Senior Lecturer
- About
-
- Email Address
- j.neilson@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 273457
- Office Address
School of Geosciences King's College University of Aberdeen Aberdeen AB24 3UE United Kingdom
- School/Department
- School of Geosciences
Biography
My interests in Geology focus on carbonate systems – depositional and diagenetic. Over the years, I have applied this to the exploration for and production of hydrocarbon reservoir systems. An understanding of these reservoirs will also be key for subsurface sequestration and storage of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Carbonates however also tell us a lot about ancient depositional environments and ocean chemistry and in recent years, my personal research has focused more on these issues. My publication list can be found on this webpage and Research Gate.
Following completion of a B.Sc. at the University of Aberdeen in 1984, I studied for a Ph.D. at Imperial College, London, completing in 1987. After this I worked for BP Research for 5 years which took me across the globe, before becoming an independent consultant. During this time, I also began teaching at the University of Aberdeen, a role which increased rapidly. I eventually joined the staff in 2005 in a part-time role (0.4/0.6 FTE).
During the course of my career in Geology, I have seen a huge increase in the role of women in both industry and academia. Early summer placements with Shell saw me spending time offshore as the only woman on the rigs I visited and work roles in the Middle East with BP again saw me operating as the only woman in many male teams. Later, I served on the Geological Society of London’s Petroleum Group which include appointment as Treasurer and Secretary, the first woman to have office bearing roles in that group. All of this has helped open pathways for women in Geoscience.
Qualifications
- B.Sc. Geology and Mineralogy1984 - University of Aberdeen
- Ph.D. Geology1988 - Imperial College London
Watt, Joyce, E., An experimental investigation of controls on carbonate diagenetic textures and mineralogy.
External Memberships
- Secretary, Petroleum Group, Geological Society of London (2013-15)
- Treasurer, Petroleum Group, Geological Society of London (2010-13)
- Associate Editor AAPGB (2010-2016)
- Fellow Geological Society of London
- Member GESGB
- Research
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Research Overview
My research has focused mainly on the capacity and quality of subsurface reservoirs, predominantly for the hydrocarbon industry but the outcomes are equally applicable to other subsurface applications in carbonate rocks (e.g. carbon dioxide sequestration, hydrogen storage and nuclear waste disposal in tight carbonates).
Much of my research has focused on the effect that burial fluids and petroleum filling has on carbonate diagenetic reactions. This not only involves carbonate sedimentology and diagenesis but also structural geology (e.g. large scale tectonic movement, faults, fractures and stylolitisation). The data collected and studied has ranged from sedimentology, geochemistry, structural geology, geophysics and petrophysics. Several Ph.D. students have been involved with this research, in areas such as the Middle East and Mediterranean, the results of which have been published and widely disseminated.
Recent research has also included the investigation of ocean chemistry in deep time (late Cambrian) in Newfoundland and Oman through study of the marine carbonates precipitated at the time using isotopic and elemental analysis. This has given new insights into global ocean chemistry around a major faunal extinction (the SPICE). Other recent research has looked at how archaeologists can be supported through use of traditional petrographic techniques. See recent publications for all results.
Current Ph.D. students are also working these topics. Thomas Houghton is looking at Permian Zechstein rocks in the Central North Sea and their potential as reservoirs or for subsurface storage. This study is funded by the NERC GNZ scheme. Another student, Cian Mcauley, is looking at the effect that early land plants had on the growth and development of corals and is funded by the NERC Quadrat scheme.
Current global research partners include collaboration with staff at the University of Barcelona and UFRGS/PURCS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Supervision
Ph.D. student Elliot Humphrey (2022). Determining the main controls on fault-associated dolomitisation and their influence on reservoir quality distribution. Funded by NERC CDT/Equinor. Completed.
Ph.D. student Ebrahim Heydari (2020). Residual oil below the OWC in the Mishrif, Persian Gulf - an intergrated sedimentological and petrophysical study. Part funding from Talisman-Sinopec, Helix-RDS, AFES. Completed
Ph.D. student Rosalia Barili da Cunha (2019, UK Supervisor, UFRGS, Brazil). Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, Petrology and Geochemistry of the Port Au Port Group (Cambrian) in Newfoundland (Canada). Funded by Shell Brazil. Completed.
Ph.D. student Tom Haines (2015). The Influence of Carbonate Depositional and Diagenetic Textures on Faulting in Carbonates. Funded by: UoA COPS Studentship, Total and BG). Completed.
Ph.D. student Emma Michie (2015). Influence of Damage on the Petrophysical Properties of Carbonate Hosted Fault Zones. Funded by Total and BG. Completed.
Ph.D. student Salmeen Al Marjibi (2011). Unravelling the depositional environments within the lower Andan Group (Al Bashir Fm., Late Cambrian) of north-central Oman. Funded by PDO. Completed.
Ph.D. student Nicholas Fretwell (1991). Microporosity in carbonates. University of Cambridge. Funded by BP Research. Completed.
Funding and Grants
- NERC GNZ Ph.D. funding.
- NERC CDT Ph.D. funding.
- Equinor Ph.D. funding.
- Shell-Brazil fieldwork funding Newfoundland.
- Petrophysics of Fractured Carbonates - Total E&P UK and BG International, brokered by ITF
- Equipment Grants (AFES)
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Over the years, I have had a significant role in teaching at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. I started teaching Carbonate Sedimentology, Diagenesis and Reservoir Quality to M.Sc. students in 1993 and continue to do so. Through the years this has included M.Sc. courses such as IPG, OGEM and going forwards, the new Sustainable Energy Geoscience course.
Undergraduate B.Sc. courses have included GL 3018 (Introduction to Petroleum Geology) which I co-ordinated from 2006 – 2022), Carbonate Sedimentology at Level 2 (GL 2015, until 2022) and Level 3 (GL 3521, ongoing). I am also responsible for supervising some undergraduate Geoscience Research Projects.
In the past, I have also participated in undergraduate and post-graduate field work.
- Publications
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Page 1 of 1 Results 1 to 33 of 33
The search for "Jenyon's channel": The Missing link between the Permian basins in the North Sea
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 160, 106619Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE), inorganic aragonite precipitation and seawater chemistry: Insights from the Middle - Late Cambrian Port au Port Group, Newfoundland
Depositional Record, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 502-523Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDepositional and structural controls on a fault-related dolostone formation (Maestrat Basin, E Spain)
Basin Research, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 961-990Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStylolites and stylolite networks as primary controls on the geometry and distribution of carbonate diagenetic alterations
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 136, 105444Contributions to Journals: ArticlesNovel use of cathodoluminescence to identify differences in source rocks for Late Paleoindian quartzite tools
Archaeometry, vol. 62, no. 5, pp. 875-887Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe effect of rock type on natural water flooding and residual oil saturation below free water level and oil water contact: A case study from the Middle East
Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, vol. 193, 107392Contributions to Journals: ArticlesQuantitative analysis of stylolite networks in different platform carbonate facies
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 114, 104203Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTectonic controls on residual oil saturation below the present-day fluid contact level in reservoirs of the Persian Gulf
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, vol. 190, 104133Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStylolite-controlled diagenesis of a mudstone carbonate reservoir: A case study from the Zechstein_2_Carbonate (Central European Basin, NW Germany)
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 109, pp. 88-107Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2019.05.040
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/14434/1/Humphrey_et_al_2019_JMPG_Zechstein_Ca2_author_version.pdf
- [ONLINE] https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0264817219302454
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Characterization of Stylolite Networks in Platform Carbonates
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01455-1_27
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Carbon isotopes, stratigraphy and environmental change: the Middle-Upper Cambrian Positive Excursion (SPICE) in Port-au-Port Group, Western Newfoundland, Canada
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 1209-1222Contributions to Journals: ArticlesComputation of fluid flow and pore-space properties estimation on micro-CT images of rock samples
Computers & Geosciences, vol. 106, pp. 118-129Contributions to Journals: ArticlesClimatic and halokinetic controls on alluvial–lacustrine sedimentation during compressional deformation, Andean forearc, northern Chile
Basin Research, vol. 27, pp. 634-657Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12124
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/6219/1/Neilson_accepted.pdf
Primary aragonite and high-Mg calcite in the late Cambrian (Furongian): Potential evidence from marine carbonates in Oman
Terra Nova, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 306-315Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ter.12222
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/8973/1/Neilson_et_al_accepted.pdf
Permeability evolution across carbonate hosted normal fault zones
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 72, pp. 62-82Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAge and Geologic Setting of Quartz Vein-Hosted Gold Mineralization at Curraghinalt, Northern Ireland: Implications for Genesis and Classification
Economic Geology, vol. 111, no. 1, pp. 127-150Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2113/econgeo.111.1.127
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/5672/1/127.full.pdf
The Impact of Carbonate Texture on the Quantification of Total Porosity by Image Analysis
Computers & Geosciences, vol. 85, no. Part A, pp. 112-125Contributions to Journals: ArticlesInfluence of carbonate facies on fault zone architecture
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 65, pp. 82-99Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2014.04.007
An investigation of porosity–velocity relationships in faulted carbonates using outcrop analogues
Special Publication - Geological Society of London, vol. 406, pp. 261-280Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP406.13
Summary of the AAPG-SPE-SEG Hedberg Research Conference on "Fundamental Controls on flow in Carbonates"
AAPG Bulletin, vol. 97, no. 4, pp. 533-552Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1306/12171212229
Diagenetic and tectonic evolution of pore networks in carbonate normal fault zones and their effects on permeability
Contributions to Conferences: Papers- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.20143015
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Fracture patterns in carbonate fault zones and their influence on petrophysical properties
Contributions to Conferences: Papers- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.20143034
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Advances in carbonate exploration and reservoir analysis
Special Publication - Geological Society of London, vol. 370, pp. 1-15Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP370.15
Outcrop-Scale Variations in Petrophysical Properties of Faulted Carbonates: Exploring the Relative Influence of Lithology, Fault Displacement and Juxtaposition*
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsOrigins of conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons
The Technical and Legal Guide to Global Hydrocarbons: Volume 1. 1 edition. Aberlour Press, pp. 113, 22 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersUnderground Gas Storage
The Technical and Legal Guide to Global Hydrocarbons, pp. 347, 78 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersThe relationship between petroleum, exotic cements and reservoir quality in carbonates: A review
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 778-790Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.02.004
Drilling Operations
The Technical and Legal Guide to the UK Oil and Gas Industry. Wils, J., Neilson, E. (eds.). Aberlour Press, pp. 106-120, 15 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersExploration and Petroleum Geology
The Technical and Legal Guide to the UK Oil and Gas Industry. Wils, J., Neilson, E. (eds.). Aberlour Press, pp. 45-66, 22 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersReservoir Evaluation
The Technical and Legal Guide to the UK Oil and Gas Industry. Wils, J., Neilson, E. (eds.). Aberlour Press, pp. 137-150, 14 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersThe relationship between petroleum emplacement and carbonate reservoir quality; examples from Abu Dhabi and the Amu Darya Basin
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 15, pp. 57-72Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEffect of petroleum emplacement on reservoir qulity in the Thamama reservoirs of Abu Dhabi
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2118/36241-MS
Experimental investigation of controls on cementation in carbonates
Journal of the Geological Society , pp. 949-958Contributions to Journals: Articles