JOURNAL: Structural controls on pressure communication across the Bunter Sandstone Formation, UK Southern North Sea
Summary
Authors:
L. E. Abel
J. D. O. Williams
K. A. Wright
T. A. Randles
P. Bridger
H. A. Morris
T. J. H. Dodd
G. E. Plenderleith
J. C. White
British Geological Survey
Structural controls on pressure communication across the Bunter Sandstone Formation, UK Southern North Sea
Geoenergy
December 2025
This paper looks at how large-scale CO2 storage in underground saltwater rock layers, like the Bunter Sandstone Formation beneath the UK Southern North Sea, can create pressure changes that spread far beyond the injection site. Using seismic survey data, researchers mapped major faults and underground salt walls to work out where these features act as barriers, dividing the rock layer into separate compartments, versus where pressure can travel more freely between them. The results, backed up by real pressure measurements, help identify which storage projects might affect one another, supporting safer planning and coordination as multiple CO2 storage sites are developed across the region.