Petroleum geological investigations in East Greenland: project ‘Resources of the sedimentary basins of North and East Greenland’

Abstract

The multidisciplinary research project ‘Resources of the sedimentary basins of North and East Greenland’ was initiated in 1995 with financial support from the Danish Research Councils (Stemmerik et al., 1996). In 1996, the hydrocarbon-related studies focused on the sedimentary basins in East Greenland between latitudes 71°N and 74°N (Fig. 1) where nine field teams worked for six weeks in July and August supported by a Hughes 500 helicopter. Within the framework of the project, additional hydrocarbon-related field studies were undertaken in 1996 in western North Greenland, and ore-geological studies were carried out in much of North Greenland (Kragh et al., 1997; Stemmerik et al., 1997). The 1996 field work in East Greenland concentrated on integrated structural, sedimentological and biostratigraphical studies of the Upper Permian and Mesozoic successions. Two Ph.D. projects focused on the sedimentology of the Lower Triassic Wordie Creek Formation and the diagenesis of the Middle and Upper Jurassic succession. Post-doctorate studies were carried out on the Mesozoic–Tertiary structural development of the basin and the mineralisation of the Upper Permian Ravnefjeld Formation. Three student projects on Lower Triassic and Middle Jurassic ammonite stratigraphy, Upper Permian sedimentology, and fault-associated mineralisation were also included in the work. The most important new results arising from the 1996 field work are: 1) Re-interpretation of the Upper Permian Schuchert Dal Formation as a lowstand turbidite unit within the Ravnefjeld Formation; 2) Recognition of Middle Jurassic deposits and thick lowermost Cretaceous sandstones on Hold with Hope; 3) Interpretation of a full spectrum of scarp-derived coarse-clastic mass movement deposits interbedded with Cretaceous shales on eastern Traill Ø; 4) The presence of a thick sand-rich Cretaceous turbidite succession on eastern Traill Ø; 5) Re-interpretation of the Mesozoic–Cenozoic fault systems on Traill Ø and Geographical Society Ø.