Acknowledgements

Dedication

Kilhams, B., Kukla, P.A., Mazur, S., McKie, T., Mijnlieff, H.F. & van Ojik, K. Mesozoic resource potential in the Southern Permian Basin area: the geological key to exploiting remaining hydrocarbons whilst unlocking geothermal potential

Tectonic framework

Kley, J. Timing and spatial patterns of Cretaceous and Cenozoic inversion in the Southern Permian Basin

Krzywiec, P., Stachowska, A. & Stypa, A. The only way is up – on Mesozoic uplifts and basin inversion events in SE Poland

Seidel, E., Meschede, M. & Obst, K. The Wiek Fault System east of Rügen Island: origin, tectonic phases and its relationship to the Trans-European Suture Zone

Deutschmann, A., Meschede, M. & Obst, K. Fault system evolution in the Baltic Sea area west of Rügen, NE Germany

van Winden, M., de Jager, J., Jaarsma, B. & Bouroullec, R. New insights into salt tectonics in the northern Dutch offshore: a framework for hydrocarbon exploration

Hernandez, K., Mitchell, N.C. & Huuse, M. Deriving relationships between diapir spacing and salt-layer thickness in the Southern North Sea

Triassic resources

Geluk, M., McKie, T. & Kilhams, B. An introduction to the Triassic: current insights into the regional setting and energy resource potential of NW Europe

Kortekaas, M., Böker, U., van der Kooij, C. & Jaarsma, B. Lower Triassic reservoir development in the northern Dutch offshore

Kilhams, B., Stevanovic, S. & Nicolai, C. The ‘Buntsandstein’ gas play of the Horn Graben (German and Danish offshore): dry well analysis and remaining hydrocarbon potential

Franz, M., Barth, G., Zimmermann, J., Budach, I., Nowak, K. & Wolfgramm, M. Geothermal resources of the North German Basin: exploration strategy, development examples and remaining opportunities in

Mesozoic hydrothermal reservoirs

Peeters, S., Asschert, A. & Verweij, H. Towards a better understanding of the highly overpressured Lower Triassic Bunter reservoir rocks in the Terschelling Basin

Goswami, R., Seeberger, F.C. & Bosman, G. Enhanced gas recovery of an ageing field utilizing N₂ displacement: De Wijk Field, The Netherlands

van Kempen, B.M.M., Mijnlieff, H.F. & van der Molen, J. Data mining in the Dutch Oil and Gas Portal: a case study on the reservoir properties of the Volpriehausen Sandstone interval

Jurassic resources

Bouroullec, R., Verreussel, R.M.C.H., Geel, C.R., de Bruin, G., Zijp, M.H.A.A., Kőrösi, D., Munsterman, D.K., Janssen, N.M.M. & Kerstholt-Boegehold, S.J. Tectonostratigraphy of a rift basin affected by salt tectonics: synrift Middle Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous Dutch Central Graben, Terschelling Basin and neighbouring platforms, Dutch offshore

Verreussel, R.M.C.H., Bouroullec, R., Munsterman, D.K., Dybkær, K., Geel, C.R., Houben, A.J.P., Johannessen, P.N. & Kerstholt-Boegehold, S.J. Stepwise basin evolution of the Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous rift phase in the Central Graben area of Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands

Barth, G., Pieńkowski, G., Zimmermann, J., Franz, M. & Kuhlmann, G. Palaeogeographical evolution of the Lower Jurassic: high-resolution biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy in the Central European Basin

Sachse, V.F. & Littke, R. The impact of Quaternary glaciation on temperature and pore pressure in Jurassic troughs in the Southern Permian Basin, northern Germany

Stock, A.T. & Littke, R. The Posidonia Shale of northern Germany: unconventional oil and gas potential from high-resolution 3D numerical basin modelling of the cross-junction between the eastern Lower Saxony Basin, Pompeckj Block and Gifhorn Trough

Cretaceous resources

Vondrak, A.G., Donselaar, M.E. & Munsterman, D.K. Reservoir architecture model of the Nieuwerkerk Formation (Early Cretaceous, West Netherlands Basin): diachronous development of sand-prone fluvial deposits

Vis, G.-J., Smoor, W.D., Rutten, K.W., de Jager, J. & Mijnlieff, H.F. Tectonic control on the Early Cretaceous Bentheim Sandstone sediments in the Schoonebeek oil field, The Netherlands

Porter, R.J., Muñoz Rojas, A. & Schlüter, M. The impact of heterogeneity on waterflood developments in clastic inner shelf reservoirs: an example from the Holland Greensand Member, Rotterdam Field, The Netherlands

Zwaan, F. Lower Cretaceous reservoir development in the North Sea Central Graben, and potential analogue settings in the Southern Permian Basin and South Viking Graben

Wolf, M., Vis, A. & Asschert, A. Erosional valleys at a major Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous unconformity offshore Germany and The Netherlands: potential reservoirs or deteriorated seals?

Strozyk, F., Reuning, L., Back, S. & Kukla, P. Giant pockmark formation from Cretaceous hydrocarbon expulsion in the western Lower Saxony Basin, The Netherlands

van Lochem, H. F17-Chalk: new insights in the tectonic history of the Dutch Central Graben

Index

This volume comprises a set of papers concerning the Mesozoic resource potential of the Southern Permian Basin, which is much better known for its Palaeozoic gas reservoirs. After an interesting scene-setting introduction that compares and contrasts hydrocarbon and hydrothermal resource development and points to the latent potential in the Mesozoic, papers are organised into sections starting with the tectonic framework and then stratigraphically. Most papers are concerned with conventional hydrocarbons, although one focusses on the German Posidonia shale as a source of unconventional oil and gas, and another on hydrothermal energy.
The section on tectonics covers uplift, basin inversion, fault reactivation and salt movement. Different inversion events vary in their relief and scale across the basin. The low relief and aerially extensive nature of the Paleocene Laramide event suggests mantle processes were at play, while other localised events are more easily ascribed to crustal shortening. Examples from the Baltic Sea involve deep-seated fault reactivation, while the interplay between tectonics and salt movement are of great importance for sedimentation patterns in the Dutch offshore and elsewhere, and studies suggest relationships between salt-layer thickness and diapir spacing.
The first paper on the Triassic discusses significant over-pressuring in the Dutch offshore resulting from sediment loading on top of salt, as well as fault-related vertical and lateral permeability barriers, while the second paper deals with enhanced recovery of gas using nitrogen as a displacement vehicle in the De Wijk field. A third study concerns the application of data mining to free online data for the Volpreihausen sandstone. Jurassic papers focus on synrift tectonostratigraphy and basin evolution, paleogeography, and potential impact of Quaternary ice loading and unloading on maturation and expulsion respectively.
In the Cretaceous Northern North Sea, the exploration challenge is to find sparsely distributed, deep marine sandstones in parts of the basin where thick overburden, multiples and sub-optimal impedance contrast all hinder seismic identification of such sand bodies. Elsewhere German and Dutch offshore erosional valleys may provide reservoir or sealing potential depending on their fill, while giant pockmarks constrain the timing and potential migration pathways from deeper, Carboniferous, levels. The volume ends with tectonics and the development of uplifted Chalk islands and their erosional products which has implications for further exploration potential in the inverted basins of NW Europe.
Overall the quality and presentation of the work in this publication is to a very high standard. In my view it is a valuable addition and makes for an interesting read.

Review by David Latin