Supervisors: Dr Sarah Davies (University of Leicester - UoL), Dr Mike Stephenson (British Geological Survey - BGS), Professor Melanie Leng (NERC Isotopes Geoscience Laboratory), Dr L. Angiolini (Università degli Studi di Milano), Dr Sarah Gabbott (UoL), J.H.S. Macquaker (Memorial University, Newfoundland), Dr C. Vane (BGS), Dr. D Millward (BGS) and Dr I. Kane (University of Leeds)

Funded Studentship (BGS University Funding Initiative with the University of Leicester)

Project summary:
      This PhD is an excellent opportunity to undertake a truly multidisciplinary project combining palynology, sedimentology and stable isotope analysis to test the hypothesis that the distribution, type and concentration of organic matter in mudstones relates to changes in biological productivity and palaeoenvironment and thus to larger climatic and carbon cycle events. Fissile mudstones (‘shales’) contain gas, as well as being hydrocarbon seals, and can yield three to four times as much gas as conventional reservoirs. Exploiting shale gas is a significant challenge because the distribution and character of mudstones are not so well known as conventional gas reservoirs. In particular the primary ecological and depositional controls on types of organic carbon and total amounts of organic carbon (TOC) have not been assessed but are important because they control how much gas can be generated and the quality of gas.
      Thick Carboniferous mudstones in northern England and Scotland are within the gas window. Namurian, apparently monotonous fissile mudstones typically contain TOC values of between 1 and 7% (Davies 2008). The organic material occurs within sediments as particles less than 500 microns in diameter (Stephenson et al. 2008). It is from two sources: terrestrial plants and phytoplanktonic and other algae. The terrestrial material is washed in by fluvial runoff and occurs in both continental and marine deposits. The phytoplanktonic and other algae appear only to be associated with marine rocks. Stephenson et al. (2008) and current research by Davies show that complex palaeoecological and sedimentological processes, combined wiith cyclical sea level variations, contributed to the type and distribution of organic matter preserved within the mudstones. 
      A multidisciplinary approach will generate integrated high-resolution models that will be used to determine the temporal and spatial processes that lead to organic carbon enrichment in specific environments.
     
Key project objectives and training elements:
The project will investigate the biological influence on the quality of mudstones as a source and reservoir of shale gas in Namurian mudstones. Specifically the objectives will be to: (1) describe the variability of biological input to shales through sedimentological field logging, optical imaging of thin sections, macropalaeontological, palynological and isotopic methods; (2) interpret variability in terms of changing local palaeoenvironments, focussing particularly on identification of cryptic marine and non marine horizons in mudstones; (3) link palaeoenvironments to larger scale climate change and carbon cycle events; (4) investigate types of organic matter in relation to the palaeoenvironment and their potential for gas generation; and finally (5) develop a predictive model relating biological input to shale gas prospectivity. You will receive training in field and laboratory techniques in sedimentology, palynology and palaeontology; sequence stratigraphic analysis; optical and electron microscopy and stable isotope analysis.

Suggested reading:
Davies, S.J., 2008, The record of Carboniferous sea-level change in low-latitude sedimentary successions from Britain and Ireland during the onset of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age..In Resolving the Late Paleozoic Ice Age in time and space, (eds), Fielding, C.R., Frank, T.D. & Isbell, J., GSA Special Paper 441, 187-204.
Stephenson M.H., Millward, D., Leng, M.J. and Vane, C.H., 2008, Palaeoecological and possible evolutionary effects of early Namurian (Serpukhovian, Carboniferous) glacioeustatic cyclicity. Journal of the Geological Society of London, 165, 993-1005.

About the primary supervisors:
Dr. Sarah Davies is a clastic sedimentologist and sequence stratigrapher with key interests in fine-grained sediments. Dr. Mike Stephenson is a palynologist with key interests in understanding controls on the Late Palaeozoic climate change. 

To apply: All candidates should apply to the Postgraduate Admissions Office using the Postgraduate Application Form available at http://www.le.ac.uk/graduateoffice/application_form.pdf. together with a covering letter, two completed references and a CV.  Enquiries to supervisor Dr Sarah Davies email, sjd27@le.ac.uk.   Closing date is 31st July 2009.