West Spitsbergen fold and thrust belt: A digital educational data package for teaching structural geology

The discipline of structural geology is taking an advantage of compiling observations from multiple field sites to comprehend the bigger picture and constrain the region's geological evolution. In this study we demonstrate how integration of a range of geospatial digital data sets that relate to the Paleogene fault and thrust belt exposed in the high Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard, is used in teaching in bachelor-level courses at the University Centre in Svalbard. This event led to the formation of the West Spitsbergen Fold and Thrust Belt and its associated foreland basin, the Central Spitsbergen Basin. Our digital educational data package builds on published literature from the past four decades augmented with recently acquired high-resolution digital outcrop models, and 360° imagery. All data are available as georeferenced data containers and included in a single geodatabase, freely available for educators and geoscientists around the world to complement their research and fieldwork with course components from Svalbard.publishedVersio

Active gas seepage in western Spitsbergen fjords, Svalbard archipelago: spatial extent and geological controls

This study presents the first systematic observations of active gas seepage from the seafloor in the main fjords of western Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. High-resolution acoustic water column data were acquired throughout two research cruises in August 2015 and June 2021. 883 gas flares have been identified and characterized in Isfjorden, and 115 gas flares in Van Mijenfjorden. The hydroacoustic data indicate active fluid migration into the water column. Interpretation of 1943 km of regional offshore 2D seismic profiles supplemented the water column and existing gas geochemical data by providing geological control on the distribution of source rocks and potential migration pathways for fluids. In the study area, bedrock architecture controls the fluid migration from deep source rocks. Faults, high permeability layers, heavily fractured units and igneous intrusions channel the gas seepage into the water column. The observations of gas seepage presented in this study are an important step towards the assessment of how near-shore seepage impacts upon the carbon budget of Svalbard fjords, which constitute a globally recognized early climate change warning system for the High Arctic

Digitising Svalbard’s geology: the Festningen digital outcrop model

The renowned Festningen section in the outer part of Isfjorden, western Spitsbergen, offers a c. 7 km-long nearly continuous stratigraphic section of Lower Carboniferous to Cenozoic strata, spanning nearly 300 million years of geological history. Tectonic deformation associated with the Paleogene West-Spitsbergen-Fold-and-Thrust belt tilted the strata to near-vertical, allowing easy access to the section along the shoreline. The Festningen section is a regionally important stratigraphic reference profile, and thus a key locality for any geologist visiting Svalbard. The lithology variations, dinosaur footprints, and the many fossil groups, record more than 300 million years of continental drift, climate change, and sea level variations. In addition, the Festningen section is the only natural geoscientific monument protected by law (i.e. geotope) in Svalbard. In this contribution, we present a digital outcrop model (DOM) of the Festningen section processed from 3762 drone photographs. The resulting high-resolution model offers detail down to 7.01 mm, covers an area of 0.8 km2 and can be freely accessed via the Svalbox database. Through Svalbox, we also put the Festningen model in a regional geological context by comparing it to nearby offshore seismic, exploration boreholes penetrating the same stratigraphy and publications on the deep-time paleoclimate trends recorded at Festningen

The Svalbard Carboniferous to Cenozoic Composite Tectono-Stratigraphic Element

The Svalbard Composite Tectono-Stratigraphic Element is located on the north-western corner of the Barents Shelf and comprises a Carboniferous to Pleistocene sedimentary succession. Due to Cenozoic uplift the succession is subaerially exposed in the Svalbard archipelago. The oldest parts of the succession consist of Carboniferous to Permian mixed siliciclastic, carbonate and evaporite and spiculitic sediments that developed during multiple phases of extension. The majority of the Mesozoic succession is composed of siliciclastic deposits formed in sag basins and continental platforms. Episodes of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous contraction are evident in the eastern part of the archipelago and in nearby offshore areas. Differential uplift related to the opening of the Amerasian Basin and the Cretaceous emplacement of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province created a major hiatus spanning from most of the Late Cretaceous and early Danian throughout the Svalbard Composite Tectono-Stratigraphic Element. The West Spitsbergen Fold and Thrust Belt and the associated foreland basin in central Spitsbergen (Central Tertiary Basin) formed as a response to the Eurekan orogeny and the progressive northward opening of the North Atlantic during the Palaeogene. This event was followed by formation of yet another major hiatus spanning the Oligocene to Pliocene. Multiple reservoir and source rock units are exposed in Svalbard providing analogues to the offshore prolific offshore acreages in southwest Barents Sea and are important for de-risking of plays and prospects. However, the archipelago itself is regarded as high-risk acreage for petroleum exploration. This is due to Palaeogene contraction and late Neogene uplift of particularly the western and central parts. In the east there is an absence of mature source rocks, and the entire region is subjected to strict environmental protection

Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global warming event of 5–6 °C around 56 million years ago caused by input of carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. Hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases produced in contact aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions in the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been proposed to play a key role in the PETM carbon-cycle perturbation, but the precise timing, magnitude and climatic impact of such venting remains uncertain. Here we present seismic data and the results of a five-borehole transect sampling the crater of a hydrothermal vent complex in the Northeast Atlantic. Stable carbon isotope stratigraphy and dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy reveal a negative carbon isotope excursion coincident with the appearance of the index taxon Apectodinium augustum in the vent crater, firmly tying the infill to the PETM. The shape of the crater and stratified sediments suggests large-scale explosive gas release during the initial phase of vent formation followed by rapid, but largely undisturbed, diatomite-rich infill. Moreover, we show that these vents erupted in very shallow water across the North Atlantic Igneous Province, such that volatile emissions would have entered the atmosphere almost directly without oxidation to CO2 and at the onset of the PETM

Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global warming event of 5–6 °C around 56 million years ago caused by input of carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. Hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases produced in contact aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions in the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been proposed to play a key role in the PETM carbon-cycle perturbation, but the precise timing, magnitude and climatic impact of such venting remains uncertain. Here we present seismic data and the results of a five-borehole transect sampling the crater of a hydrothermal vent complex in the Northeast Atlantic. Stable carbon isotope stratigraphy and dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy reveal a negative carbon isotope excursion coincident with the appearance of the index taxon Apectodinium augustum in the vent crater, firmly tying the infill to the PETM. The shape of the crater and stratified sediments suggests large-scale explosive gas release during the initial phase of vent formation followed by rapid, but largely undisturbed, diatomite-rich infill. Moreover, we show that these vents erupted in very shallow water across the North Atlantic Igneous Province, such that volatile emissions would have entered the atmosphere almost directly without oxidation to CO2 and at the onset of the PETM

Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global warming event of 5–6 °C around 56 million years ago caused by input of carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. Hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases produced in contact aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions in the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been proposed to play a key role in the PETM carbon-cycle perturbation, but the precise timing, magnitude and climatic impact of such venting remains uncertain. Here we present seismic data and the results of a five-borehole transect sampling the crater of a hydrothermal vent complex in the Northeast Atlantic. Stable carbon isotope stratigraphy and dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy reveal a negative carbon isotope excursion coincident with the appearance of the index taxon Apectodinium augustum in the vent crater, firmly tying the infill to the PETM. The shape of the crater and stratified sediments suggests large-scale explosive gas release during the initial phase of vent formation followed by rapid, but largely undisturbed, diatomite-rich infill. Moreover, we show that these vents erupted in very shallow water across the North Atlantic Igneous Province, such that volatile emissions would have entered the atmosphere almost directly without oxidation to CO2 and at the onset of the PETM

Implications for gas hydrate occurrence : 3D thermobaric modelling of central Spitsbergen

Gas hydrates have traditionally been viewed as hazardous to petroleum operations, particularly with respect to flow assurance in pipelines and slope stability. They occur where gas migrates through environments characterised by moderate pressures and low temperatures. Gas hydrates thus naturally occur in two main settings, i.e., a deepmarine, offshore setting and a polar, onshore setting associated with permafrost. While nowadays considered a vast potential source of hydrocarbons, stability of gas hydrates in the permafrost setting is being compromised by climate change, with release of even a small fraction of the permafrost-associated hydrates being potentially hazardous. Exploration and quantification of Svalbard's gas hydrate potential is limited compared to other polar regions (e.g., Russia, Alaska, Arctic Canada), even though the archipelago's unique setting makes it even more prone to change. By designing a semi-automated workflow, and incorporating all available data, this work has resulted in the first assessment of the GHSZ for central Spitsbergen. The framework's Python back-end allows for both laterally and vertically changing input parameters, is easily upgradable with both new functions and novel datasets, and provides a link to third-party tools while guaranteeing industry-standard support through Schlumberger's Petrel front-end. Although uncertainties in local temperature and pressure regimes prevent higher-order assessments, a strong correlation is observed between GHSZ and base permafrost. On a regional scale, the vertical extent of the GHSZ is most pronounced in areas with thick layers of permafrost, i.e., highlands and mountains, with the lateral extent governed by trends governing surface and subsurface thermobaric conditions. In Adventdalen, intrapermafrost heterogeneities, wet gas and pressure built-up near the base permafrost, and borderline favourable thermal regimes, make for a likely gas hydrate formation setting. Changes in surface temperature are likely to destabilise a substantial part of the regional GHSZ. The versatility of the workflow has furthermore been shown via an offshore GHSZ modelling effort targeting the Fingerdjupet Subbasin, SW Barents Sea, through a collaboration with the operating company Spirit Energy.Arctic Field Grant, Svalbard Science Forum/Research Council of Norway; Petrel Lic., Schlumberger; Blueback Toolbox Lic., Cegal; University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS); Reykjavik University; Iceland School of Energy; ERASMU