Abstract The northern segments of the Carpathians, stretching between Limanowa (Poland) and Kosów (Ukraine), belonged to the most prolific hydrocarbon province in the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The earliest written accounts of natural occurrences of hydrocarbons in the Carpathians date back to the sixteenth century. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Rzączyński, Kluk, Hacquest and Staszic provided accounts on methods of practical use related to oil. Staszic’s geological map shows numerous oil seeps and different rock types containing hydrocarbons. The development of the oil industry was triggered by Łukasiewicz’s discovery of an oil-distillation process and the construction of a kerosene lamp. Following this, the oil industry flourished in the Northern Carpathians. Oil production peaked at 2 Mt (million tons) of crude oil in 1910. In subsequent years, the level of oil production steadily decreased due to a turbulent economy. Exploration for oil, gas and ozokerite resulted in the development of modern micropalaeontology and geological mapping, with a prime example being the regional coverage of almost the entire Northern Carpathians provided by the Atlas Geologiczny Galicyi ( Geological Atlas of Galicia ), which consisted of 99 high-quality geological maps at a scale of 1:75 000. Geophysical surveying techniques were applied to subsurface mapping, and higher educational institutions were established in order to support exploration efforts.

Abstract The data from oil-bearing Ukrainian basins outline the tectonic control of overpressure development in areas characterized by recent episodes of folding and active compression (dominantly horizontal stress regime). Based on the data presented, vertical compaction alone is not sufficient to account for the observed overpressure development. Tentatively, tectonic deformation is proposed as the dominant factor for overpressure development in sedimentary layers in recently folded regions. During folding, the opening of fractures results in local density decrease and helps in driving the migrating fluids, i.e., both hydrocarbon and formation waters, in the carrier beds toward the top of the structures. Ductile flow of shaly interbeds toward anticlinal closures can also enhance the sealing capacity of these layers. In the Ukrainian Carpathians and salt domes of the Dniepr-Donetz Basin, direct relationships have been evidenced to link and predict the amount of overpressure as a function of the amplitude of the folds. The use of measurements and of the monitoring of overpressures for evaluating the horizontal stress intensity and for the forecasting of earthquakes is also suggested.