Researchers have uncovered hundreds of massive sand formations buried beneath the North Sea that seem to challenge basic geological rules and could significantly impact energy and carbon storage efforts.
Utilizing cutting-edge 3D seismic (sound wave) technology alongside data and rock specimens from hundreds of drilling sites, scientists identified enormous sand mounds – some stretching several kilometers across – that appear to have descended downward, pushing aside older, less dense and softer materials below them.
This creates stratigraphic inversion – a complete flip of typical geological sequencing where newer rocks are normally laid down above older formations on an unprecedented scale. The research was done by researchers from The University of Manchester, working with industry partners.
Although stratigraphic inversion has been witnessed previously on smaller scales, the formations uncovered by the Manchester research team – now dubbed “sinkites” – represent the largest documented example of this phenomenon to date.
The discovery, published in Communications Earth & Environment journal, upends scientists’ comprehension of underground structures and may have major consequences for carbon storage initiatives.
Lead researcher Professor Mads Huuse from The University of Manchester explained: “This discovery reveals a geological process we haven’t seen before on this scale. What we’ve found are structures where dense sand has sunk into lighter sediments that floated to the top of the sand, effectively flipping the conventional layers we’d expect to see and creating huge mounds beneath th The sea.”
These sinkites are believed to have formed millions of years ago during the Late Miocene to Pliocene periods. Earthquakes or sudden shifts in underground pressure may have caused the sand to liquefy and sink downward through natural fractures in the seabed.
This displaced the underlying, more porous but rigid, ooze rafts – composed largely of microscopic marine fossils – bound by shrinkage cracks, sending them floating upwards. The researchers have named these lighter, uplifted features ‘floatites.”
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This discovery could aid scientists in better predicting where oil and gas might be trapped and where it’s safe to store carbon dioxide underground.
Prof Huuse stated: “This research shows how fluids and sediments can move around in the Earth’s crust in unexpected ways. Understanding how these sinkites formed could significantly change how we assess underground reservoirs, sealing, and fluid migration – all of which are vital for carbon capture and storage”.
The team is now diligently documenting other examples of this process and assessing how exactly it impacts our understanding of subsurface reservoirs and sealing intervals.
Prof Huuse added: “As with many scientific discoveries there are many skeptical voices, but also many who voice their support for the new model. Time and yet more research will tell just how widely applicable the model is.”