Middle Triassic seals – onshore analogue study (CASP.BSSC.6)

The Middle Triassic Haisborough Group is the primary seal to proposed CO2 storage reservoirs within the Lower to Middle Triassic Bunter Sandstone Formation. However, the composition and sealing quality of the Haisborough Group are poorly constrained, as offshore core material from these mudrocks is generally lacking. This project is focussing on nearly 300 m of continuous core through the Haisborough Group from a previously unstudied onshore borehole from the Woodsmith Mine, North Yorkshire. The data and insights generated by this reference section will aid assessment of corresponding seal units in the Southern North Sea.

Research programme

Detailed logging and compositional characterisation of the Haisborough Group are being conducted on the Woodsmith Mine core. The composition of the rocks will be determined via petrography, hand-held XRF, SEM-EDS and QXRD analyses. Results will be linked to the sealing capacity of these strata through poro-perm and MICP analyses. The assessment will be complemented by a suite of geotechnical results including mechanical strength data.

Bunter Project Stratigraphy

Bunter Project Stratigraphy
Figure 1. Triassic stratigraphy of the UK and Dutch sectors of the Southern North Sea.

Deliverables

Results will be delivered via an interim data release with an associated presentation for client companies and a final technical report containing:

  • A sedimentary log and facies interpretation of the ~300 m thick core succession
  • Composition descriptions and images from petrographic analyses (62 samples)
  • Composition descriptions and images from SEM analyses (62 samples)
  • Hand-held XRF measurements taken at regular intervals along the core
  • Poro-perm data (50 samples)
  • MICP data (50 samples)
  • QXRD data (58 samples)
  • Mechanical strength data

The project will conclude with a client workshop during which all data and interpretations will be presented and discussed.

Bunter Project Woodsmith Mine core

Woodsmith Mine Core
Figure 2. Halite with mudstone veining (left), intercalated mudstone and dolomite (centre) and mudstone with anhydrite nodules in the Haisborough Group, Woodsmith Mine core, NE Yorkshire.

Project duration

The project was launched at the beginning of October 2022 and has a planned duration of 22 months.

Contact: Simon Schneider for further information about this research and licensing options.

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