K. Deforce, J. Bastiaens, P. Crombé, Ewoud Deschepper, K. Haneca, P. Laloo, H. Van Calster, Gerben Verbrugghe, Wim De Clercq
Abstract The results from analyses of botanical remains (pollen, wood, charcoal, seeds) from several archaeological features excavated in Kluizen (northern Belgium) are presented. The region was largely uninhabited until the Iron Age and Roman period when a rural settlement was established, resulting in small-scale woodland clearance. The site was subsequently abandoned from c. AD 270 till the High Middle Ages. The results of the archaeological and archaeobotanical analyses provide information on changes in land use and resulting dynamics of woodland cover and composition between c.600 BC and AD 1200, with a spatial and temporal resolution unrivalled in northern Belgium. Especially the long period of woodland regeneration following abandonment of the site around AD 270, covering the Late Roman and Early Medieval period, could be reconstructed in detail. Abandoned fields were first covered with pioneer woodland (Salix, Corylus and Betula), then Quercus-dominated secondary forest and finally a late-successional forest with Fagus sylvatica, Carpinus betulus and Ilex aquifolium, an evolution that took over 300 years. The results also indicate that the observed increase of Fagus during the Early Middle Ages, which was never an important element in the woodland vegetation in northern Belgium before, was related to climatic changes rather than anthropogenic factors.
{"title":"Dark Ages woodland recovery and the expansion of beech: a study of land use changes and related woodland dynamics during the Roman to Medieval transition period in northern Belgium","authors":"K. Deforce, J. Bastiaens, P. Crombé, Ewoud Deschepper, K. Haneca, P. Laloo, H. Van Calster, Gerben Verbrugghe, Wim De Clercq","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.11","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The results from analyses of botanical remains (pollen, wood, charcoal, seeds) from several archaeological features excavated in Kluizen (northern Belgium) are presented. The region was largely uninhabited until the Iron Age and Roman period when a rural settlement was established, resulting in small-scale woodland clearance. The site was subsequently abandoned from c. AD 270 till the High Middle Ages. The results of the archaeological and archaeobotanical analyses provide information on changes in land use and resulting dynamics of woodland cover and composition between c.600 BC and AD 1200, with a spatial and temporal resolution unrivalled in northern Belgium. Especially the long period of woodland regeneration following abandonment of the site around AD 270, covering the Late Roman and Early Medieval period, could be reconstructed in detail. Abandoned fields were first covered with pioneer woodland (Salix, Corylus and Betula), then Quercus-dominated secondary forest and finally a late-successional forest with Fagus sylvatica, Carpinus betulus and Ilex aquifolium, an evolution that took over 300 years. The results also indicate that the observed increase of Fagus during the Early Middle Ages, which was never an important element in the woodland vegetation in northern Belgium before, was related to climatic changes rather than anthropogenic factors.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76776691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Geological, geomorphological and soil maps provide important information on the substrate as well as on the past and present physical landscape. For the intensely studied Netherlands coastal plain and Rhine–Meuse delta, many such map datasets have been compiled over the last two centuries. These mapping materials comprise older and younger legacy datasets, often fragmented over regions. They have been compiled within various research traditions and by various parties, involving geologists, soil scientists, geomorphologists and landscape archaeologists. The maps and datasets summarise overwhelming amounts of underlying data accumulated over the last few centuries, and are therefore valuable for reconstructing past landscapes. Digital-infrastructure developments have enhanced possibilities for recombining existing and new data over the last few decades, e.g. through GIS solutions such as palaeogeographical base maps, from which multiple derived map products can be generated. Integration of thematic information from various source maps and underlying data is needed to use the accumulated data diversity to its full potential and to answer applied and fundamental scientific questions. Using diverse information to compile or update maps, however, requires awareness of legacy surveying strategies and the state of knowledge at the time the original data and maps were produced. This paper reviews the soil, geological and geomorphological mapping traditions. We evaluate their products, underlying data and the reasoning behind their compilation, focusing on their use in conventional and digital palaeogeographical mapping. This helps get the most out of large quantities of legacy and modern data, a major challenge for surface and substrate digital mapping in the big-data era.
{"title":"The use of geological, geomorphological and soil mapping products in palaeolandscape reconstructions for the Netherlands","authors":"H. Pierik, K. Cohen","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.8","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Geological, geomorphological and soil maps provide important information on the substrate as well as on the past and present physical landscape. For the intensely studied Netherlands coastal plain and Rhine–Meuse delta, many such map datasets have been compiled over the last two centuries. These mapping materials comprise older and younger legacy datasets, often fragmented over regions. They have been compiled within various research traditions and by various parties, involving geologists, soil scientists, geomorphologists and landscape archaeologists. The maps and datasets summarise overwhelming amounts of underlying data accumulated over the last few centuries, and are therefore valuable for reconstructing past landscapes. Digital-infrastructure developments have enhanced possibilities for recombining existing and new data over the last few decades, e.g. through GIS solutions such as palaeogeographical base maps, from which multiple derived map products can be generated. Integration of thematic information from various source maps and underlying data is needed to use the accumulated data diversity to its full potential and to answer applied and fundamental scientific questions. Using diverse information to compile or update maps, however, requires awareness of legacy surveying strategies and the state of knowledge at the time the original data and maps were produced. This paper reviews the soil, geological and geomorphological mapping traditions. We evaluate their products, underlying data and the reasoning behind their compilation, focusing on their use in conventional and digital palaeogeographical mapping. This helps get the most out of large quantities of legacy and modern data, a major challenge for surface and substrate digital mapping in the big-data era.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73781187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. van der Voet, B. Laenen, B. Rombaut, M. Kourta, R. Swennen
Abstract Recently drilled geothermal boreholes in Mol, northern Belgium, provide new information on the Lower Carboniferous carbonates in the Campine–Brabant Basin. Because of low primary porosity, fractures in these limestones and dolostones are of major importance for reservoir permeability. The Fullbore Formation MicroImager (FMI) log of the MOL-GT-01 borehole enabled interpretation of bed boundaries and fractures in the subsurface. Relationships between the frequency of these fractures and bed thickness, lithology variations and the presence of faults were explored. The results show that thick beds contain relatively few fractures and thin beds relatively many. Except for lower values in shaly intervals, the fracture frequency (number per metre) is largely independent of lithology. Zones with substantial changes in the structural dip (called a cusp) and/or azimuth of bed boundaries were identified. The clearest cusp is present at a depth of 3284 m. Since the presence of a normal fault is most likely regarding the local and regional geology, this cusp likely resembles a fault-tip fold of a WSW-ward dipping normal fault with an inclination of at least 54°. It is uncertain whether the borehole crossed the fault itself or only a monocline on top of it. Fracture frequency is increased in the vicinity of the interpreted possible faults. Up to a vertical distance of c.45 m from the faults, the mean fracture frequency is higher than in a non-faulted zone with similar lithology. However, frequency differences between these faulted and non-faulted zones are mostly insignificant, so no clear damage zones are present.
{"title":"Fracture characteristics of Lower Carboniferous carbonates in northern Belgium based on FMI log analyses","authors":"E. van der Voet, B. Laenen, B. Rombaut, M. Kourta, R. Swennen","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.6","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Recently drilled geothermal boreholes in Mol, northern Belgium, provide new information on the Lower Carboniferous carbonates in the Campine–Brabant Basin. Because of low primary porosity, fractures in these limestones and dolostones are of major importance for reservoir permeability. The Fullbore Formation MicroImager (FMI) log of the MOL-GT-01 borehole enabled interpretation of bed boundaries and fractures in the subsurface. Relationships between the frequency of these fractures and bed thickness, lithology variations and the presence of faults were explored. The results show that thick beds contain relatively few fractures and thin beds relatively many. Except for lower values in shaly intervals, the fracture frequency (number per metre) is largely independent of lithology. Zones with substantial changes in the structural dip (called a cusp) and/or azimuth of bed boundaries were identified. The clearest cusp is present at a depth of 3284 m. Since the presence of a normal fault is most likely regarding the local and regional geology, this cusp likely resembles a fault-tip fold of a WSW-ward dipping normal fault with an inclination of at least 54°. It is uncertain whether the borehole crossed the fault itself or only a monocline on top of it. Fracture frequency is increased in the vicinity of the interpreted possible faults. Up to a vertical distance of c.45 m from the faults, the mean fracture frequency is higher than in a non-faulted zone with similar lithology. However, frequency differences between these faulted and non-faulted zones are mostly insignificant, so no clear damage zones are present.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84522852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The area ‘Het Gooi’ in the Netherlands is part of a Pleistocene ice-pushed ridge system that partially drowned during the Holocene upon sea level and associated groundwater rise. As a result, the ridge system was gradually encroached by peat. From the late Middle Ages onward, man reclaimed the peatlands surrounding Het Gooi, heavily reducing their extension and lowering the regional groundwater level by increasingly intensive drainage. Based on historical and archaeological arguments, several authors assume that the Holocene peat cover in the border zones of ‘Het Gooi’ formed the extension of large raised peat bogs that formed further to the west and east, respectively. They presume that in the late Middle Ages these extensions reached ‘upslope’ to a maximum altitude of 3 m + NAP (Dutch Ordnance Datum – approximating mean sea level). However, the original extension is difficult to reconstruct, as this peat has disappeared as a result of its exploitation and oxidation, if having been present at all. In this study, the maximum extension of the Holocene peat cover on the ice-pushed ridge system was reconstructed based on soil characteristics. Used soil characteristics concerned the presence of iron coatings around sand grains and the upper boundary of gleyic features, because these are indicators for the mean highest groundwater level (MHG). For peat to form, this MHG needs to be at or just above the ground surface for most of the year. Based on study of a number of soil transects, we reconstructed to what maximum altitude peat encroachment may have occurred. This ‘maximum extension’ can alternatively be described as the maximum altitude of the bottom of the peat onlapping the ridge system. In the western border zone, this peat cover was found to have reached to c. NAP or just above, near Hilversum. No indications were found for the occurrence of raised bogs. We conclude that the phreatic groundwater level in this zone was controlled by the sea level and associated lake levels (Naardermeer and Horstermeer), a dominant role being played by the shallow presence of Pleistocene formations with a high hydraulic conductivity. In the eastern border zone, altitudes were more variable and in places reached 2 m + NAP. Peat at this higher elevation probably formed under the influence of a higher phreatic groundwater level, induced by the presence of a clayey Eemian fill with low hydraulic conductivity in the adjacent glacial basin (the Eem valley). This study demonstrates the value of detailed soil transect studies for palaeogeographical reconstructions of the former Holocene peat cover in Pleistocene landscapes of NW Europe. It also provides independent data for validation of geohydrological models for such landscapes.
荷兰的“Het Gooi”地区是更新世冰推脊系统的一部分，该系统在全新世期间因海平面和相关地下水上升而部分淹没。结果，山脊系统逐渐被泥炭侵蚀。从中世纪晚期开始，人类开垦了heet Gooi周围的泥炭地，大大减少了泥炭地的延伸，并通过日益密集的排水降低了该地区的地下水位。根据历史和考古学的观点，一些作者认为，全新世泥炭覆盖在“Het Gooi”边界地带形成了大型凸起泥炭沼泽的延伸，这些泥炭沼泽分别向西和向东进一步形成。他们推测，在中世纪晚期，这些延伸达到了“上坡”的最高高度3米+ NAP(荷兰军械基准面-近似平均海平面)。然而，原来的延伸部分很难重建，因为这些泥炭即使曾经存在，也已经因为开采和氧化而消失了。基于土壤特征，重建了全新世泥炭覆盖在冰推脊系统上的最大扩展。所使用的土壤特征涉及沙粒周围铁涂层的存在和地表特征的上边界，因为这些是平均最高地下水位(MHG)的指标。为了形成泥炭，这个MHG需要在一年的大部分时间里处于或刚刚高于地面。通过对大量土壤样带的研究，我们重建了泥炭侵蚀可能发生的最大高度。这种“最大延伸”也可以被描述为覆盖山脊系统的泥炭底部的最大高度。在西部边境地区，泥炭覆盖层被发现达到了c. NAP或稍高，在希尔弗瑟姆附近。没有发现饲养沼泽发生的迹象。我们认为，该地区的潜水地下水位受海平面和相关湖泊(Naardermeer和Horstermeer)水位的控制，其中浅层的更新世地层具有较高的水力传导性，起着主导作用。东部边境地区海拔变化较大，部分地区可达2 m + NAP。这一较高海拔的泥炭可能是在邻近的冰川盆地(Eem山谷)中存在的具有低水力导电性的黏性Eem填充物引起的较高的潜水地下水位的影响下形成的。该研究证明了详细的土壤样带研究对欧洲西北部更新世前全新世泥炭覆盖古地理重建的价值。它还为此类景观的地质水文模型的验证提供了独立的数据。
{"title":"Maximum Holocene groundwater levels and associated extension of peat in the border zone of ‘Het Gooi’ (the Netherlands): a reconstruction based on the study of soil transects","authors":"J. Sevink, Sander Koopman","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.7","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The area ‘Het Gooi’ in the Netherlands is part of a Pleistocene ice-pushed ridge system that partially drowned during the Holocene upon sea level and associated groundwater rise. As a result, the ridge system was gradually encroached by peat. From the late Middle Ages onward, man reclaimed the peatlands surrounding Het Gooi, heavily reducing their extension and lowering the regional groundwater level by increasingly intensive drainage. Based on historical and archaeological arguments, several authors assume that the Holocene peat cover in the border zones of ‘Het Gooi’ formed the extension of large raised peat bogs that formed further to the west and east, respectively. They presume that in the late Middle Ages these extensions reached ‘upslope’ to a maximum altitude of 3 m + NAP (Dutch Ordnance Datum – approximating mean sea level). However, the original extension is difficult to reconstruct, as this peat has disappeared as a result of its exploitation and oxidation, if having been present at all. In this study, the maximum extension of the Holocene peat cover on the ice-pushed ridge system was reconstructed based on soil characteristics. Used soil characteristics concerned the presence of iron coatings around sand grains and the upper boundary of gleyic features, because these are indicators for the mean highest groundwater level (MHG). For peat to form, this MHG needs to be at or just above the ground surface for most of the year. Based on study of a number of soil transects, we reconstructed to what maximum altitude peat encroachment may have occurred. This ‘maximum extension’ can alternatively be described as the maximum altitude of the bottom of the peat onlapping the ridge system. In the western border zone, this peat cover was found to have reached to c. NAP or just above, near Hilversum. No indications were found for the occurrence of raised bogs. We conclude that the phreatic groundwater level in this zone was controlled by the sea level and associated lake levels (Naardermeer and Horstermeer), a dominant role being played by the shallow presence of Pleistocene formations with a high hydraulic conductivity. In the eastern border zone, altitudes were more variable and in places reached 2 m + NAP. Peat at this higher elevation probably formed under the influence of a higher phreatic groundwater level, induced by the presence of a clayey Eemian fill with low hydraulic conductivity in the adjacent glacial basin (the Eem valley). This study demonstrates the value of detailed soil transect studies for palaeogeographical reconstructions of the former Holocene peat cover in Pleistocene landscapes of NW Europe. It also provides independent data for validation of geohydrological models for such landscapes.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89664955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Graciela Jharap, Laura P. van Leeuwen, Robert Mout, W. van der Zee, F. Roos, A. Muntendam-Bos
Abstract The main objective of this paper is to give an overview of the risks seen in the exploration and production of geothermal energy from the viewpoint of the regulator. The risks are categorised as conventional risks, ultra-deep risks and enhancing factors. These risks are similar to those seen in the oil and gas industry, but the maturity of the geothermal sector in terms of managing such risks is much lower. Another objective of this paper is to discuss how these risks are managed and mitigated by the sector and the supervisor, State Supervision of Mines (SodM). Portfolio operators developing multiple projects, using skilled employees and embracing continuous improvement are seen as the way forward for the sector to grow safely and sustainably. This paper concludes that positive developments have started, but a lot of work still needs to be done to ensure safe growth of the geothermal energy sector.
{"title":"Ensuring safe growth of the geothermal energy sector in the Netherlands by proactively addressing risks and hazards","authors":"Graciela Jharap, Laura P. van Leeuwen, Robert Mout, W. van der Zee, F. Roos, A. Muntendam-Bos","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.3","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The main objective of this paper is to give an overview of the risks seen in the exploration and production of geothermal energy from the viewpoint of the regulator. The risks are categorised as conventional risks, ultra-deep risks and enhancing factors. These risks are similar to those seen in the oil and gas industry, but the maturity of the geothermal sector in terms of managing such risks is much lower. Another objective of this paper is to discuss how these risks are managed and mitigated by the sector and the supervisor, State Supervision of Mines (SodM). Portfolio operators developing multiple projects, using skilled employees and embracing continuous improvement are seen as the way forward for the sector to grow safely and sustainably. This paper concludes that positive developments have started, but a lot of work still needs to be done to ensure safe growth of the geothermal energy sector.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82371067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. van Wees, H. Veldkamp, L. Brunner, M. Vrijlandt, Sander de Jong, Nora Heijnen, Corné van Langen, Joris Peijster
Abstract Over the past decade in the Netherlands, most operators have only developed a single doublet. The learning effect from these single events is suboptimal, and operators have only been capable of developing doublets in areas with relatively low exploration risk. This ‘stand-alone’ approach can be significantly improved by a collective approach to derisk regions with similar subsurface characteristics. Such a play-based portfolio approach, which is common in the oil and gas industry, can help to accelerate the development of the geothermal industry through unlocking resource potential in areas marked by high upfront geological risk, effectively helping reduce costs for the development. The basis of the methodology is to deploy new information to the play portfolio by trading off with the risk of the first wells, resulting in a strong geological risk reduction. The added value of the portfolio approach is demonstrated for the Netherlands in this paper through a comparison with a ‘stand-alone’ development. In the stand-alone approach, each new project will be equally risky, and therefore relatively unprofitable. In the case of a portfolio approach, all experience about the play is used optimally for derisking. In case of success, subsequent projects will have a higher chance of being successful, due to the experience gained in previous projects. Even if a project fails, this may help in increasing the probability of success for subsequent projects. For plays that are initially considered too risky for the market to start developing, the value of information (VoI) of a play-based portfolio approach will help by derisking the play to such an extent that it becomes attractive for the market to develop, even at high initial risk. It can be demonstrated for several geothermal plays in the Netherlands that by adopting the portfolio approach, the probability of a play being developed becomes higher, the number of successfully developed projects increases and the average profitability of the project will also be higher. Five more advantages are: (1) continuous improvement by integrated project development, (2) cost reduction through synergy, efficiency and standardisation, (3) optimisation of the surface heat demand and infrastructure, (4) the possibility of structural research and development (R&D) and innovation, and (5) financing advantages. The advantages reinforce each other. A preliminary estimate of the geothermal potential of the Netherlands adopting the portfolio approach is between 90 and 275 Petajoules (PJ). For about 350 doublets being developed, producing about 70 PJ, the value of the advantage of the play-based portfolio approach is €2 billion for the three main plays: Rotliegend, Triassic and Jurassic/Cretaceous. The learning effects of synergy, efficiency and standardisation are expected to be significant.
{"title":"Accelerating geothermal development with a play-based portfolio approach","authors":"J. van Wees, H. Veldkamp, L. Brunner, M. Vrijlandt, Sander de Jong, Nora Heijnen, Corné van Langen, Joris Peijster","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.4","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Over the past decade in the Netherlands, most operators have only developed a single doublet. The learning effect from these single events is suboptimal, and operators have only been capable of developing doublets in areas with relatively low exploration risk. This ‘stand-alone’ approach can be significantly improved by a collective approach to derisk regions with similar subsurface characteristics. Such a play-based portfolio approach, which is common in the oil and gas industry, can help to accelerate the development of the geothermal industry through unlocking resource potential in areas marked by high upfront geological risk, effectively helping reduce costs for the development. The basis of the methodology is to deploy new information to the play portfolio by trading off with the risk of the first wells, resulting in a strong geological risk reduction. The added value of the portfolio approach is demonstrated for the Netherlands in this paper through a comparison with a ‘stand-alone’ development. In the stand-alone approach, each new project will be equally risky, and therefore relatively unprofitable. In the case of a portfolio approach, all experience about the play is used optimally for derisking. In case of success, subsequent projects will have a higher chance of being successful, due to the experience gained in previous projects. Even if a project fails, this may help in increasing the probability of success for subsequent projects. For plays that are initially considered too risky for the market to start developing, the value of information (VoI) of a play-based portfolio approach will help by derisking the play to such an extent that it becomes attractive for the market to develop, even at high initial risk. It can be demonstrated for several geothermal plays in the Netherlands that by adopting the portfolio approach, the probability of a play being developed becomes higher, the number of successfully developed projects increases and the average profitability of the project will also be higher. Five more advantages are: (1) continuous improvement by integrated project development, (2) cost reduction through synergy, efficiency and standardisation, (3) optimisation of the surface heat demand and infrastructure, (4) the possibility of structural research and development (R&D) and innovation, and (5) financing advantages. The advantages reinforce each other. A preliminary estimate of the geothermal potential of the Netherlands adopting the portfolio approach is between 90 and 275 Petajoules (PJ). For about 350 doublets being developed, producing about 70 PJ, the value of the advantage of the play-based portfolio approach is €2 billion for the three main plays: Rotliegend, Triassic and Jurassic/Cretaceous. The learning effects of synergy, efficiency and standardisation are expected to be significant.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88129329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Weibel, M. Olivarius, H. Vosgerau, A. Mathiesen, L. Kristensen, C. M. Nielsen, L. Nielsen
Abstract The Danish onshore subsurface contains very large geothermal resources that have the potential to make a significant contribution to transforming Danish energy consumption toward a more sustainable energy mix. Presently, only a minor fraction of this green energy is exploited in three small plants. The main factors that have hampered and delayed larger-scale deployment are related to uncertainties in the geological models, which inevitably lead to high economic risks that are difficult for smaller district heating companies to mitigate without support from a compensation scheme. To facilitate and stimulate much wider use of the Danish geothermal resources, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and other research institutes have conducted several regional research projects focusing on the geological and geochemical obstacles with the principal objective of reducing the exploration risks by selecting the best geological reservoirs. One of the most important geological factors causing uncertainty is the quality of the reservoirs and their ability to produce the expected volume of warm geothermal brine. Thus, great emphasis has been placed on investigating and understanding the relationships between reservoir sandstone, porosity, permeability, petrography, diagenetic processes and alterations related to variable sediment sources, basin entry points, depositional systems and climate, burial and thermal history. Mesozoic sandstones comprise the most important geothermal reservoirs in Denmark. Details concerning the reservoir quality are compiled and compared for the Lower Triassic Bunter Sandstone, Triassic Skagerrak, Upper Triassic – Lower Jurassic Gassum and Middle Jurassic Haldager Sand formations. The Bunter Sandstone Formation contains extensive aeolian and more confined fluvial sandstones with high porosity and permeability. However, highly saline formation water could be unfavourable. The Skagerrak Formation comprises well-sorted braided stream sandstones in the centre of the basin, and is otherwise characterised by muddy sandstones and alluvial fan conglomerates. An immature mineralogical composition has caused intensive diagenetic changes in the deepest buried parts of the basin. The Gassum Formation consists of shoreface, fluvial and estuarine sandstones interbedded with marine and lacustrine mudstones. In the upper part of the formation, the sandstone beds pinch out into mudstones towards the basin centre. Pervasive siderite- and calcite cement occurs locally in shallowly buried sandstones, and with burial depth the maximum abundances of quartz and ankerite cement increase. Sandstones of shallow burial represent excellent reservoirs. The relatively coarse grain size of the Haldager Sand Formation results in high porosity and permeability even at deep burial, so the formation comprises a high-quality geothermal reservoir. Substantial progress has been made, and a well-established regional geological model combined wit
{"title":"Overview of potential geothermal reservoirs in Denmark","authors":"R. Weibel, M. Olivarius, H. Vosgerau, A. Mathiesen, L. Kristensen, C. M. Nielsen, L. Nielsen","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.5","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Danish onshore subsurface contains very large geothermal resources that have the potential to make a significant contribution to transforming Danish energy consumption toward a more sustainable energy mix. Presently, only a minor fraction of this green energy is exploited in three small plants. The main factors that have hampered and delayed larger-scale deployment are related to uncertainties in the geological models, which inevitably lead to high economic risks that are difficult for smaller district heating companies to mitigate without support from a compensation scheme. To facilitate and stimulate much wider use of the Danish geothermal resources, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and other research institutes have conducted several regional research projects focusing on the geological and geochemical obstacles with the principal objective of reducing the exploration risks by selecting the best geological reservoirs. One of the most important geological factors causing uncertainty is the quality of the reservoirs and their ability to produce the expected volume of warm geothermal brine. Thus, great emphasis has been placed on investigating and understanding the relationships between reservoir sandstone, porosity, permeability, petrography, diagenetic processes and alterations related to variable sediment sources, basin entry points, depositional systems and climate, burial and thermal history. Mesozoic sandstones comprise the most important geothermal reservoirs in Denmark. Details concerning the reservoir quality are compiled and compared for the Lower Triassic Bunter Sandstone, Triassic Skagerrak, Upper Triassic – Lower Jurassic Gassum and Middle Jurassic Haldager Sand formations. The Bunter Sandstone Formation contains extensive aeolian and more confined fluvial sandstones with high porosity and permeability. However, highly saline formation water could be unfavourable. The Skagerrak Formation comprises well-sorted braided stream sandstones in the centre of the basin, and is otherwise characterised by muddy sandstones and alluvial fan conglomerates. An immature mineralogical composition has caused intensive diagenetic changes in the deepest buried parts of the basin. The Gassum Formation consists of shoreface, fluvial and estuarine sandstones interbedded with marine and lacustrine mudstones. In the upper part of the formation, the sandstone beds pinch out into mudstones towards the basin centre. Pervasive siderite- and calcite cement occurs locally in shallowly buried sandstones, and with burial depth the maximum abundances of quartz and ankerite cement increase. Sandstones of shallow burial represent excellent reservoirs. The relatively coarse grain size of the Haldager Sand Formation results in high porosity and permeability even at deep burial, so the formation comprises a high-quality geothermal reservoir. Substantial progress has been made, and a well-established regional geological model combined wit","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79240477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Willems, A. Vondrak, H. Mijnlieff, M. Donselaar, B. M. van Kempen
Abstract In the past 10 years the mature hydrocarbon province the West Netherlands Basin has hosted rapidly expanding geothermal development. Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous strata from which gas and oil had been produced since the 1950s became targets for geothermal exploitation. The extensive publicly available subsurface data including seismic surveys, several cores and logs from hundreds of hydrocarbon wells, combined with understanding of the geology after decades of hydrocarbon exploitation, facilitated the offtake of geothermal exploitation. Whilst the first geothermal projects proved the suitability of the permeable Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous sandstones for geothermal heat production, they also made clear that much detail of the aquifer geology is not yet fully understood. The aquifer architecture varies significantly across the basin because of the syn-tectonic sedimentation. The graben fault blocks that contain the geothermal targets experienced a different tectonic history compared to the horst and pop-up structures that host the hydrocarbon fields from which most subsurface data are derived. Accurate prediction of the continuity and thickness of aquifers is a prerequisite for efficient geothermal well deployment that aims at increasing heat recovery while avoiding the risk of early cold-water breakthrough. The potential recoverable heat and the current challenges to enhance further expansion of heat exploitation from this basin are evident. This paper presents an overview of the current understanding and uncertainties of the aquifer geology of the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous strata and discusses new sequence-stratigraphic updates of the regional sedimentary aquifer architecture.
{"title":"Geology of the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous geothermal aquifers in the West Netherlands Basin – an overview","authors":"C. Willems, A. Vondrak, H. Mijnlieff, M. Donselaar, B. M. van Kempen","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In the past 10 years the mature hydrocarbon province the West Netherlands Basin has hosted rapidly expanding geothermal development. Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous strata from which gas and oil had been produced since the 1950s became targets for geothermal exploitation. The extensive publicly available subsurface data including seismic surveys, several cores and logs from hundreds of hydrocarbon wells, combined with understanding of the geology after decades of hydrocarbon exploitation, facilitated the offtake of geothermal exploitation. Whilst the first geothermal projects proved the suitability of the permeable Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous sandstones for geothermal heat production, they also made clear that much detail of the aquifer geology is not yet fully understood. The aquifer architecture varies significantly across the basin because of the syn-tectonic sedimentation. The graben fault blocks that contain the geothermal targets experienced a different tectonic history compared to the horst and pop-up structures that host the hydrocarbon fields from which most subsurface data are derived. Accurate prediction of the continuity and thickness of aquifers is a prerequisite for efficient geothermal well deployment that aims at increasing heat recovery while avoiding the risk of early cold-water breakthrough. The potential recoverable heat and the current challenges to enhance further expansion of heat exploitation from this basin are evident. This paper presents an overview of the current understanding and uncertainties of the aquifer geology of the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous strata and discusses new sequence-stratigraphic updates of the regional sedimentary aquifer architecture.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82667759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The Netherlands has ample geothermal resources. During the last decade, development of these resources has picked up fast. In 2007 one geothermal system had been realised; to date (1 January 2019), 24 have been. Total geothermal heat production in 2018 was 3.7 PJ from 18 geothermal systems. The geothermal sources are located in the same reservoirs/aquifers in which the oil and gas accumulations are hosted: Cenozoic, Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous, Triassic and Rotliegend reservoirs. Additionally, the yet unproven hydrocarbon play in the Lower Carboniferous (Dinantian) Limestones delivered geothermal heat in two geothermal systems. This is in contrast to the Upper Cretaceous and Upper Carboniferous with no producing geothermal systems but producing hydrocarbon fields. Similar to hydrocarbon development, developing the geothermal source relies on fluid flow through the reservoir. For geothermal application a transmissivity of 10 Dm is presently thought to be a minimum value for a standard doublet system. Regional mapping of the geothermal plays, with subsequent resource mapping, by TNO discloses the areas with favourable transmissivity within play areas for geothermal development. The website www.ThermoGis.nl provides the tool to evaluate the geothermal plays on a sub-regional scale. The Dutch geothermal source and resource portfolio can be classified using geothermal play classification of, for example, Moeck (2014). An appropriate adjective for play classification for the Dutch situation would be the predominant permeability type: matrix, karst, fracture or fault permeability. The Dutch geothermal play is a matrix-permeability dominated ‘Hot Sedimentary Aquifer’, ‘Hydrothermal’ or ‘Intra-cratonic Conductive’ play. The Dutch ‘Hot Sedimentary Aquifer’ play is subdivided according to the lithostratigraphical annotation of the reservoir. The main geothermal plays are the Delft Sandstone and Slochteren Sandstone plays.
{"title":"Introduction to the geothermal play and reservoir geology of the Netherlands","authors":"H. Mijnlieff","doi":"10.1017/njg.2020.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2020.2","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Netherlands has ample geothermal resources. During the last decade, development of these resources has picked up fast. In 2007 one geothermal system had been realised; to date (1 January 2019), 24 have been. Total geothermal heat production in 2018 was 3.7 PJ from 18 geothermal systems. The geothermal sources are located in the same reservoirs/aquifers in which the oil and gas accumulations are hosted: Cenozoic, Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous, Triassic and Rotliegend reservoirs. Additionally, the yet unproven hydrocarbon play in the Lower Carboniferous (Dinantian) Limestones delivered geothermal heat in two geothermal systems. This is in contrast to the Upper Cretaceous and Upper Carboniferous with no producing geothermal systems but producing hydrocarbon fields. Similar to hydrocarbon development, developing the geothermal source relies on fluid flow through the reservoir. For geothermal application a transmissivity of 10 Dm is presently thought to be a minimum value for a standard doublet system. Regional mapping of the geothermal plays, with subsequent resource mapping, by TNO discloses the areas with favourable transmissivity within play areas for geothermal development. The website www.ThermoGis.nl provides the tool to evaluate the geothermal plays on a sub-regional scale. The Dutch geothermal source and resource portfolio can be classified using geothermal play classification of, for example, Moeck (2014). An appropriate adjective for play classification for the Dutch situation would be the predominant permeability type: matrix, karst, fracture or fault permeability. The Dutch geothermal play is a matrix-permeability dominated ‘Hot Sedimentary Aquifer’, ‘Hydrothermal’ or ‘Intra-cratonic Conductive’ play. The Dutch ‘Hot Sedimentary Aquifer’ play is subdivided according to the lithostratigraphical annotation of the reservoir. The main geothermal plays are the Delft Sandstone and Slochteren Sandstone plays.","PeriodicalId":49768,"journal":{"name":"Netherlands Journal of Geosciences-Geologie En Mijnbouw","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80178689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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