Articles | Volume 13, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1027-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-13-1027-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Reconstructing 3D subsurface salt flow
Stefan Back
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Tectonics and Geodynamics, EMR, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Sebastian Amberg
Geological Institute, EMR, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, EMR,
RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Victoria Sachse
Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, EMR,
RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Projektträger Jülich, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich,
Germany
Ralf Littke
Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, EMR,
RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Raphael Burchartz, Timo Seemann, Garri Gaus, Lisa Winhausen, Mohammadreza Jalali, Brian Mutuma Mbui, Sebastian Grohmann, Linda Burnaz, Marlise Colling Cassel, Jochen Erbacher, Ralf Littke, and Florian Amann
Solid Earth, 17, 485–512, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-485-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-485-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
In Germany, claystones are studied for their suitability as host-rocks for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The MATURITY project systematically investigates how gradual burial affects physical properties in the Lower Jurassic Amaltheenton Formation of the Lower Saxony Basin (Germany). Understanding these changes helps assess claystone suitability for long-term waste isolation, improving site selection for deep geological repositories.
Raphael Burchartz, Brian Mutuma Mbui, Peter Achtziger-Zupančič, Garri Gaus, Timo Seemann, Lisa Winhausen, Yvonne Spychala, Mohammadreza Jalali, Ralf Littke, and Florian Amann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-964, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-964, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Solid Earth (SE).
Short summary
Short summary
We compile 782 hydraulic conductivity measurements from six European argillaceous formations relevant for high-level radioactive waste disposal. We show that maximum burial depth controls matrix-scale conductivity, while present-day depth, decompaction, fracturing, and self-sealing govern rock-mass behaviour, defining three depth-related evolutionary trends.
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Short summary
Three-dimensional backstripping based on the Archimedes principle restored changes through time in 3D subsurface evaporite thickness, 3D salt loss and gain, and 3D subsurface salt movement. The methodology presented is sensitive to any process that influences overburden thickness, in this case sedimentation, erosion and tectonics. The restoration approach can be integrated into existing backstripping workflows and can serve as a benchmark for physics-based numerical modelling of salt tectonics.
Three-dimensional backstripping based on the Archimedes principle restored changes through time...