The article demonstrates the main problems and challenges of oil and gas prospecting in the lower Devonian deposits in the East edge of the Khoreyver depression of the Timan-Pechora basin. Retrospective review of geological study of the lower Devonian deposits within the Central Khoreyver uplift was performed and the currents tasks of planning additional exploration were analyzed. The article outlines the uncertainties of the geological and geophysical seismic and well-log data interpretation under the conditions of constraints number of non-uniform distributed prospecting wells over the work area: ambiguous reflecting horizons interpretation due to high-frequency components attenuation with depth and the appearance of interference effects; complex structure model of erosional truncation (pre-Frasnian) with the presence of Timanian valleys and the influence of Frasnian bioherms; uncertainties in the reservoir properties forecast with the secondary porosity due to the variability of porosity cutoff value and the complexity of their identification using well logs; lack of contrast in the acoustic impedance values linked with well logs ambiguity interpretation leads to uncertainties in the reservoir properties forecast based on seismic data. Geological uncertainties are presented and the future exploration risks for the lower Devonian deposits are assessed. The main need to increase the volumes of actual drilling and core material is noted as a key factor in increasing the reliability of traps prospecting in Lower Devonian deposits.
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