Analysis of the Cenozoic exhumation in the Barents Sea with thermochronological methods

The Barents Sea area, located in the offshore Nowegian territory, is one of the main European target for petroleum exploration. By means of geo-thermochronology techniques and software that can elaborate thermal histories, Cenozoic evolution of the area has been reconstructed. Specifically the (U-Th)/He method on apatites has been applied in order to evaluate the thermal evolution of rocks al low temperatures (<100°C). Samples, from well’s cores situated in the south-western Barents Sea, were crushed and treated to extract crystals suitable for the analysis. Measured ages were then used to identify the specific timing of the very last exhumation in the area and which were the causes of the event. Data suggest that the last Barents Sea exhumation has to be related to tectonic causes and not to Pleistocene glacial dynamics, as indicated by some literature. The study of these events play a key role in the hydrocarbon exploration and in the evaluation of risk connected to petroleum plays production.