ALGEMAR Project

Management information

Title: -

Code: PID2021-123825OB-I00

Initial date: 1 de September de 2022

Ending date: 31 de August de 2026

Funding: 169400 €

E-mail: e.llave@igme.es; b.benjumea@igme.es

Project description

This project will improve the knowledge of deep marine deposits, specifically those generated by the interaction of gravitational sedimentary processes and bottom currents. The study of these deposits is very topical both in the academic world, since their sedimentary record is a good source of information for paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic reconstructions, and in the industry, due to the great potential as energy resources and for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage. However, there is still a great lack of knowledge about how they are generated, how they evolve and their socio-economic implications. In this Project, special attention will be paid to the study of these deposits with emphasis on the evaluation of their potential as geological storages and the determination of their implications in Energy Geosciences and Energy Transition.

Targets

This research would not be possible without the institutions and researchers that have been involved, assuming an important critical mass and a relevant effort of integration and collaboration between national and foreign scientists and technicians with proven experience in Marine Geology, Sedimentology, Geophysics, Structural Geology, Paleoseismicity, Geochemistry and Petrography, which give the project a strong multidisciplinary character as well as a good internationalization. The scientific and economic implications make the ALGEMAR a novel project with expected results of high scientific impact in marine research and with clear repercussions in aspects of socio-economic interest due to its direct relation with possible energy storage and capture of anthropogenic CO2. The close collaboration with several companies not only supports the applicability of the project and ensures the transfer of the expected results.

Activities

WORK PACKAGE 1

Imaging and characterization of contourite and mixed deposits using seismic methods and geophysical well logging

This work package aims to obtain a seismic facies classification methodology of deep marine deposits focusing on contourites and mixed deposits. This will allow to identify the target zones. In addition, it includes the integration of available geophysical datasets and new seismic onshore datasets into a database of the study area.

WORK PACKAGE 2

Characterization of the sedimentary facies

The main goals are:

Compositional and sedimentary contourite facies characterization;
Better differentiation between hemipelagic, contourite and gravity transported deposits;
Understand the interaction between down and along-slope processes.

WORK PACKAGE 3

Correlation of geophysical and sedimentological data: Cyclicity analysis, Multiproxy approaches, sedimentary processes and control factors

Correlation between sedimentological and seismic data will be carried out to achieve:

The interpretation of vertical and lateral variations in the depositional systems and environmental energy conditions,
The establishment of a genetic and evolutive model for the late Miocene, 3
Determination of paleoenvironmental proxies for the identification of high-frequency periodicities and the forcing mechanism associated,
High-resolution paleoceanographic evolution reconstruction at millennial- to centennial-time scales.

WORK PACKAGE 4

Evaluation of coarse-grained deposits as UGS

This WP will be focused on improving the maturity of the understanding of deep-sea marine deposits for CO2 sequestration and storage of sustainable energy (H2)