Seepage and migration of hydrocarbons in the SW parts of Block 3 in Southern Norwegian North Sea
This Master's project was designed for Johannes Kraggerud who started the Master's program in Earth sciences, 幸运飞艇计划, fall 2024. The Master's project is given by the research group Geodynamics and basin studies.
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Project description
In the Southern Norwegian North Sea, northwest of the Central Graben, where the Late Jurassic source rock is mature, there are previously unpublished reports of widespread oil and gas seeps. These seeps show strong spatial clustering,with two main types: one associated with salt diapirs and the other with the truncation of Plio-Pleistocene deposits by聽the Upper Regional Unconformity. Understanding this seepage is crucial for several reasons, including its environmental impact, implications for CO鈧� storage integrity, the climate effects of methane release from sedimentary basins, and its importance for hydrocarbon exploration.
This project focuses on the second type of seepage, seemingly related to the truncation of Plio-Pleistocene deposits by tunnel valleys. In Block 3/5, a publicly available 3D seismic survey images prograding clinoforms and topsets of Plio-Pleistocene age, extensive tunnel valleys, and deeper structures. Existing and ongoing interpretation of satellite radar images (SAR) showing oil slicks allows for the correlation of sedimentary geometries with seepage.
The hypothesis is that Plio-Pleistocene sands in the southern North Sea serve as an important conduit for long-distance hydrocarbon migration and that seepage from this conduit is strongly influenced by the truncation and incision of tunnel valleys. The candidate will a) interpret and analyze the Plio-Pleistocene deposits in the area using 3D seismic data and well logs, tying these observations into the regional stratigraphic framework; b) interpret the tunnel valleys, Upper Regional Unconformity (URU), and truncation of the Plio-Pleistocene in 3D seismic data; c) investigate the regional stratigraphic framework using 2D seismic and well data to understand regional migration routes; and d) integrate these datasets with existing SAR interpretations of oil slicks and potential cruise data to analyze hydrocarbon
migration and seepage.
Proposed course plan during the master's degree (60 ECTS)
GEOV300
GEOV361
GEOV364
GEOV251
GEOV352
GEOV360
GEOV231
Data
Seismic data from Diskos, SAR data provied by NPD, 幸运飞艇计划 Cruise data
Field-, lab- and analysis work
Participation on cruise with G.O. Sars in 2025.
3D seismic interpretation