Supplementary material to “Workshop on Marine Research Drilling”

Published 16 June 2009

Silvia Spezzaferri, Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

Citation:

Spezzaferri, S. (2009), Workshop on marine research drilling, Eos Trans. AGU, 90(24), 209. [Full Article (pdf)]

ESF Magellan Workshop Series

COld-Water CArbonate Reservoir systems in Deep Environments (COCARDE):

A Pilot Industry—Academia Partnership in Marine Research Drilling

Fribourg, Switzerland, 21–24 January 2009

Conveners

Prof. S. Spezzaferri, University of Fribourg, Switzerland (COCARDE-Forum)
Dr. A. Rüggeberg, IfM-GEOMAR Kiel, Germany (COCARDE-Science)
Dr. T. Freudenthal, MARUM, Bremen, Germany (COCARDE-Operations)
Dr. D. Van Rooij, RCMG, Ghent University, Belgium (COCARDE-Capacity)

Meeting Venue and Participation

The COCARDE Magellan Workshop was held in Fribourg, Switzerland, on 21–24 January 2009. The workshop gathered 35 scientists from 9 European countries and 2 extra-European countries (Canada and Morocco), representing 20 research teams.

Keynotes

Dullo, Wolf-Christian (Kiel): European cold-water reef research: highlights and outlook.

Titschack, Jürgen (Erlangen): Cold-water carbonates through Geological Time.

Foubert, Anneleen (Leuven): IODP Exp. 307 — the tale of a recent Carbonate Mound

Wheeler, Andrew (Cork): CARBONATE projects: analysis of long core sequences through coral carbonate mounds — new perspectives and new directions.

Freudenthal, Tim (MARUM Bremen): What can we learn from the 2008 CARBONATE cruise: the driller's perspective.

Panel 1 PALAEOENVIRONMENT

What expertise can Modern Cold Water Carbonate Science and Industrial Research exchange towards unraveling Palaeoenvironment?

Panel chair and rapporteur: Andres Rüggeberg (Kiel)

Panel members: Veerle Huvenne (Southampton), Stephan Margreth (Fribourg), Furu Mienis (Texel), Andy Wheeler (Cork), Anneleen Foubert (Leuven)

Outcome of Panel 1

Cold-water carbonate mounds (CCM) provide unique archives, and the understanding of their architecture is fundamental in the identification of past environmental changes. Recent CCM systems stand as natural laboratories to link the buildup history and architecture to high-resolution sequence stratigraphy. Several studies describe environmental parameters controlling CCM growth and development. The application of up-to-date analytical methods on drilled sample material makes it possible to reconstruct these environmental control parameters, from mound initiation to the present day. Additionally, modern mound drilling opens new insights into both the role of primary oceanic processes and early diagenesis on the shaping of the internal architecture of a mound reservoir. It is of importance that these cold-water coral mounds be recognized as mixed siliciclastic — carbonate systems, comprising both mounds and surrounding contourites. Finally, a comparison of warm- and cold-water carbonate factories in different settings calls for drilling both modern and ancient carbonate mounds, and analyzing the cores with comparable resolution and protocols.

Panel 2 THE MICROBIAL FILTER

What expertise can Modern Cold Water Carbonate Science and Industrial Research exchange towards unraveling the role of the Microbial World?

Panel chair and rapporteur: Alina Stadnitskaia (Texel)

Panel members: Judy McKenzie (Zürich), Stefanie Templer (Zürich), Driss Chafiki (Marrakech), Jan Pawlowski (Geneva), Kai Mangelsdorf (Potsdam).

Major topics discussed within Panel 2 included microbial diversity and microbial processes acting within CCMs. The main aspects of the discussion comprised two principal routes: (i) the role of the microbial framework and its impact in the CCM development and (ii) the application of fundamental bio-geochemical knowledge to petroleum industry, using CCMs as a modern sculpt of a carbonate reservoir.

Outcome of Panel 2

In recent years, microbial populations have been detected in environments supposed to be hostile. Deep-sea microbial populations relate to "extreme" environments like polar- and permafrost areas, hot surface springs and hydrothermal vents, hypersaline and deep water lakes, mines and oil reservoirs. The deep sea and the deep subsurface of the Earth changed drastically the idea on the limits of life on Earth and opened the view to a largely unknown and unexplored microbial biosphere.

This intriguing new microbial world arouses the interest of scientists focussing on questions like what kind of microbial communities inhabit these environments, how can they adapt to the "extreme" environmental conditions, what food sources do these communities use, which metabolic processes do these population conduct and what kind of life habitats do they occupy.

Concomitantly, the answers to these questions are also highly relevant for economic interests. New microorganisms, their biomolecules (e.g. enzymes) and metabolic degradation and/or formation capabilities are particularly useful for agricultural economy, oil and gas industry, chemical industry, renewable energy concepts, biotechnology, medicine and the bioremediation of polluted areas.

In return, industrial research partners in scientific projects (e.g. oil industry) often have access to a large set of geological and geochemical data concerning the study area. Such data e.g., seismic, lithology, permeability and porosity data, maturity data of the buried organic matter and basin history/modelling data are valuable basic information for the characterisation of the unexplored microbial life and its life habitat.

Panel 3 PETROPHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION

What expertise can Modern Cold Water Carbonate Science and Industrial Research exchange in the Petrophysical Characterization of Cold Water Carbonates, with emphasis on Porosity and Permeability?

Panel chair and rapporteur: Anneleen Foubert (Leuven)

Panel members: Hans Pirlet (Ghent), Cees van der Land (Texel), Jürgen Titschack (Erlangen)

Outcome of Panel 3

The petrophysical characterization of sub-recent CCMs is mainly determined by two factors: (1) their primary sedimentary texture and (2) the influence of sub-recent diagenesis. The primary architecture of mound structures, their (palaeo)environmental control, the sediment dynamics and the potential of reef-forming organisms, adapted to deep and cold-water environments (such as cold-water corals (Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata), Bryozoa, sponges, etc…), to baffle and trap (in an active or passive way) sediments were the focus of panel discussion 1. The impact of early diagenesis on the petrophysical behaviour of CCMs in space and through time was the main point of discussion in panel 3.

It was discussed how sub-recent mound systems might act (or not) as reservoir systems. When thinking in terms of reservoir systems (and their petrophysical characteristics), it should be mentioned that late diagenetic processes (burial diagenesis, hydrothermal processes), compaction and fracturation might play an important role. The better understanding of sub-recent diagenetic processes and their impact on the primary fabric and petrophysical characteristics of a mound might help to understand and predict the occurrence of later diagenetic processes.

Panel 4 CONNECTIVITY ISSUES AND COMPARTMENTALIZATION IN MIXED COLD WATER CARBONATE / SILICICLASTIC CONTOURITE SYSTEMS

What expertise can Modern Cold Water Carbonate Science and Industrial Research exchange towards understanding Connectivity Issues and Compartmentalization in Mixed Cold Water Carbonate / Siliciclastic Contourite Systems

Panel chair and rapporteur: David Van Rooij (Ghent)

Members: Lies De Mol (Ghent), A. Wheeler (Cork), Veerle Huvenne (Southampton)

Outcome of Panel 4

Singular CCM within a province can only connect with each other through proximity. Alternatively, the frequent association of CCM with contourite drifts may be the key for connectivity within a larger system. The embedding contourite deposits are predominantly fine-grained, although the importance of well-sorted sandy contourites may not be underestimated. They may be present as sand sheets between the mounds, ranging from 10 cm to locally thicker deposits within the drifts.

Connectivity issues can be identified at three levels:

-a- The moundbase unconformity is an important interface between the CCM and the deep subsurface. The palaeotopography of this erosive surface seems to co-determine the location of the CCM. Moreover, specifically in the Belgica mound province, the deposits directly underneath the mounds are high-energy, coarse-grained sediment waves. As such, this "sole layer" can provide a direct link between mounds, but also with the deep subsurface. It might easily connect to possible hydrocarbon migration pathways.
-b- Mound growth can be seen as a 4D stacking of thick coral rubble plates, which serve as sediment trap and as a template of a reservoir compartment. The clastic component caught within such plates also shares the lithological similarities with surrounding contourites.
-c- The mound-drift competition: increased sediment supply and decreased currents can cause burial of CCM. A predominantly fine-grained contourite drift cover will act as a seal, while sorted coarse-grained deposits can locally be expected as contourite sand sheets or veneers, but also as mass transport deposits along the flanks of CCM.

The association of CCM with contourites offers various opportunities of connectivity at several scales. However, the role of each component in this mixed system still remains unclear. More information regarding the reservoir potential of CCM can be studied from land sections, whereas the recognition of (especially sandy) contourites on land sections still remains enigmatic.

Panel 5 ANCIENT COLD WATER CARBONATE SYSTEMS AND POTENTIAL RECENT ANALOGS

Modern Mounds as Recent Analogs for Ancient Cold Water Carbonate Systems — which Ancient System should we target first?

Panel chair: Stéphanie Larmagnat (Laval)

Panel members: Elias Samankassou (Geneva), Naima Hamoumi (Rabat), Christian Dullo (Kiel), Roberto Barbieri (Bologna), Driss Chafiki (Marrakech), Menchu Comas (Granada), David Van Rooij (Ghent)

Outcome of Panel 5

Collectively, the panel provides modern and fossil examples useful for comparative purposes, as well as for investigation through a multidisciplinary approach that combines biological, geological and geophysical proxies.

COCARDE Field Seminars OVIEDO 2009

Elias Samankassou (Geneva) presented opportunities of organizing field seminars in the Cantabrian mounds (Spain), in cooperation with the universities of Oviedo and Leon. Outstanding outcrops of Carboniferous mounds document processes of microbial mediation in mound building.

Prof. S. Spezzaferri
Dr. A. Rüggeberg
Dr. T. Freudenthal
Dr. D. Van Rooij