirs dis- within the Kamsko-Kinel troughs. The clay and
tributed across all of the region; according to dense carbonate beds of the uppermost Vise"an
Maksimov and others (1970), this interval contains clastic section form a regional impermeable seal
the greatest number of economically extractable that extends across all of the province.
oil and gas deposits in the province. The Vis6an The Vise"an clastic section is comparable to the
clastic section ranges from 100 to more than 400 m productive Chesterian sandstone section of the
(325 to more than 1,300 ft) thick; the thickest sec- north-central United States, which contains
tion is present within the Kamsko-Kinel trough numerous petroleum accumulations in the deltaic
system, which, in its final phase of development, and near-shore marine lensing and sinuate sand-
was filled with Vise"an clastic deposits. stone bodies interbedded with dark marine shale
Vis6an clastic reservoirs, in general, are highly facies. Source areas for the Vise"an clastic and the
lensing, discontinuous, elongate quartzose sand- Chesterian quartzose sandstones are comparable;
stone bodies of highly variable thickness and ex- both cases involve reworking and redeposition of
tent. Many are sinuous channel sandstones, par- previously deposited sands by streams flowing off
ticularly well developed within the Kamsko-Kinel the margins of a cratonic continental mass into an
trough areas, which contain many of the oilfields advancing marine seaway.
producing from these beds (Tsotsur, 1974). Many
of the reservoirs are classed as "stray sands," and LOWER AND MIDDLE CARBONIFEROUS
well density is important for adequate exploration CARBONATE SECTION
(Baymukhametov, 1976). Porosity and permeabili-
ty characteristics are highly variable, ranging from The carbonate Lower and Middle Carboniferous
very low in siltstone reservoirs to as much as 35 to section is about 100 m (325 ft) thick in the western
40 percent and 4 to 5 darcies, respectively, in part of the Volga-Ural province and thickens
coarser sandstone reservoirs. Lower Vis6an sand- uniformly eastward to about 500 m (1,625 ft) on the
stone reservoirs in the Kuybyshev region have borders of the Ural foredeep and the Peri-Caspian
average porosities of about 22 percent and average depression.
permeabilities of about 650 millidarcies (Aleksin The upper Vis6an and Namurian carbonate beds
and others, 1974). are mainly low-porosity limestones; few significant
Dark bituminous shales of good source-rock productive horizons have been delineated. The
quality are present in the Vise"an clastic section; Bashkirian carbonate beds, however, are more
total thickness generally increases from west to porous and are characterized by a much more
east across the Volga-Ural province. The organic variable facies or by organic carbonate buildups
carbon content of these beds, however, is highest and dolomitized sectors. Potential source rocks are
within a northeast-southwest belt that passes ap- not reported in this section, however, and, thusfar,
proximately across the central part of the Volga- the section has been of secondary importance in

17
number of oilfields (about 100) and volume of oil LOWER PERMIAN CARBONATE-EVAPORITE SECTION
reserves found.
Oil and gas production from the Lower Permian
carbonate-evaporite unit is entirely from reefal
MOSCOVIAN CLASTIC SECTION
and other carbonate reservoirs that are developed
along the southeastern and southern margins of
The Moscovian clastic section is thickest (200 to the Volga-Ural province. More than 100 gasfields
400 m or 650 to 1,300 ft) in the western and or gas-condensate fields and a few oilfields have
southwestern parts of the Volga-Ural province, been discovered, mainly in reefs along the eastern
generally outside the area of petroleum occur- edge of the platform and in dolomite reservoirs of
rence. These beds thin uniformly eastward to less the Zhigulevsko-Pugachev and Orenburg arches.
than 50 m (160 ft) along the eastern border of the
province where the section grades into a dark Porosity and permeability in Lower Permian car-
marine shale facies. About 100 oilfields produce bonate reservoirs are highly variable, ranging
from these sandstone and siltstone reservoirs, from very low to as much as 30 to 35 percent and 1
which are scattered throughout the province. Most to 2 darcies, respectively. Some of the reef reser-
of the oil accumulations occur in the eastern part of voirs along the platform edge are dolomite beds
the clastic facies belt, where the sandstone beds characterized by very low porosity and permeabili-
are generally thin, fine grained, and low in porosi- ty, but the net productive section is often high (as
ty. For this reason, the Moscovian clastic section is much as 600 m or 2,000 ft), and fracture
of secondary importance as an exploratory objec- permeability is very important. Reservoirs in the
tive. Zhigulevsko-Pugachev arch area are mainly fine-to
The dark-gray marine shale beds, which enclose medium-grained crystalline dolomites in which
the Moscovian quartzose sandstone reservoirs, are porosity and permeability are variable. The lower
the most likely petroleum source beds for this sec- part of the Melekess tar deposits occurs in similar
tion, if burial depth is sufficient. Specific source- dolomite reservoirs and appears to have ac-
rock data, however, are lacking. cumulated in pinchout or permeability traps over a
Most of the fields are on structures, but the lens- paleostructural thinning trend that passes
ing and spotty distribution of the sandstone reser- southwest-northeast across the area (figs. 6, 7, and
voir bodies necessitate a strong stratigraphic trap 10).
approach in exploration procedures. The relatively Permian beds of good source-rock quality ap-
thick, impermeable shale section enclosing the parently are not present on the platform, but a
sandstone bodies forms a natural seal for hydrocar- thick section (several hundred meters) of
bons. bituminous marine shale is present in the Ural
foredeep east of the Lower Permian reef belt (fig.
10). These beds, which also may be present at
depth in the Peri-Caspian depression, appear to be
MIDDLE AND UPPER CARBONIFEROUS CARBONATE
SECTION
the most likely indigenous source-rock facies for
Permian hydrocarbons. According to Svetlakova
and Kopytchenko (1978), however, most hydrocar-
Only a few scattered fields produce from Middle bon accumulations in Permian reservoirs probably
and Upper Carboniferous carbonate beds. Upper originated by upward migration from Devonian or
Moscovian reservoirs are porous (in places cavern- Carboniferous source-rock beds.
ous) fossiliferous limestones and some dolomite in- Most of the Permian oilfields and gasfields on the
tervals. Except for the underlying gray marine Orenburg arch are on local structures mapped in
shale and argillaceous carbonate beds of the shallow Permian beds. Those along the platform
Moscovian clastic section, rocks of suitable source- edge are mainly in reef structures, some of which
rock quality apparently are not present in associa- are associated with post-reef vertical faulting and
tion with these beds and may not have been buried some of which are thrust faulted. The Orenburg
deeply enough for organic matter to have matured. gasfield, the largest in the province (70 trillion
These factors, plus the absence of suitable cap cubic feet) and clearly one of the world's
rocks within or above the section, may account for supergiants, is located on a large faulted anticlinal
the lack of significant hydrocarbon production fold. The Kungurian halite and gypsum-anhydrite
from these beds. facies regionally overlies the productive carbonate

18
 54°

Lower Permian salt

03

Lower Permian
carbonate belt

^EPn-Q^i Y/ LOWer rerr

ESSSSfeX' *belt

EXPLANATION

Halite
52° h- Limestone
Conglomerate
Reefs

100 MILES
_l
50 100 KILOMETERS

FIGURE lO.-Isopach map showing marine facies patterns in Permian beds in the Volga-Ural province. Thickness contours in
meters.
and carbonate reef section to form an impermeable West Texas-New Mexico Permian basin. Both
cap rock facies over most of the province. areas contain thick, narrowly defined shelf-margin
The Lower Permian productive carbonate sec- reef buildups of similar organic content as much as
tion of the Volga-Ural province is closely similar to several hundred meters thick. An important dif-
the productive Upper Permian reef section of the ference is that the West Texas-New Mexico Per-

19
mian basin reefs are closely associated with a province (table 1). St. John (1980) lists nine giant
marine source-rock facies that probably contains oilfields and one giant gasfield (table 1).
much more organic carbon than the corresponding
facies in the Volga-Ural province. Probably for this TABLE 1. Estimated ultimate recoveries from 11 giant oilfields
reason and because the Lower Permian beds have and gasfields in the Volga-Ural petroleum province
been buried to greater depths in much of the [?, date unknown; -, no data]
Volga-Ural province, gas and gas-condensate ac- Estimated ultimate recovery
Discovery
cumulations dominate there, whereas oil accumula- Field date Halbouty (1970) St John (1980)
tions dominate in the West Texas-New Mexico Oil recovery, in billion barrels
Permian basin. Romashkino 1948 14.3 12.4
Arlan 1955 4.1 2.8
Aktash-Novoyelkov ____ 1955 3.2 1.3
UPPER PERMIAN CLASTIC-CARBONATE SECTION Tuvmazv 1937 2.2 1.9
Shkapovo 1944 1.25 1.25
Production (mainly of gas and minor oil or con- Kuleshovka 1958 .76 .76
densate) from this interval is confined to the Yarino-Kamennyy _____ 1954 .5 .8
Mukhanovo ? 1.55
southern part of the province, mainly the Kotur-Tepe ? 1.46
Zhigulevsko-Pugachev and Orenburg arches and Gas recovery, in trillion cubic feet
the Sernovodsko-Abdulino aulacogen. According Orenburg 1966 26.5 26.5
to Maksimov and others (1970), three productive Korobki 1949 3.1
intervals are present in the Upper Permian sec-
tion. The two lower intervals contain sandstone Romashkino is a supergiant oilfield almost in the
and siltstone (and minor dolomite) reservoirs of middle of the oily belt that extends along the
Ufimian Age, and the upper, more widespread in- eastern part of the Russian Platform (fig. 2). The
terval contains dolomite reservoirs of early Kazan- domal structure was first detected by geologic
ian Age. The upper part of the Melekess tar mapping in 1934, and oil was discovered in 1948.
deposits is present a short distance west of the pro- For 20 years, between the mid-1950's and the
ductive area, mainly in clastic reservoirs of this age mid-1970's, Romashkino, the largest producing
(Akishev and others, 1974). These accumulations, field in the Soviet Union, provided a significant
which make up the greater part of the Melekess portion of total Soviet production. The field covers
deposits, appear to be related to an updip pinchout an area of 3,600 km2 (1,400 mi2), and more than
of porous sandstones, siltstones, and some 10,000 wells have been drilled. Cumulative produc-
dolomite beds along the southwestern flank of the tion as of January 1, 1979, was 11.25 billion bar-
Tatar arch. The reservoirs are on the margin of a rels. Although the field is now in decline, produc-
major Upper Permian deltaic complex (figs. 6, 7, tion during 1979 was still 500 million barrels (In-
and 10). Comments on the origin of these deposits ternational Petroleum Encyclopedia, 1980, p. 248).
are also given by Demaison (1977). The stratigraphic section at the Romashkino
Evidence for the presence of petroleum source oilfield is about 2,000 m (6,500 ft) thick. Except for
rocks is lacking in this interval, which is dominated minor unconformities, the section is continuous
by evaporite deposits and red beds. Some marine from Middle Devonian through Permian age (table
shales of possible source-rock quality may be pres- 2).
ent in the Peri-Caspian depression or in the The crystalline basement in the area of
southern Ural foredeep. The presence of petro- Romashkino oilfield is a broad, hummocky struc-
leum in Upper Permian beds also may be related to tural plateau 80 to 90 km (49-56 mi) in diameter
vertical migration of deeper accumulations along and outlined by the - 1,640-m (- 5,330 ft) structure
fault or fracture systems, as suggested by contour on the basement surface. The highest
Svetlakova and Kopytchenko (1978). points on this surface are at about -1,535 m
(-4,990 ft), and the lowest are at -1,650 m
GIANT FIELDS
(- 5,360 ft). Closure does not exceed 110 m (360 ft).
The Al'mefyev basement high (fig. 3) is the core of
Halbouty (1970) lists seven giant oilfields (more the structure. The structure on the top of the
than 0.5 billion barrels ultimate recovery) and two Pashiy horizon, which is the main pay zone, has one
giant gasfields (more than 3.1 trillion cubic feet very broad high, which conforms in position and
ultimate recovery) in the Volga-Ural petroleum size to the ATmet'yev basement high. The surface

20
 TABLE 2.-Stratigraphic section of the Romashkino oilfield in the Volga-Ural petroleum province
Thickness, Porosity and
Unit in m (ft) Lithology Pay zones permeability Remarks
Permian
Kazan-Tatar _ ________ 170 (550) Marine and continental sand-
stone, clay, marl, and
limestone.
Ufu __ 40 90 (130 290) Marine and continental red Melekess tar
beds. deposits.
Kungur __________________ Absent over field
area.
Sakmar-Artinsk _ _____ 90-120 (290-390) Marine dolomite, gypsum, Melekess tar
anhydrite, and limestone. deposits.
Middle and Upper Carboniferous
350-560 Marine dolomite and Carbonate beds 0.902 g/cmffl; 2.11
(1,100-1,800) limestone. percent sulfur.
Marine sandstone, siltstone,
and shale.
Lower Carboniferous
Namurian 80-100 (260-325) Marine dolomite and limestone BashWrian-Namurian
limestone (one
large pool).
Visean ___ __________ 175-240 (570-780) Upper part, marine limestone
and dolomite.
Lower part, marine sandstone, Tula B-l and 0.876 g/cmffl; gas-
siltstone, dark-gray shale; Bobrikov B-2 oil ratio 11-19.3;
coal bearing at base. (70 pools). formation tem-
perature 20 °C.
Tournaisian _ _ _ _ 60-75 (95-245) Marine limestone, dolomite, Carbonate beds (72 0.870 g/cmffl; for-
and dark-gray shale. small pools). mation tempera-
ture 20°-25°C.
Upper Devonian
Famennian _______________ 240-285 (780-930) Marine limestone, dolomite, Upper Famennian
and black shale. carbonate beds
(oil shows).
Frasnian:
Upper 75-140 (245-460) Marine dark-gray limestone
Middle _____ _ _ 55-110 (180-360) Marine dark-gray to black Domanik carbonate
bituminous limestone, marl, beds.
and shale.
Lower ________________ 45-135 (145-490) Marine sandstone, siltstone, D-0 (many 10-22 percent;
dark-gray shale, and bitu- pools). 100-800 milli-
minous limestone. darcies.
D-I (many pools). 18-24 percent; 0.805 g/cmffl
(10-15 m net 40-2,000 miffi- Gas-oil ratio 41-54
pay); (as many as darcies. mffl/mffl; forma-
14 reservoir tion temperature
sands). 48°C.
Middle Devonian
Givetian 55-125 (180-400) Marine sandstone, gray shale, D-II (8 pools) 20 percent
and minerals.
D-IH (7 pools) 10-24 percent;
400-1,100 miffi-
darcies.
D-IV (3 pools) 21 percent average

Precambrian
Gneisses and migmatites

of this broad high is differentiated into several Also, the basement highs on the cross section (fig.
smaller highs and lows, which were used as a basis 12) are not directly beneath the highs on the top of
for dividing the field into producing sectors. the Pashiy horizon. The thicker net pays beneath
Closure on the top of the Pashiy is about 60 m (197 highs on the top of the Pashiy, as shown on the
ft); the highest point is at -1,435 m (-4,660 ft). cross section, suggest that sandstone is thicker at
Although the structure on the top of the Pashiy these sites. Consequently, the Pashiy highs may be
corresponds with that on the top of the crystalline due in part to differential compaction within the
basement in form and dimensions, the smaller sandstone and shale section.
structures on these surfaces do not seem to corres- On the base of the coal-bearing (Bobrikov) forma-
pond. Most of the basement closures are only tion (lower Visean), the Romashkino structure is a
structural noses on the Pashiy horizon (fig. 11). broad, gentle high complicated by warps having

21
 52° 53°

54°
30'

54C

0 10 20 MILES
I
I
20 30 KILOMETERS
EXPLANATION
300 Well location
Margin of oil pool in pay zone D-I
Line of cross section in figure 12

FIGURE 11. - Structural contour map on top of the Pashiy horizon (pay zone D-I) in the Romashkino oilfield. Numbers correspond to
those used on the cross section in figure 12.

long dimensions of 1 to 15 km (0.6-8 mi). Although southeast-northwest trends are predominant. The
the trends of these small warps are diverse, structures within the coal-bearing formation here

22
 140 48 11-88 518 519 14-91 27 627 19-553 18-552 16-551 8-550
1400-

1650- Clayey limestone l ++

Shale
20 KILOMETERS
Sandstone

FIGURE 12.-Profile of the Devonian dastic section of Romashkino oilfield (after Maksimov and others, 1970, p. 122).
are due largely to deposition on an irregular ero- tually undisturbed by the water flooding opera-
sional surface of the underlying upper Tournaisian tions. To induce flow from low-permeability inter-
beds. vals, high pressures (as much as 500 atm or 7,350
psi) are maintained in the injection wells.
The Romashkino oilfield is bounded on the west Production goals for the individual sectors at
by the long, narrow Altunino-Shunak downwarp, Romashkino were seldom met during the first
which separates the field from the anticlinal struc- decade of operation. Goals for the field as a whole
ture of the Aktash-Novoyelkov oilfields. Maximum were attained, however, by bringing on stream
amplitude of this downwarp is more than 100 m new parts of the field having high-flowing wells
(325 ft) on the basement surface. It is less well ex- (Mirchink, 1964).
pressed on the Carboniferous and is barely
noticeable on the Permian beds.
In the Devonian clastic section at Romashkino PRESENT EXPLORATION AND
are five pay zones: D-IV, D-III, and D-II in the FUTURE PROSPECTS
Givetian Stage, D-I in the Pashiy, and D-0 in the
Kynov beds, the last two units being in the Fras-
nian Stage. The D-I zone produces about 90 per- Exploration activity in the Volga-Ural province
cent of the oil at Romashkino. In addition, flows of has declined significantly in recent years, partly
oil have been recovered from limestones of the because of the greatly increased Soviet emphasis
Domanik beds, upper Famennian carbonate beds, on the West Siberian basin, which has monopolized
Tournaisian carbonate beds, clastic rocks of the a major share of available drilling equipment.
Tula and Bobrikov horizons of the Lower Car- However, reports in Soviet geological journals and
boniferous, and carbonate beds at the base of the other publications indicate that exploration in-
Middle Carboniferous. terest remains high in several parts of the Volga-
Ural province, particularly the Ural foredeep, the
The oil-water contact of the D-I zone is inclined Perm-Bashkir arch, the Upper Kama area, and the
from -1,480 m (-4,810 ft) on the north to -1,490 northern border of the Peri-Caspian depression. At
m (-4,840 ft) on the south. This inclination has least 125 discoveries have been made in these
been attributed generally to hydrodynamic areas in the past 10 years. Soviet exploration
pressure of southward-moving formation water. geologists also express considerable interest in in-
There is no abrupt separation of oil and water in fill drilling and stratigraphic exploration for Car-
the oil-bearing beds in the majority of the wells. boniferous and Upper Devonian reefs and other
The oil-water transition as seen in well logs is carbonate buildups and for Devonian and Vis6an
generally a zone in which the resistivity gradually discontinuous sandstone reservoirs in the areas of
decreases until formation water appears. The tran- the main oilfields (Muslimov and others, 1976).
sition zone is probably caused by rapid alternation The thrust belt that makes up the western flank
of sandy-silty and clayey beds. of the Ural Mountains is also of major interest, as
The field was placed on water flood early in its are the graben and other fault structures in the
history and divided into 23 sectors separated by Ural foredeep (Klyuchnikov and Kazantsev, 1974).
water injection wells generally located in struc- Most of these structures are gas or gas-condensate
tural lows between domal highs. Water flooding prospects; however, infill drilling is being done on
results have been highly variable. Facies changes known structures and in the Kamsko-Kinel trough
result in abrupt termination of permeable beds areas, which are primarily oil prospects. Interest
throughout the field, yet there is a remarkable continues in the Permian reef belt and Car-
hydrodynamic interconnection within individual boniferous carbonate mound belt along the
reservoir bodies over great distances. Gerasimov western border of the Ural foredeep and the north-
(1964) reports variations in the water levels of ern border of the Peri-Caspian depression, where
hydrogeologic observation wells in response to gasfields have been discovered in recent years
water injection at distances of as much as 60 km (Kuznetsov and Proshlyakov, 1976). These pros-
(37 mi). However, some wells only a short distance pects are deep, and their potential is primarily for
apart show no hydrodynamic interconnection. As a gas and gas condensate, but the reserves may be
result, the more permeable beds have been flushed, significant. The pre-Devonian Bavly beds are of in-
whereas less permeable beds have remained vir- terest, primarily because of their good reservoir

24
quality and thickness. These reservoirs appear to TABLE 3. -Assessment of undiscovered conventionally
be promising for oil in faulted areas of major recoverable petroleum resources in the Volga-Ural petroleum
province
uplifts, particularly the Perm-Bashkir arch, and for
gas in the western Urals thrust belt. [Resource assessment by USGS as of April 2,1981. Fn denotes the nth fractile; the
probability that more than the amount Fn is present is n percent]

ASSESSMENT OF UNDISCOVERED Natural gas, in trillions of cubic

CONVENTIONALLY RECOVERABLE feet (billions of barrels of oil
Crude oil, in billions of barrels _____equivalent)1_____
PETROLEUM RESOURCES Low (Fas) High (F6) Mean Low (Fas) High(FB) Mean
The location of the Volga-Ural basin and assess- 14 19(3) 142(24) 63(10)
>1 barrel of oil equivalent to 6,000 ft9 of gas.
ment region is shown in figure 1. USGS estimates
of oil and gas resources in this basin are given in
table 3 and figures 13 and 14. Data supplementary
to these estimates are shown in table 4. TABLE 4. -Supplementary and comparative data supporting the
petroleum resource assessment of the Volga-Ural petroleum
province
[Average depth of undiscovered resources: 9,500 ft for oil and 14,000 ft for gas.
Analogs: Midcontinent, United States; Permian basin, United States; Paleozoic,
western Canada basin; Arctic coastal plain, Canada. Cumulative production and
Mean 7.23 reserves are composited estimates based on various sources. +, quantity positive but
no data available]
Median 6.48
95 percent 3.00
75 percent 4.73 Crude oil, in Natural gas, in
50 percent 6.48 billions of trillions of
25 percent 8.89 barrels of oil cubic feet
5 percent 14.00 equivalent
Mode 5.20 Cumulative production to Jan.
Standard 3.58 1, 1980 30-35 +
deviation Identified reserves1 to Jan. 1.
1980:
Demonstrated 5 75
Inferred 5 25
Total 10 1002
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 Original recoverable
RECOVERABLE OIL, IN BILLIONS OF BARRELS
resources (ultimate):
Cumulative 35 +
Identified reserves _____ 10 100
FIGURE 13.-Probability distribution of Volga-Ural recoverable Undiscovered resources
oil as of April 2, 1981. The number of significant figures (mean) 7 63
reflects the precision of the statistical process rather than the Total _________ 52 163+ 8
accuracy of an estimate. 'Follows terminology outlined by U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Sur-
vey (1980). "Demonstrated" is equivalent to American Petroleum Institute's
"Proved and Indicated Additional." "Inferred" represents anticipated field growth
in existing fields.
* 17 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
27+ billion barrels of oil equivalent.
Mean 62.62
Median 51.94
95 percent 19.00 COMMENTS
75 percent 34.39
50 percent 51.94 Assessment does not include Permian Melekess
25 percent 78.45
5 percent 142.00
tar sands, which have approximately 100 billion
Mode 35.74 barrels of oil in place.
Standard 42.15 Assessment does not include the Peri-Caspian
deviation
depression or the lower Volga area but does in-
clude the Orenburg area.
Cumulative production and reserve estimates
"0 35 70 105 140 175 210 245 are approximate.
RECOVERABLE GAS, IN TRILLION CUBIC FEET Significant new plays in the area are not likely.
Additional reserve delineation probably will in-
FIGURE 14.-Probability distribution of Volga-Ural recoverable
gas as of April 2, 1981. The number of significant figures volve small fields proximal to existing production
reflects the precision of the statistical process rather than the and from the same part of the stratigraphic sec-
accuracy of an estimate. tion.

25
 Exact areas and amounts of exploration are not no. 12, p. 12-14. (English translation in Petroleum Geology,
well known, but indirect evidence based on the v. 12, no. 12, p. 589-590.)
location of subsurface data points suggests a Maksimov, S. P., and others, 1970, Geologiya nefyanykh i
gazovykh mestorozhdeniy Volga-UraTskoy neftegazonosnoy
highly mature exploration province. provintsii [Geology of the oil and gas fields of the Volga-Ural
Extension of production to the northwest is oil-gas province]: Moscow, Izd-vo Nedra, 808 p.
limited by the lack of maturation of the Domanik Maksimov, S. P., Larskaya, Y. S., and Khankhanov, I. N., 1976,
and Domanik-type source-rock facies. Formation of the Orenburg gas-condensate field: Geologiya
Major oil occurs in the Devonian and Lower Car- Nefti i Gaza, no. 11, p. 11-22. (English translation in
boniferous. The Upper Carboniferous and Permian Petroleum Geology, v. 14, no. 11, p. 584-587.)
have many pools, but reserves are small. Mirchink, M. F., 1964, Status of geology and practice of
working oil fields: Geologiya Nefti i Gaza, no. 6, p. 9-17.
Permian reef play along the Ural foredeep may (English translation in Petroleum Geology, v. 8, no. 6, p.
have been well tested already. 307-316.)
The Orenburg gasfield in the southeastern part Muslimov, R. K., Abdullin, N. G., Kirshfel'dt, Y. E., and
of the area is included in the assessment and con- Suyetenkov, V. S., 1976, Final exploration of carbonate
tains estimated current reserves of about 70 sediments of the Devonian and Carboniferous of the
trillion cubic feet. Romashkino and Novo-Yelkhov fields of the Tatar ASSR:
Neftegazovaya Geologiya i Geofizika, no. 5, p. 5-8. (English
translation in Petroleum Geology, v. 13, no. 11, p. 507-508.)
Nalivkin, V. D., 1976, Dynamics of the development of the
Russian Platform structures: Tectonophysics, v. 36, p.
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(in the example of the Ural-Volga fields): Neftegazovaya 232-233.)
Geologiya i Geofizika, no. 6, p. 17-21. (English translation in Shikhov, S. A., Kuznetsov, Y. I., Provorov, V. M., Vetchinkin,
Petroleum Geology, v. 14, no. 1, p. 10-12.) V. E., and Sosland, S. A., 1976, Systematic variations in the
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no. 8, p. 351-352.) 1, p. 55-60. (English translation in Petroleum Geology, v.
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(English translation in Petroleum Geology, v. 8, no. 7, p.
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395-400.)
oil exploration in the Riphean-Wendian sediments of east
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American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 14,
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575 p.
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26
Svetlakova, E. A., and Kopytchenko, V. N., 1978, "Formation Valeyev, R. N., Klubov, V. A., and Ostrovskiy, M. I., 1969,
and distribution of gas-oil accumulation in the Paleozoic sub- A comparative analysis of the conditions of formation and
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27