Department of sedimentology of provinces of combustible minerals

The department was created in 1980 on the basis of the scientific school of the patriarch of Ukrainian lithology – academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences L. G. Tkachuk, who in 1945 organized at the Institute the Department of Lithology, which became a scientific center for the study of sedimentary formations and associated mineral resources. Until June 2016 the department was headed by the corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Y.M. Senkovsky. Since May 2019, the department is managed by Doctor of Geological Sciences, Professor N.Y. Radkovets. The department consists of thirteen employees, including three doctors (Dr.Sc.) and six candidates of sciences (Ph.D.). The scientific activity of the department was based on the results of the study of sedimentary processes in the present-day World Ocean, in particular under the program “Deep Sea Drilling Project” and other projects. During participation in the International Geological Correlation Program (IGCP) under the auspices of UNESCO, namely: projects No. 58, 86, 115, 156, 187 (Y. Senkovsky et al., 1974, 1986), the department collected factual material, which was used to study the marine sedimentogenesis on the ancient continental margins and to study the processes of formation within their limits of certain genetic types of deposits and related minerals. One of the main scientific directions of the department is the study of geological and paleoceanographic environments of sedimentogenesis and lithogenesis of marine deposits of oil and gas-bearing basins of ancient continental margins with the aim of elucidating the processes of formation and patterns of spatial-temporal distribution of minerals (hydrocarbons, “combustible shales”, phosphates, silicites, carbonates). Senkovsky Y.M. has found the new scientific direction “Geological and chemical paleoceanography of ancient continental margins and their minerals”, which now is one of the main scientific directions of the Institute (Resolution of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2004). Within the framework of this scientific direction, a new discipline - Upwelling geology – was singled out. In its context work in the department is carried out, in particular, on the problem of petroleum origin. The most important scientific achievements obtained by the team of the department in the field of paleoceanography include:

Creation of a modern concept of the geological structure and development of the ancient continental margin of the Carpathian-Podillya-Black Sea segment of the Tethys Ocean, elucidation of the processes of terrigenous, edaphogenic, biogenic and biogenic-chemogenic sedimentation in the Vendian, Late Mesozoic and Paleogene. These developments formed the basis for solving the most important modern scientific and economic problems (spatial-temporal distribution of ancient Tethyan shelf sediments under the Carpathian overthrust and within the Podillya-Black Sea segment; determination of prospects for oil and gas, phosphates and silicites).
Based on the study of lithogenesis and mineralogenesis of the Late Mesozoic basins of the Northern Hemisphere, using known plate tectonic reconstructions, the Atlantic-Tethyan belt of Cretaceous carbonate and silicite deposits was discovered. It was formed as a result of the latitudinal divergence of water masses in this part of the World Ocean, the northern segment of which is the North Sea oil and gas-bearing province.
The hydrodynamics and chemistry of the Albian-Cenomanian and Oligocene coastal upwelling in the Carpathian-Black Sea segment of the Tethys Ocean were discovered and described, showing its role in the formation and location of certain complexes of sedimentary strata and related minerals (hydrocarbons, phosphates).
Based on the discovery of ancient coastal upwelling systems within the northern margin of the Tethys Ocean (Y. Senkovsky, 1971) and the generalization of data on the nature of sedimentogenesis in modern upwelling areas of the World Ocean, using the results of the formational study of sedimentary layers of the Carpathian-Black Sea segment of the Tethys Ocean, scientists of the department described a new genetic type of sedimentary layers enriched with certain complexes of biogens, called "upwelling formations". These developments made it possible to justify the concept, according to which there are reasons to consider certain modern upwelling belts (Peru-Chilean, Californian, Oregonian, Black Sea and other) as future oil and gas-bearing basins of the world in the next geological era – the Psychozoic.

Scientific achievements of the department in the field of paleoceanography are presented in a number of scientific publications, in particular, in a series of monographs:

Geological paleoceanography of the Tethys Ocean (Carpathian-Black Sea segment). Senkovsky Y., Hryhorchuk K., Hnidets V., Koltun Y. – Kyiv, Naukova Dumka, 2004, 172 p.
Anoxic events in the Tethys Ocean (Carpathian-Black Sea segment). Senkovsky Y.M., Koltun Y.V., Hryhorchuk K.G., Hnidets V.P., Popp I.T., Radkovets N. Y. – Kyiv, Naukova Dumka, 2012, 182 p.
Lithogenesis of sedimentary complexes of the Tethys Ocean. Carpathian-Black Sea segment. Senkovsky Y.M., Hryhorchuk K.G., Koltun Y.V., Hnidets V.P., Popp I.T., Moroz M.V., Moroz P.V., Rever, A.O., Hayevska Y.P., Havryshkiv G.Y., Kokhan O.M., Koshil L.B. – Kyiv, Naukova Dumka, 2018, 158 p.

One of the main scientific directions of the department’s activity at the current stage is the identification and investigation of the petroleum systems of the Outer Carpathians, the Carpathian Foredeep and the southwestern slope of the East European platform with the aim of studying the processes of generation, migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons. During the period of 2018-2022, employees of the department published: 1 monograph, 90 articles and abstracts of international conferences. Among them are 18 articles indexed by scientific databases of publications: Scopus (Q1, 2) – 10, Web of Science – 4, Google Scholar – 4. The main scientific achievements of the department’s employees during 2018-2022:

On the basis of geochemical investigations the generative potential of black shales of the Menilite formation of the Ukrainian Carpathians, the catagenetic transformations of these strata and their role in the formation of petroleum systems were studied.
A sedimentation model of the Barremian-Albian sediments of the Carpathian continental margin of the Tethys was built and their oil generation potential was determined. The organic-rich deposits of this age are widespread both in the autochthon and under the Carpathian overthrust, where their thickness, organic matter content, thermal maturity, and generation potential increase significantly, which proves their oil and gas potential.
Sedimentary environments in the Late Jurassic basin of the outer zone of the Carpathian Foredeep have been established. Facial belts of the carbonate shelf have been localized, in particular, reef ones, which are prospective for oil and gas.
On the basis of the study of the cyclic structure of the Eifelian sediments, the features of the lithophysical structure of the Skhidna Sarata oil field of the Dobrogean Foredeep were clarified. It was established that the main reservoirs (anticlinal and lithological types) of all five selected productive horizons gravitate not to the modern vault of the structure, but to its southwestern periclinal.
The prospective for oil and gas areas have been selected in Paleocene Yamna beds within the frontal nappes of the Skyba Unit of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The Yamna sandstones are characterized by high reservoir properties, have a significant distribution within the study territory and a high oil recovery factor.
On the basis of the reconstruction of the depositional environments of the basal deposits of the Middle Devonian of the Dobrogean Foredeep, the uneven nature of the development of different facial zones of the carbonate shelf has been established. The detected wedging of horizons with biostromes in the vaults of the uplifts indicates the non-anticlinal nature of hydrocarbon traps in the Middle Devonian deposits, which requires corrections when conducting oil and gas exploration in the region.
The lateral lithological-lithmological and facial variability of the Paleocene sediments of the northern side of the Karkinit depression was established. A model of the mechanisms and stages of the formation of hydrocarbon deposits of the Golitsyn field was created.
On the basis of the lithogeochemical and mineralogical study of bituminous siliceous-clay rocks of the Lower Cretaceous and Oligocene of the Ukrainian Carpathians and black argillites of the Lower Silurian of the Volyn-Podillya slope of the East European Platform, it was established that a significant role in the formation of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs was played by the layered texture of carbonaceous deposits, as well as catagenetic transformation of rock-forming clay and siliceous minerals and their hydrophobization. In the relatively younger Cretaceous-Paleogene sediments of the folded Carpathians, unconventional reservoirs are bituminous siliceous-clay rocks with significant oil and gas source potential, localized in conventional oil, gas, or condensate deposits, while the Lower Silurian "overmature" carbonaceous clay deposits of Volyn-Podillya underwent deep catagenetic transformations in platform conditions for a much longer time and are prospective for shale gas deposits.
It was established that the formation of the Silurian-Early Devonian sedimentary complex of the southwestern slope of the East European Platform was the result of a single cycle of geodynamic and sedimentary events in the lithological record of the southern continental margin of Baltica. The obtained results show that the carbonate-clay complex of sedimentary rocks of the studied region can be considered as a separate petroleum system, which includes source rocks, reservoir rocks and possible conventional and unconventional oil and gas deposits.

Over the past five years, employees of the department have defended 5 dissertations: Radkovets N.Y. Evolution of sedimentary sequence of south-western slope of the East-European platform during Late Proterozoic-Phanerozoic in connection with oil- and gas-bearing. Dissertation on obtaining a scientific degree of Doctor of Geological Sciences on speciality 04.00.17 – Oil and gas geology. Institute of Geological Sciences of NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2019. Kokhan O.M. Geological-paleoceanographic sedimentary environments of the Middle-Upper Maikopian gas-bearing deposits of the western part of the Black Sea megadepression. Dissertation for obtaining the scientific degree of Candidate of Geological Sciences (Philosophy Doctor) in the specialty 04.00.17 - Geology of oil and gas. Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, 2019. Hayevska Y.P. Lithofacial features of the deposits of Eocene of the Boryslav-Pokuttia zone of the Carpathian foredeep and advanced Units of the Skyba zone of the Ukrainian Carpathians in connection with their oil and gas potential. Dissertation for obtaining the scientific degree of Candidate of Geological Sciences (Philosophy Doctor) in the specialty 04.00.17 – Geology of oil and gas. Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, 2019. Havryshkiv H.Y. Mineralogical and petrographic features of the Paleocene deposits of the Berehova and Oriv Nappes of the Ukrainian Carpathians in the context of their oil and gas bearing. Dissertation for obtaining the scientific degree of Candidate of Geological Sciences (Philosophy Doctor) in the specialty 04.00.17 – Geology of oil and gas. Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, 2019. Cheremisska O.M. Lithogeochemistry of the Lower Miocene Stebnyk deposits of the Carpathian Foredeep. Dissertation for obtaining the scientific degree of Candidate of Geological Sciences (Philosophy Doctor) in the specialty 04.00.02 – Geochemistry. – Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, 2019.