Simon Passey

Geoscience Data Coordinator

Contact: [email protected]

Simon Passey received his BSc (Hons) in Applied Geology from Oxford Brookes University in 1999 and a PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2004. His NERC-CASE doctoral research examined the volcanic and sedimentary evolution of the Faroe Islands and the Faroe–Shetland Basin.

Simon is a geologist specialising in volcanically affected sedimentary basins, with particular expertise in volcanic stratigraphy, basin evolution, and the interaction between volcanism and sedimentation. His work focuses on understanding how flood basalt volcanism shapes basin architecture, controls the distribution of reservoir and sealing lithologies, and influences fluid migration pathways.

Before joining CASP, Simon worked for the Faroese Earth and Energy Directorate (formerly the Faroese Geological Survey), where he contributed to regional geological mapping and revision of the lithostratigraphy of the Faroese volcanic succession. He later became Head of the Geology Department, overseeing geological investigations supporting infrastructure and civil engineering projects.

Simon joined CASP in 2011 and leads research on the geological impacts of flood basalt volcanism in sedimentary basins. His work integrates field observations with petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical datasets to develop process-based geological models that underpin research on natural resource exploration and subsurface energy applications, including geological carbon storage. His research draws on field studies across several volcanic provinces, including the Faroe Islands, East Greenland and Ethiopia. He has also contributed to professional training initiatives, including as an academic partner in the Volcanic Margins Research Consortium.

In 2019 he became Geoscience Data Coordinator, supporting the organisation, integration and accessibility of CASP’s geological datasets and contributing to training in QGIS for geoscientists.

Latest Publications

• Evaluating reservoir properties and seal capacities of volcaniclastic rocks for hydrocarbon containment and their application to CO₂ storage
• The architecture of basalt reservoirs in the North Atlantic Igneous Province with implications for basalt carbon sequestration
• Controls on sediment distribution in a volcanically-affected basin: Insights from the Ethiopian Flood Basalt Province
• Volcanic landscape controls on pre-rift to syn-rift volcano sedimentary systems: the Prestfjall Formation eruptive hiatus, Faroe Islands Basalt Group, northeast Atlantic