Role of past earthquakes in the formation of oil and gas accumulation zones

Studies of the traces of Riphean and Phanerozoic earthquakes in the Caucasus, West Siberian Plate, and Siberian Platform, as well as their comparison with the geological evidence of modern earthquakes, show that they may have played a role in the formation of oil and gas traps and accumulation zones. The seismogenic zones of oil and gas accumulation, which are of three main varieties (autochthonous, allochthonous, or transit), are considered in terms of their formation mechanisms and prediction. For such zones in the Caucasian foredeep, West Siberian Plate, and Siberian Platform, probable stratigraphic levels, locations, and types are outlined and examples of predictions are suggested.