SALT SOLUTIONS combines geological observations with 2D & 3D numerical modelling of salt tectonics and salt structures with applications for underground storage and mining.

Project

SALT SOLUTIONS is a 4-year project funded by the Trond Monh Foundation, Norway. The project starts in Q1 2026 within the Geodynamics and Basin Studies Group in the Department of Earth Sciences, a world-leading group in fundamental and applied research on sedimentary basins. The project is led by Leonardo M. Pichel (PhD).

The project aims to investigate:

i) How do the stratigraphy and lithology of layered salt sequences vary across and along basins?

ii) How are layered salt sequences deformed, and what is the internal structure of deformed salt?

iii) What is the role of intra-salt heterogeneity on 3D salt flow dynamics?

iv) How do other factors (extension, shortening, differential loading, base-salt relief) control 3D salt flow?

Team

  • Leonardo Pichel (UiB)

    Project Leader

    Salt Tectonics, Subsurface Geoscience and Numerical Modelling

  • Prof Ritske Huismans (UiB)

    Geodynamics and Numerical Modelling

  • Prof Rob Gawthorpe (UiB)

    Subsurface Geosciences, Tectonics and Sedimentation

  • Prof Cathy Hollis (UoM)

    Carbonate-Evaporites Sedimentologist

  • Thomas Theunissen (UiB)

    Geodynamics and Numerical Modelling

  • Prof Chris Jackson (IC, WSP)

    Subsurface Geoscience, Tectonics and Sedimentation

  • Anna Døsen (PhD student)

    Salt Tectonics and Intra-Salt Architecture in the North Sea

  • Giovana Diorio (PhD student)

    Salt tectonics and intra-salt architecture f the Santos-Campos Basin, Brazil

  • Advisors and Collaboratos

    Mark Rowan (Rowan Consulting)

    Frank Peel (Bureau of Economic Geology)

    Mar Moragas (University of Barcelona)

    Oriol Ferrer (University of Barcelona)

    Dan Carruthers (Viridien)

    Allard Van der Molen (Nobian)

Project Updates

Get in touch…

Send us an email to:

leonardo.m.pichel@uib.no

and learn how to get first-hand updates and project results, if you want to arrange a meeting or if you want to get involved.