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Deep-sea sediments off the Al Wajh Carbonate Platform, Red Sea - Sample preparation and analysis

Project

Project Details

Program
Energy Resources and Petroleum Engineering
Field of Study
Marine Sedimentology, Micro-palaeontology, Carbonate Geology
Division
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Faculty Lab Link
https://caress.kaust.edu.sa/Pages/Home.aspx
Center Affiliation
Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center

Project Description

Professor Volker Vahrenkamp’s research team is currently recruiting for an up to 6-month internship joining the Carbonate Reservoirs Studies Group (CaResS Geology) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Project description: The Red Sea records climatic and associated sea-level and hydrological changes throughout the Quaternary. Extreme fluxes of windblown dust reflect high winds and extreme aridity in the region associated with glacial phases, meanwhile, geochemical data demonstrate enhanced humidity associated with interglacial phases and sea-level highstands. In the northern Red Sea, these environmental changes have influenced the development of steep-sloped shallow-water carbonate platforms and fringing reefs. Al Wajh is a land-attached carbonate platform in the northern Red Sea; it is almost completely rimmed by a reef shoal belt and characterised by a large and deep lagoon. Along the Red Sea basin, the deep-sea sediments are mainly controlled by the pelagic sedimentation and a background aeolian and sporadic fluvial input. While the deep-sea sediments from the southern and central regions near the axial trough and the African margin have been the most studied, the climate-driven deep-sea sedimentation basin off the Al Wajh carbonate in the northern region remains unclear.

About the Researcher

Volker Vahrenkamp
Professor, Energy Resources and Petroleum Engineering
Physical Science and Engineering Division

Affiliations

Education Profile

  • Ph.D. Marine Geology, RSMAS a- U. Miami, Miami, FL, USA
  • MSc Geology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
  • Vordiplom, Ludwigs UniversitA¤t, Freiburg, Germany

Research Interests

a€‹Professor Vahrenkamp's research aims at securing future energy supply with three main thrusts: Refine the understanding of modern and ancient carbonate depositional environments and associated diagenesis for improved perception of reservoir heterogeneities on multiple scales, Advance the quantification of the complex pore networks of Arabian carbonate reservoirs and its impact on reservoir performance, Explore and develop geothermal energy in Arabian countries with special focus on desalination and cooling applications and suitable drilling techniques.

Selected Publications

  • Late Jurassic to Cretaceous source rock prone intra-shelf basins of the eastern Arabian plate a- interplay between t... Vahrenkamp, V.C., P. Van Laer, B.J. Franco, M. A. Celentano, Carine Grelaud and P. Razin. SPE-IPTC-18470 , (2015)
  • Micro rhombic calcite of a giant Barremian reservoir onshore Abu Dhabi - Clumped isotope analyses fix temperature, ... Vahrenkamp, V.C, J. Barata; P.J. Van Laer, P. Swart, S. Murray. SPE ADIPEC-172033 , (2014)
  • Carbon-isotope signatures of Albian to Cenomanian (Cretaceous) shelf carbonates of the Natih Formation, Sultanate o... Vahrenkamp, V.C. GeoArabia, v. 18, no. 3, 65-82, (2013)
  • Validation of fundamental carbonate reservoir core properties using Digital Rock Physics Lopez, O., A. Mock, P. A˜ren, H. Long, Z. Kalam, V. Vahrenkamp, M. Gibrata, S. Seraj, S. Ch. International Symposium of the Society of Core Analysts, SCA2012-19, 12 pages , (2012)
  • Chemo stratigraphy of the Early Cretaceous Shu'aiba Formation. Vahrenkamp, V.C. GeoArabia Special Publication 4, V. 1, 107 137, (2010)

Desired Project Deliverables

The internship will focus on Pleistocene–Holocene marine microfossil analysis for further geochemical measurements and palaeoenvironmental applications. The project includes preparing sediment samples for the recovery of calcareous microfossils and isolation of the terrigenous sediment fraction, the collection and identification of foraminifera and planktic gastropods (pteropods) as well as characterizing samples geochemically. Also included are researching the taxonomy of Red Sea foraminifera and pteropods to identify the species that are targets for geochemical analyses. Fields of study: sedimentology, micropalaeontology, geosciences.

Recommended Student Background

undergraduate/master student of geology/biology/geosciences
experience in microfossil recovery
desirable knowledge of foraminifera identification
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3-6 months
Internship period
100+
Research Projects
3.5/4
Cumulative GPA
310
Interns a Year