Technogenic risks of Caspian offshore area development

The article presents a detailed analysis of the technogenic risks in building and operating oil and gas complexes in the offshore area of the Caspian Sea and actualizes the problem of the Caspian environmental crisis, the possible measures for preventing and minimizing the negative consequences from the extensive offshore oil and gas production for the ecosystem being considered. The geothermal regime of the ground of the Caspian Sea has been analyzed in respect of the deep-earth processes. The bottom of the Caspian Sea is rather varied, hence, the risks for constructing facilities in the area under development are possible. The surface, underwater and island mud volcanoes formed by the large longitudinal and transverse tectonic disturbances pose a threat to oil production and transportation facilities. The tectonic processes of the bottom of the Caspian Sea are studied in detail. It has been stated that the global geodynamic processes are taking place in the earth's crust of the region affecting the natural environment of the Caspian Sea, which will inevitably affect the industrial objects on the shelf. The Caspian Sea ground is divided into two parts in terms of seismic activity: the seismically inactive northern part (the Scythian-Turanian platform and the East European platform) and the southern part (alpine orogenic-folded belt) that is currently seismically active. The diagrams of possible earthquakes and seismic activity in the bottom area of the Caspian Sea are presented. Since the mechanism of the developing seismic activity caused by volcanoes is not fully examined, there has been substantiated the need to prognose precisely the location of hazardous zones and joints in connection with the development of the oil and gas industry. The tectonic and geological frame of the Caspian region has been illustrated; the regional fractures that influence the formation of biosphere zones and the largest tectonic joints that affect natural and man-made processes are noted. Particular attention is paid to the risks of the hydrogen sulfide pollution of the Caspian Sea. Conclusions are drawn about the prospects for the development of the Caspian, which is rich in oil and gas reserves; on the need to ensure safety and reduce losses in the ecological system of the Caspian Sea.