Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 14 Mar 2025 |
| Event | EGU General Assembly 2025 - Vienna International Centre (VIC) und Online, Wien, Austria Duration: 27 Apr 2025 → 2 May 2025 https://www.egu25.eu/ |
Conference
| Conference | EGU General Assembly 2025 |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | EGU2025 |
| Country/Territory | Austria |
| City | Wien |
| Period | 27 Apr 2025 → 2 May 2025 |
| Internet address |
Abstract
Keywords
- hydrostraigraphic modelling, subsurface modelling, 3D geology
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2025. Abstract from EGU General Assembly 2025, Wien, Austria.
Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › Research › peer review
}
TY - CONF
T1 - Construction of hydrostratigraphic subsurface models of the Northwest German Basin
T2 - EGU General Assembly 2025
AU - Fälber, Runa
AU - Jungdal-Olesen, Gustav
AU - Pedersen, Vivi Kathrine
AU - Damsgaard, Anders
AU - Piotrowski, Jan
AU - Brandes, Christian
AU - Winsemann, Jutta
PY - 2025/3/14
Y1 - 2025/3/14
N2 - Large volumes of glacial meltwater drain along the interface between the ice sheet and its bed, thereby influencing glacier dynamics. It is known from the geological record and modern glacial systems that channelized subglacial meltwater discharge generates high erosion rates, leading to the formation of overdeepenings and tunnel valleys, some over 500 m deep. It is therefore essential to constrain the depth of potential subglacial erosion under future ice sheets when searching for locations of high-level radioactive waste repository sites. The aim of this project is to quantify the meltwater-driven erosion under the past ice sheets in northern Germany and evaluate the erosion potential during future glaciations. To achieve this goal, we develop a next-generation dynamic numerical model simulating subglacial meltwater erosion on soft beds. In the first step, we built subsurface reservoir models at different scales and resolutions to examine the impact of model resolution on the subsequent erosion modelling. The 3D subsurface model approximately covers the area of the Northwest German Basin (40,000 km²), has a depth of 2000 m, and comprises lithostratigraphical units from the Permian Zechstein to the Pleistocene. The basin fill has a complex structure due to salt tectonics, and the main challenge was to generalize the complex lateral and vertical lithofacies/hydrofacies relationships. Two large-scale, low-resolution subsurface reservoir models were constructed. The first model does not include Quaternary deposits. This model was created to simulate the formation of Middle Pleistocene tunnel valleys and compare/validate the results with the Pleistocene record of the Northwest German Basin. The second large-scale subsurface model includes the Quaternary deposits and will be used to simulate subglacial erosion during future glaciations. A smaller high-resolution subsurface model, covering an area of about 2000 km², will then be used to test the effects of model size and model resolution on the simulation of subglacial erosion.
AB - Large volumes of glacial meltwater drain along the interface between the ice sheet and its bed, thereby influencing glacier dynamics. It is known from the geological record and modern glacial systems that channelized subglacial meltwater discharge generates high erosion rates, leading to the formation of overdeepenings and tunnel valleys, some over 500 m deep. It is therefore essential to constrain the depth of potential subglacial erosion under future ice sheets when searching for locations of high-level radioactive waste repository sites. The aim of this project is to quantify the meltwater-driven erosion under the past ice sheets in northern Germany and evaluate the erosion potential during future glaciations. To achieve this goal, we develop a next-generation dynamic numerical model simulating subglacial meltwater erosion on soft beds. In the first step, we built subsurface reservoir models at different scales and resolutions to examine the impact of model resolution on the subsequent erosion modelling. The 3D subsurface model approximately covers the area of the Northwest German Basin (40,000 km²), has a depth of 2000 m, and comprises lithostratigraphical units from the Permian Zechstein to the Pleistocene. The basin fill has a complex structure due to salt tectonics, and the main challenge was to generalize the complex lateral and vertical lithofacies/hydrofacies relationships. Two large-scale, low-resolution subsurface reservoir models were constructed. The first model does not include Quaternary deposits. This model was created to simulate the formation of Middle Pleistocene tunnel valleys and compare/validate the results with the Pleistocene record of the Northwest German Basin. The second large-scale subsurface model includes the Quaternary deposits and will be used to simulate subglacial erosion during future glaciations. A smaller high-resolution subsurface model, covering an area of about 2000 km², will then be used to test the effects of model size and model resolution on the simulation of subglacial erosion.
KW - hydrostraigraphic modelling
KW - subsurface modelling
KW - 3D geology
U2 - 10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1788
DO - 10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1788
M3 - Abstract
Y2 - 27 April 2025 through 2 May 2025
ER -