Grups de recerca de la UB

The Sedimentary Geology Research Group (Consolidated Group by the Generalitat de Catalunya) aims to reconstruct the spatial and temporal evolution of sedimentary basins, integrating studies on sedimentary evolution, sedimentary processes, diagenesis, petrology, petrophysics, paleobiology and biostratigraphy. In addition to fundamental research, the results by this group have applications for the hydrocarbon and mining industries, as well as for other fields like civil engineering, water resources, geothermal energy and paleoclimate research.

WHAT WE DO

Services

CONSULTANCY SERVICES & ANALYTICAL FACILITIES:

• Petrological, petrophysical, geochemical and sedimentological studies of carbonate, clastic and evaporite rocks, hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoirs, and ornamental and building rocks.
• Characterization of complex reservoirs and geological modelling.
• Aqueous and petroleum fluid inclusion microthermometry and cathodoluminiscence.
• Biostratigraphic attribution of marine and non-marine Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks, based on benthic foraminifera and charophytes.

FIELD SEMINARS:

• Fractured carbonate reservoir analogues. Normal faulting and their related deformation and diagenetic processes: karstification, dolomitization and brecciation. Leaders: V. Baqués & A. Travé.
• The Aptian carbonate platforms of the Maestrat Basin: sequence stratigraphy, geometries, architecture, facies heterogeneities and relative sea-level drops. Leaders: T. Bover-Arnal & R. Salas.
• Tertiary-Mesozoic unconformity, paleokarst and fluid circulation in the Penedès basin. Leaders: V. Baqués & A. Travé.
• Paleobotany of the Carboniferous-Permian, Upper Cretaceous, Paleogene and Neogene of Catalonia. Leader: C. Martín-Closas.
• Biostratigraphy of Cretaceous and Paleogene charophytes. Leader: C. Martín-Closas.
• Fault-controlled dolostones of the Maestrat Basin: depositional, diagenetic and structural controls on replacement processes. Leaders: J.D. Martín-Martín & E. Gomez-Rivas.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD COURSES)

• Fractured carbonate reservoir analogues.
• Architecture, facies distributions, sequence stratigraphy and sea-level fluctuations in Mesozoic carbonate platforms.
• Paleokarsts and fluid flow.
• Depositional and structural controls on dolomitization.

FOR WHOM WE WORK

Industrial sectors

Chemistry, Energy and Resources

Clients

• REPSOL
• CEPSA
• EXXONMOBIL GLOBAL SERVICES COMPANY
• NORTH OIL COMPANY (NOC)
• Comisión Minera Boliviana (COMIBOL)
• Direcció General d’Energia, Mines i Seguretat Industrial (Generalitat de Catalunya)
• Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya
• Atalaya Riotinto Minera, S.L.U.
• Centre d’Etudes de Physique Theorique et Nucleaire
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS

RESEARCH

Research lines

• Evolution of sedimentary basins
• Sedimentary models
• Petrology of carbonates, clastics & evaporites
• Continental and marine paleontology
• Geofluids and petrophysics

Research projects

• Mémoire de la fracturation dans la transition rift – orogène :  évolution des systèmes de circulation de paléofluides, calage spatial et temporal. P.I. Anna Travé & Irene Cantarero. 2020-2022.
• Évolution des systèmes de circulation de paléofluides, calage spatial et temporal. P.I. Anna Travé & Irene Cantarero. 2021-2023
• Development of predictive models for Digital Petrophysics and Digital Petrography properties in cuttings samples. P. I. Telm Bover-Arnal & Juan Diego Martín-Martín. 2020-2021.
• Development of algorithms and applications for the calculation and prediction of properties (porosity and permeability) using Digital Petrophysics in images obtained from reservoir samples. P. I. Telm Bover-Arnal & Juan Diego Martín-Martín. 2021-2022.
• Unravelling fluid flow during the evolution of inverted basins and orogenic belts: application to CO₂ P. I. Anna Travé & Juan Diego Martín-Martín. 2018-2021.
• Study of the petrophysical properties of Empordà carbonate formations for the evaluation of their geothermal energy potential. P. I. Enrique Gómez Rivas & Anna Travé. 2019.
• Evaporitic restriction in the Internal Betic Basins and its relation with the Messinian Salinity Crisis. P. I. Lluís Gibert. 2017-2019.
• Iberia during Cretaceous and Paleogene: paleoisland and biogeographic bridge. Case studies in larger foraminifera and charophytes. P. I. Carles Martín-Closas & Telm Bover-Arnal. 2022-2026.
• Understanding the interplay between dynamic fluid flow and structural diagenesis during the evolution of fold and thrust belts, using the Southern Pyrenees as a natural laboratory. P I. Enrique Gomez-Rivas. 2018-2019.
• GEOSEDIM GRC – Grup de Recerca Consolidat Geologia Sedimentària. P. I. Anna Travé. 2017-2021.