Geologists at the University of Aberdeen have discovered a huge area of the North Sea left unexplored for oil and gas because of so-called ‘phantom’ volcanoes that they have proven they do not exist. The area is known as the Rattray Volcanic Province and covers 7000 sq km.
Rattray Volcanic Province was thought to include the remains of three volcanoes that erupted 165 million years ago, when the North Sea tried to create an ocean between itself and Europe. In fact, for decades it was assumed that the area had empty remains of old magma chambers, ruling out the possibility of oil and gas discoveries.
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However now, a study led by Dr. Nick Schofield and PhD student Ailsa Quirie from the University’s School of Geosciences, with colleagues from Heriot-Watt and the University of Adelaide, has changed this view. Namely, the team combined 3D seismic data with well data to look again at the Rattray Volcanic Province.
What they found is that these volcanoes actually never existed at all, and that the fireworks preceding the North Sea’s attempt to create an ocean with Europe came through a series of lava fissures.
Essentially this gives us back a huge amount of gross rock volume that we never knew existed, in one of the world’s most prolific regions for oil and gas production
Dr Nick Schofield highlighted.
The study raised the prospect of future discoveries in the area, which has been left untouched for more than 50 years of exploration activity in the North Sea. Specifically, the study showed that there is a huge area that has not been looked at in detail for a long time, due to the previous incorrect geological model, Dr. Schofield added.
Exploring this area would be difficult, but with new technologies, it is not impossible.
