Quaternary stratigraphy in the northern North Sea

Core recovered from IGS Borehole 78/9 is described and suhsamples have been examined for geotechnical properties, palaeomagnelic events and microfauna content. It was hoped that this approach would provide a Quaternary stratigraphy for the area by assuming that significant geological events correlate with simultaneous changes in the lithology, gcotechnical properties, geomagnetic polarity and climatic regime. The magnetic reversals observed were linked to the existing palaeomagnelic time scale and stratigraphic ages assigned to the various units obtained on a 'best fit' to this time scale. The stratigraphic succession and geological history deduced for the borehole are compatible with other borehole and vibrocore data available from the area.     

Late Weichselian glaciation history of the northern North Sea

Based on new data from the Fladen, Sleipner and Troll areas, combined with earlier published results, a glaciation curve for the Late Weichselian in the northern North Sea is constructed. The youngest date on marine sedimentation prior to the late Weichselian maximum ice extent is 29.4 ka BP. At this time the North Sea and probably large parts of southern Norway were deglaciated (corresponding to the Alesund interstadial in western Norway). In a period between 29.4 and c. 22 ka BP, the northern North Sea experienced its maximum Weichselian glaciation with a coalescing British and Scandinavian ice sheet. The first recorded marine inundation is found in the Fladen area where marine sedimentation started close to 22 ka BP. After this the ice fronts receded both to the east and west. The North Sea Plateau, and possibly parts of the Norwegian Trench, were ice-free close to 19.0 ka, and after this a short readvance occurred in this area. This event is correlated with the advance recorded at Dimlington, Yorkshire, and the corresponding climatostratigraphic unit is denoted the Dimlington Stadial (18.5 ka to 15.1 ka). The Norwegian Trench was deglaciated at 15.1 ka in the Troll area. The data from the North Sea, together with the results from Andwa, northern Norway (Vorren et al . 1988; Møller et al . 1992), suggest that the maximum extent of the last glaciation along the NW-European seaboard from the British Isles to northern Norway was prior to c . 22 ka BP.     

The history of oil exploration and development in the northern North Sea

Discovery of the southern North Sea gas fields and, by 1970, several billion-barrel oil fields in the central North Sea encouraged oil companies to explore in the deeper, less hospitable waters of the northern North Sea. There, seismic surveys revealed a pre-Cretaceous unconfmity with 'highs' forming potential oil traps. One of the largest of these buried 'highs' was drilled by ShelllEsso, and oil was found in quantity in Middle Jurassic deltaic sandstones. This led to the discovery of eight major oil fields with reserves in excess of 7500 million barrels. Detailed studies of the sandstone reservoirs of the Brent Delta are enabling petroleum geologists and engineers to maximize recovery from these northern fields.     

Seismic structure in the northeastern South China Sea: S-wave velocity and Vp/Vs ratios derived from three-component OBS data

A nearly 500-km-long seismic profile with reflective and refractive wide-angle Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) data and Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS) data was acquired across the northeastern continental margin of the South China Sea (SCS). The S-wave crustal structure and Vp/Vs ratios have been obtained based on a previously published P-wave model using the software RayInvr. Modeling of vertical- and horizontal-component OBS data yields information on the seismic crustal velocities, lithology, and geophysical properties along the OBS-2001 seismic profile. S-wave velocities in the model increase generally with depth but exhibit high spatial variability, particularly from the shelf to the upper slope of the northeastern SCS margin. Vp/Vs ratios also reveal significant lithological heterogeneity. Dongsha–Penghu Uplift (DPU) is a tectonic zone with a thicker crust than adjacent areas and a high magnetic anomaly. With a Vp/Vs of 1.74 and a P-wave velocity of 5.0–5.5 km/s, the DPU primarily consists of felsic volcanic rocks in the upper crust and is similar to the petrology of Zhejiang–Fujian volcanic provinces, which perhaps is associated with a Mesozoic volcanic arc. The ocean–continent transition (OCT) in the northeastern SCS is characterized by a thinning continental crust, volcanoes in the upper crust, and a high velocity layer (HVL) in the lower crust. The S-wave velocity and Vp/Vs ratio suggest that the HVL has a mafic composition that may originate from underplating of the igneous rocks beneath the passive rifted crust after the cessation of seafloor spreading.     

Sedimentation history of the northern North Sea Margin during the last 150 ka

The Norwegian Channel Ice Stream (NCIS) is one the defining features of the Fennoscandian icesheet. Still little is known of the detailed dynamics of this ice stream in relation to regional changes in ice cover, paleoceanographic and climatic changes. Sedimentological data from core MD99-2283 in combination with seismic data allow a detailed chronological reconstruction of the outbuilding of the margin and the ice extent in southern Scandinavia through the last 150 ka. An integrated stratigraphy of the margin is presented and compared to the glacial history. Changes in the regional ice cover are reflected in the accumulation rates, the clay mineralogy, the coarse chalk fraction and the number of IRD >2 mm in core MD99-2283, while the sedimentation on the North Sea Fan as derived from seismic data provides direct evidence for the glacial activity at the shelf edge. Tentative evidence was found for two Early Weichselian glacial advances in southern Scandinavia and possibly Scotland at around 110 and 80 ka BP. From 42 cal ka BP the ice cover expanded in southern Fennoscandia and led to increased deposition on the margin and the occurrence of local melt water outbursts. Significantly increased accumulation rates, coarse chalk, local meltwater output and smectite occur during the ice expansion in the North Sea from around 34 cal ka BP. The main outbuilding phase of the NSF during the last glacial cycle occurred after 30 cal ka BP. From around 24 cal ka BP the NCIS became highly active and advanced at least three times prior to the final retreat from the shelf edge around 19.0 cal ka BP.     

Late- and post-glacial depositional environments in the Norwegian Trench, northern North Sea

The late Weichselian sequence in the northern part of the Norwegian Trench is composed of eight units. The two lowermost units are massive, firm to stiff diamictons, interpreted to have been deposited beneath ice-streams that in all likelihood reached the shelf edge. They are overlain by glaciomarine and normal-marine sediments deposited after 15000BP. The first phase of glacial retreat from the Norwegian Trench (15000–14800 BP) was very rapid and left a thin layer of proximal sediments on top of the tills. This was followed by a period with lower accumulation rates (14800–13600 BP), probably as a result of rapid source retreat and cold meltwater inhibiting dropstone fall-out. The end of this interval marks the change from ice-stream calving in cold water to melting on land. According to lithologic and isotopic data, the maximum rate of Fennoscan-dian ice-sheet disintegration took place around 12500 BP. The water temperatures declined significantly and rates of sedimentation and ice-rafting fell in association with the Younger Dryas period. The final retreat of the ice began as early as 10 500 BP, and the transition to normal-marine sedimentation is reflected by precipitation of iron oxide followed by pyrite, reduced sedimentation rates, and a change from terrigenous to biogenic sedimentation.     

Local site effect of a clay site in Shiraz based on seismic hazard of Shiraz Plain

Propagation of seismic waves through soil layers would drastically change the frequency content and amplitude-based features of ground motions at the surface. These alterations are known as seismic site effects. Computation of site effects of high-populated areas such as large cities is of great importance (e.g., it is used in development of seismic microzonation of a region). Shiraz is one of the most populous cities of Iran and is located in a high seismic hazardous region. A representative clay site in this city is selected to assess local site effects. The time series and random vibration theory procedure in the frequency domain are implemented to analyze the aforementioned site. Furthermore, the nonlinear dynamic soil behavior is simulated by the equivalent linear method and the nonlinear method via DEEPSOIL program. Three types of soil column uncertainties such as shear wave velocity, modulus reduction, and damping ratio of soil layers as well as depth of underlying rock half-space (D _bed) are considered herein. The mean amplification and standard deviation of natural logarithm of amplification factors are computed for a variety of analysis types. The results of the current study show that the computed mean and standard deviation of amplification factor in ln units by considering only V _S uncertainty are in good agreement with the corresponding ones by considering V _S and modulus reduction and damping ratio variabilities simultaneously for the studied site. Furthermore, it seems that the effect of bedrock depth in definition of spectral shapes of the Iranian seismic building code should be taken into account.     

Regional and structural effects of North Sea oil in Norway

The discovery of oil in the North Sea has had an important impact on Norway. The article presents the development of the oil policy. Of particular interest is the heavy involvement in Norway in products as mobile rigs, supply ships and concrete platforms. The distribution of the oil activities in Norway as related to locational factors is discribed, with examples of the local impacts of oil activities. Of particular concern are the regional effects. Norway will be a high cost country and low-wage industries (e.g. textiles, furniture) may be squeezed. Industrial decay areas like in Britain and Europe are feared. Also some main problems and decisions such as the landing of Statfjord oil by pipeline are considered. The original version received valuable criticism from Prof. J. Chr. Hansen, Bergen, and Dr. W. Tietze, Wolfsburg, Germany. The author would be grateful for further comments from the readers.     

Regional and structural effects of North Sea oil in Norway

The discovery of oil in the North Sea has had an important impact on Norway. The article presents the development of the oil policy. Of particular interest is the heavy involvement in Norway in products as mobile rigs, supply ships and concrete platforms. The distribution of the oil activities in Norway as related to locational factors is discribed, with examples of the local impacts of oil activities. Of particular concern are the regional effects. Norway will be a high cost country and low-wage industries (e.g. textiles, furniture) may be squeezed. Industrial decay areas like in Britain and Europe are feared. Also some main problems and decisions such as the landing of Statfjord oil by pipeline are considered.     

Crustal Stress in the northern North Sea as inferred from borehole breakouts and earthquake focal mechanisms

The regional stress field in the northern North Sea (offshore western Norway) has been studied through the acquisition and analysis of directions of maximum horizontal compression (_H) as extracted from borehole breakouts and from earthquake focal mechanism solutions.
The results indicate that the regional stress field is dominated by NW-SE compression, with good consistency between shallow borehole breakouts (2–5 km depth) and deeper earthquakes (10–25 km depth). The broad spatial consistency in stress direction indicates that the main stress field is related to factors of primarily plate tectonic origin, and the results are in good agreement with the western Europe trend found in earlier investigations.
The Tampen Spur region in the northern North Sea has been subjected to particularly complex deformation, with two dominating fault directions trending NW-SE and NE-SW. From Tampen Spur in the west to the Sogn graben in the east an anomalous stress field is indicated, with NE-SW oriented maximum horizontal compressions. This anomaly is clearly seen both in the borehole breakout data and in the earthquake data. Possible sources for this anomaly are discussed, and include postglacial uplift and/or lateral variations in the physical properties of the crust.     

Lithospheric folding in the southern North Sea: combined effects of Alpine compression and North Atlantic Ocean opening

Late Cretaceous to Palaeogene graben inversion in the southern North Sea is classically related to Alpine compression. Regional deformation analysis of Upper Cretaceous sediments based on seismic and well data reveals the existence of large-scale NW-SE folds. Folding patterns are interpreted as the result of lithospheric buckling during NE-SW shortening. We suggest that graben inversion at the scale of the southern North Sea is only a part of a more general process, involving lithospheric folding. Folding developed in response to two major plate boundary conditions, that is, E-W to NE-SW opening of the Atlantic Ocean constrained to the southeast by N-S Alpine collision. Lithospheric folding might have influenced both the oil generation process and reservoir properties in this area.     

Local site effects in Latur, India: an empirical study based on the aftershocks of the Killari earthquake of September 29, 1993

The site amplification is estimated at five seismic stations of the Latur region using the horizontal to vertical spectral ratios of 33 aftershocks of the main Killari earthquake of September 29, 1993 (UTC). Spectral amplifications, ranging from a factor of 2–6 are found to vary with frequency at different places. Significant amplification is found at four sites within the Latur region, at Basavakalyan, Kasgi, Killari, and Mudgad Eakoji villages. Our results show a positive correlation between the site amplification and the damage pattern in area. The pattern and the nature of the site amplification estimated in the present study corroborates also with the analytical models and the borehole data indicating alternating layers of unconsolidated sediments and basaltic rocks.     

The role of the late Cimmerian unconformity for the distribution of kaolinite in the Gullfaks Field, northern North Sea

A study of the Middle Jurassic Rannoch Formation in the Gullfaks Field shows that there is no relationship between the content and distribution of kaolinite and location relative to the late Cimmerian unconformity. From petrographic data most of the kaolinite is interpreted to be detrital, and only traces of authigenic kaolinite are observed. Mass-balance calculations are used to provide guidelines as to the likelihood of kaolinite being formed and preserved in sandstones under the unconformity. The result of the calculations shows that the propagation rate of the dissolution front in the sandstones was probably on average slower than the erosion rates during the formation of the late Cimmerian unconformity. Hence, transformation of significant amounts of feldspar and mica to kaolinite probably did not take place within the sandstones which at present underlie the unconformity in the Gullfaks Field. Periods of exposure during formation of unconformities may thus be less effective causes of kaolinitization in sandstones than has been assumed.     

南海北部冷泉碳酸盐岩研究进展及其对大洋钻探选址的指导意义

冷泉系统在大陆边缘海域中广泛发育,我国的南海北部海域因其独特的地质条件成为了研究冷泉系统的天然实验室。在冷泉系统中,由于甲烷厌氧氧化作用的存在,极大地促进了碳酸盐岩等自生特征矿物的形成。而自生碳酸盐岩继承了冷泉环境中的地球化学特征,是记录冷泉活动信息的优良载体。近十几年以来,国内外科学家对南海北部冷泉碳酸盐岩进行了大量的研究,取得了一系列的成果,但有关南海北部碳酸盐岩最新研究成果的整体认识和未来的研究方向仍缺乏相应的汇总分析。因此,本文对近年来南海北部冷泉碳酸盐岩的相关研究成果进行了综述。目前研究主要关注冷泉碳酸盐岩的成岩过程及其环境影响,包括流体来源、氧化还原环境、元素循环等,而有关冷泉活动对全球变暖和碳循环影响的研究较少;同时大多研究基于单一期次的冷泉活动,有关地质历史时期的冷泉活动鲜有报道。本文在对已有研究基础上进行综述,认为未来需要在南海北部合适的区域进行大洋钻探,重建地质历史时期以来的冷泉活动,探讨其对全球变暖和碳循环的影响。基于前期的工作成果,笔者认为琼东南海域和东沙海域冷泉区是对地质历史时期冷泉活动进行深入研究的理想区域。