Key words: Pre-Ural Foredeep, interior zone, Alataus sediments, reverse and thrust faulting, hydrocarbon potential.
The exploration maturity including both seismic and drilling of the interior zone of Belskaya Depression, Pre-Ural Foredeep is extremely low especially in its eastern part which borders on the Ural fold belt. At the same time it has been confirmed that the main structural style within the Paleozoic sedimentary sequence in this area is associated with linear elongated (up to 90 km long) thrust and reverse fault deformations with folded front limbs trending in the same direction as the Ural mountains. Originally similar thrusted structures are proved at Arkhangelskoye and Tabynskoye fields located in the core zone of the Pre-Ural Foredeep with oil reservoirs within the Permian (Artinskian), Middle Carboniferous (Myachkovskian) and the Middle Devonian-Tournaisian carbonates. The high degree of tectonic deformation, numerous oil and gas shows of varying intensity and stratigraphic confinement as well as the presence of the regional cap rock which consists of both siliciclastics and carbonates (Lower Carboniferous Alataus Formation) contribute to the high HC potential of the interior zone of Belskaya Depression for further study and exploration.
