Scientific support in overburden drilling campaign to implement groundwater-monitoring wells

In the Ruhr region, the coal-bearing layers of the Upper Carboniferous are overlain by an overburden of Upper Cretaceous rocks. The layers of the Emscher Formation - also known as the Emscher Marl - play a special role here, as they act as a groundwater non-conductor and form a natural hydraulic barrier to the underlying, brine-bearing carbonate rocks of the Upper Cretaceous and the mine water.

Since 2018, RAG AG has been expanding the existing groundwater monitoring network by adding new locations as part of the integral monitoring of mine water rise in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The goal is to determine the hydraulic pressure potential in the overburden at these sites.
In the research project, scientists from the FZN are linking the petrophysical properties of rock layers, such as permeability and porosity, and fluid properties like the transmissivity coefficient with lithological-sediment petrographic and geophysical data. One subproject focuses on the quantitative determination of clay content within the Emscher Formation, while another subproject determines permeability and transmissivity coefficients.

The goal is to explore and assess hydraulic conductivity of gases and fluids within the entire Emscher Formation and adjacent strata.

The project is supported by RAG AG since 2021.