FUTURE CARBON SEQUESTRATION IN THE ALABAMA FOLD AND THRUST BELT

In Shelby County, Alabama, the potential for carbon sequestration in the Appalachain fold and thrust belt is being evaluated after drilling two test wells of several thousand feet in depth. The specific area is not far from Plant Gaston, a large carbon emitter, and is near the National Carbon Capture Center in Wilsonville, Alabama.

The primary goal of the present study is to understand the reservoir potential for the fold and thrust belt, specifically its reservoir capacity for carbon storage. The area, shaped by the Appalachian Orogeny, includes complex structures such as anticlines and synclines and thrust faults. There is a large deformed mass of shale in the area, which is a mushwad of several thousand feet in thickness. Accurate analysis of the whole of this structural complex is crucial for understanding its usefulness for effective carbon sequestration.

Seismic data was gathered across the drilled area to help assess the potential reservoir’s character and extent. Other geophysical data come from two wells that were recently drilled, Westover #1 and #2, and another well nearby, ARCO/Anschutz #1. To complement the geophysical and log data, cuttings collections from the three wells, plus Westover #2’s thirty-nine side wall cores, and seventeen feet of core, plus ARCO/Anschutz #1’s 60 feet of core has been employed in this study. Thin-section analysis of samples is employed as well.

Our work reveals that the main porosity and permeability that may pertain to carbon sequestrations lies predominantly in the deformed crystalline carbonates, which have substantial fracture networks owing to orogenic brittle deformation. This study aims to identify key factors such as structural controls, trapping mechanisms, and porosity and permeability through these carbonate fracture networks. These results will provide new insights into carbon sequestration in deformed carbonate stratigraphic units, perhaps paving the way for future studies.