Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage

Rifky Mubarak Wijanarko; John Underhill; Rachel Brackenridge; Laura-Jane Fyfe

doi:10.1144/egc1-2024-16

Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage

Rifky Mubarak Wijanarko^* (Corresponding Author)
, John Underhill
, Rachel Brackenridge
, Laura-Jane Fyfe

^*Corresponding author for this work

BP

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract

The Vale of Pickering (VoP) in North Yorkshire has played host to several small gas discoveries that have come to the end of their production life. Now that the fields have ceased production, there is an opportunity to repurpose them and their infrastructure for the energy transition. Using an extensive, well-constrained seismic dataset, mapping of the VoP has revealed the presence of a NNE–SSW-striking Carboniferous basin precursor, the (newly defined) Slingsby Trough, containing Visean (syn-rift) organic shales that source the gas reservoirs and Namurian sandstones (post-rift) that form secondary reservoirs. Structural inversion of the half graben because of foreland deformation during the Variscan orogeny led to uplift, folding and peneplanation by the Base Permian Unconformity. The area was subsequently overlain by Upper Permian Zechstein Group carbonates and evaporites deposited on the margins of the Anglo-Polish Basin, creating the main reservoir–seal pair and a local petroleum system. Mesozoic faults striking ESE–WNW transected the area and created three-way, fault-bound footwall closures, forming a hydrocarbon ‘sweet-spot’ in the VoP through the coalescence of traps, a reservoir–seal pair and a mature source rock. This study improves our understanding of the various geological conditions that lead to its hydrocarbon prospectivity, explains why interest was shown in its unconventional resource potential, and provides a basis for evaluating the feasibility of re-imagining these fields as viable onshore storage and geothermal sites to aid the decarbonization of NE England.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration
Subtitle of host publication	Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference
Editors	C.E. Gill, G. Goffey, J.R. Underhill
Place of Publication	London
Publisher	Geological Society of London
Volume	1
ISBN (Print)	9781786206329
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1144/egc1-2024-16
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 16 Jun 2025
Event	1st Energy Geoscience Conference - Aberdeen, United Kingdom Duration: 16 May 2023 → 18 May 2023

Publication series

Name	Energy Geoscience Conference Series
Volume	1

Conference

Conference	1st Energy Geoscience Conference
Abbreviated title	EGC 2023
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Aberdeen
Period	16/05/23 → 18/05/23

Bibliographical note

We are grateful to SLB (Petrel) and ESRI (ArcGIS Pro) for providing academic software licences to the University of Aberdeen, which were used in the analysis and visualization of geological and geophysical data. We acknowledge the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (UKOGL) administered under contract by Lynx Information Systems Ltd, for access to the seismic data volumes. We thank Malcolm Butler for his support in providing seismic and well data through UKOGL. IHS Markit, now S&P Global, are thanked for the provision of, and permission to publish, examples from their onshore well database. Valuable technical discussions with Thomas Houghton are gratefully acknowledged. This study builds upon and continues the work undertaken by Laura-Jane Fyfe in Fyfe and Underhill (2023a, b). The British Geological Society is thanked for use of online open-access datasets such as the Geology of Britain viewer, onshore GeoIndex and borehole material database. The authors would also like to thank reviewers Stephen Corfield and Douglas Paton for their insightful comments and feedback which has strengthened the contents of this paper.

Data availability
The data used within this study are from open access sources unless otherwise stated. Open access source material included in this project has been obtained from the British Geological Society and the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (https://ukogl.org.uk). This study contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and also contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2024. Datasets for 12 onshore wells, which are not in the public domain, were purchased from IHS Markit, now S&P Global (https://my.ihs.com/Energy to support this research. This research paper includes content supplied by S&P Global.

Funding

The research was conducted during a PhD study undertaken as part of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Geoscience and the Low Carbon Energy Transition. It is sponsored by The University of Aberdeen via their Development Trust Ithaca Fund whose support is gratefully acknowledged. The interpretations and analyses were undertaken in the Centre of Energy Transition Lab in the School of Geosciences at The University of Aberdeen, the underpinning financial and computer support for which is gratefully acknowledged.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Access to Document

10.1144/egc1-2024-16Licence: CC BY

Cite this

Wijanarko, R. M., Underhill, J., Brackenridge, R., & Fyfe, L.-J. (2026). Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage . In C. E. Gill, G. Goffey, & J. R. Underhill (Eds.), Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration: Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference (Vol. 1). (Energy Geoscience Conference Series; Vol. 1). Geological Society of London. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1144/egc1-2024-16

Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage . / Wijanarko, Rifky Mubarak (Corresponding Author); Underhill, John ; Brackenridge, Rachel et al.
Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration: Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference. ed. / C.E. Gill; G. Goffey; J.R. Underhill. Vol. 1 London: Geological Society of London, 2026. (Energy Geoscience Conference Series; Vol. 1).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Wijanarko, RM, Underhill, J , Brackenridge, R & Fyfe, L-J 2026, Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage . in CE Gill, G Goffey & JR Underhill (eds), Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration: Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference. vol. 1, Energy Geoscience Conference Series, vol. 1, Geological Society of London, London, 1st Energy Geoscience Conference, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, 16/05/23. https://doi.org/10.1144/egc1-2024-16

Wijanarko RM, Underhill J , Brackenridge R, Fyfe LJ. Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage . In Gill CE, Goffey G, Underhill JR, editors, Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration: Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference. Vol. 1. London: Geological Society of London. 2026. (Energy Geoscience Conference Series). Epub 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1144/egc1-2024-16

Wijanarko, Rifky Mubarak ; Underhill, John ; Brackenridge, Rachel et al. / Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire : Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage . Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration: Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference. editor / C.E. Gill ; G. Goffey ; J.R. Underhill. Vol. 1 London : Geological Society of London, 2026. (Energy Geoscience Conference Series).

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title = "Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage ",

abstract = "The Vale of Pickering (VoP) in North Yorkshire has played host to several small gas discoveries that have come to the end of their production life. Now that the fields have ceased production, there is an opportunity to repurpose them and their infrastructure for the energy transition. Using an extensive, well-constrained seismic dataset, mapping of the VoP has revealed the presence of a NNE–SSW-striking Carboniferous basin precursor, the (newly defined) Slingsby Trough, containing Visean (syn-rift) organic shales that source the gas reservoirs and Namurian sandstones (post-rift) that form secondary reservoirs. Structural inversion of the half graben because of foreland deformation during the Variscan orogeny led to uplift, folding and peneplanation by the Base Permian Unconformity. The area was subsequently overlain by Upper Permian Zechstein Group carbonates and evaporites deposited on the margins of the Anglo-Polish Basin, creating the main reservoir–seal pair and a local petroleum system. Mesozoic faults striking ESE–WNW transected the area and created three-way, fault-bound footwall closures, forming a hydrocarbon {\textquoteleft}sweet-spot{\textquoteright} in the VoP through the coalescence of traps, a reservoir–seal pair and a mature source rock. This study improves our understanding of the various geological conditions that lead to its hydrocarbon prospectivity, explains why interest was shown in its unconventional resource potential, and provides a basis for evaluating the feasibility of re-imagining these fields as viable onshore storage and geothermal sites to aid the decarbonization of NE England.",

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note = "We are grateful to SLB (Petrel) and ESRI (ArcGIS Pro) for providing academic software licences to the University of Aberdeen, which were used in the analysis and visualization of geological and geophysical data. We acknowledge the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (UKOGL) administered under contract by Lynx Information Systems Ltd, for access to the seismic data volumes. We thank Malcolm Butler for his support in providing seismic and well data through UKOGL. IHS Markit, now S\&P Global, are thanked for the provision of, and permission to publish, examples from their onshore well database. Valuable technical discussions with Thomas Houghton are gratefully acknowledged. This study builds upon and continues the work undertaken by Laura-Jane Fyfe in Fyfe and Underhill (2023a, b). The British Geological Society is thanked for use of online open-access datasets such as the Geology of Britain viewer, onshore GeoIndex and borehole material database. The authors would also like to thank reviewers Stephen Corfield and Douglas Paton for their insightful comments and feedback which has strengthened the contents of this paper. Data availability The data used within this study are from open access sources unless otherwise stated. Open access source material included in this project has been obtained from the British Geological Society and the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (https://ukogl.org.uk). This study contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and also contains British Geological Survey materials {\textcopyright} UKRI 2024. Datasets for 12 onshore wells, which are not in the public domain, were purchased from IHS Markit, now S\&P Global (https://my.ihs.com/Energy to support this research. This research paper includes content supplied by S\&P Global.; 1st Energy Geoscience Conference, EGC 2023 ; Conference date: 16-05-2023 Through 18-05-2023",

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N1 - We are grateful to SLB (Petrel) and ESRI (ArcGIS Pro) for providing academic software licences to the University of Aberdeen, which were used in the analysis and visualization of geological and geophysical data. We acknowledge the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (UKOGL) administered under contract by Lynx Information Systems Ltd, for access to the seismic data volumes. We thank Malcolm Butler for his support in providing seismic and well data through UKOGL. IHS Markit, now S&P Global, are thanked for the provision of, and permission to publish, examples from their onshore well database. Valuable technical discussions with Thomas Houghton are gratefully acknowledged. This study builds upon and continues the work undertaken by Laura-Jane Fyfe in Fyfe and Underhill (2023a, b). The British Geological Society is thanked for use of online open-access datasets such as the Geology of Britain viewer, onshore GeoIndex and borehole material database. The authors would also like to thank reviewers Stephen Corfield and Douglas Paton for their insightful comments and feedback which has strengthened the contents of this paper. Data availability The data used within this study are from open access sources unless otherwise stated. Open access source material included in this project has been obtained from the British Geological Society and the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (https://ukogl.org.uk). This study contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and also contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2024. Datasets for 12 onshore wells, which are not in the public domain, were purchased from IHS Markit, now S&P Global (https://my.ihs.com/Energy to support this research. This research paper includes content supplied by S&P Global.

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N2 - The Vale of Pickering (VoP) in North Yorkshire has played host to several small gas discoveries that have come to the end of their production life. Now that the fields have ceased production, there is an opportunity to repurpose them and their infrastructure for the energy transition. Using an extensive, well-constrained seismic dataset, mapping of the VoP has revealed the presence of a NNE–SSW-striking Carboniferous basin precursor, the (newly defined) Slingsby Trough, containing Visean (syn-rift) organic shales that source the gas reservoirs and Namurian sandstones (post-rift) that form secondary reservoirs. Structural inversion of the half graben because of foreland deformation during the Variscan orogeny led to uplift, folding and peneplanation by the Base Permian Unconformity. The area was subsequently overlain by Upper Permian Zechstein Group carbonates and evaporites deposited on the margins of the Anglo-Polish Basin, creating the main reservoir–seal pair and a local petroleum system. Mesozoic faults striking ESE–WNW transected the area and created three-way, fault-bound footwall closures, forming a hydrocarbon ‘sweet-spot’ in the VoP through the coalescence of traps, a reservoir–seal pair and a mature source rock. This study improves our understanding of the various geological conditions that lead to its hydrocarbon prospectivity, explains why interest was shown in its unconventional resource potential, and provides a basis for evaluating the feasibility of re-imagining these fields as viable onshore storage and geothermal sites to aid the decarbonization of NE England.

AB - The Vale of Pickering (VoP) in North Yorkshire has played host to several small gas discoveries that have come to the end of their production life. Now that the fields have ceased production, there is an opportunity to repurpose them and their infrastructure for the energy transition. Using an extensive, well-constrained seismic dataset, mapping of the VoP has revealed the presence of a NNE–SSW-striking Carboniferous basin precursor, the (newly defined) Slingsby Trough, containing Visean (syn-rift) organic shales that source the gas reservoirs and Namurian sandstones (post-rift) that form secondary reservoirs. Structural inversion of the half graben because of foreland deformation during the Variscan orogeny led to uplift, folding and peneplanation by the Base Permian Unconformity. The area was subsequently overlain by Upper Permian Zechstein Group carbonates and evaporites deposited on the margins of the Anglo-Polish Basin, creating the main reservoir–seal pair and a local petroleum system. Mesozoic faults striking ESE–WNW transected the area and created three-way, fault-bound footwall closures, forming a hydrocarbon ‘sweet-spot’ in the VoP through the coalescence of traps, a reservoir–seal pair and a mature source rock. This study improves our understanding of the various geological conditions that lead to its hydrocarbon prospectivity, explains why interest was shown in its unconventional resource potential, and provides a basis for evaluating the feasibility of re-imagining these fields as viable onshore storage and geothermal sites to aid the decarbonization of NE England.

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DO - 10.1144/egc1-2024-16

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ER -

Basin Transection in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire: Implications for Energy Resources and Geological Storage

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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Cite this