north North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Sends ‘Strategic’ Praises to Xi Jinping By www.rfa.org Published On :: 2020-05-09T01:25:00Z Customs official banished to a remote area after being caught smuggling. Full Article Story
north Northwest Natural Holding Co (NWN) CEO David Anderson on Q1 2020 Results - Earnings Call Transcript By seekingalpha.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 16:55:48 -0400 Full Article NWN SA Transcripts
north Coronavirus - Shining a light on restructuring options - Northern Ireland By www.eversheds.com Published On :: 2020-04-24 This week marks another critical juncture in the ongoing fight against the economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis. With the jobs retention scheme portal now open for applications since Monday 20 April 2020, many businesses and employer... Full Article
north Coronavirus - Commercial Court and Litigation Funding - Northern Ireland By www.eversheds.com Published On :: 2020-05-05 Commercial Court – a return to action? On 4 May 2020, the Commercial Court Judge in Northern Ireland, the Honourable Mr Justice Horner, circulated an update to legal professionals stating clearly that the Commercial ‘Hub’ is open f... Full Article
north Northrim: Buy This Alaskan Bank At A Steep Discount - Behind The Idea By seekingalpha.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 09:00:00 -0400 Full Article NRIM SA PRO Interviews SA PRO Editors Ian Bezek
north Choose Toyota, Not General Motors, To Play The Restart Of Auto Production In North America By seekingalpha.com Published On :: Fri, 24 Apr 2020 12:49:54 -0400 Full Article F FCAU GM TM Doron Levin
north Moon-Putin Meeting...Differ in How to Respond to North's Nuclear By english.hankyung.com Published On :: 2017-09-07 08:08 Moon Jae-in South Korean President and Vladimir Putin Russian President met on September 6 in Far Eastern Federal University in Russia's Vladivostok to discuss issues including the current North Korea nuclear crisis and economic cooperation between Russia and South Korea for 2 hours and 40 minutes. The two leaders agreed that the North's nuclear tests are "unacceptable" but differed in how it must be handled including cutting crude oil supplies to North Korea. President Moon said, "When ... Full Article
north Gov't Not to Raise Lawsuit against China with WTO...Pushes for $8 Mil. Aid Package with North Korea By english.hankyung.com Published On :: 2017-09-15 09:11 The government is pushing forward with a plan worth US$8 million to help out vulnerable people in North Korea. Meanwhile it won't raise a lawsuit against China with the World Trade Organization in relation to the latter country's retaliatory measures after Korea's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense system in its soil. Baek Tae-hyun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said on September 14, "We are reviewing a plan to give $8 milli... Full Article
north Gov't Decides to Give $8 Mil. Aid to North Korea...Timing to Be Announced Later By english.hankyung.com Published On :: 2017-09-22 08:50 The government has decided to give support to North Korea worth US$8 million in programs helping its vulnerable people including children and pregnant women indirectly through international organizations. It, however, has not decided when to start sending money and exactly how. This is interpreted as a choice to deflect criticism that it is undertaking an aid project at a time when North Korea is causing an international storm by launching a series of missile tests. On September 21, the gover... Full Article
north X -v- Northampton Borough Council By www.eversheds.com Published On :: 2015-07-28 Remember to Comply with the Health & Safety Executive Guidance Introduction The High Court (Queen's Bench Division) recently handed down judgment in the case of X v Northampton BC. The judgment is a reminder that a failure to comply with guidanc... Full Article
north Transport for the North to become a statutory body By www.eversheds.com Published On :: 2017-11-28 Background As part of the Government’s commitment to the “Northern Powerhouse” agenda, legislation to turn Transport for the North (“TfN”) into a statutory sub-national transport body with legal powers and duties has be... Full Article
north North Pacific Arctic Conference (NPAC) Fellowship By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 Mar 2019 01:06:13 +0000 The North Pacific Arctic Conference (NPAC), co-organized by the East-West Center and the Korea Maritime Institute, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. This innovative conference provides a venue for off-the-record engagement among policymakers/practitioners and scientists/analysts regarding Arctic issues of mutual interest to leading North Pacific Arctic states (Canada, Russia, and the United States) and non-Arctic states (China, Japan, and South Korea). NPAC aims to provide early identification of key policy issues and improved understanding of major options for addressing these issues in the context of the Arctic Council and elsewhere. All six states are members of the G-20. Full Article
north Northwesterly wind to cause low visibility in Qatar starting Monday By article.wn.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 16:47 GMT (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Doha: Qatar is expected to be affected by northwesterly fresh to strong wind starting Monday, May 11 to Thursday, May 14, sai... ...... Full Article
north Netflix's ‘Unorthodox’: Unrealistic and incorrect By www.jpost.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 13:21:20 GMT You want to make a movie and bring down the religious Satmar community? Do it, but do it well and correctly. Full Article Ultra-Orthodox television netflix
north China offers to help North Korea fight coronavirus as Kim Jong-un returns to public view By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 20:30:13 +0800 China has told North Korea it is willing to help contain the spread of Covid-19 in a note from President Xi Jinping to his counterpart Kim Jong-un.Xi’s message follows recent rumours about Kim’s health after he failed to appear at a major political event and speculation about the possible spread of the disease in the North, even though it has not reported any cases.Xi said he was very concerned about the situation in North Korea and the health of its people, and said he was pleased that its… Full Article
north Coronavirus mutation becomes ‘urgent concern’ as it dominates across Europe and North America By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 21:00:10 +0800 Researchers have identified a coronavirus mutation that has quickly become dominant as Covid-19 spreads around the world, but it is unclear yet whether the strain will prove more contagious or deadly than the original.A study led by Bette Korber, a computational biologist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, found 13 mutations in the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to infect human cells.One of these, known as D614G, was described as being of “urgent concern” because it… Full Article
north First cases of coronavirus arrive in Czech Republic from northern Italy By praguemonitor.com Published On :: Prague Daily Monitor The first three cases of people testing positive for the coronavirus in the Czech Republic were confirmed on Sunday evening. All of the infected are in residence at the Na Bulovce hospital in Prague, one patient arriving via special ambulance from Masaryk hospital in Ustí nad Labem. One case is a male who was on a conference in Udine. The second case is a female American citizen visiting Prague while on a study abroad program in Milan. Lastly, a male who was in Italy on ski holidays. read more Full Article
north Gangnam smile: North Korean defector wins South Korea's swankiest seat By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Thu, 16 Apr 2020 10:34:01 GMT Thae Yong-ho was Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to the UK where he had managed secret funds for leader Kim Jong-un until he fled to the South in 2016. Full Article
north 'Armed bandits' kill dozens in north-west Nigeria By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Sun, 19 Apr 2020 23:38:09 GMT Police said some of the gunmen wielded AK 47 guns in the attacks on villagers. Full Article
north Are Japanese ‘murder hornets’ invading North America? By globalvoices.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 20:13:40 +0000 It's unlikely they will murder you, but they pose a serious threat to apiaries. Full Article Canada East Asia Environment Feature Japan Japanese Media & Journalism North America Science U.S.A. Weblog
north Turkmenistan: North–South Railway Project By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2019-12-27 00:00:00 The north–south railway line comprised two parts: the northern section, from Uzen (Kazakhstan) to Bereket (Turkmenistan), is 596 km long; and the southern section, from Bereket to Gorgan (Iran) is 338.5 km long. The government requested ADB to finance only the design and installation of the power supply, signal systems, and telecommunication systems for 311 km of the northern section, from Bereket to Hazar. The project’s expected impact was increased trade between Turkmenistan and other countries in the region. Full Article Evaluation Document
north Northern Arizona University Recognizes Microchip CEO With Honorary Doctorate Degree By www.microchip.com Published On :: 5/13/2019 2:01:00 PM Northern Arizona University Recognizes Microchip CEO With Honorary Doctorate Degree Full Article
north North America’s first English settlers were unlucky scientists By www.newscientist.com Published On :: Sat, 07 Dec 2019 08:00:50 +0000 The English founded Jamestown, Virginia in the 17th century to search for gold. They didn’t find much, but that wasn’t for lack of effort or scientific skill Full Article
north Climate change is killing off bumblebees in Europe and North America By www.newscientist.com Published On :: Thu, 06 Feb 2020 19:00:02 +0000 Climate change has significantly increased the likelihood of bumblebees being driven to extinction in certain regions across North America and Europe Full Article
north Corals on old North Sea oil rigs could help natural reefs recover By www.newscientist.com Published On :: Thu, 16 Aug 2018 14:00:15 +0000 Not only are deep-sea coral ecosystems thriving on oil and gas rigs in the North Sea, their larvae may be helping repopulate damaged natural reefs Full Article
north <em>North Pole</em> and Polar Worlds review – why Inuit don't worry about north By www.newscientist.com Published On :: Wed, 21 Nov 2018 18:00:00 +0000 Exciting tales of heroic polar explorers make a great exhibition, but a book on the North Pole shows that times are too changed not to seek deeper narratives Full Article
north The Northern Lights make a mysterious noise and now we might know why By www.newscientist.com Published On :: Wed, 03 Apr 2019 18:00:00 +0000 For 30 years, one man has been obsessed with the whisperings of the aurora borealis. His search for its origins may finally be over Full Article
north The north pole is moving and if it flips, life on Earth is in trouble By www.newscientist.com Published On :: Wed, 26 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000 The magnetic north pole is racing towards Siberia - but why? It's a mystery with huge implications, and to solve it, we're building an explosive model of the planet's core Full Article
north Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest By www.medicinenet.com Published On :: Sat, 9 May 2020 00:00:00 PDT Title: Air Quality Better in Northeast, MidwestCategory: Health NewsCreated: 4/28/2010 8:10:00 AMLast Editorial Review: 4/28/2010 12:00:00 AM Full Article
north Erratum for 'The Chalk Group (Upper Cretaceous) of the Northern Province, eastern England - a review, Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 62, 153-177 By pygs.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2019-11-22T06:43:26-08:00 Full Article
north Glacial lake terraces at the eastern end of the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire, UK By pygs.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2019-11-22T06:43:26-08:00 Detailed landform mapping of key areas in the Vale of Pickering, supported by LiDAR interpretation, has produced sufficient evidence to establish a reinterpretation of the Mid to Late Pleistocene chronology of the Vale of Pickering by defining the margins of two temporally distinct proglacial lakes and reaching a new understanding of the origin of some well-documented geomorphological features. The main significance of the mapping has been to establish that the Hutton Buscel terrace probably originated by lateral erosion along the southern edge of the Corallian Group dip slope of the North York Moors prior to deposition of a broad alluvial plain below a 70 m strandline. Traces of a comparable feature were also located below the Chalk Group escarpment on the southern side of the Vale of Pickering. Perhaps of equal significance has been confirmation that the younger of the two lakes, which has a 45 m shoreline, was possibly connected to Lake Humber in the Vale of York through the Derwent Valley. Evidence for such a lake was provided by mapped shorelines at Malton and Pickering that appear compatible with shorelines in Lake Humber. To account for deep erosion of the Derwent and Mere valleys and the occurrence of laminated clays at c. 65 m, below a 70 m shoreline above Crambe, regional uplift has been evoked post the older 70 m lake. In-valley alluvial fans have been mapped for the first time in Newton Dale and Thornton Dale. Full Article
north Age of the Acadian deformation and Devonian granites in northern England: a review By pygs.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2019-11-22T06:43:26-08:00 Field evidence shows that emplacement of Devonian granites in northern England overlaps in space and time with the end of the supposed Acadian deformation in their country rocks. The age of this Acadian event in England and Wales is in need of review because of revised Rb-Sr and K-Ar decay constants and recently acquired radiometric ages on the granites. Published K-Ar and Ar-Ar cleavage ages recalculated to the new decay constants range from 404 to 394 Ma (Emsian, Early Devonian). Emplacement of the Skiddaw and Weardale granites at 398.8 ± 0.4 and 399.3 ± 0.7 Ma respectively is indicated by U-Pb zircon ages, and is compatible with the field evidence. However, emplacement of the Shap Granite at a Re-Os molybdenite age of 405.2 ± 1.8 Ma and at the youngest U-Pb zircon age of 403 ± 8 Ma matches the field evidence less well. The apparent paradox in these ages is resolved if the K-Ar ages record only the end of millions of years of cleavage formation. An earlier cluster of K-Ar and Ar-Ar cleavage ages at 426–420 Ma (Ludlow to Přídolí, late Silurian) dates a pre-Acadian resetting event soon after Iapetus closure, an event of uncertain significance. Ion microprobe U-Pb zircon ages for the Shap Granite have a mean of 415.6 ± 1.4 Ma but a range of 428–403 Ma, compatible with a long magmatic history. Thermal considerations suggest that this history was not at the upper crustal emplacement site but in a mid-crustal mush zone, now preserved at about 10 km depth as a component of the Lake District and North Pennine batholiths. Full Article
north Emplacement of oil in the Devonian Weardale Granite of northern England By pygs.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2019-11-22T06:43:26-08:00 Oil residues occur as solid bitumen in mineralized zones within the Devonian Weardale Granite of the northern Pennines, northern England. Comparable residues are present in the overlying Mississippian rocks and were probably derived from a Carboniferous source, i.e. during later mineralization of the granite. The bitumen was already solidified during fluorite mineralization, which does not contain oil inclusions. The residues do not show the high thermal maturity of organic matter in the region altered by the earliest Permian Whin Sill. Like the sulphide-fluorite mineralization, oil emplacement post-dated intrusion of the sill. Pyrite associated with the oil residues is enriched in trace elements including lead, silver, gold, selenium and tellurium, which suggests that mineralizing fluids at least shared pathways with migrating hydrocarbons and possibly also suggests undiscovered valuable metal resources. Full Article
north Indirect Evidence of Bourbon Virus (Thogotovirus, Orthomyxoviridae) Infection in North Carolina By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 To the Editor—Bourbon virus (Thogotovirus, Orthomyxoviridae) was discovered in 2014 when a patient with history of multiple tick bites in Kansas died from an unknown infection [1]. Human infections from Bourbon virus have now been recognized in several states (i.e., Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri). The virus was detected in collections of the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) in Missouri [2]. A serosurvey of domestic and wild mammals in Missouri noted the presence of Bourbon virus-neutralizing antibodies in serum samples collected from a variety of species, but most frequently in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and raccoon (Procyon lotor) [3]. We report here that neutralizing antibodies against Bourbon virus were detected in white-tailed deer in North Carolina, suggesting that the virus is present in the state. We screened 32 white-tailed deer for the presence of Bourbon virus-specific neutralizing antibodies. Of 20 plasma samples that reacted with the virus, 18 were confirmed with neutralizing antibody titers ranging from 10 to ≥ 320 for a seroprevalence rate of 56% (95% confidence interval 39%–72%). The seropositive samples were from deer killed during the 2014 hunting season from Stanly and New Hanover counties. The incidence of Bourbon virus infection in humans in North Carolina is unknown. However, given the abundance of the lone star tick in the state, and the notable proportion of deer with evidence of infection, human infections have likely gone unnoticed or possibly misdiagnosed. Human infection with Bourbon virus results in a nonspecific viral syndrome that includes fever, nausea, diarrhea, myalgia (muscle pain), arthralgia... Full Article
north A Call to Action for Philanthropy in North Carolina Health Care By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 The conversation about how we create and maintain health has evolved. We have now clearly expanded our thinking beyond an exclusive focus on traditional medical care, and philanthropy can play an important role Full Article
north A Call to Action for North Carolina Legislators on Improving Access to Health By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 To better the health of all North Carolinians, policymakers must come together to improve access to care, expand broadband, and close the coverage gap. Full Article
north Historical Geography and Health Equity: An Exploratory View of North Carolina Slavery and Sociohealth Factors By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 Current health inequities are rooted in more than simple systems failures and inefficiencies. Historical legacy has corrupted health outcomes, and resolution requires both acknowledgment and intention. Full Article
north North Carolina's Health Care Transformation to Value: Progress to Date and Further Steps Needed By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 North Carolina has received national attention for its approach to health care payment and delivery reform. Importantly, payment reform alone is not enough to drive systematic changes in care delivery. We highlight the importance of progress in four complementary areas to achieve system-wide payment and care reform. Full Article
north Developing a Workforce for Health in North Carolina: Planning for the Future By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 Among the many trends influencing health and health care delivery over the next decade, three are particularly important: the transition to value-based care and increased focus on population health; the shift of care from acute to community-based settings; and addressing the vulnerability of rural health care systems in North Carolina. Full Article
north Toward a Health Data Strategy for North Carolina By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 In recent years, North Carolina has attracted significant national attention due to numerous health care reforms underway across government and the private sector. These reforms encompass new incentives, new partnerships, and new models of delivering care, and collectively, they have important implications for health care data. Full Article
north Vital Directions for Health & Health Care: The North Carolina Experience By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 In 2019, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) turned to the all-important state level to draw insights on the status of health and health care within the context of the NAM Vital Directions for Health and Health Care initiative. The NAM held a two-day symposium in the Research Triangle to bring together various stakeholders to better understand actions that states and localities are taking to achieve—and the barriers they face in pursuing—more affordable, value-driven quality care and health outcomes. The NAM purposefully chose to pivot to the state level with North Carolina given that it has been at the forefront of health care transformation and illustrates the promise but also the challenges facing US health and health care nationally. A 19-member planning committee, cochaired by NAM President Victor Dzau and Secretary Mandy Cohen of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, selected topics that resonate with the state's activities within the context of the Vital Directions framework, ranging from empowering people and connecting care through the integration of social, physical, and behavioral health to payer alignment though the advancement of new payment models (Figure 1). The priorities discussed during the symposium continue to be central to health reform in North Carolina and are further explored in the commentaries in this issue. Full Article
north A Cohort Comparison of Differences Between Regional and Buncombe County Patients of a Comprehensive Perinatal Substance Use Disorders Program in Western North Carolina By www.ncmedicaljournal.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T06:50:30-07:00 BACKGROUND Pregnant patients from rural counties of Western North Carolina face additional barriers when accessing comprehensive perinatal substance use disorders care at Project CARA as compared to patients local to the program in Buncombe County. We hypothesized regional patients would be less engaged in care. METHOD Using a retrospective cohort design, univariate analyses (2, t-test; P < .05) compared patients' characteristics, engagement in care, and delivery outcomes. Engagement in care, the primary outcome, was operationalized as: attendance at expected, program-specific prenatal and postpartum visits, utilization of in-house counseling, community-based and/or inpatient substance use disorders treatment, and maternal urine drug screen at delivery negative for illicit substances. RESULTS Regional patients (n = 324) were more likely than Buncombe County patients (n = 284) to have opioid [209 (64.5%) versus 162 (57.0%)] or amphetamine/methamphetamine use disorders (25 [7.7%] versus 13 [4.6%]), but less likely to have cannabis use (19 [5.9%] versus 38 [13.4%]; P = .009) and concurrent psychiatric disorders (214 [66.0%] versus 220 [77.5%]; P = .002). Engagement at postpartum visits was the significantly different outcome between patients (110/221 [49.8%] versus 146/226 [64.6%]; P = .002). LIMITATIONS Outcomes were available for 66.8% of regional and 79.6% of Buncombe County patients of one program in one predominately white, non-Hispanic region of the state. CONCLUSION Contrary to our hypothesis, regional and Buncombe County women engaged in prenatal care equally. However, a more formal transition into the postpartum period is needed, especially for regional women. A "hub-and-spokes" model that extends delivery of perinatal substance use disorders care into rural communities may be more effective for engagement retention. Full Article
north Geology of the Chang 7 Member oil shale of the Yanchang Formation of the Ordos Basin in central north China By pg.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:30:41-07:00 We present a review of the Chang 7 Member oil shale, which occurs in the middle–late Triassic Yanchang Formation of the Ordos Basin in central north China. The oil shale has a thickness of 28 m (average), an area of around 30 000 km2 and a Ladinian age. It is mainly brown-black to black in colour with a laminar structure. It is characterized by average values of 18 wt% TOC (total organic carbon), 8 wt% oil yield, a 8.35 MJ kg–1 calorific value, 400 kg t–1 hydrocarbon productivity and kerogen of type I–II1, showing a medium quality. On average, it comprises 49% clay minerals, 29% quartz, 16% feldspar and some iron oxides, which is close to the average mineral composition of global shale. The total SiO2 and Al2O3 comprise 63.69 wt% of the whole rock, indicating a medium ash type. The Sr/Ba is 0.33, the V/Ni is 7.8, the U/Th is 4.8 and the FeO/Fe2O3 is 0.5, indicating formation in a strongly reducing, freshwater or low-salinity sedimentary environment. Multilayered intermediate-acid tuff is developed in the basin, which may have promoted the formation of the oil shale. The Ordos Basin was formed during the northwards subduction of the Qinling oceanic plate during the Ladinian–Norian in a back-arc basin context. The oil shale of the Ordos Basin has a large potential for hydrocarbon generation. Supplementary material: Tables of oil-shale geochemical composition, proximate and organic matter analyses from the Chang 7 Member oil shale, the Ordos Basin, Central north China are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4411703 Full Article
north Geology and petroleum prospectivity of the Larne and Portpatrick basins, North Channel, offshore SW Scotland and Northern Ireland By pg.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:30:41-07:00 The Larne and Portpatrick basins, located in the North Channel between SW Scotland and Northern Ireland, have been the target of a small programme of petroleum exploration activities since 1971. A total of five hydrocarbon exploration wells have been drilled within the two basins, although as of yet no commercial discoveries have been made. The presence of hydrocarbon shows alongside the discovery of two good-quality reservoir–seal couplets within Triassic and underlying Permian strata has encouraged exploration within the region. The focus of this study is to evaluate the geology and hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Portpatrick Basin and the offshore section of the Larne Basin. This is achieved through the use of seismic reflection data, and gravity and aeromagnetic data, alongside sedimentological, petrophysical and additional available datasets from both onshore and offshore wells, boreholes and previously published studies. The primary reservoir interval, the Lower–Middle Triassic Sherwood Sandstone Group (c. 600–900 m gross thickness), is distributed across both basins and shows good to excellent porosity (10–25%) and permeability (10–1000 mD) within the Larne Basin. The Middle–Late Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group should provide an excellent top seal where present due to the presence of thick regionally extensive halite deposits, although differential erosion has removed this seal from the margins of the Larne and Portpatrick basins. The Carboniferous, which has been postulated to contain organic-rich source-rock horizons, as inferred from their presence in adjacent basins, has not yet been penetrated within the depocentre of either basin. There is, therefore, some degree of uncertainty regarding the quality and distribution of a potential source rock. The interpretation of seismic reflection profiles presented here, alongside the occurrence of hydrocarbon shows, indicates the presence of organic-rich pre-Permian sedimentary rocks within both basins. 1D petroleum system modelling of the Larne-2 borehole shows that the timing of hydrocarbon generation and migration within the basins is a significant risk, with many traps post-dating the primary hydrocarbon charge. Well-failure analysis has revealed that trap breach associated with kilometre-scale uplift events, and the drilling of wells off-structure due to a lack of good-quality subsurface data, have contributed to the lack of discoveries. While the Larne and Portpatrick basins have many elements required for a working petroleum system, along with supporting hydrocarbon shows, the high risks coupled with the small scale of potential discoveries makes the Portpatrick Basin and offshore section of the Larne Basin poorly prospective for oil and gas discovery. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Under-explored plays and frontier basins of the UK continental shelf collection available at: http://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/under-explored-plays-and-frontier-basins-of-the-uk-continental-shelf Full Article
north The role of relay ramp evolution in governing sediment dispersal and petroleum prospectivity of syn-rift stratigraphic plays in the Northern North Sea By pg.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:30:41-07:00 Interpretation of a 3D seismic survey located on the western margin of the Northern North Sea Basin demonstrates how the propagation, overlap and linkage of two north–south-striking, en echelon normal fault segments exerted a powerful influence over prospective subtle stratigraphic traps. The relay ramp that formed between the segments appears to have focused sediment dispersal, controlled reservoir distribution and aided post-depositional petroleum migration. Integration of electrical well log data, root-mean-square (RMS)-amplitude analysis and biostratigraphy with seismic interpretation demonstrates that a series of elongate, linear, sand-prone (reservoir) channel complexes characterize the depositional slopes generated by fault growth. The combination of synsedimentary rotation of bedding due to fault propagation and associated footwall uplift led to erosion and truncation of a laterally extensive, older channelized system (Lower Sequence), the downdip parts of which extend beyond the relay ramp. Its subsequent drape by transgressive shales created the subtle stratigraphic trap that now hosts the Cladhan Field, with charge occurring because the sandstones belonging to the Lower Sequence extend as far as the active kitchen in the neighbouring (hanging-wall) depocentre situated downdip and to the east. In contrast, the exploration of a younger, Upper Sequence of sandstones has proven to be disappointing due to their more restricted distribution, lack of access to charge, and occurrence of faults that offset and breach the thin end of the stratigraphic wedge. The implication is that partially breached relay ramps not only provide a preferential site for syn-rift clastic reservoirs to develop but also form important migration pathways through which oil passed from a petroleum kitchen into a trap. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Under-explored plays and frontier basins of the UK continental shelf collection available at: http://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/under-explored-plays-and-frontier-basins-of-the-uk-continental-shelf Full Article
north Sedimentary and tectonic controls on Lower Carboniferous (Visean) mixed carbonate-siliciclastic deposition in NE England and the Southern North Sea: implications for reservoir architecture By pg.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:30:41-07:00 Discovery of the Breagh gas field in the Southern North Sea (SNS) has demonstrated the potential that the Lower Carboniferous (Visean, 346.7–330.9 Ma) Farne Group reservoirs have to contribute to the UK's future energy mix. New biostratigraphic correlations provide a basis to compare Asbian and Brigantian sedimentary cores from the Breagh Field and age-equivalent sediments exposed on the Northumberland Coast, which has proved critical in gaining an understanding of exploration and development opportunities. Thirteen facies associations characterize the mixed carbonate–siliciclastic system, grouped into: marine, delta front, delta shoreface, lower delta plain and upper delta plain gross depositional environments. The facies associations are interpreted as depositing in a mixed carbonate and siliciclastic fluvio-deltaic environment, and are arranged into coarsening- and cleaning-upward cycles (parasequences) bounded by flooding surfaces. Most cycles are characterized by mouth bars, distributary channels, interdistributary bays and common braided rivers, interpreted as river-dominated deltaic deposits. Some cycles include rare shoreface and tidally-influenced deposits, interpreted as river-dominated and wave- or tide-influenced deltaic deposits. The depositional processes that formed each cycle have important implications for the reservoir net/gross ratio (where this ratio indicates the proportion of sandstone beds in a cycle), thickness and lateral extent. The deltaic deposits were controlled by a combination of tectonic and eustatic (allocyclic) events and delta avulsion (autocyclic) processes, and are likely to reflect a changing tectonic regime, from extension within elongate fault-bounded basins (synrift) to passive regional thermal subsidence (post-rift). Deep incision by the Base Permian Unconformity across the Breagh Field has removed the Westphalian, Namurian and upper Visean, to leave the more prospective thicker clastic reservoirs within closure. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Under-explored plays and frontier basins of the UK continental shelf collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/under-explored-plays-and-frontier-basins-of-the-uk-continental-shelf Full Article
north Structural evolution of the Breagh area: implications for carboniferous prospectivity of the Mid North Sea High, Southern North Sea By pg.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:30:41-07:00 Exploration success at Breagh demonstrates that western parts of the Mid North Sea High area are prospective despite the absence of an Upper Permian (Rotliegend Group) Leman Sandstone Formation reservoir and source rocks belonging to the Upper Carboniferous Westphalian Coal Measures Group. Detailed seismic and well interpretation shows that the Breagh trap was a long-lived footwall high, the prospectivity of which was enhanced by Variscan folding and uplift, leading to the truncation (subcrop) of Lower Carboniferous reservoirs beneath the Base Permian Unconformity. Its drape (supra-crop) by Upper Permian (Zechstein Super Group) evaporites creates the seal. The complexity of its overburden means that an accurate picture of the Breagh structure only emerges after accurate depth-conversion that takes the effects of the Mesozoic graben into account. Pronounced easterly tilting during the Cenozoic affected the area and controlled gas migration into the structure from palaeostructures lying to the east. However, evidence that Breagh is not filled to spill point (underfill) suggests that charge limitation remained an issue. The study demonstrates that a poorly-documented and under-explored Lower Carboniferous play exists in Southern North Sea, which relies upon careful structural mapping and basin modelling to be undertaken for the play to be understood and its further potential to be realized. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Under-explored plays and frontier basins of the UK continental shelf collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/under-explored-plays-and-frontier-basins-of-the-uk-continental-shelf Full Article
north Structural and stratigraphic evolution of the Mid North Sea High region of the UK Continental Shelf By pg.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:30:41-07:00 Interpretation of newly acquired seismic and legacy well data has led to a greater understanding of the Upper Paleozoic–Recent geological evolution of the Mid North Sea High (MNSH), an under-explored region of the North Sea. The position of granite-cored blocks controlled the distribution of Devono-Carboniferous highs and basins before Variscan uplift led to peneplanation and the creation of the Base Permian Unconformity. The MNSH became the dominant feature during the Permian when it formed a west–east-striking ridge between the Southern and Northern Permian basins. Following a period of non-deposition, sedimentation was renewed in the Late Permian–Triassic before Middle Jurassic doming caused uplift to the NE. Subsequent Late Jurassic North Sea rifting transected the MNSH to create the Western Platform between the Central Graben and Moray Firth rift arms. Following Cretaceous post-rift deposition, the area experienced a significant easterly tilt in the Cenozoic that led to the demise of the MNSH as a prominent topographical feature. The tectonic and stratigraphic evolution exerts a strong control over reservoir facies distribution, source-rock deposition and maturation. However, the area is not barren of petroleum potential. Despite the lack of Upper Carboniferous source rocks over large areas, hydrocarbon potential is evident through shows in legacy wells, indicating the Lower Carboniferous as a potential source rock. Cenozoic uplift to the west imparted a regional tilt, the effects of which remains key to unlocking the area's prospectivity since it reconfigured structures and formed remigration pathways from Lower Carboniferous and Jurassic source rocks. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Under-explored plays and frontier basins of the UK continental shelf collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/under-explored-plays-and-frontier-basins-of-the-uk-continental-shelf Full Article
north Layering and structural inheritance controls on fault zone structure in three dimensions: a case study from the northern Molasse Basin, Switzerland By jgs.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-04T02:10:48-07:00 Mechanical heterogeneity of a sedimentary sequence exerts a primary control on the geometry of fault zones and the proportion of offset accommodated by folding. The Wildensbuch Fault Zone in the Swiss Molasse Basin, with a maximum throw of 40 m, intersects a Mesozoic section containing a thick (120 m) clay-dominated unit (Opalinus Clay) over- and underlain by more competent limestone units. Interpretation of a 3D seismic reflection survey indicates that the fault zone formed by upward propagation of an east–west-trending basement structure, through the Mesozoic section, in response to NE–SW Miocene extension. This configuration formed an array of left-stepping normal fault segments above and below the Opalinus Clay. In cross-section a broad monoclinal fold is observed in the Opalinus Clay. Folding, however, is not ubiquitous and occurs in the Opalinus Clay where fault segments above and below are oblique to one another; where they are parallel the fault passes through the Opalinus Clay with little folding. These observations demonstrate that, even in strongly heterogeneous sequences, here a four-fold difference in both Young's modulus and cohesion between layers, the occurrence of folding may depend on the local relationship between fault geometry and applied stress field rather than rheological properties alone. Full Article
north Basement-cover relationships and deformation in the Northern Paraguai Belt, central Brazil: implications for the Neoproterozoic-early Paleozoic history of western Gondwana By jgs.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2020-05-04T02:10:48-07:00 The Northern Paraguai Belt, at the SE border of the Amazonian Craton, central Brazil, has been interpreted as a Brasiliano–Pan-African (c. 650–600 Ma) belt with a foreland basin, recording collisional polyphase tectonism and greenschist-facies metamorphism extending from the late Precambrian to the Cambrian–Ordovician. New structural investigations indicate that the older metasedimentary rocks of the Cuiabá Group represent a Tonian–Cryogenian basement assemblage deformed in two contemporaneous fault-bounded structural sub-domains of wrench-dominated (rake <10°) and contraction-dominated (rake ~30–40°) sinistral transpression, with tectonic vergence towards the SE. The younger late Cryogenian to early Cambrian sedimentary rocks lying to the NW of the Cuiabá Group are non-metamorphic and display only pervasive brittle transtension characterized by normal-oblique faults, fractures and forced drag folds with no consistent vergence pattern. Our analyses suggest that an unconformity separates the metasedimentary Cuiabá Group basement of the Northern Paraguai Belt from the unmetamorphosed sedimentary cover. It is proposed that the latter units were deposited during a post-glacial marine transgression (after c. 635 Ma) in a post-collisional basin. The Paraguai Belt basement and its post-collisional sedimentary cover share a number of significant geological similarities with sequences in the Bassarides Belt and Taoudéni Basin in the SW portion of the West African Craton. Full Article