Arctic Research & Database Project 2010-2012: Part II. Barents Shelf Provenance

The results of a sandstone provenance study are presented in this project that was undertaken on a suite of more than 250 samples, of Carboniferous to Paleogene age, from wells on the Barents Shelf. The components of the work are petrography and heavy mineral analysis. Heavy mineral analytical work consists of conventional heavy mineral analysis and geochemical work on garnets and rutiles and U-Pb age dating of zircons. The study provides an important insight into the sources of sediment in the basins of the Barents Shelf, the evolution of sediment transport systems through time and the reservoir quality of sands provided by different sediment source regions.

Completed: November 2012.
Contact: Andrew Whitham