PROSPECTS OF OIL AND GAS POTENTIAL IN THE ARAL SEDIMENTARY BASIN IN LIGHT OF NEW GEOLOGICALGEOPHYSICAL DATA

The article presents the results of comprehensive interpretation of new seismic materials and existing drilling data, which allowed for refining the geological structure of the Aral sedimentary basin. The Aral sedimentary basin has been studied geologically and geophysically, and through deep drilling, but very unevenly and generally insufficiently. The least studied area is characterized by the Aral Sea basin and the adjacent coastal areas. The sedimentary basin (SB) within the MesozoicCenozoic structural stage has a stepped structure submerging from east to west: the Kazalinsk, Uyalinsk, Kokaral, South Aral steps, and the Tadjin trough. The seismostratigraphic framework for the Paleozoic section in the Aral basin is based on the geological model of the region. The only stratigraphic tie within the sedimentary complex is the Pz horizon, representing a blurred surface of Jurassic deposits. As a result of seismic surveys conducted earlier by subsoil users, new structures have been identified in the sedimentary complex of the Aral oil and gas promising province. A forecast assessment of the hydrocarbon potential resources of the identified prospective objects in the Jurassic, Neocomian, and Eocene deposits is provided, carried out by specialists who conducted a comprehensive interpretation of geological-geophysical data in recent years.