Paleo-fluids characterization and fluid flow modelling along a regional transect in Northern United Arab Emirates

In the Northern Emirates, Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous platform carbonates of the Musandam parautochthonous units are tectonically overlain by siliciclastic units of the Hawasina-Sumeini allochthon, which derive from the former paleo-slope domain and a more distal basinal portion of the Arabian margin of the Tethys, respectively. All these tectonic units display numerous evidences of paleo-fluid circulations, accounting for dolomitisation and recrystallisation of the rock matrix (Musandam Platform units), as well as cementation of fractures. Polymict breccias of Upper Cretaceous Ausaq Formation which underlay the sole thrust of the Hawasina-Sumeini allochthon also record episodes of hydraulic fracturing, whereas fluid inclusion data indicate precipitation at high temperature in relation to paleo-fluid flow. Petrography of thin-sections (conventional and cathodoluminescence microscopic techniques) as well as fluid inclusion and stable isotopes analyses, were combined with micro-tectonic studies. These analytical data document (1) the paragenetic sequence of diagenetic products for the Musandam Platform (which constitutes a carbonate reservoir analogue) and Sumeini units of the Dibba Zone, as well as (2) the nature of the paleo-fluids circulating along fractures and the sole thrust of the Hawasina-Sumeini allochthon. The main results of this petrographic approach are qualitative, evidencing (1) the rapid and vertical transfer of hot fluids in the vicinity of the former slope to platform transition, accounting for episodes of hydrothermal dolomitisation, as well as (2) early (i. e. pre-orogenic) and late (i. e. post-orogenic) episodes of emersion of the carbonate units, accounting for additional interactions with meteoric fluids and karstification. In order to better link these diagenetic events with the overall burial, thermal and kinematic evolution of the Arabian margin, basin modelling with Ceres2D, including fluid flow and pore-fluid pressure modelling, was subsequently performed along a regional transect (D4) located in the vicinity of the samples localities and cross-cutting the Northern Oman Mountains from Dibba in the east up to the Arabian Gulf in the west. New subsurface constraints provided by deep seismic profiles were used to constrain the architecture of the cross-section, and to test various hypotheses on the lateral and vertical connection, timing and hydrodynamic behaviour of the faults. This Ceres basin modelling also provides new quantitative estimates of the paleo-fluid pathways, of the timing and velocities of the fluid transfers and of the evolution of pore-fluid pressures. Ultimately, this integration of petrographic studies on surface samples and coupled kinematic and fluid flow basin modelling provides an updated scenario for the succession of tectonically controlled episodes of fluid rock interactions, namely dolomitisation and karstification recorded in the Mesozoic platform carbonates of the Northern Emirates. © 2010 Saudi Society for Geosciences

Resilient cooling strategies – A critical review and qualitative assessment

The global effects of climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as heatwaves and power outages, which have consequences for buildings and their cooling systems. Buildings and their cooling systems should be designed and operated to be resilient under such events to protect occupants from potentially dangerous indoor thermal conditions. This study performed a critical review on the state-of-the-art of cooling strategies, with special attention to their performance under heatwaves and power outages. We proposed a definition of resilient cooling and described four criteria for resilience—absorptive capacity, adaptive capacity, restorative capacity, and recovery speed —and used them to qualitatively evaluate the resilience of each strategy. The literature review and qualitative analyses show that to attain resilient cooling, the four resilience criteria should be considered in the design phase of a building or during the planning of retrofits. The building and relevant cooling system characteristics should be considered simultaneously to withstand extreme events. A combination of strategies with different resilience capacities, such as a passive envelope strategy coupled with a low-energy space-cooling solution, may be needed to obtain resilient cooling. Finally, a further direction for a quantitative assessment approach has been pointed out

Female Audit Partners and Extended Audit Reporting: UK Evidence

This study investigates whether audit partner gender is associated with the extent of auditor disclosure and the communication style regarding risks of material misstatements that are classified as key audit matters (KAMs). Using a sample of UK firms during the 2013–2017 period, our results suggest that female audit partners are more likely than male audit partners to disclose more KAMs with more details after controlling for both client and audit firm attributes. Furthermore, female audit partners are found to use a less optimistic tone and provide less readable audit reports, compared to their male counterparts, suggesting that behavioural variances between female and male audit partners may have significant implications on their writing style. Therefore, this study offers new insights on the role of audit partner gender in extended audit reporting. Our findings have important implications for audit firms, investors, policymakers and governments in relation to the development, implementation and enforcement of gender diversity

Fluid flow reconstruction in karstified Panormide platform limestones (north-central Sicily): implications for hydrocarbon prospectivity in the Sicilian fold and thrust belt

Diagenetic analysis based on field and petrographic observations, isotope and microthermometric data was used to reconstruct the fluid flow history of the Cretaceous shallow water limestones from the Panormide platform exposed in north-central Sicily. Analysis focused on diagenetic products in cavities and dissolution enlarged fractures of the karstified limestones that occur just below a regional unconformity. The fluid flow history could be broken down into five stages that were linked to the kinematic and burial history of the region. (1) Petrography (zoned cathodoluminescence and speleothem textures) and stable isotopes (6.5 < δ18OV-PDB < −3.5‰ and 0 < δ13CV-PDB < −14‰) indicate that the earliest calcite phase was associated with karstification during emergence of the platform. Limestone dissolution at this stage is important with regard to possible reservoir creation in the Panormide palaeogeographic domain. (2) Fine-grained micrite sedimentation, dated as latest Cretaceous by nannopalaeontology and its 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratio (0.7078), marks replacement by marine fluids during subsequent submergence of the karstified platform. (3) The following calcite cement was still precipitated by marine-derived fluids (−7.0 < δ18OV-PDB < −5.0‰ and −3.0 < δ13CV-PDB < 0.5‰/Tm = −2 to −5 °C), but at increasingly higher temperatures (Th = 60–120 °C). This has been interpreted as precipitation during Oligocene foredeep burial. (4) Hot (Th = 130–180 °C), low saline (Tm < −2.5 °C) fluids with increasingly higher calculated δ18OSMOW signatures (+6 to +14‰) subsequently invaded the karst system. These fluids most likely migrated during fold and thrust belt development. The low salinity and relatively high δ18OSMOW signatures of the fluids are interpreted to be the result of clay dewatering reactions. The presence of bitumen and associated fluorite with hydrocarbon inclusions at this stage in the paragenesis constrains the timing of oil migration in the region. (5) Finally, high saline fluids with elevated 87Sr/86Sr (0.7095–0.7105) signatures invaded the karst system. This last fluid flow event was possibly coeval with localized dolomitization and calcite cementation along high-angle faults of Pliocene age, as suggested by identical radiogenic signatures of these diagenetic products

Dolomite cementation and recrystallisation of sedimentary breccias along the Musandam Platform margin (United Arab Emirates)

Two main events of dolomite formation were identified along the southern border of the Late Jurassic Musandam carbonate platform of the UAE. The first dolomitisation phase (type 1) was restricted to specific stratigraphic layers in Jurassic platform limestones that were subsequently brecciated by mass flow and collapse processes on the platform margin. These dolomites are planar-s, have crystal sizes ranging from 5 to 25 µm and exhibit an orange to pink and sometimes zoned red-yellow luminescence. This dolomite phase was formed shortly after deposition by fluids of marine or slightly modified marine composition. The second dolomite phase (type 2) mainly affected dolomite type 1 breccias by recrystallisation, dolomite cementation and replacement. Type 2 dolomites are planar-e and non-planar-c, with crystal sizes between 20 and 70 µm. They have more elongated forms with purple luminescent to non-luminescent cores overgrown by pink to yellow luminescent rims. Stable isotope analyses show a covariant trend between δ18O and δ13C from marine (− 4.2 to − 1.8 and + 0.8 to + 2.1‰ VPDB respectively) towards depleted values (− 10.2 and − 8.9‰ VPDB respectively) . This depletion is explained by recrystallisation during type 2 dolomitisation and it is interpreted in terms of high temperatures during precipitation and the incorporation of light carbon as hydrocarbons matured. Dolomite type 2 formation is thought to be the result of tectonically induced fluid flow which supplied hot magnesium-rich fluids. Two possible time scenarios for this fluid flow event are proposed: 1) during thrust emplacement of the tectonic nappes on top of the Musandam Platform in the Late Cretaceous. Volcaniclastic and basaltic rocks of the Hawasina Complex and the Oman-UAE ophiolites are a possible magmatic source for magnesium in this case; or 2) coinciding with the migration of hot, post-evaporative brines along the Hagab thrust, which acted as a fluid conduit during the Cenozoic orogeny