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The shale gas potential of Tournaisian, Visean, and Namurian black shales in North Germany: baseline parameters in a geological context

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Abstract

Carboniferous black mudrocks with known petroleum potential occur throughout Northern Germany. However, despite numerous boreholes exploring for conventional hydrocarbons, the potential for shale gas resources remains uncertain. Therefore, an integrated investigation was conducted to elucidate the shale gas potential for three different Carboniferous facies incorporating baseline parameters from sedimentological and organic-geochemical analyses. Tournaisian–Namurian fine-grained rocks of the Culm-facies, with Type II + III kerogen were deposited in the basin center. TOC contents of up to 7 % occur in the Lower Alum Shale (3.6 % VRr) and up to 6 % in the Upper Alum Shale (4.4 % VRr). Bands of organic-rich black shales, reflecting sea-level variations controlled by global eustatic cycles, occur within the Tournaisian–Visean “Kohlenkalk”-facies north of the Rhenish Slate Mountains and in the Rügen island area. In both areas the organic matter is characterized by a kerogen Type II + III with TOC contents of up to 7 % and maturities of up to 4.2 and 1.8 % VRr, respectively. Black hemipelagites intercalated with coarser-grained silt- and sandstones occur in the Synorogenic Flysch Formation of the Namurian A along the southern basin margin. TOC contents vary from 0.5 to 2.0 % with Type III kerogen dominated organic matter and maturities of up to 2.5 % VRr. The baseline parameters presented in this paper indicate a shale gas potential for the sediments of the Culm-facies on the southern basin margin and of the “Kohlenkalk”-facies in the Rügen area.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted in the GeoEn-Project (www.geoen.de) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under Grant 03G0671A/B/C. Gratitude is expressed to the German Federal Geological Surveys of Brandenburg (LBGR), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (LUNG), Sachsen-Anhalt (LABG), and Nordrhein-Westfalen (GD-NRW) as well as TNO for the provision of sample material. Special acknowledgements are stretched to Henk Kombrink and all reviewers, who helped improving this manuscript with their elaborate and constructive criticism.

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  1. Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, CeGIT Centre for GeoInformation Technologies, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Dorit I. Kerschke

  2. Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section 4.3 Organic Geochemistry, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Hans-Martin Schulz

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Kerschke, D.I., Schulz, HM. The shale gas potential of Tournaisian, Visean, and Namurian black shales in North Germany: baseline parameters in a geological context. Environ Earth Sci 70, 3817–3837 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2745-9

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