The Arctic Islands present opportunities for study of the most completely undeveloped potential oil basin anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. Strata are

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well exposed over a very wide area. As a result, there is a sufficient variety of representative structural features and stratigraphic sections exposed at the surface so that it is possible to establish a reasonably accurate evaluation of the oil prospects of this large sedimentary basin.

Normally, in the evaluation of a new sedimentary basin, it is necessary to drill many deep holes to arrive at a fair assessment of the stratigraphic section and the potential oil and gas reservoirs. In the Arctic Islands, however, the exposed stratigraphic sections are so numerous and so conveniently spaced that relatively modest sums of money spent in studying exposed sections can take the place of many millions of dollars spent in acquiring similar stratigraphic detail by drilling. For example, facies studies of the type commonly made between well borings for the purpose of outlining oil- and gas-producing trends can be made in the Islands relatively cheaply by studies of outcrops.

As proof of the above concept, it is shown that hydrocarbon seepages are associated with what has been interpreted to be buried reef trends, and that reefoid and other related buried reservoirs can be identified by surface expression of deep-seated features.

The writer's conclusion is that surface geology, supplemented with seismic and other geophysical methods, will reduce the number of dry holes drilled on the Arctic Islands far below that normally required in a new-basin area.

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