Below is the list of Geological Mapping related funded projects as part of the GSI Short Calls.
Lead Applicant: Dr Mike Long, Host: University College Dublin
Project Title: 3D geological map of the pre-glacial trench central Dublin
Project Description: The project team of UCD, ARUP and TII will develop a 3D understanding of the engineering properties of granular deposits in Central Dublin pre-glacial trench. Main input will be data from the GSI database and that for Metro North. Software, developed by ARUP, will be used for the 3D models. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Max Kozachenko, Host: Geocoast
Project Title: GEOCOAST guide to the Wild Atlantic Way (A guide to coastal geology and landscapes of the Wild Atlantic Way)
Project Description: This project will produce a hard copy pocket guide to coastal geology and landscapes of the Wild Atlantic Way. It will include maps showing locations of places of interest, photographs and informative text treating coastal landscapes from a perspective of bedrock and Quaternary geology and environmental processes that shaped them. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Shane Tyrrell, Host: NUI, Galway
Project Title: Linking sedimentary architecture and sediment sources in the NW Carboniferous Basin
Project Description: This project aims to utilise new provenance techniques to constrain sand supply to the Northwest Carboniferous Basin during the Carboniferous, answering questions about its evolution and palaeogeographic development. This will have potentially economically significant implications for predicting the distribution of discrete packages within the 3D architecture of the basinal system. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Mark Cooper, Host: Geological Survey of Northern Ireland
Project Title: An All-Ireland Quaternary map
Project Description: This project aims to produce an All-Ireland Quaternary map at 1:500,000 scale using data from the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the BRITICE project. These will be available as a seamless digital data set composed of 17 sediment types and 4 geomorphological features. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Kirstin Lemon, Host: Geological Survey of Northern Ireland
Project Title: All-Ireland karst features dataset
Project Description: This project will extend the GSI Karst Features dataset north to produce an all-Ireland dataset so that the full extent of Irish karst can be properly visualised and appreciated. It will assess the viability of spatial dataset interpretation to identify karst features combined with ground truthing verification across two sites. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Eoghan Holohan, Host: University College Dublin
Project Title: 4D Quantification of Salt-related Sinkhole Development and Migration
Project Description: The development of sinkholes ('dolines') is a global geo-hazard. These 1-500 m diameter depressions commonly form by slow or sudden subsidence of rock or soil into underground cavities or fissures, and are linked with groundwater-induced dissolution of limestone, gypsum or rock-salt. In Ireland, several thousand sinkholes exist in limestone areas, but take many millennia to develop. In the Dead Sea region, several thousand sinkholes have developed in rock-salt in the last 35 years, due to an anthropogenically-forced decline of the sea-level. The Dead Sea region is thus the world's foremost 'natural laboratory' for understanding the development of sinkhole populations. The proposed research comprises the first comprehensive spatio-temporal investigation of the many hundreds of sinkholes of the eastern Dead Sea. An MSc student will be trained to quantify the spatio-temporal, morphological and volumetric development of sinkholes there by analyzing high-resolution satellite and aerial images and by generating detailed three-dimensional images of the sinkhole area. This will yield new insights into bulk dissolution rates and related kinetics. The student will also undertake analytical hydrogeological modelling of links between sea-level decline and lateral migration of sinkhole development. Strategic project goals include the enhancement of Irish human capacity and international reputation in geo-hazards research. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Deirdre Lewis, Host: SLR Consulting
Project Title: Investigation of Irish Carboniferous Palaeokarst for CO2 Geological Storage & deep geothermal resources
Project Description: This seed project will identify deep drilling targets for CO2 geological storage and geothermal energy resource assessment onshore Ireland. Karstified reservoirs within Tournaisian and Visean carbonates of the Campine Basin in Belgium comply with the depth and safety restrictions for geological CO2 storage (Laenen 2004). The hottest spring waters in Britain emanate from palaeokarst in the Carboniferous Limestone near Bath (Adams et al. 2017), and thermal springs in Ireland are likely to flow through deep karst conduits (e.g., Blake et al., 2016). There is abundant evidence from quarries, outcrops and boreholes of Palaeozoic palaeokarst in Ireland (pers. comm. Jones and Kelly, 2017). This project will compile, map, quantify and assess evidence of presumed ancient karst features in Ireland based on quarries, deep mines, borehole records, seismic data, and known uplifted structural blocks. The final deliverable will add additional GIS layers to the existing SEAI Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis Project which is a guide to deep drilling targets for enhanced porosity and permeability at depth onshore Ireland. It is a further development of the Play Fairway Analysis Methodology and Toolkit for deep exploration onshore Ireland, leading to a demonstration deep drilling project. Report
Lead Applicant: Prof Nancy Riggs, Host: Trinity College Dublin
Project Title: Detrital zircon geochronology in the west of Ireland in support of Tellus geophysics interpretations
Project Description: Tellus geophysical surveys are providing a wealth of new information about the tectonic amalgamation of Ireland. This proposal requests funds to complement new Tellus data and interpretation with a zircon geochronology program to study successions in Mayo and Connemara.
We present here three research goals, all of which will use interpreted Tellus data: (1) a test of the age and history of a proposed suture between Ordovician Clew Bay Complex ophiolitic rocks and Dalradian supracrustal rocks; (2) a test of the provenance of rocks in the South Connemara Group, which has implications for sites of gold mineralisation; (3) a test of terrane amalgamation through understanding Silurian rocks that cover tectonic sutures. The greatest impacts of our work will be in scientific discoveries, demonstration of methods that add value to collection and interpretation of Tellus geophysical data, and through training a TCD undergraduate in research methods. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Eve Daly, Host: NUI, Galway
Project Title: Geophysical remote sensing of subsurface properties for sustainable agricultural management
Project Description: This proof of concept project will start by integrating airborne and ground geophysics with remote
sensing to access surface and subsurface permeability variations over a Teagasc Agricultural Catchment which is covered by existing Tellus data, in the context of agricultural management. The project will explore the best methods to then upscale to Water Framework Directive scale catchments and the tools and international collaborations needed to build a functional land
management tool for the sustainable management of agricultural intensification envisioned in Food Harvest 2020 and Food Wise 2025.
This multidisciplinary proposal is aligned with three Short Call research themes 1) Geophysics, 2) Groundwater Resources and Protection 3) Quaternary Geology of Ireland. The project will develop a new research programme covering hydrogeophysics, soil science and catchment science building on expertise gained in the 2007 Griffith Geoscience Award to NUIG and develop the recent collaborations between Teagasc (Ireland's Agricultural and food development authority) and NUIG and the Geological Survey of Ireland. Report
Lead Applicant: Dr Paul Quigley, Host: Gavin and Doherty Geosolutions Ltd
Project Title: Development of a Toolkit to Manage AGS Data for Geotechnical Usage (TAGS)
Project Description: The Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists has specified the AGS data format
to ensure the reliable transfer of site investigation data between industry organisations. The aim of the AGS data format is to ensure data compatibility between various hardware or operating systems employed by organisations who wish to transfer ground investigation data, laboratory test results, as well as monitoring data. Despite these efforts, there appear to be compatibility issues arising from the use of AGS data within the geotechnical and geoenvironmental sector in Ireland. The
Geological Survey of Ireland has identified compatibility issues associated with the use of AGS data when uploading site investigation data to the National Geotechnical Borehole Database. In addition, geotechnical design consultancies have encountered various problems when using AGS data in conjunction with geotechnical management and drafting software. The TAGS project will conduct a desk study to evaluate the incompatibility issues associated with AGS data and to explore a variety
of solutions. In addition, a preliminary toolkit will be developed to process AGS data for use with existing software and the online National Geotechnical Borehole Database. Options for increasing the use of AGS data in Ireland will be explored.
Report