Hope sedimentary basin 

(Late Cretaceous to Quaternary) 

(Chukchi Sea, unit CzKsv)

Occurs on the extreme west of Arctic shelf of Russia in Chukchi Sea. Composed of two subbasins, each 
filled with weakly deformed Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks that are about 3 to 4 km 
deep. Acoustic basement is composed of Early Cretaceous and older rocks. In eastern Hope basin, Late 
Cretaceous to Paleogene sedimentary rocks (compressional velocity of 3.1 to 3.3 km/s) have a thickness of 
800 to 900 m; Paleogene nonmarine clastic rocks (compressional velocity of 1.9-2.9 km/s), 1.5 km; and 
Neogene marine and nonmarine clastic rocks (compressional velocity less than 1.9 km/s) have a thickness 
of about 750 m. In western Hope basin, seismic velocities are higher, and the sedimentary rocks are 
interpreted as slightly older. Narrow grabens are also inferred in the basement of the basin. 
REFERENCES: Kameneva, 1977; Eittreim and others, 1979; Grantz and others, 1975; Grantz, 1981; 
Pol'kin, 1984; Volk and others, 1984; Shipilov, 1989; Shiplov and others, 1990; Zonenshain, 1990.