Doktorgradsprosjekter i Geodynamikk- og Bassengstudier

PhD student: Mohammad Reza Saberi

About the research project

Supervision: Tor Arne Johansen

Project funding: Petromax 3-year scholarship (2007-2010)

The objective of this study is static and dynamic characterization of carbonate rock reservoirs. The study involves analysis of various seismic attributes that may help discriminate between different rock compositions, porosity types, pore connectivity (static characteristic) and changing pore-fluid saturations (dynamic characteristic). Both seismic and petrophysical modelling will be combined for thev purpose of this integrated study.

Carbonates are one of the most common rocks in petroleum fields, forming the principal reservoir rock, intermediate layers or even reservoir seals. Efficient hydrocarbon recovery requires skilful integration of knowledge and methods from such disciplines as geology, geophysics, petrophysics and reservoir engineering. Reflection seismics is the best way to obtain crucial information about subsurface carbonate rocks, but the quality and resolution of reflection seismic data from such rocks suffer from their structural complexity. The complexity of carbonate rocks' seismic responses is related mainly to their much more complex porosity structure and fluid heterogeneity than in common siliciclastic sandstones. Carbonate rocks are often densely fractured, which adds heterogeneity to their porosity and permeability structure. These factors not only complicate the interpretation of seismic responses, but also add complexity to the reservoir properties and fluid flow pattern. For these reason, the petroleum exploration and production in carbonate rock successions is a major challenge, whereas the existing petrophysical models for these rocks are generally too crude and oversimplified to account for the actual properities of carbonate reservoirs and allow their reliable characterization. The aim of the present study is to bring methodological improvement in this area.

People

PhD Student: Mohammad Reza Saberi

Supervisor: Tor Arne Johansen

PhD student: Helge Kollsete Gjelberg

About the research project

Supervision: William Helland-Hansen (UiB), Snorre Olaussen (UNIS), Frode Hadler-Jacobsen (Statoil) and Erik P. Johannesen (Statoil)

Project funding: Statoil ASA.

Clinoforms, with various attributes, are formed by sediments entering a standing body of water. Despite the fact that there is a certain hierarchy of clinoforms formed at different scales (from shoreline clinoforms to continental margin clinoforms), no formal subdivision system exists. The aim of this project is to establish a quantitative database of different clinoform parameters, including gradients, shelf width, shelf basin relief (SBR), smoothness, curvature and shoreline/shelf edge trajectories, to do a generic study of clinoforms at the different scales. The controlling factors for generating clinoforms of different geometries, with upstream processes (delta), slope processes (canyons/slope failure) and downstream processes (basin floor fans), and the linkage between these, are key issues that will be addressed in this project. A wide range of different data will be applied, with the establishment of a quantitative database largely based on existing data from the literature and 2D seismic data, and case studies from 3D seismic data and outcrop data. In addition, stratigraphic forward modeling will be applied to simulate clinoform growth within different depositional settings.

People

Project members

Helge Kollsete Gjelberg- PhD Student

William Helland-Hansen - Supervisor (UiB)

Snorre OlaussenSupervisor (UNIS)

Frode Hadler-JacobsenSupervisor (Statoil)

Erik P. JohannesenSupervisor (Statoil)

Funding

Equinor

PhD student: Jord de Boer

About the research project

Supervisors: Rob Gawthorpe (UiB), William Helland-Hansen (UiB), Chris Jackson (Imperial College) and Ian Sharp (Statoil)

Project funding: UiB scholarship and TRAP (and Statoil for subsurface part)

This study involves the investigation of the sedimentary response to normal faulting in rift basins. It focuses on both the sedimentology as well as the fault geometries. The key is to understand the interplay of sedimentation and fault evolution during the main phase of rifting.

A subsurface part focuses on the Jurassic syn-rift units in both the footwall and the hangingwall of the Veslefrikk, Brage and J-structure fault system in the eastern Viking Graben, Norwegian Sea. It will include the integration of previous local studies (prospect-scale) to generate a regional synthesis. For this 100 by 20 kilometer study area the focus will be on linking fault array evolution with erosional depositional systems to constrain local versus regional sediment supply into syn-rift hangingwall depocentres. This will subsequently be achieved through integration of 3D seismic, well, core and biostratigraphic data.

For a more detailed analogue study, the Oligo-Miocene rift sequences on the western margin of central Sinai, Egypt are thoroughly investigated. The study area is located in the El-Qaa fault block. The 6 by 6 kilometer study area forms and excellent opportunity to study the palaeo-environmental evolution in the immediate hangingwall of a major rift border fault system. Integration of traditional fieldwork methods and ground-based LIDAR will be used to build a three-dimensional outcrop model and will allow an insight into the special and temporal evolution of these syn-rift sequences.

Project Partners

Imperial College and Statoil.

People

Project members

Jord de Boer - PhD Student

Rob Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB)

William Helland-Hansen - Supervisor (UiB)

Chris JacksonSupervisor (Imperial College)

Ian SharpSupervisor (Statoil)

PhD student: Matt Lewis (Imperial College)

About the research project

Supervisors: Chris Jackson (Imperial College) and Rob Gawthorpe (UiB)

This project aims to document the structural style and along strike variability of fault propagation folding, and the syn-rift stratigraphic response to phases of faulting and folding during basin extension. To date, numerous studies have indicated that the early growth of normal faults is associated with the development of fault-propagation folds (Allmendinger, 1998; Gawthorpe et al, 2000; Jackson et al, 2006; Schlische, 1995; Sharp et al, 2000; Withjack & Calloway, 2000), and has been demonstrated in a number of rift basins (e.g. Suez Rift, Rhine Graben, northern North Sea): however, uncertainties still exist as to; (i) the along-strike variability in the geometry of fault-propagation folds; (ii) the syn-rift stratigraphic response to various phases of faulting and associated folding; and (iii) the controls (e.g. salt thickness, fault displacement, and overburden thickness) on fault-propagation folding in salt-influenced rift basins.

This project will be carried out by using an integrated study of; (i) three-dimensional, high resolution (3D) seismic reflection data from the Egersund Basin, northern North Sea; and (ii) field data from the Oligo-Miocene Suez Rift, Egypt

Project Partners

Imperial College.

People

Project members

Matt Lewis - PhD Student

Chris Jackson - Supervisor (Imperial College)

Rob Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB)

PhD-Candidate Kristian Jensen (associated with Geodynamics and Basin Studies research group)

About the research project

Main Supervisor

Associate Professor Isabelle Lecomte, University of Bergen

Co-Supervisors

Professor Børge Arntsen, NTNU

Associate Professor Einar Iversen, University of Bergen

Professor Leiv-J. Gelius, University of Oslo

Principal Research Geophysicist Tina Kaschwich, NORSAR

About the project

Seismic images are generated when a source at the Earth’s surface initiates a pressure wave which travels through the Earth’s subsurface. As the wave hits layer boundaries in the Earth’s interior, energy is reflected back to the Earth’s surface where it is recorded, thus allowing us to obtain an image of the subsurface. The principle behind this approach is exactly the same as in medical ultrasound.

Due to the complexity of the Earth, and the intricate wave physics involved, the raw seismic images usually contain many distortions and artefacts. As such, extensive processing is often needed to obtain proper images of the subsurface. Yet, even after performing a processing workflow, features in the images may still be ambiguous and difficult to identify.

In order to study in greater detail exactly what seismic images will look like for a certain geological setting and survey geometry, seismic modelling may be performed. This involves using a computer to generate a model of the subsurface, and then simulating what the seismic images will look like for a given survey geometry over the model. Proper seismic modelling can be very helpful in identifying exactly why ambiguities occur, and what may be done to improve the quality of the images.

Illustration of how changes in seismic modelling parameters yield different seismic images of the same target area. Photo: Kristian Jensen, UiB. Photo: Kristian Jensen, UiB

Project Partners

NTNU, UiO, NORSAR.

People

Project members

Kristian Jensen - PhD Student

Isabelle Lecomte - Main Supervisor (UiB)

Børge Arntsen - Co-Supervisors (NTNU)

Einar Iversen - Co-Supervisor (UiB)

Leiv-J. Gelius - Co-Supervisor (UiO)

Tina Kaschwich - Co-Supervisor (NORSAR)

Duration

August 2017–August 2020

About the research project

Supervisors: Atle Rotevatn (UiB), Isabelle Lecomte (UiB), Rob Gawthorpe (UiB)

Project period: 2017-2020

Research goals, aims and objectives

The main aim of this project is to deliver an advance in the understanding of the relationship between carbonate-hosted fault zone properties (geometry, geophysical/petrophysical properties) and the seismic imaging of such fault zones. This may help improve prediction of subsurface fault zone properties from seismic data, which may in turn contribute to better the prediction of flow behaviour and seal/retention capacity of such faults. The project aims will be achieved through structural analysis of carbonate-hosted faults in outcrops, in combination with laboratory analyses of petrophysical and geophysical fault rock properties, and seismic forward modelling of the studied fault zones. We also aim to draw comparisons between the seismic forward models and real seismic data from fault zones in the Barents Sea, using publicly available 3D seismic data and other proprietary seismic data that we already have access to at UiB. The work will be based on a combination of digital and traditional outcrop-based fault datasets already collected in existing projects (Irina Korneva’s VISTA project and PD3, the latter of which is a project collaboration between UiB and the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol that Profs. Atle Rotevatn and Rob Gawthorpe are involved in), and new outcrop data to be collected during the course of the project (Permian-Carboniferous of Svalbard).

More specifically, main research goals of this project are to (i) document the geological, petrophysical and geophysical properties of carbonate-hosted extensional fault zones; (ii) to improve the understanding of the geological processes that govern the distribution of such properties; and (iii) to better understand the seismic response of carbonate fault zones and therefore move towards prediction of fault zone properties from seismic data. The research goals will be achieved through the following specific objectives (D = displacement):

[O1]

To investigate and synthesize the geometry and architecture of carbonate-hosted fault zones at sub-seismic (D ≤ 10¹ m), reservoir (D = 10¹-10² m) and basin (D ≥ 10³ m) scales.

[O2]

To investigate and synthesize the petrophysical (density, porosity, permeability) and geophysical (Vp, Vs) rock properties within carbonate-hosted fault zones using existing (published)  data and laboratory analysis of samples collected in this project.

[O3]

To evaluate the distribution and evolution (by using displacement magnitude as a proxy for stage of development) of geological, geometrical, petrophysical and geophysical fault zone properties.

[O4]

To evaluate how fault geometry as well as petrophysical and geophysical fault zone properties affect the seismic imaging of carbonate-hosted fault zones in the subsurface through seismic forward modelling.

People

Project members

Vilde Dimmen - PhD Candidate (UiB-GEO)

Atle Rotevatn - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Rob Gawthorpe - Co-supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Isabelle Lecomte - Co-supervisor (UiB-GEO)

PhD candidate: Åse Hestnes

Duration

August 2019–August 2022

About the research project

SUPERVISION

Joachim Jacobs (UiB-GEO), Deta Gasser (HVL), Thomas Scheiber (HVL), Anna Ksienzyk (NGU), Henriette Linge (UiB-GEO), Tor Sømme (UiB-GEO/Equinor)

PROJECT PERIOD

2019-2022

RESEARCH GOALS, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This multidisciplinary project aims at developing a large-scale structural, thermal and geomorphological model for the highly debated post-Caledonian topographic evolution of the western Norwegian margin. The results of this project will give important insights into (a) the basement structure offshore and (b) source-to-sink relationships such as the timing and amount of erosion pulses and sediment transport into offshore basins. The project will therewith increase our knowledge of the structure and development of the Norwegian continental shelf.

The following questions will be investigated in detail:

a.    Did the main topographic high behave as a coherent structural block or are there other important brittle faults between the MTFC, the NSD and the LGF?

b.    Can the distribution of low-relief surfaces, the geometry of river profiles and drainage patterns be explained by structurally controlled offsets or is the geomorphology of the region in better agreement with a mainly glacial origin, unrelated to the crustal structural framework?

c.    Can a denser horizontal and vertical network of apatite fission track and U/Th/He dates be used to distinguish between slow and steady exhumation versus uplift pulses caused by fault reactivation?

Project Partners

HVL, NGU and Equinor.

People

Project members

Åse Hestnes - PhD Student

Joachim Jacobs - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Deta GasserCo - Supervisor (HVL)

Thomas Scheiber - Co-Supervisor (HVL)

Anna Ksienzyk - Co-Supervisor (NGU)

Henriette Linge - Co-Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Tor Sømme - Co-Supervisor (UiB-GEO/Equinor)

PhD candidate: Hannah Elizabeth Petrie

Affiliation

• Faculty of Science and Technology
• Department of Earth Science

Duration

August 2020–September 2023

About the research project

SUPERVISION

Main supervisor: Christian Haug Eidge (UiB-GEO), Co-Supervisors: Haflidi Haflidason (UiB-GEO) & Timothy Watton (Equinor)

RESEARCH GOALS, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

a. Investigate how geological conditions influence design of offshore wind foundations and anchorsb.    

b. Investigate how integrated geological-geotechnical models can facilitate safe and more cost-effective foundation designc.  

c.  Acquire acoustic data and cores to investigate key geotechnical challenges and provide recommendations for scope of site surveys in   previously glaciated areas

Project Partners

Equinor

People

Project members

Hannah Elizabeth PetriePhD Student

Christian Haug EidgeSupervisor

Haflidi HaflidasonCo-supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Timothy WattonCo-supervisor (Equinor)

PhD candidate: Martin Kjenes

Duration

January 2019–January 2023

About the research project

SUPERVISION: Associate Professor Christian Haug Eide (UIB), Professor Atle Rotevatn (UIB), Senior Lecturer Nick Schofield (University of Aberdeen), Professor John Howell (University of Aberdeen)

PROJECT PERIOD: 2019-2023

RESEARCH GOALS, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

Sills and dykes have been a studied topic for decades, and many studies have indirectly investigated sill propagation and architecture by using numerical models. Such studies are important to investigate how igneous intrusions behave at the time of the emplacement, but these often ignore the complexity observed in real magmatic intrusions. Our study investigates how sedimentary and lithologic heterogeneity may infer strong controls on sill propagation and -evolution, which will significantly change distances ranging from e.g. 1 km- to 100 m. Our aims include:

A. How, and if, sedimentary heterogeneity will influence the large-scale architecture and geometry of sills.

B. How overall emplacement changes when the igneous sill propagates through different lithologies.

C. Understanding how sedimentary heterogeneity influence sill development, and how this is related to forecasting of volcanic eruptions, subsurface resources and general basin understanding.

People

Project members

Martin Kjenes - PhD Student

Christian Haug Eide - Supervisor

Atle RotevatnCo- Supervisor

Nick Schofield - Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen

John Howell - University of Aberdeen

PhD candidate: Lucas Albanese Valore

Duration

December 2020–January 2024

About the research project

SUPERVISION: Christian Haug Eide, UiB, Tor Sømme, Equinor ASA and UiB, Stefano Patruno, University of Nicosia, François Guillocheau, University of Rennes 1, Cécile Robin, University of Rennes 1

RESEARCH GOALS; AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

Our goal is to study how changes in parameters such as increased uplift rates and abrupt fluctuations in climate (both of which can be induced by large igneous provinces) can affect source-to-sink systems. The continental area of Shetland has been subject to a major uplift pulse in the Palaeocene, during the emplacement of the North Atlantic Igneous Province - something that has been linked to the impact of the Icelandic Plume. Mantle plumes have been shown to cause doming, uplift and lateral compensational subsidence during the multiple steps of their emplacement, effectively creating signature stratigraphic successions that can be recognized in affected areas. According to recent dynamic topography modelling, Shetland was close to an uplifted region of the plume’s head and margins during the Late Danian to Ypresian, while in the North Sea this was accompanied by a sharp increase in local subsidence and sedimentation. The timing and effects of this coupled cycle have not been fully constrained, especially due to inherent superimposed shorter-term perturbations and the effects of overlapping climatic variations, including the Palaeocene - Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).  

Using 3D and 2D seismic surveys, openly available well data and biostratigraphic data, we aim to quantify sediment volumes supplied through time in the East Shetland Platform and adjacent areas. Sedimentological data will then be used in conjunction with models of dynamic topography, S2S-signal-propagation properties, plume activity and palaeoclimatic data in order to derive whether supplied volumes can be related to changes in dynamic topography (mantle topography), precipitation and other key forcing parameters.  

OBJECTIVES

The first objective of this research project is to establish a regional stratigraphic framework for the area, which will be based in modern sequence stratigraphy concepts and tied to the pre-existing biostratigraphic schemes. This will be used to reconstruct regional sediment volumes deposited during the Palaeocene. 

After this, we will interpret depositional environments and quantify the sediment volumes in each stratigraphic time unit. This will be done through fine-scale resolution mapping of seismic horizons. Using 3D seismic datasets and 3D seismic geomorphology, we aim to relate these to sedimentary conditions, directions of sediment transport and overall properties of supply systems. This will be particularly important during the evaluation of the PETM record in the Shetland platform. 

Finally, using published data on topographic and climatic evolution in the hinterland, and through knowledge of signal-propagation and sediment-routing properties of the S2S system, we should be equipped to establish the nature and origin of perceived perturbations in sediment supply.  

Project Partners

Equinor, University of Nicosia and University of Rennes.

People

Project members

Lucas Albanese Valore - PhD Student

Christian Haug Eide - Supervisor

Tor SømmeCo - Supervisor

Stefano Patruno - University of Nicosia

François Guillocheau - University of Rennes

Cécile Robin - University of Rennes

PhD candidate: Enry Horas Sihombing

Duration

June 2021–September 2024

About the research project

Supervisor(s): 

Prof. Robert Gawthorpe, Dr. Tim Cullen, Prof. Haakon Fossen, Prof. Lesli J. Wood (Colorado School of Mines)

Project & Funding: 

DeepRift, sponsored by Research Council of Norway, AkerBP, Equinor, Wintershall, ConocoPhillips & Neptune

Aims of PhD project: 

In a series of studies conducted in the northern North Sea's Greater Tampen Spur area, the first investigation aims to document diverse geomorphic features of major footwall blocks and variable fault-controlled scarps, while also defining relationships between syn- and early post-rift depositional systems and adjacent geomorphology, all with the goal of understanding the underlying tectonic, stratigraphic, and surface processes shaping footwall and fault scarp geomorphology. The second study focuses on the Pancake Basin, aiming to comprehend deep-water depositional systems within a rift depocenter, elucidating sediment dynamics from source to sink, and the contributions of local and regional sources. The third study examines high-displacement normal faults, intending to document structural variations along fault segments controlling syn-rift depocenters, and reconstruct fault evolution using growth and kinematic analysis integrated with sediment evolution, providing insights into fault and depocenter development.

People

Project members

Enry Horas Sihombing - PhD Student

Robert Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB)

Tim Cullen - Supervisor

Haakon Fossen - Supervisor (UiB)

Lesli J. Wood - Supervisor (Colorado School of Mines)

Funding

The Research Council of Norway

PhD Michal Janocko

Duration

January 2009–January 2011

About the research project

Supervision: W. Nemec with S. Henriksen
Project funding: Statoil 3-year scholarship (2009-2011)

The aim of this project is to address some of the dynamic aspects of submarine slope channels on the basis of outcrop case studies (Cenozoic examples from Turkey, New Zealand, Mexico and Croatia) and analysis of Statoil's 3D seismic dataset from offshore Angola, combined with numerical CFD simulations. The modelling method of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a mathematical solution of equation sets describing sediment-laden fluid flow, with a numerical realization by commercial software MassFlow-3D™ in the present case. The main issues selected for the study include: (1) the development and infill architecture of sinuous turbiditic channels; and (2) the flow pattern at channel bends and origin of coarse-grained nested mounds in channel thalweg zone. Particular attention is given to the flow pattern of currents that are ‘balance-sized', ‘undersized' and ‘oversized' in relation to the channel hydraulic geometry. The study focuses on quantification of turbiditic channel external and internal characteristics, which will help to verify the existing conceptual models, improve their predictive power and contribute to the general knowledge on turbidity current dynamics and development of channelized turbiditic systems.

People

Project members

Michal JanockoPhD Student

W. NemecSupervisor (UiB)

S. HenriksenSupervisor

Funding

Equinor

PhD Sten-Andreas Grundvåg

About the research project

Supervision: William Helland-Hansen (UiB) with Erik P. Johannessen, Frode Hadler-Jacobsen and Rolf Helland (all Statoil)

Funding: Statoil 3-year scholarship (2009-2012)

The scope of this study is to investigate the stacking pattern of shelf clinoforms and to shed more light on the factors and processes controlling sand delivery to shelf zone, on the basis of an extensive new dataset from Nathorst Land, central Spitsbergen. The dataset includes onshore 2-D seismic sections, LIDAR transects, conventional outcrop profiles and a well core. This integrated approach provides a unique opportunity to improve our knowledge on the relation between subsurface and outcrop data, as well as our understanding of the geometrical and lithological architecture of a progradational shelf system. The shelf system in this case is of Eocene age and consists of interlinked shelf, slope and basin-floor segments representing the infill of a small foreland basin. The Nathorst Land dataset will also be used as a pilot case for developing a new visualization software. The study is conducted in co-operation with the Department of Informatics (UiB) and Christian Michelsen Research Institute.

People

Project members

Sten-Andreas Grundvåg - PhD Student

William Helland-Hansen - Supervisor (UiB)

Erik P. Johannessen - Supervisor (Statoil)

Frode Hadler-Jacobsen - Supervisor (Statoil)

Rolf Helland - Supervisor (Statoil)

Funding

Equinor

PhD Andreas Rittersbacher

About the research project

Supervisors: John Howell (Uni CIPR) with William Helland-Hansen (UiB)

Funding: Research Council of Norway (Petromaks) and FORCE Consortium

The scope of this study is to investigate large-scale stacking patterns and general architecture of fluvial systems, and to understand the processes and controlling factors behind deposition. To digitally capture the large outcrops (>20 km) used in this study, helicopter-based LIDAR has been used in order to build three-dimensional outcrop models (virtual outcrops). The work on the project includes finding a best-practice procedure for recording, processing and interpreting the helicopter-LIDAR with respect to fluvial sedimentology.

Datasets from seven localities in central Utah (Cretaceous non-marine Blackhawk Formation and Eocene Green River Formation) and South Africa (Permo-Triassic Beaufort Group) have been collected for the project. With the help of stratigraphic logs, geometrical and lithological information about fluvial deposition can be extracted from the virtual outcrops. Analysis of the geometrical data can be used to model fluvial reservoirs and to get an insight into fluvial deposition on a much larger scale then previously possible.

Project Partners

Uni CIPR

People

Close allProject members

Andreas RittersbacherPhD Student

John HowellSupervisor (Uni CIPR)

William Helland-HansenSupervisor (UiB)

Funding

• The Research Council of Norway

PhD Oluboyo Ayodeji

About the research project

Supervisors: Rob Gawthorpe, Mads Huuse (UoM) & Frode Hadler-Jacobsen (Statoil)

The temporal and spatial evolution of salt-cored fault and fold arrays generates complex dip- and strike-variability through the depositional history of passive margins. Deformation of the mobile substratum creates a continually evolving slope topography that exerts strong control on gravity flows, and thus, submarine slope channel routing, geometry and architecture.

Spectral decomposition, multi-attribute blending and iso-proportional slicing techniques are applied to high resolution 3D seismic volumes from Offshore West Africa to identify and image discrete depositional elements within the Oligo-Miocene interval. By combining detailed analysis of the structural evolution of individual salt diapirs using thickness map analysis with attribute-based deepwater submarine channel geomorphology we show the structurally-related variations in channel morphometrics, architecture and geomorphology.

Project Partners

UoM and Statoil.

People

Project members

Oluboyo Ayodeji - PhD Candidate

Rob Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB)

Mads Huuse - Supervisor (UoM)

Frode Hadler-Jacobsen - Supervisor (Statoil)

PhD Oliver Duffy (UoM)

About the research project

Supervisors: Rob Gawthorpe (UiB), Simon Brocklehurst & Emma Finch (UoM),  Mike Leeder (UEA), Matt Docherty (Maersk)

This project will utilise digital terrain analysis, structural and geomorphic field work, together with interpretation of 3D seismic data to investigate the structural style and evolution of faulted terrace domains and their control on fluvial and marine depositional systems. The study initially focuses on understanding the structural style of faulted terrace domains in regions of active extensional tectonics, specifically the Perachora Peninsula, Greece using digital terrain analysis. Our previous studies have recognised complex fault perpendicular and fault parallel stream networks and internal sediment 'sinks' within regions of faulted terraces, however, the detailed tectono-sedimentary evolution of the terraces and fluvial systems is largely unknown.

Studies of marine fault terraces focus on the salt-influenced Triassic-Jurassic of the Danish Sector of the North Sea rift, utilising 3D seismic data. In this phase of the project, fault geometries based on mapping key horizons and fault surfaces will provide a 3D structural framework and the structural evolution will be reconstructed using thickness data from syn-rift sequences. The marine depositional systems will be imaged using seismic attribute analysis tied to well data. The backstripped fault geometry will provide a template for establishing the control that terrace evolution and salt tectonics had on sediment dispersal and deposition.  This project is sponsored by Maersk.

People

Project members

Oliver Duffy - PhD Candidate (UoM)

Rob Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB)

Simon Brocklehurst - Supervisor (UoM)

Emma Finch - Supervisor (UoM)

Mike Leeder - Supervisor (UEA)

Matt Docherty - Supervisor (Maersk)

PhD Bernardo Moyano

About the research project

Supervisors: Tor Arne Johansen with Kyle Spikes (Univ. of Texas) and Phillip Doyen (UiB/CGGVeritas)

Funding: Through Petromaks-funded project Reservoir Monitoring and Dynamic Reservoir Characterization with Production, Seismic and Electromagnetic Data (2008-2011).

Rock heterogeneities affect porosity, fluid saturation and permeability of reservoirs, and hence the storage and effective displacement of hydrocarbons in subsurface reservoirs. For instance, thin and volumetrically insignificant shale layers can reduce reservoir quality and hinder the flow of hydrocarbons. A better understanding of the elastic and seismic signatures of heterogeneous reservoirs will improve our ability of their reliable characterization and monitoring.

The aim of this study is increase our ability to estimate reservoir quality from seismic information. Our particular interest is in the effect of dispersed clay (primary and/or diagenatic) versus layered clay (shale interlayers) on elastic properties and time-lapse response of a porous rock body. Once petrophysics models have been calibrated for both cases, the effect of lateral and vertical trends may be investigated by performing Monte Carlo simulations of depositional and depth-dependent parameters. Statistical rock physics (PDFs) templates of elastic attributes representative of various conditions will be developed and used to help interpret inverted seismic data in terms of lithology, rock heterogeneity and fluid content.

People

Project members

Bernardo Moyano - PhD Student

Tor Arne Johansen - Supervisor (UiB)

Kyle Spikes - Supervisor (University Of Texas)

Phillip Doyen - Supervisor (UiB/CGGVeritas)

PhD Jonathan Smith

About the research project

Supervisors: Professor R.L. Gawthorpe (UiB), Dr S.H. Brocklehurst and Dr E. Finch (UoM)

Funding: Statoil

The stratigraphic record of a sedimentary basin is the combined record of tectonics, climate and base-level change. These factors combine to determine the nature of the erosional, transport and depositional systems, controlling the character of the basin fill both spatially and temporally. The source-to-sink (S2S) approach views erosion, transport and deposition of sediment as one dynamically linked system, and seeks to understand the controls, interactions, coupling and feedbacks between these sub-systems.

The study focuses upon regional scale, S2S systems in modern-day rift settings such as the Red Sea, Rio Grande, and Basin and Range.  Rift basins are generally well studied and facies models well established, however, the majority of studies view individual sub-basins in isolation and rarely take into account the interaction between adjacent sub-basins. Although not ignoring simple footwall-hangingwall relationships, this study places an emphasis on regional drainage evolution, particularly between sub-basins of varying elevations, often adhering to different base-levels.  By examining a number of rift settings in varying stages of maturity, evolution of regional S2S systems is assessed.  

The project attempts to combine analysis of digital elevation models (DEM’s), satellite imagery, numerical modelling and field studies in order to;

• Quantify the spatial distribution of topography and drainage networks in areas of active extension to understand the first-order controls on the location and size of sedimentsources and evolution of sediment transport pathways.
• Understand how regional drainage patterns change through time in response to the structural evolution of rift basins
• Investigate the role of accommodation zones in along-strike segmentation of sub-basins and their effect upon sediment supply and distribution patterns
• Understand how migration of fault activity affects stream networks (diversion, reversal or entrenchment);
• Improve existing models of rift-scale drainage evolution and sediment supply

People

Project members

Jonathan Smith - PhD Student

Rob Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB)

S.H. Brocklehurst - Supervisor (UoM)

E. Finch - Supervisor (UoM)

Funding

Equinor

PhD Tore Klausen

About the research project

Supervisors: William Helland-Hansen (UiB), Alf Eivind Ryseth and Inger Laursen (Statoil ASA)

Project funding: Norwegian Research Council three-year grant (2010-2013)

The project will focus on the spatial distribution of channel sandstone bodies and associated depositional environments in the Snadd Formation, and how these develop through the different depositional cycles and stratigraphic levels that make up the formation. One aspect of particular interest is the visualisation of channel bodies and their geomorphology; another will be the regional understanding of the formation itself. For this purpose the project will include a range of different datasets, from detailed, dense data of 3D-seismic cubes, to 2D-seismic lines, well logs and cores, to outcrop studies of the Hope Island on Svalbard. Combining these different datasets will form the basis for a more detailed knowledge about the Snadd Formation, a potentially important hydrocarbon-reservoir, across the western Barents Sea region. Additionally, some of the data will be used for prototype testing of a new visualisation software. This part of the project is conducted in cooperation with the Department of Informatics (UiB) and Christian Michelsen Research Institute (Computing).

People

Project members

Tore Klausen - PhD Student

William Helland- HansenSupervisor (UiB)

Alf Eiving Ryseth - Supervisor (Statiol)

Inger Laursen - Supervisor (Statoil)

Funding

• The Reserach Council of Norway

PhD Christian Haug Eide

About the research project

Supervisors: John A. Howell and William Helland-Hansen

Funding: PETROMAKS and FORCE

The aim of this study is to develop quantitative models of the distribution of architectural elements in shallow-marine systems. Advances in helicopter based laser scanning have made it possible to scan very large outcrops of sedimentary rocks, facilitating creation of photorealistic outcrop models and extraction of large amounts of quantitative data. The dimensions and distributions of a range of elements, such as parasequences, intra-sandtone shales and distributary channels, will be measured, and evaluated using paleogeographic evidence and statistical methods. Traditional field methods will also be used in this project to collect grain-size data and constrain the facies interpretations from the lidar models.

As of February 2011, the database consists of lidar scans of 40 km of wave-dominated shallow-marine outcrops from the Book Cliffs and the Wasatch Plateau of central Utah. Field work in the tide-dominated Lajas formation in Argentina is planned in fall 2011.

People

Project members

Christian Haug EidePhD Student

John A. HowellSupervisor

William Helland-HansenSupervisor

Funding

The Research Council of Norway

PhD Katarina Gobo

About the research project

Supervision: W. Nemec with M. Ghinassi and R. Gawthorpe

Project funding: UiB 4-year scholarship (2010-2013)

The Gulf of Corinth is an active (Pliocene-Recent) rift structure between the Peloponnesus peninsula and mainland Greece. The rift is one of the youngest extensional features in the Aegean region, where the tectonic extension began in Miocene and was caused by a combination of gravitational collapse of the thick crust inherited from the Hellenic orogeny, back-arc stretching behind the Hellenic subduction zone and rotation of crustal blocks due to the westward propagation of North Anatolian Fault. Large, coarse-grained Gilbert-type deltas have built into the rift from its bounding systems of normal faults. Previous studies have considered mainly the structural relationship between rift-margin faults and deltas and the spatial stacking pattern of these latter. The depositional architecture, lateral facies variations and thickness changes were outlined only schematically and not interpreted in terms of modern sequence-stratigraphic concepts. The present study focuses on the sedimentology, detailed facies anatomy and sequence stratigraphy of the syn-rift deltaic systems, which will help to assess the relative role of extensional tectonics, eustasy and regional climatic changes (sediment yield fluctuations) in their development.

People

Project members

Katarina Gobo - PhD Student

W. Nemec - Supervisor (UiB)

M. Ghinassi - Supervisor

R. Gawthorpe - Supervisor

PhD student: Thamer Mahdi

About the research project

Supervision: William Helland-Hansen

Project Funding: Statoil 3 year scholarship (2008-2011)

This study focuses is concerned with a high-resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis and reservoir characterization of the Mishrif Formation (Middle Cenomanian-Early Turonian) in southern Iraq. This carbonate rock formation is one of the Middle East's major petroleum reservoirs. The main aim of the study is to develop a regional sequence-stratigraphic framework and 3D reservoir model, beginning with the conversion of 1D well data into 2D panels of interpreted microfacies, petrophysical properties and sequence-stratigraphic surfaces. For this purpose, wireline logs and cores data are integrated and analysed using Petrel™ and Dionisos™ softwares. The study will allow to predict the spatial distribution of carbonate facies that are potential stratigraphic traps for hydrocarbons, and hence will aid regional exploration.

People

Project members

Thamer Mahdi - PhD Student

William Helland-Hansen - Supervisor (UiB)

Funding

• The Reserach Council of Norway

PhD candidate: James Opemipo Olomo

About the research project

SUPERVISION

Main supervisor:  Professor Rob Gawthorpe (UiB-GEO). Co-supervisors: Professor Atle Rotevatn (UiB-GEO), Professor Christopher Jackson (University of Manchester, UK),  Dr. Tim Cullen (UiB-GEO)

PROJECT PERIOD

2021-2024

RESEARCH GOALS, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The overarching aim of this PhD research is to develop an integrated tectono-sedimentary understanding of deep-water syn-rift systems within the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous on the western flank of the Utsira High. This overall aim is sub-divided into three main objectives.

1.    Characterisation of present-day structural style and the evolution of faults and depocentres along the South Viking Graben/western  Utsira High

• Interpretation of present-day structural geometry
• Reconstruction of the structural styles and growth history of normal faults and fault-related depocentres
• Examine the influence of structural inheritance on fault geometry and evolution (e.g., pre-existing basement and cover structures)

2.    Characterise depositional systems and sediment routing in the Late Jurassic syn-rift and transition to post-rift through the Early Cretaceous

• Integration of well information (cores, wireline logs), seismic interpretation to establish a detailed deep-water depositional systems model.
• Seismic geomorphology to constrain the location and distribution of sediment inputs, routing pathways and depositional architectures and volumes.
• Integrate structural evolution and sedimentology to understand the driving mechanisms of palaeo-seafloor evolution and sediment routing pathways from western Utsira shorelines to the various deep-water depocenters.

3.    Integrate stratigraphy, sedimentology, and structural studies with aforementioned objectives along with estimation of sediment source areas on the Utsira High to examine the impact of sediment supply, local tectonics and regional palaeoenvironmental controls on Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous depositional systems on the western flank of the Utsira High.

• Biostratigraphic calibration and synthesis of tectono-sedimentary evolution.
• Build an integrated source-to-sink understanding of volumes, timing and spatial distribution of sediment dispersal from the Utsira High across the faulted western flank.
• Integrate structural restorations and depositional mapping to understand the role of inherited bathymetry versus protracted rift activity from the Late Jurassic into the Early Cretaceous
• Link with regional and local palaeoenvironmental records and tectono-stratigraphic restorations to determine likely triggers of variability in denudation and sediment flux from the Utsira High.

People

James Opemipo Olomo - PhD Student

Rob Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Atle Rotevatn - Co-supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Christopher Jackson - Co-supervisor (University of Manchester)

Tim Cullen - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

PhD candidate: Thomas Thuesen

Duration

August 2017–August 2021

About the research project

SUPERVISION

William Helland-Hansen (UiB), Christian Haug Eide (UiB), Atle Nesje (UiB), Haflidi Haflidason (UiB)

PROJECT PERIOD

2017 - 2021

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 

The overall aim of this project is to integrate the source-to-sink approach into a modern system in order to gain a better understanding on parameters that influence sediment production and partitioning in recently glaciated fjord-valley systems. 

In order to understand both landscape evolution through time and sediment delivery to lowlands and marine basins, it is important to quantify the amount of sediment produced and remobilized from eroding uplands. Mapping, dating and characterization of post-glacial sediment volumes and accompanying catchment areas in Fjærland will form a basis for developing models for sediment production and sediment partitioning in Western Norway fjord-valley systems. By acquiring data on the age, composition, geometry and volume of marine (fjords) and terrestrial (avalanche fans, lakes, postglacial terraces, floodplains and deltas) sediment sinks one can couple this data against:

• Modern day and historical sediment loads and sedimentation rates in the depositional environment (e.g. measuring sedimentation rates in the fjord and lake sediments, monitoring suspended load and bedload in rivers, and monitoring avalanche activity of selected avalanche fans).
• Catchment parameters such as relief, area, bedrock geology and climatic variations in order to better understand the timing and distribution of components within the sourceto-sink system.

Studies focusing on the quantification of sediments in the combined fjord-valley systems are relatively few. Thus, this research projects aims at contributing more knowledge to understanding the whole fjord-valley system by combining marine and terrestrial data. To successfully do so, the project has the following objectives:

1. Utilize high-resolution digital elevation models (for topography) and Quaternary geological maps (Aa and Sønstegaard, 1995) to understand the catchment properties (basin area, relief, bedrock geology, sediment thickness and distribution) influence on the sediment flux to the fjord-valley system. Apply multibeam bathymetry data in order to map submarine sills (that may have separated the fjord system into several basins), and observe evidence of past avalanches, as well as other areas of interest. Georadar and LiDAR data will further aid in constraining sediment volumes in the terrestrial realm.
2. Map avalanche fans, glaciofluvial and glaciomarine terrace locations in both the field and using GIS/DEM computations. Perform sediment volume calculations on terraces eroded by rivers and measure sedimentation rates of avalanche fans using Drone/LiDAR data (Blikra and Nemec, 1998).
3. Sediment traps will be placed in the main river in Fjærland in order to measure modern sedimentation rates that will be compared to denudation rates found from testing sediments at river mouths for cosmogenic nuclides (Von Blanckenburg, 2005). Sediment flux data of suspended loads have been attained, and several more samples will be gathered by taking water samples of the river at several locations (in cooperation with Bremuseet, Pål Gran Kielland). This data will be compared to measured sedimentation rates from sediment traps as well as the denudation rates in order to obtain better values. Further on, measured and modern day sediment discharge and water discharge variations will be coupled in order to extrapolate sediment discharge variations for the time-period covered with water discharge data.
4. Use seismic profiles and cores (both marine, lake and possibly terrestrial (on terraces)) in order to estimate modern and historical sedimentation rates:

- Couple fjord sedimentation rates (from dated sediment cores) with modern and historical water discharge variations from the catchment to correlate them with flooding events (Fig. 4) (Bayliss and Reed, 2001). This will help in understanding the contribution of river floods relative to background sedimentation rates in both modern and Holocene sediment volumetrics, and the relative proportion of bedrock eroded and remobilized (late Pleistocene/early Holocene) sediments in flood and non-flood situations. 

5. Assess the applicability of numerical models (such as the BQART model by Syvitski and Milliman (2007)) on recently glaciated fjord-valley catchments. 

6. Contrast sediment production in currently glaciated and non-glaciated catchment areas in order to better understand the controls glaciers impose on sediment production/partitioning.

7. Compare sediment production/partitioning in the Fjærland and Flåm catchments with the results from projects such as SEDITRANS and SedyMONT that focuses on catchments in Nordfjord (SEDITRANS, 2004).

People

Thomas Thuesen - PhD Student

William Helland-Hansen - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Christian Haug Eide - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Atle Nesje - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Haflidi Haflidason - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

PhD candidate: Natacha Fabregas

Duration

August 2018–August 2022

About the research project

SUPERVISION

Professor Robert Gawthorpe (Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen), Professor Mary Ford (Université de Lorraine), Doctor Richard Collier (University of Leeds), Doctor Martin Muravchik (Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen)

PROJECT PERIOD

2018-2022

RESEARCH GOALS, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This project will develop a rigorous understanding of the location, geometry and sedimentology of syn-rift basin margin and basin axis depositional systems in the Corinth Rift. This work is divided in two Work Packages (WP).

WP1: Basin margin depositional systems. This work package focus on the central-eastern part of Corinth Rift’s southern basin margin. The specific objectives undertaken in this work package are:

1)        To map and analyse the sedimentology and stratigraphy of Late Pliocene to Pleistocene delta deposits in the hanging wall of the southern border fault of the Corinth Rift – Work in progress

2)        To correlate the different stratal units using sequence stratigraphic concepts and reconstruct the environments of deposition – Work in progress

3)        To investigate the structural style of normal faults, sediment source areas and evaluate structural controls on the depositional systems – Work in progress

4)        To establish an age model of the depositional system and to evaluate the environmental controls on sediment supply and the evolution of the depositional systems – More field data needed

5)        Integrate results from WP1 with ongoing work in UiB on numerical modelling of landscape evolution and normal fault network growth to investigate temporal and spatial variations in sediment supply and sites of deposition

WP2: Rift axis depositional systems. This work package focusses on Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 to 7 using the IODP Expedition 381 cores from Sites M0078 and M0079. The specific objectives undertaken in this work package are:

1)        To investigate the sedimentology of basin axis turbidite and associated deposits – Work in progress

2)        To investigate stratigraphic and spatial variations in turbiditic sedimentation. – Work in progress

3)        To interpret the MIS 5 to 7 palaeoenvironment of the basin axis related to fluctuations between marine and non-marine conditions – Work in progress

4)        To establish a high-resolution age model for the MIS 5 to 7 in the cores – Work in progress

5)        To integrate the above objectives to evaluate environmental controls (e.g. sea-level, climate and associated sediment supply) on the evolution of the turbidite depositional systems.

The palaeoenvironmental interpretation of each work package will be used to integrate basin scale observations and interpretations to propose a model for syn-rift sedimentation subjected to fluctuations between marine and lacustrine conditions.

Project Partners

Université de Lorraine and University of Leeds.

People

Natacha Fabregas - PhD Candidate

Robert Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Mary Ford - Supervisor (Université de Lorraine)

Richard Collier - Supervisor (University of Leeds)

Martin Muravchik - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

PhD candidate: Umut Isikalp

About the research project

(Preliminary) PhD project title: 

Tectono-sedimentary evolution of Triassic minibasins in the Central North Sea

Supervisors: Prof Robert Gawthorpe, Prof Atle Rotevatn, Prof Christopher A-L. Jackson, Dr Oliver Duffy and Dr Mar Moragas

Project period: 

3-4 years

Funding: 

NFR (The Research Council of Norway - NFR Project no 326965 ), Harbour Energy and DNO Norge &  ZechTec Project

Aim of the PhD Project: 

To investigate the variability and evolution of Triassic minibasins in the Egersund Basin and how the growth of the diapirs and the subsidence of minibasins influence Triassic depositional systems.

Objectives: 

Construct a seismic stratigraphic framework. Create a map of salt structures and their syn-kinematic strata in the Triassic minibasins to determine the triggering and controlling mechanisms of diapir growth. Analyze the sedimentology and stratigraphy within Triassic minibasins. Construct tectonostratigraphic models for terrestrial depositional systems in salt-influenced minibasins.

People

Project members

Umut Isikalp - PhD Student

Robert Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Atle Rotevatn - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Christopher A-L. Jackson - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Oliver Duffy - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Mar Morgas - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Funding

The Reserach Council of Norway

PhD candidate: Hakan Heggernes

Duration

August 2020–August 2023

About the research project

SUPERVISION

Main Supervisor: Professor Atle Rotevatn (GEO-UiB),   Co-supervisors: Professor Haakon Fossen, Professor Rob Gawthorpe, Dr. Matteo Demurtas, Dr. Casey Nixon (all GEO-UiB)

PROJECT PERIOD

2020 – 2023

PROJECT OBJETIVE, AIMS AND GOALS:

The primary objective of this project is to increase our understanding of deformation bands and the networks that deformation bands form, with emphasis on occurrence, geometry and topology, to increase our knowledge on the effects that deformation band networks have on fluid flow. This work will be conducted by investigating:

• Quantify network properties of deformation band networks from outcrop data.
• Characterise deformation band networks captured in wellbore cores.
• Investigate how spatially limited sampling (e.g. along a well path) of deformation band network properties relate to the network properties as a whole.
• Investigate deformation band networks in 2.5D and 3D.
• Investigate relationships between deformation band network properties and depositional facies/lithology.

People

Hakan Heggernes - PhD Student

Atle Rotevatn - Supervisor (GEO-UiB)

Haakon Fossen - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Rob Gawthorpe - Co-supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Matteo Demurtas - Co-supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Casey Nixon - Co-supervisor (UiB-GEO)

PhD candidate: Tarek Mohamed Ibrahem Ali Galhom

About the research project

Supervisors: 

Prof Robert Gawthorpe, Prof Atle Rotevatn, Prof Christopher A-L. Jackson, Dr Oliver Duffy and Dr Mar Moragas

Project period: 

3-4 years

Funding: 

NFR (The Research Council of Norway - NFR Project no 326965 ), Harbour Energy and DNO Norge & ZechTec Project.

Aim of the PhD Project: 

Study the spatial variation in the composition of the Zechstein Supergroup and its influence on salt tectonics. The initial study will focus on the Sele High and Ling Graben regions on the Norwegian side of the Central North Sea.

Objectives:

a) Mapping key horizons in the ZSG and post-ZSG to study the lateral and vertical lithological variations.

b) Petrophysical evaluation of the ZSG in the study area.

c) Determine the origin of structural styles associated with syn- or post-deposition of ZSG, determining how these relate to compositional variations within the unit, and local and regional tectonics.

d) Use results from the ZSG to understand how evaporite-associated lithological and stratigraphic variability impacts on structural style and evolution of salt-related structures.

People

Project members

Tarek Mohamed Ibrahem Ali Galhom - PhD Student

Robert Gawthorpe - Supervisor (UiB)

Atle Rotevatn - Supervisor (UiB)

Christopher A-L. Jackson - Supervisor

Dr Oliver Duffy - Supervisor

Dr Mar Moragas - Supervisor

Funding

The Research Council of Norway

PhD candidate: Øyvind Flataker Lien

Duration

October 2018–August 2023

About the research project

SUPERVISION

Professor Berit Oline Hjelstuen (UiB-GEO), Professor Hans Petter Sejrup (UiB-GEO), Professor Xu Zhang (Lanzhou University/Alfred Wegener Institute)

PROJECT FUNDING

University of Bergen

PROJECT PERIOD

October 2018 - August 2023

RESEARCH GOALS, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This PhD project is divided into three parts where the overall aim is to produce new knowledge about late Cenozoic depositional environments, sedimentary processes and glaciation history of the NE Atlantic continental margin. The aim of the three sub-projects is to:

1.    Couple the late Plio-Pleistocene sediment package and sub-units along the entire NE Atlantic margin and examine spatial and temporal variations in source to sink patterns. The influence of changes in bathymetry through time on ocean circulation and climate, will also be investigated.

2.    Improve the age control of the late Plio-Pleistocene sediment package along the Mid-Norwegian margin, the Naust Fm, by utilizing Sr isotope analysis based on drill cuttings from various wells. If successful, this information will help obtain further insights into the development of the Norwegian margin, as well as the uplift/erosion history of the Norwegian mainland.

3.    Create a new detailed seismo- and chronostratigraphic framework of the North Sea TMF region.  A main task of this study will be to couple the North Sea TMF with the sedimentary succession in the Norway Basin and the northern North Sea.  With this newly established stratigraphic framework, we aim to shed new light on the spatial distribution of sediments, how the depositional environment within the studied area relates to glaciation cycles and the impact of the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream.

People

Project members

Øyvind Flataker Lien - PhD Candidate

Berit Online Hjelstuen - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Hans Petter Sejrup - Supervisor (UiB-GEO)

Xu Zhang - Supervisor (Lanzhou University/Alfred Wegener Institute)

Funding

University Of Bergen

PhD candidate: Melanie Kling

Duration

December 2020–December 2023

About the research project

Preliminary title: 

Response of source-to-sink systems to major step-changes in environmental factors: the case study of the Barents Sea during the Permian-Triassic transition

Supervisor(s): Christian Haug Eide (University of Bergen), Emmanuelle Pucéat (Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France), Pierre Pellenard (Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France), William Helland-Hansen (University of Bergen), Benjamin Bellwald (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway), Sverre Planke (University of Oslo, Volcanic Basin Energy Research, Oslo, Norway)

Project period: 

December 2020–December 2023

Funding: EU-funded and linked to S2S-Fututre ITN

Objective:

At the Permian-Triassic boundary, major eruptions and gas release of the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Provinces have been associated with huge environmental changes. Changes in the environment contained global warming, an increase of the average low latitude sea surface temperature by ~12°C, ocean acidification, increased nutrient and sediment fluxes to the oceans, atmospheric ozone destruction, and widespread pulses of marine euxinia and anoxia, which together lead to a major marine mass extinction.

The objective of this project is to understand how strong changes in environmental factors, such as those mentioned above, affect source-to-sink systems in deep time. Deposits from before, during and just after the Permian/Triassic transition is readily available for study in the Barents Sea, offering an excellent opportunity to study this issue. Therefore, I

(1) use sandstone petrology, U-Pb detrital zircon provenance analysis, sandstone proportions and sediment volumes to investigate catchment areas, and weathering types before and after the Permian-Triassic boundary event, to investigate sedimentological and palaeontological data to understand changes in the environmental conditions in the basin,

(2) reconstruct respective catchment areas and processes within before, during and after the transition,

(3) compare the first study area – specifically reasons in the respective catchment area, that led to the changes in the depositional environment – on Finnmark Platform, Northern Norway, to the second study area, which is situated on Svalbard,

(4) disentangle climatic effects from potential tectonic factors across the transition.

People

Melanie Kling - PhD Candidate

Christian Haug Eide - Supervisor (UiB)

Emmanuelle Pucéat - Supervisor (Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France)

Pierre Pellenard - Supervisor (Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France)

William Helland-Hansen - Supervisor (UiB)

Benjamin Bellwald - Supervisor (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway)

Sverre Planke - Supervisor (University of Oslo, Volcanic Basin Energy Research, Oslo, Norway)

Funding

EU