There exists a broad range of natural hazards, including seismicity, faulting, fracturing, mud volcano eruptions, mud island motion, overpressure and lateral stress. These natural hazards, along with others, affect the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, especially in offshore operations. For each potential hazard, an estimation of their frequencies of occurrence, in addition to a quantitative assessment of the possible consequences, must be made. Impact of Natural Hazards on Oil and Gas Extraction: The South Caspian Basin provides technical details regarding these natural hazards, using the South Caspian Basin as a model. Here, the variation of natural hazards is documented in a geological setting. Accordingly, the scales of possible damage for each situation can be compared, and an understanding provided of the influence each hazard type has on every other.
1 Introduction.- 2 Earthquake Hazards.- 3 Fault and Fracture Hazards.- 4 Mud Volcano Eruptions and Flame Hazards.- 5 Mud Flow Hazards.- 6 Hydrate Hazards.- 7 Gas Hazards.- 8 Breccia Hazards.- 9 Overpressure and Lateral Stress in Sedimentary Formations.- 10 Mud Island and Mud Diapir Motion Hazards.- 11 Hazards of Variability in Reservoir Characteristics for South Caspian Oil Fields.- 12 Natural Hazards in Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production Assessments.- 13 Summary of Potential Natural Hazards in the South Caspian Basin.- References.