OFR11-03, Compilation of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Geoscience for the USGS National Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Assessment: Enhanced Geophysical Model for Extent and Thickness of Deep Sedimentary Rocks

Abstract

In 2010, the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) was commissioned by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to clarify available knowledge on the rocks that are most prospective for subsurface carbon dioxide sequestration in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Although the prospective rocks, late Precambrian sedimentary basins of the Midcontinent Rift system (MRS), are at depths greater than the 1 km depth required for efficient carbon dioxide storage, and there is some potential for adequate porosity, permeability, and seals, the overall prospects for reservoir suitability are not promising from several perspectives. Nevertheless, the current USGS National Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Assessment project is presently seeking to clarify potential sequestration sites across the US. In response to a request from the USGS under this program, therefore, a summary of knowledge was assembled and enhanced, to provide the best readily available information on inferred geological tops, cross-sections, maps, geological history, and likely composition of the potential reservoirs and seals.