Month: April 2026

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GEOCHEMISTRY OF HALOGENESIS AND POST-SEDIMENTARY MINERALOGENESIS OF SELECTED EVAPORITE BASINS IN CHINA AND TURKEY IN RELATION TO THE FORMATION OF MINERAL RESOURCE COMPLEXES

Home > Archive > No. 1 (201) 2026 > 63–89

Geology & Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals No. 1 (201) 2026, 63–89

ISSN 0869-0774 (Print), ISSN 2786-8621 (Online)

https://doi.org/10.15407/ggcm2026.201.063

Anatoliy GALAMAYa, Daria SYDORb, Sofiia MAKSYMUKc, Oksana OLIIOVYCH-HLADKAd

Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine

a e-mail: galamaytolik@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4864-6401
b https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5704-3748
c https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6301-9988
d https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7678-1725

Abstract

Comprehensive studies of Messinian salt-bearing deposits of the Tuz Gölü Basin (Turkey) and Pleistocene deposits of the Qaidam Basin (China) have established the physicochemical causes of changes in brine composition in salt-forming basins and reconstructed the crystallization conditions of halite, glauberite, and polyhalite. These results contribute to the theoretical framework of salt mineralogenesis in applied evaporite studies and serve as geochemical criteria for predicting salt deposits. Particular attention to the identification of evaporite genesis was given to the preliminary investigation of the origin of fluid inclusions in halite.

According to the results of brine studies of fluid inclusions in halite from the Tuz Gölü Basin, the sources of salts in the basin were both continental and marine waters. A decrease in potassium concentration in basin brines is related to their interaction with organic matter and clay of continental origin. Since the concentration of sedimentary brines and their potassium content remained low throughout salt accumulation, this indicates a lack of potential for the occurrence of potash-bearing units within the salt sequence. The removal of sulfate ions and part of sodium from the brines at certain stages of basin evolution was caused by the formation of glauberite during periods of halted halite deposition. Repeated significant increases in sulfate ion concentrations in basin brines, followed by abrupt decreases, indicate favourable conditions for the occurrence of glauberite-bearing units within the depositional sequence.

According to the study of salt-bearing deposits of the Qaidam Basin, the principal mechanism of polyhalite formation was the salting-out of gypsum, which was transformed into polyhalite during the sedimentary stage. The sources of calcium in the sulfate-type salt-forming basin were continental fresh waters as well as pore and intercrystalline brines of chemogenic–terrigenous sediments. It was determined that the temperature regime of bottom brines during sedimentogenesis played a key role in the transformation of gypsum into polyhalite. Relics of potassium–magnesium minerals in the studied samples and elevated magnesium contents in the brines of secondary fluid inclusions indicate that part of the polyhalite may have formed through the replacement of sylvite and carnallite in the deposits due to calcium input from solutions associated with nearby oil accumulations. The established physicochemical conditions of polyhalite formation in the basin expand the theoretical understanding of polyhalite mineralization in fundamental and applied studies and represent geochemical criteria for predicting its deposits.

Detailed investigation of chemical paleooceanography, the features of salt mineral formation with specific chemical compositions in basins, and the discrimination between marine and continental salt-forming basins makes a significant contribution to understanding the genetic nature of evaporite-related mineral resources and to improving their future exploration and prediction.

Full Text

Keywords

fluid inclusions, halite, glauberite, polyhalite, sources of salts

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Received: January 21, 2026
Accepted: February 23, 2026
Published: April 21, 2026

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THE FAMOUS UKRAINIAN MINERALOGIST AND THERMOBAROGEOCHEMIST ZENON IVANOVYCH KOVALYSHYN (to the 90th anniversary of his birth)

Home > Archive > No. 1 (201) 2026 > 90–98

Geology & Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals No. 1 (201) 2026, 90–98

ISSN 0869-0774 (Print), ISSN 2786-8621 (Online)

https://doi.org/10.15407/ggcm2026.201.090

Ihor NAUMKO

Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine

e-mail: naumko@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3735-047X

Abstract

The life path and creative achievements of the famous Ukrainian scientist in the field of mineralogy and thermobarogeochemistry, a well-known specialist and authoritative researcher of natural mineral formation processes, Zenon Ivanovych Kovalyshyn (28.02.1936–23.07.2006), Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Senior Researcher of the Department of Geochemistry of Deep Fluids and Director of the Research Enterprise of the Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals of the NAS of Ukraine, were discussed. The wide range of his research explorations covered mineral deposits of various genetic types in various regions of Ukraine (Ukrainian Shield, Transcarpathia, Dnieper-Donetsk Depression) and the former Soviet Union. The scientist’s precise studies of the composition of volatile components of fluid inclusions in minerals became the basis for elucidating the geochemical and thermobaric features of the processes of endogenous mineralogenesis, a significant contribution to thermobarogeochemistry – the fundamental science of inclusions in minerals. Zenon Kovalyshyn’s creative output includes about 120 scientific works, in particular three monograph. He is the author and co-author of more than 20 research and scientific and production reports, three new methods of prospecting and evaluation of mineral raw materials. The scientist gained well-deserved authority and recognition of the geological community of Ukraine, near and far abroad, worthily represented Ukrainian science at international, all-Union and domestic forums, generously shared his scientific achievements and ideas with young scientists, graduate students, and assisted in choosing the direction of research, interpretation and publication of results. A long-time employee of the Institute – a permanent place of work – Zenon Kovalyshyn worthily went from engineer to senior research associate, candidate of geological and mineralogical sciences, and unexpectedly and prematurely passed away on July 23, 2006. The Yaniv cemetery became the place of his eternal rest. We will preserve the bright memory of the famous scientist, an extraordinary personality, a sincere and sensitive person forever!

Full Text

Keywords

geology, mineralogy, thermobarogeochemistry, Zenon Kovalyshyn, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Senior Researcher, 90 years old

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Kovalyshyn, Z. I., Naumko, I. M., & Kovalevych, V. M. (1999). Metodyka ekspresnoho vyznachennia kaliiu v mineralotvornykh fliuidakh dlia rozbrakuvannia zbahachenykh zolotom i bezrudnykh utvoren. In Naukovi osnovy prohnozuvannia, poshukiv ta otsinky rodovyshch zolota: materialy mizhnarodnoi naukovoi konferentsii (Lviv, 27–30 veresnia 1999 r.) (pp. 65–66). Lviv: Vydavnychyi tsentr LDU imeni Ivana Franka. [in Ukrainian]

Matkovskyi, O., Naumko, I., Pavlun, M., & Slyvko, Ye. (2021). Termobaroheokhimiia v Ukraini. Lviv: Prostir-M. [in Ukrainian]

Nazarevych, A. V., Nazarevych, L. Ye., & Kovalyshyn, Z. I. (2001). Pryroda pidzony znyzhenykh shvydkostei u “hranitakh” kory Zakarpattia ta yii perspektyvni resursy. Visnyk Lvivskoho universytetu. Seriia heolohichna, 15, 119–125. [in Ukrainian]

Naumko, I., Kaliuzhnyi, V., Bratus, M., Zinchuk, I., Kovalyshyn, Z., Matviienko, O., Redko, L., & Svoren, Y. (2000). Uchennia pro mineralotvorni fliuidy: priorytetni zavdannia rozvytku na suchasnomu etapi. Mineralohichnyi zbirnyk, 50(2), 22–30. [in Ukrainian]

Naumko, I., Kovalyshyn, Z., & Matviishyn, Z. (2003). Typomorfni oznaky fliuidnykh vkliuchen zolotovmisnykh parahenezysiv rudonosnykh shtokverkovykh til Berehivskoho rudnoho polia (Zakarpattia). Mineralohichnyi zbirnyk, 53(1–2), 70–78. [in Ukrainian]

Naumko, I., Kovalyshyn, Z., Sava, H., Bratus, M., Shashorin, Yu., & Sakhno, B. (2007). Termometrychna i heokhemichna kharakterystyka fliuidiv mineraloutvoriuvalnoho seredovyshcha kvartsovo-zhylnykh rudoproiaviv pivdennoi chastyny Kirovohradskoho bloku Ukrainskoho shchyta. Pratsi Naukovoho tovarystva imeni Shevchenka. Heolohiia, 19, 136–146. [in Ukrainian]

Naumko, I. M., Kovalyshyn, Z. I., Svoren’, J. M., Sakhno, B. E., & Telepko, L. F. (1999). Towards forming conditions of veinlet mineralization in sedimentary oil- and gas-bearing layers of Carpathian region (obtained by data of fluid inclusions research). Heolohiia i heokhimiia horiuchykh kopalyn, 3(108), 83–91.

Svoren, J. M., Naumko, I. M., Kovalyshyn, Z. I., Bratus, M. D., & Davydenko, M. M. (1999). New technology of local forecast of enriched areas of gold ore fields. In Naukovi osnovy prohnozuvannia, poshukiv ta otsinky rodovyshch zolota: materialy mizhnarodnoi naukovoi konferentsii (Lviv, 27–30 veresnia 1999 r.) (pp. 121–125). Lviv: Vydavnychyi tsentr LDU imeni Ivana Franka.

Received: January 12, 2026
Accepted: January 21, 2026
Published: April 21, 2026

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HYDROGEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF OIL AND GAS OCCURRENCE AND ECOLOGICAL-GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE HYDROSPHERE OF THE BORYSLAV-POKUTTYA OIL AND GAS REGION

Home > Archive > No. 1 (201) 2026 > 37–50

Geology & Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals No. 1 (201) 2026, 37–50

ISSN 0869-0774 (Print), ISSN 2786-8621 (Online)

https://doi.org/10.15407/ggcm2026.201.037

Halyna MEDVIDa, Vasyl HARASYMCHUKb, Olha TELEHUZc, Ivanna KOLODIYd, Solomiia KALMUKe, Iryna SAKHNIUK f

Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine, e-mail: igggk@mail.lviv.ua

a https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5059-245X
b https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4377-2655
c https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5761-7528
d https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6879-1051
e https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1350-9696
f https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6700-1532

Abstract

The interaction between geological structures and the hydrosphere in the process of hydrocarbon accumulation has been investigated. It has been established that the hydrogeochemical characteristics of aquifers in the Boryslav-Pokuttya oil and gas region are primarily determined by paleohydrogeological evolution and the degree of hydrogeological isolation. The geochemical composition of reservoir waters reflects a complex paleohydrogeological history, while hydrochemical zonation is disrupted by local inversions caused by tectonic, hydrodynamic, and geochemical processes, as well as by varying levels of aquifer system isolation.

Indirect hydrogeochemical indicators of oil and gas potential in the region include: high mineralization and metamorphism of waters, chloride-sodium or chloride-calcium-sodium composition, enrichment with trace elements and microcomponents, reduced sulfate content.

Gas-hydrogeochemical analysis revealed distinct patterns in the distribution of water-dissolved gases within productive complexes. “Dry” gases are typical of Oligocene–Miocene deposits at depths of 2600–3600 m, medium “dry” gases occur in Eocene–Miocene deposits (1200–4900 m), while “fat” gases (Ks < 50) are present throughout the productive section.

Geobaric features include superhydrostatic reservoir pressures in both aquifers and productive reservoirs, with maximum pressures located in the vaulted parts of folds overlain by thick clayey Miocene cover. Oil and gas fields exhibit a wide range of hydrostatic coefficient values, though hydrocarbon accumulations most often occur in areas with hydrostatic reservoir pressures. Deposits with high Kh generally contain smaller reserves, reflecting the limited elastic volume of reservoirs and fluids.

Groundwater in the Boryslav-Pokuttya oil and gas region predominantly belongs to the hydrocarbonate-calcium type. Exceedances of sanitary-chemical safety and drinking water quality standards were recorded for total hardness, permanganate oxidation, chloride concentration, and total dissolved salts, with occasional excesses in nitrate levels.

Surface waters of the district are mostly of hydrocarbonate-calcium composition, though individual samples of chloride-sodium, sulfate-sodium, and, less frequently, magnesium types were identified. Deviations from standards were observed in biochemical oxygen demand over 5 days (BOD5), dissolved oxygen, and permanganate oxidation indicators.

Full Text

Keywords

hydrogeology, paleohydrodynamic, hydrogeochemistry, gas hydrogeochemistry, oil and gas accumulations, surface and groundwater

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Received: January 16, 2026
Accepted: February 19, 2026
Published: April 21, 2026

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ASPECTS OF LITHOGENESIS OF OIL- AND GAS-BEARING MESOZOIC-CENOZOIC SEQUENCE OF THE CARPATHIAN REGION

Home > Archive > No. 1 (201) 2026 > 5–20

Geology & Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals No. 1 (201) 2026, 5–20

ISSN 0869-0774 (Print), ISSN 2786-8621 (Online)

https://doi.org/10.15407/ggcm2026.201.005

Natalia RADKOVETSa, Yuriy KOLTUNb, Ihor POPPc, Marta MOROZd, Yuliia HAIEVSKAe, Halyna HAVRYSHKIV f, Petro MOROZg

Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine

a e-mail: radkov_n@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1770-6996
b https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9884-5957
c https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7459-0037
d https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3695-2682
e https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8947-3913
f https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3376-8895
g https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5997-5768

Abstract

Although the Lower Cretaceous deposits of the northern slope of the Ukrainian Carpathians do not contain commercial hydrocarbon accumulations, but only individual oil and gas shows, the conducted studies have demonstrated that they remain a prospective object for further petroleum exploration. It has been established that in the sedimentary formations of the Upper Cretaceous, granular porous and mixed (pore-fractured) reservoirs with good filtration-capacity properties, associated with “Yamna-like” sandstones, are widespread. Mineralogical and petrographic studies of psammitic strata of the Paleocene and Eocene allowed us to study the features of their lithological and facial variability and to assess the patterns of distribution of these layers, both laterally and in the section within the Boryslav-Pokuttya and frontal nappes of the Skyba units of the Ukrainian Carpathians in terms of the prospects of their oil and gas bearing. The conducted reconstructions of the sedimentary environments of the Paleocene and Eocene flysch strata made it possible to establish the sources of terrigenous material entering the sedimentary basin. Lithological and geochemical studies of Oligocene sediments have allowed us to study the patterns of their facial variability, both in terms of the distribution of psammitic strata, which are reservoir rocks for oil and gas, and of the organic-rich Menilite beds. As studies have shown, the latter undergo significant changes in the direction from the Boryslav-Pokuttya and Skyba to the Krosno zone, changing not only the thickness and volume of oil and gas-generating rocks, but also their thermal maturity, and therefore the range of depths of oil and gas hydrocarbons generation zones. The Upper Jurassic sediments of the basement of the Outer zone of the Carpathian Foredeep represent one of the main oil and gas-bearing complexes of Western Ukraine. The conducted studies have allowed us to obtain new results regarding the patterns of distribution of different types of reservoir rocks within these strata.

Full Text

Keywords

Ukrainian Carpathians, Carpathian Foredeep, lithogenesis, facies, oil and gas generation potential, reservoir rocks

Referenses

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Senkovskyi, Yu. M., Hryhorchuk, K. H., Koltun, Yu. V., Hnidets, V. P., Radkovets, N. Ya., Popp, I. T., Moroz, M. V., Moroz, P. V., Rever, A. O., Haievska, Yu. P., Havryshkiv, H. Ya., Kokhan, O. M., & Koshil, L. B. (2018). Litohenez osadovykh kompleksiv okeanu Tetis. Karpato-Chornomorskyi sehment. Kyiv: Naukova dumka. [in Ukrainian]

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Received: January 12, 2026
Accepted: February 23, 2026
Published: April 21, 2026

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GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE RAVINE- BEAM SYSTEM AREA ALONG KRYMSKA STREET (LVIV)

Home > Archive > No. 1 (201) 2026 > 21–36

Geology & Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals No. 1 (201) 2026, 21–36

ISSN 0869-0774 (Print), ISSN 2786-8621 (Online)

https://doi.org/10.15407/ggcm2026.201.021

Leonid KHOMYAKa, Milena BOHDANOVAb

Lviv Ivan Franko National University, Lviv, Ukraine

a e-mail: leonid.khomyak@lnu.edu.ua, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5944-9684
b e-mail: milena.bohdanova@lnu.edu.ua, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7850-4482

Abstract

In the technologically altered landscapes of residential areas of Lviv, there are areas with complex erosional and erosional-denudational relief, where information about the geological structure of the area can be obtained. The aim of the proposed study was to investigate the geological and geomorphological structure of the northern part of Snopkivsky Park, located near the ravine on Krymska Street. The objects of the study were deposits of the Cretaceous and Neogene periods, the groundwater horizon, and meso- and microforms of relief. The main objectives of the study were to determine the geological structure of the specified territory, to investigate the structure of the section and the lithological composition of Neogene deposits, their facies type, the hydrogeological conditions of groundwater occurrence, as well as the role of structural and lithological factors in the formation of the relief. Field geological and geomorphological methods allowed us to establish that the lower part of the ravine is covered with Upper Cretaceous marls, and the watershed spurs of the Lviv Plateau consist of Neogene deposits. The section of the Neogene system here is formed by three layers of constant stratigraphic sequence: I – sandy lithothamnion limestones (Baranivka layers), II – sands of the Mykolaiv layers with a large number of lithothamnion limestone fragments in the upper part, III – lithothamnion limestones of the Naraiv layers. Neogene thicknesses are disrupted by low‑amplitude faults with differential vertical displacements, imparting a block‑tectonic style. Enhanced fracturing and improved water permeability of rocks within areas of dynamic fault influence determined the locations of erosion relief forms and their development. These observations clarify the interplay of lithology, facies, and neotectonic segmentation in shaping erosional landforms on the Lviv Plateau.

Full Text

Keywords

Badenian regional stage, lithothamnic limestone, structural and geomorphic analysis, facies

Referenses

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Received: December 09, 2025
Accepted: February 27, 2026
Published: April 21, 2026

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ESTIMATION OF THE METHANE-GENERATING CAPACITY OF FOSSIL ORGANIC MATTER

Home > Archive > No. 1 (201) 2026 > 51–62

Geology & Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals No. 1 (201) 2026, 51–62

ISSN 0869-0774 (Print), ISSN 2786-8621 (Online)

https://doi.org/10.15407/ggcm2026.201.051

Yurii KHOKHAa, Oleksandr LYUBCHAKb, Myroslava YAKOVENKOc

Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine

a e-mail: khoha_yury@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8997-9766
b e-mail: oleksandr.lyubchak@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0700-6929
c e-mail: myroslavakoshil@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8967-0489

Abstract

The methane-generative capacity of fossil organic matter (FOM) controls both the resource potential of sedimentary successions (natural gas) and the environmental implications of CH4 generation and migration. While equilibrium thermodynamic models provide an upper bound for methane yield, methane generation in geological settings is predominantly kinetic-controlled, and comprehensive equilibrium/kinetic reconstructions often require detailed structural inputs that are unavailable in routine practice.

Aim. To develop a minimal-parameter, chemically consistent framework for quantifying methane generation from FOM in the “solid organic matrix–fluid” system using measurable quantities and a kinetics-centered descriptor applicable under limited structural information.

Approach and methods. Methane formation is treated as a radical-controlled demethanation process, formalized by the rate expression d[CH4]/dt = k[CH3][H]. Here [CH3] denotes the amount of structural methyl fragments (–CH3) bound within the macromolecular matrix (kerogen/coal/peat), whereas [H] represents the pool of chemically bound donor hydrogen, excluding –OH and –COOH hydrogen in the baseline formulation. Conditions under which protonic (heterolytic) stages may become significant (high polarity, pore water, strong acidity/alkalinity, Lewis-acid catalysis, oxidants, transition metals, mineral surfaces, irradiation) are outlined, and it is shown that explicitly accounting for such pathways would substantially complicate the kinetic equation set. An analytical solution is discussed together with a practical reduction to an exponential law, [CH4] = [CH4]0 + [CH3]0 (1 − e−t/τ), where the characteristic time τ is defined from the initial slope of the methane accumulation curve CH4(t) and can be estimated graphically via the tangent at t = 0. The paper specifies an experimental–analytical workflow to determine [CH4]0 by gas chromatography and to quantify the –CH3 reservoir using direct structural methods: FTIR spectroscopy (integration of –CH3/–CH2 bands with spectral approximation and peak separation of overlapping features) and quantitative solid-state 13C MAS NMR (integration of methyl carbon at 0–22 ppm, with explicit separation of methoxyl O–CH3 at 55–60 ppm when peat/soils are considered). Product-oriented techniques (pyrolysis GC/GC-MS and Rock-Eval) are discussed as complementary controls of CH4 release during thermal decomposition.

Key results and interpretation. The proposed framework reduces methane-generative capacity to two experimentally anchored descriptors: the structural reservoir of methyl fragments and the kinetic parameter τ, interpreted as an integral measure of reactive-site accessibility and the overall rate of radical transformations in a given matrix. Using τ enables laboratory characterization within shortened observation windows, by passing the impracticality of directly determining k on geological time scales, and provides a consistent basis for comparing samples of different origin and maturity. The applicability domain is delineated, emphasizing external factors capable of shifting mechanisms and kinetics (O2, water, mineral/metal catalysis, oxidants, irradiation), and the necessity to discriminate aliphatic –CH3 from methoxyl O–CH3 in oxygen-rich matrices is highlighted.

Conclusion and significance. The study delivers an analytically transparent and experimentally verifiable route to quantify methane-generative capacity of FOM as the coupled outcome of a measurable –CH3 structural reserve and the characteristic time τ. The approach is suitable for comparative assessments across kerogen, coal, peat and soil organic matrices and provides a methodological foundation for further predictive modelling.

Full Text

Keywords

organic matter, kerogen, methane, methane generation, kinetics, FTIR, 13C MAS NMR, programmed pyrolysis

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Received: January 25, 2026
Accepted: February 20, 2026
Published: April 21, 2026