RESEARCH THEMES

Volcanic basins and hydrothermal vent complexes   
Magmatic intrusions are common in many sedimentary basins, especially associated with Large Igneous Provinces. Many changes occur when magma intrudes sediments. The sediments are heated, pore fluids expand and boil, minerals and organic matter release gas. Hydrothermal vent complexes form in this setting from the release of overpressure, and we have studied them in the Karoo Basin (South Africa), the Vøring and Møre basins (Norwegian Sea) and in the Tunguska Basin (Russia).

Global climate changes
Released gases have the potential to trigger global warming, and we have proposed this as a mechanism for the Initial Eocene and Toarcian global warming episodes. Metamorphism and venting have the potential to transport carbon from the vast sedimentary global carbon reservoir (100.000.000 Gt)  to the atmosphere on a very short timescale. (see Publications to download article)

Sediment volcanism, fossil and active
Mud volcanoes, dewatering pipes and hydrothermal vent complexes are exampled of basin piercement structures that involves vertical transport of gas, water and sediments to the surface. I work on both fossile and active piercement systems to investigate the relationship between fluid source, overpressure, conduit processes and surface deposition.

Seeps and seep carbonate
Piercement structures can be long-lived features with the potential to perturb fluid flow in a sedimentary basin. Commonly, pipe structures contain deposits of petroleum, fluids or minerals near the surface. Seep deposits tell stories about what type of fluids that percolated within the conduit zones and about the timescales. I study active systems in California (Salton Sea), Azerbaijan and in the Norwegian Sea (pockmarks), and fossil systems in South Africa and Russia (Siberia).

Contact metamorphism and processes in contact aureoles
Metamorphism around sill intrusions in sedimentary basins is a relatively fast and short lived process that changes the temperature, fluid flow and pressure regimes in sedimentary basins. The pressure increase in aureoles is sufficient to cause hydrofracturing and pipe-formation. The processes in the aureoles may release light elements like carbon and nitrogen from the sedimentary reservoir to the atmosphere if pipes are formed. At the moment, I work on a project focused at studying the mechanical and geochemical aspects of aureole-formation and the fate of light elements.

Subsurface fires

Study areas:
The Karoo Basin (South Africa)
The Tunguska Basin (Siberia, Russia)
The Vøring Basin (offshore Norway)
Salton Sea (California, USA)