pT-effects of Pleistocene glacial periods on permafrost, gas hydrate stability zones and reservoir of the Mittelplate oil field, northern Germany

Grassmann, Stefan; Cramer, Bernhard; Delisle, G.; Hantschel, Thomas; Messner, J.; Winsemann, Jutta

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2009.08.002

Cited by 25 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In the latter study, a lower porosity was used (down to 30 %), which favours the development of permafrost and thus explains the deeper permafrost. We now compare the results to other permafrost depth modelling results for NW Europe during the Weichselian or a future analogue from Delisle (1998), Grassmann et al (2010), Hartikainen et al (2010), Holmén et al (2011), Kitover et al (2013) and Busby et al (2015). These different modelling exercises revealed quite contrasting permafrost depths for the LGM, which is not surprising given that different approaches and parameter values were used with respect to palaeotemperatures, duration of cold phases, subsoil thermal properties, porosity, heat flux, ice advance, etc.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Whereas the distribution, type and timing of frozen ground in the past is, generally speaking, relatively well known in northwestern Europe from the distribution of shallow subsoil periglacial deformation phenomena (Huijzer and Vandenberghe, 1998), the maximum depth of past permafrost development is diffi-cult to observe in the geological record. Therefore, numerical simulation seems to be the most suitable tool to estimate past and future permafrost depths and has been applied already in several case studies elsewhere in Europe (Deslisle, 1998;Grassmann et al, 2010;Kitover et al, 2013;Busby et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weichselian permafrost depth in the Netherlands: a comprehensive uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

Govaerts

Beerten

Veen³

2016

The Cryosphere

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Abstract. The Rupelian clay in the Netherlands is currently the subject of a feasibility study with respect to the storage of radioactive waste in the Netherlands (OPERA-project). Many features need to be considered in the assessment of the long-term evolution of the natural environment surrounding a geological waste disposal facility. One of these is permafrost development as it may have an impact on various components of the disposal system, including the natural environment (hydrogeology), the natural barrier (clay) and the engineered barrier. Determining how deep permafrost might develop in the future is desirable in order to properly address the possible impact on the various components. It is expected that periglacial conditions will reappear at some point during the next several hundred thousands of years, a typical time frame considered in geological waste disposal feasibility studies. In this study, the Weichselian glaciation is used as an analogue for future permafrost development. Permafrost depth modelling using a best estimate temperature curve of the Weichselian indicates that permafrost would reach depths between 155 and 195 m. Without imposing a climatic gradient over the country, deepest permafrost is expected in the south due to the lower geothermal heat flux and higher average sand content of the post-Rupelian overburden. Accounting for various sources of uncertainty, such as type and impact of vegetation, snow cover, surface temperature gradients across the country, possible errors in palaeoclimate reconstructions, porosity, lithology and geothermal heat flux, stochastic calculations point out that permafrost depth during the coldest stages of a glacial cycle such as the Weichselian, for any location in the Netherlands, would be 130-210 m at the 2σ level. In any case, permafrost would not reach depths greater than 270 m. The most sensitive parameters in permafrost development are the mean annual air temperatures and porosity, while the geothermal heat flux is the crucial parameter in permafrost degradation once temperatures start rising again.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weichselian permafrost depth in the Netherlands: a comprehensive uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

Govaerts

Beerten

Veen³

2016

The Cryosphere

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“…The interaction between salt structures and ice sheets may be more complex due to the increased heat-flux above salt structures, which reduces the thickness of permafrost in the proximity of salt structures (Delisle et al, 2007;Grassmann et al, 2010) and thus accelerates permafrost decay beneath an advancing ice sheet. The more rapid decay of permafrost in the vicinity of salt structures may increase the drainage capacity of the substratum and thus increase the ice-bed coupling.…”

Section: Implications For Ice-marginal and Subglacial Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of salt structures to ice-sheet loading: implications for ice-marginal and subglacial processes

Lang

Hampel

Brandes

et al. 2014

Quaternary Science Reviews

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“…The formation of gas hydrate is a three‐phase balance process between gas hydrate, water, and gas. The GHSZ is delineated by the temperature‐pressure phase equilibrium surface and the geothermal gradient curve as shown in Figure , where the temperature and pressure in the GHSZ are in the thermodynamic stability range for gas hydrate formation . Thus, in the permafrost, the gas hydrate thermodynamic stability zone, namely GHSZ, is limited by the surface temperature, the geothermal gradient in the permafrost, the geothermal gradient beneath the permafrost, and the temperature‐pressure phase equilibrium boundary of gas hydrate formation and stability.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A preliminary study of the gas hydrate stability zone in a gas hydrate potential region of China

Xiao

Zou

Yang

et al. 2019

Energy Science & Engineering

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Due to its significance for gas hydrate accumulation, the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) is an essential condition for successful gas hydrate exploration and is usually controlled by three main factors: gas components, geothermal gradient, and permafrost thickness. Based on the core and conventional log data of gas hydrate potential region, the CSMHYD program was adopted to simulate the influences of above three factors on the thickness of the GHSZ. When the gas components of the gas hydrate were CH4, C2H6, and C3H8, with the CH4 percentage ranging from 50% to 100%, the average GHSZ thickness can reach 1000 m according to the forward simulation results. When the gas hydrate was composed of CH4 and one of C2H6, C3H8, H2S, and CO2, the influence order of the above four gases on the thickness of GHSZ is as follows: H2S ＞ C2H6 ＞ C3H8 ＞ CO2. Under the gas components of 90% CH4, 5% C2H6, and 5% C3H8, the thickness of GHSZ decreased rapidly as the geothermal gradient increased following an exponential relation with a correlation of 99.92% and increased slowly as permafrost thickness increased following a linear relation with a correlation of 99.9%. In addition, the thickness of a gas hydrate favorable reservoir was determined by comprehensive log methods as 500 m. We conclude that a reservoir within 500 m below the permafrost layer is favorable for gas hydrate reservoir formation.

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pT-effects of Pleistocene glacial periods on permafrost, gas hydrate stability zones and reservoir of the Mittelplate oil field, northern Germany

Cited by 25 publications

References 22 publications

Weichselian permafrost depth in the Netherlands: a comprehensive uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

Weichselian permafrost depth in the Netherlands: a comprehensive uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

Response of salt structures to ice-sheet loading: implications for ice-marginal and subglacial processes

A preliminary study of the gas hydrate stability zone in a gas hydrate potential region of China

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