THE PETROLEUM POTENTIAL OF ANTARCTICA AND ITS CONTINENTAL MARGIN

Abstract

On the basis of geological comparison and analogy with other Gondwanaland continents, four regions of Antarctica and its continental margin offer potential petroleum-bearing basins.

The area of the Weddell Sea, Byrd subglacial basin and Ross Sea is analogous to the area east of the Andes Mountains in Argentina and offers good petroleum potential.

The divergent continental margin of East Antarctica is analogous to the southern Australian and East Brazilian margins and its continental shelf is likely to contain Late Mesozoic basins, perhaps with a variety of reservoir systems, having good petroleum potential.

The wide continental shelves of the Bellinghausen and Amundsen seas on the West Antarctic margin may also present favourable areas of petroleum exploration. Large intracratonic basins in East Antarctica, although possibly geologically favourable for oil accumulation, lie beneath thick ice, are largely unknown, and are the least prospective of the four areas.

The exploitation of any Antarctic mineral resources will require the resolution of sovereignty claims to Antarctica at present excluded from the Antarctic Treaty.