SE Greenland and Faroe-Shetland Islands
The Faroe-Shetland Basin is highly prospective with proven discoveries ranging from fractured basement to Eocene fans. The primary targets are Paleocene in age and include both sub- and intra-volcanic reservoirs. Late Cretaceous and Paleocene sediments deposited on the western margin of the rift are superbly exposed in the Kangerlussuaq region of southern East Greenland, which lay adjacent to the Faroe-Shetland Basin prior to the onset of seafloor spreading. This region therefore provides sedimentological, stratigraphic and structural controls for the evolution of adjacent basinal areas; it also offers a potential sediment source into these basins. A major consideration when exploring in this region is the impact of volcanism on the hydrocarbon system, from the disruption of sediment pathways to the effect on reservoir quality. The Greenland-Norway Project and the Flood Basalt Impact on Hydrocarbon Systems Project both provide important contributions to exploration models in this challenging region.
Map of Region
Regional Expertise
Five field seasons have been undertaken in southern East Greenland, from 1998 to 2001 and in 2004. Work has focused on providing a stratigraphic framework for the succession, to investigate provenance characteristics of the sediments through heavy mineral work and provide a robust biostratigraphic framework for the succession through integrated macro- and micro-palaeontological studies.
Our CASP Flood Basalt Impact on Hydrocarbon Systems Project draws on extensive experience of working on the North Atlantic Large Igneous Province. Two field seasons on the Faroe Islands in 2012 and 2015 focused on characterising reservoir architectures of interlava units through photogrammetry. Their provenance and petrophysical properties (both reservoir and sealing potential) have also been evaluated alongside samples collected from other volcanic successions (i.e. East Greenland and Ethiopia), where analogue studies are also providing insights into the impact of volcanism in the Faroe-Shetland Basin.
Active Research Projects
Most Recent Reports
- The impact of shield volcanism on the syn-volcanic development of a volcano-sedimentary basin: a case-study from the Ethiopian Flood Basalt Province CASP.FBP2019-21.20
- Controls on the magnetic susceptibilities of volcanic lithologies CASP.FBP2019-21.18
- Secondary mineralisation of volcaniclastic rocks and its impact on sealing capacity and reservoir potential CASP.FBP2016-18.14
- Photogrammetric study of the volcanic cliff sections of western Suðuroy, Faroe Islands and their implications for hydrocarbon exploration CASP.FBP2014-16.9
- Mercury injection capillary pressure and sealing capacity of mafic volcaniclastic units CASP.FBP2014-16.8