Seismic Signatures of Geological Hazards on the Shelf of the Kara Sea

Offshore construction and exploration require preliminary characterisation of the near-subsurface, which includes evaluation of potential geological hazards. In this study, we present the novel data on the geohazards on the shelf of the Kara Sea. Integrated interpretation of the 2D high-resolution (HR) and 3D exploration reflection seismic data allowed us to evaluate geohazards at different scales from the sea bottom to nearly 1 km depth. Potential geohazards on the shelf of the Kara Sea include paleovalleys, gas-bearing sediments, accumulations of permafrost, intervals with severe faulting and tectonically weakened zones possibly associated with the upward migration of fluids.