The search of Siberian oil before the revolution

The question of starting time of petroleum exploration within the territory of Siberia didn't find unambiguous answer in geological and historical literature. Some authors place this event in the end of XIX-XX cc., the other consider that science based research was started during the Soviet era. Governmental disinterest in oil exploration during pre-revolutionary period may be due to variety of causes. According to scientist's opinion the main of these causes is adequate resources of old producing region. First documental records about oil seeps in Siberia dates from XVII century but they are less informative. Field researches in the region were made by Academy of Sciences during XVIII-XIX cc. These researches allow to obtain some fundamental understanding about geological structure of region and about occurrence of underground resources. Following researches were continued by Mining administration and Russian geographical society. Governmental decision about main Trans-Siberian railway line building heightened interest in geological survey in Siberia in the end of XIX century. Execution of the project warranted following researches in the zone of railway: finding the fixity of railway bed, search the river crossing, water resource decision at the stations, investigation of building materials and mineral deposits. Staff of Geological Committee executed the works in the railway line which promoted to obtain not only important common geological information but also the data about prospective oil content of the region. Oil seeps in Baikal region deserved special interest. Baikal oil exploration, which were made using private and Mining department supply, didn't obtain practical results. Main causes of failure were insufficient funding and lack of technological capacity for longhole drilling. First petroleum exploration within the territory of West Siberian Lowland dates from the early XX century too. The necessity for these researches was conditioned by oil seeps in a number of regions. Prospecting, sponsoring by private actors in the territory of Tobolsk government, didn't confirm the oil yields. Therefore, Siberian oil potential didn't define in pre-revolutionary Russia. According with opinion of experts there are several reasons of this situation: insufficient common geological knowledge of the region, deficient of scientific and technical potential for prospecting and exploration, and also absence of exigence for new oil areas.

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