Hi all
I know this is really late notice, but some funding appeared at the last
minute so if anyone has a graduate that they could recommend please let me
know asap!
thanks
Zoe Shipton
MSc Studentship at Trinity College Dublin
Regional structural geology of the Green River/Moab region, Utah.
Geologic storage of CO2 is an opportunity for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by injecting waste CO2 into underground reservoirs, effectively
locking CO2 out of the atmosphere over long time-scales. However, CO2-charged
springs and even a geyser occur along faults in Central Utah, demonstrating
that they act as pathways for CO2 and other fluids, suggesting potential
problems with geological storage of CO2. The Little Grand Wash, Salt Wash and
Moab faults are located on the Colorado plateau, central Utah. The faults
offset Carboniferous to Cretaceous shales, carbonates and sandstones and are
thought to sole into the Carboniferous Paradox Salt at depth. Isotope and
geochemical data indicate that the source of the CO2 is the Paradox Salt and
is associated with hydrocarbon generation. Ancient travertine deposits, thick
carbonate veins and host rock alteration are also localised along these
faults.
The project objective is to place the faults in a regional structural
geological context. Previous studies have focused on the Moab fault because it
is a direct analogue for similar structures in producing oil reservoirs. The
project will combine field mapping, subsurface data from boreholes (available
through the Utah Geological Survey), and possibly seismic lines (if
available). the student will map the northern termination of the Moab fault to
investigate a possible link with the Little Grand and Salt Wash faults.
Detailed fieldwork in areas where existing maps are lacking, including
information on fault rocks, fault-associated fractures, veins and alteration,
tufas and spring terraces is required. Using a 3-D modelling package a
regional geological model of the area would be built, with a view to running
groundwater flow simulations in future projects. (in collaboration with
students at Utah State University).
For further details contact Zoe Shipton at Department of Geology, Trinity
College, Dublin 2, Ireland; Tel: +353 1 608 1121; e-mail [log in to unmask]
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Zoe Shipton
Department of Geology
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland
tel: +353 1 608 1121
http://cc.usu.edu/~zshipton/index.html
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