Articles | Volume 10, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-951-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-951-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
27 Jun 2019
Research article |
| 27 Jun 2019
| 27 Jun 2019
Uncertainty in fault seal parameters: implications for CO2 column height retention and storage capacity in geological CO2 storage projects
Johannes M. Miocic
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg,
Albertstr. 23b, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
Gareth Johnson
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of
Strathclyde, James Weir Building, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UK
Clare E. Bond
School of Geosciences, Department of Geology and
Petroleum Geology, Meston Building, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen AB24 3UE,
UK
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At the St. Johns Dome, Arizona, CO2 naturally occurs in the subsurface, but there are travertine rocks on the surface which are an expression of CO2 leakage to the surface. These travertine deposits occur along faults, zones where the rock layers are fractured and displaced. In our research, we use geomechanical analysis to show that the CO2 leakage occurs at points where the faults are likely to be permeable due to the orientation of the geological stress field in the subsurface.
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Clare E. Bond, Jessica H. Pugsley, Lauren Kedar, Sarah R. Ledingham, Marianna Z. Skupinska, Tomasz K. Gluzinski, and Megan L. Boath
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Subject area: The evolving Earth surface | Editorial team: Rock deformation, geomorphology, morphotectonics, and paleoseismology | Discipline: Structural geology
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The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) technique provides an effective way to interpret deforming mountain belts. In both the Betics, Spain, and Apennines, Italy, weak but well-organized AMS fabrics were recovered from young unconsolidated and unburied rocks that could not be analyzed with more traditional methods. Collectively, these studies demonstrate the novel ways that AMS can be combined with other data to resolve earthquake hazards in space and time.
Eric Salomon, Atle Rotevatn, Thomas Berg Kristensen, Sten-Andreas Grundvåg, Gijs Allard Henstra, Anna Nele Meckler, Richard Albert, and Axel Gerdes
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This study focuses on the impact of major rift border faults on fluid circulation and hanging wall sediment diagenesis by investigating a well-exposed example in NE Greenland using field observations, U–Pb calcite dating, clumped isotope, and minor element analyses. We show that fault-proximal sediments became calcite cemented quickly after deposition to form a near-impermeable barrier along the fault, which has important implications for border fault zone evolution and reservoir assessments.
Melchior Schuh-Senlis, Cedric Thieulot, Paul Cupillard, and Guillaume Caumon
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Johannes M. Miocic, Gareth Johnson, and Stuart M. V. Gilfillan
Solid Earth, 11, 1361–1374, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1361-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1361-2020, 2020
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At the St. Johns Dome, Arizona, CO2 naturally occurs in the subsurface, but there are travertine rocks on the surface which are an expression of CO2 leakage to the surface. These travertine deposits occur along faults, zones where the rock layers are fractured and displaced. In our research, we use geomechanical analysis to show that the CO2 leakage occurs at points where the faults are likely to be permeable due to the orientation of the geological stress field in the subsurface.
Irène Aubert, Philippe Léonide, Juliette Lamarche, and Roland Salardon
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In carbonate rocks, fault zones influence the fluid flows and lead to important diagenetic processes modifying reservoir properties. The aim of this study is to identify the impact of two polyphase fault zones on fluid flows and reservoir properties during basin history. We determined petro-physic and diagenetic properties on 92 samples. This study highlights that fault zones acted as drains at their onset and induced fault zone cementation, which has strongly altered local reservoir properties.
Mirko Carlini, Giulio Viola, Jussi Mattila, and Luca Castellucci
Solid Earth, 10, 343–356, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-343-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-343-2019, 2019
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Physical properties of layered sedimentary rocks affect nucleation and propagation of discontinuities therein. Fractures developing through sedimentary sequences characterized by the alternation of strong and weak layers are strongly deviated along their track at layers’ boundaries, and depending on the layer they cross-cut, they show very thick (strong layers) or very thin (weak layers) infills of precipitated minerals, potentially representing pathways for ore deposits and oil/water resources.
Paul Perron, Michel Guiraud, Emmanuelle Vennin, Isabelle Moretti, Éric Portier, Laetitia Le Pourhiet, and Moussa Konaté
Solid Earth, 9, 1239–1275, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1239-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1239-2018, 2018
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In this paper we present an original multidisciplinary workflow involving various tools (e.g., seismic profiles, satellite images, well logs) and techniques (e.g., photogeology, seismic interpretation, well correlation, geophysics, geochronology, backstripping) as a basis for discussing the potential factors controlling the tectono-stratigraphic architecture within the Palaeozoic intracratonic basins of the Saharan Platform using the Reggane, Ahnet, Mouydir and Illizi basins as examples.
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Short summary
When carbon dioxide is introduced into the subsurface it will migrate upwards and can encounter faults, which, depending on their hydrogeological properties and composition, can form barriers or pathways for the migrating fluid. We analyse uncertainties associated with these properties in order to better understand the implications for the retention of CO2 in the subsurface. We show that faults that form seals for other fluids may not be seals for CO2, which has implications for storage sites.
When carbon dioxide is introduced into the subsurface it will migrate upwards and can encounter...
