PhD: Degassing of a CO2 system: U-Series constraints
on the evolution of the Green River (Utah) natural analogue for geological carbon storage

Supervisors: Professor Mike Bickle, Dr A. Galy, Dept. Earth Sciences, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK.
Dr D Condon, NIGL, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG

Position The Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey, seek applicants for a 3 year PhD position in the geochemistry of geological CO2 storage. The studentship is fully funded under the BGS University Funding Initiative. Candidates with a strong academic record in earth sciences, or related fields, and a background in geochemistry are encouraged to apply. Applications will be evaluated immediately and considered until the position is filled. Further information about the position is available at http://www.esc.cam.ac.uk/Admissions/postgraduate-admissions

Synopsis Geological storage of carbon dioxide emissions is seen as a practical and economic method for society to manage its transition to a low-carbon economy. Demonstrating the long-term security of geological storage is required to ensure uptake of this key technology. Observations from natural carbon dioxide accumulations provide the only direct constraints on reservoir behaviour over the ~10,000 year storage period and this project will study a leaking natural carbon dioxide system at Green River, Utah, where CO2 has been leaking for over 100,000 years. The research objective is to use this leaking CO2 system to understand the mechanisms by which CO2 might leak from an engineered storage site.

Training The project will determine a high resolution chronology of the CO2-degassing history of the reservoir using U-Th dating of carbonate precipitates within the CO2-degassing faults and from core recovered from recent scientific drilling of the CO2 reservoir. The student will undertake field mapping of the carbonate deposits and carry out geochemical and isotopic measurements in Cambridge. This will make use of element and isotope ratios (13C/12C, 18O/16O, 87Sr/86Sr) measured on the mineral precipitates to examine paleo-groundwater geochemistry and CO2-degassing mechanisms. U-series analyses, carried out at the NERC Isotope Geochronology laboratories, will provide a high resolution chronology. This may be combined with modelling of fault hosted fluid flow to investigate hydrological, geomechanical and geochemical processes that govern the long-term hydraulic behaviour of the CO2-degassing faults. The work builds on prior dating studies of the site and research being carried by the NERC-funded CRIUS consortium (Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester and BGS). The student will benefit from interaction with a group of researchers at Cambridge and the BGS who are researching a wide range of aspects of geological carbon storage.

How to apply? Please email a complete CV, your statement of interest, and names and email addresses of two potential academic referees to M. J. Bickle at mb72@esc.cam.ac.uk.

Bickle, M. J., 2009, Geological carbon storage: Nature Geoscience, v. 2, no. 12, p. 815-818. Burnside, N., Shipton, Z., Dockrill, B., Ellam, R.M., 2013. Man-made versus natural CO2 leakage: A 400 k.y. history of an analogue for engineered geological storage of CO2. Geology. v. 41, no. 4, p. 471-474
Kampman, N., Burnside, N. M., Shipton, Z. K., Chapman, H. J., Nicholl, J. A., Ellam, R. M., and Bickle, M. J., 2012, Pulses of carbon dioxide emissions from intracrustal faults following climatic warming: Nature Geoscience, v. 5, p. 352-358.