Tectonic subdivision of the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas

Abstract

A tentative tectonic subdivision for the Chukchi and East Siberian seas has been created based on the processing and analysis of new satellite altimetry and magnetic data and published materials that include information in electronic formats. The Chukchi Sea shelf is composed of correlatives of the Alaskan tectonic zones. The main Alaskan thrust does not stretch into Wrangel Island but is instead located in the region of the South Chukchi Sea Basin. Most part of the shelf is occupied by a zone of zero or slight deformation. The North Chukchi Sea Basin along with the Vilkitsky Trough and the region of maximum subsidence in the Colville Trough make a single entity, the Novosibirsk-Alaska Basin.

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Vilkitskii Basin Province, 2008

“…2B). Mazarovich and Sokolov (2003) showing relation of basin outlines, faults and isopachs to gravity anomalies. 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 7 8 9 10 11 Depth, in kilometers 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 7 8 9 10 6).…”

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the East Siberian Sea Basin Province, 2008

“…Although the origin of the East Siberian Sea Basin is uncertain, the observed structural and stratigraphic features revealed by seismic profiles generally are compatible with strike-slip faulting, which has been proposed in numerous scenarios as affecting the entire shelf of the East Siberian Sea after the cessation of Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate orogenesis. The orientation and number of suggested strikeslip faults, however, vary widely; a regional system of northwest-and northeast-trending faults was proposed on the basis of alignments or apparent offsets of potential-field anomalies (for example, Mazarovich and Sokolov, 2003;Filatova and Khain, 2007), whereas other studies specific to the East Siberian Sea Basin (for example, Franke and others, 2004) proposed east-trending faults perpendicular to structural sags and pull-apart basins. According to most workers, strike-slip faulting was driven by the Cenozoic opening of the Eurasia Basin.…”

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Long Strait Basin Province, 2008

“…The position, shape, and thickness (>4 km) of sedimentary fill in the Long Strait Basin are based primarily on gravity data ( fig. 3B) (Mazarovich and Sokolov, 2003) and supported by a single proprietary seismic line (Kos'ko and Kim, 2006). If the basin history is similar to that of the Hope Basin, the stratigraphic section may consist of a lower sequence of Paleogene volcaniclastic nonmarine sandstone and conglomerate with tuffs Island…”

“…These Triassic rocks compose the youngest exposed member involved in a northward-vergent fold-andthrust belt on Wrangel Island that also includes Paleozoic and Neoproterozoic rocks-an exposure of the Brooks Range-Chukotka orogenic belt (Kos'ko and others, 1993). Grantz and others, 2009) in relation to free-air-gravity-anomaly map (modified from Mazarovich and Sokolov, 2003). C, Map of Wrangel Island, showing normal faults (red lines) that postdate thrust faulting and display right-lateral offset (adapted from Kos'ko and others, 1993, fig.…”