Correlation of multi-channel seismic data from the Laptev and East Siberian Seas to onshore geology of the New Siberian Islands, Russian Arctic

The Laptev and East Siberian Seas cover large areas of the continental margin of North-Eastern Siberia and are separated by the New Siberian Islands. The East Siberian Shelf covering an area of 935.000 km2 is a virtually unexplored area and most geological models for this shelf are extrapolations of the geology of the New Siberian Islands, the Wrangel Island and the northeast Siberia landmass. Apart from few seismic reflection lines airborne magnetic data were the primary means of deciphering the structural pattern of the East Siberian Shelf. The Laptev Shelf covers an area of about 66.000 km2 and occupies a shelf region, where the active mid-oceanic spreading ridge meets the slope of a continental margin. Since no deep wells have been drilled so far on the shelves surrounding the New Siberian Islands, the precise age and nature of seismic horizons remain uncertain. All interpretations base on different evolution scenarios for the shelf areas resulting in a wide variety of interpretations available for the sedimentary cover of the Laptev Shelf where the interpretations range from Proterozoic to Cenozoic. During the joint VSEGEI/BGR field expedition CASE 13 (Circum Arctic Structural Events) in summer 2011 we sampled outcrops from the New Sibirian Archipelago including the DeLong Islands. Main purposes of the field work were: deciphering the structural evolution, paleo-stress analysis, stratigraphy and paleo-environmetal studies, and collection of potential hydrocarbon source rocks and host rocks. Here we present correlations from onshore to offshore based on multichannel reflection seismic data acquired by BGR in the 1990th and the field campaign CASE 13. Key marker horizons in the offshore data will be linked to major hiatuses in the onshore region. Well information is available close by the Lena delta in the form of sketched stratigraphy ranging from Proterozoic to Cretaceous. Both informations can be reconciled on a cross section despite a gap of approximately 25 km, providing a tentative age for a regional unconformity resting on top of an acoustic basement. On-Offshore correlation provides valuable information on the occurrence and distribution of petroleum source rocks around the New Siberian Islands, Laptev and East Siberian Seas.