Rakul Maria Johannesen

• Johannesen, Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir; Galland, Olivier; Kjøll, Hans Jørgen; Ólavsdóttir, Jana; Eidesgaard, Óluva & Planke, Sverre (2026). Impact of fractures on basaltic reservoirs - Field characterisation of fracture distribution in lava flows, Faroe Islands. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. ISSN 1750-5836. 151. doi: 10.1016/j.ijggc.2026.104620. Full text in Research Archive
• Johannesen, Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir; Ólavsdóttir, Jana; Boldreel, Lars Ole; Eidesgaard, Óluva; Senger, Kim & Galland, Olivier (2025). Revisiting the Stratigraphy and Structure of the Faroe Islands Flood Basalts for Large-Scale CO<inf>2</inf> Storage in Basalt Reservoirs. Basin Research. ISSN 0950-091X. 37(3). doi: 10.1111/bre.70032. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Comprehensive mapping of the stratigraphy and structures is essential when exploring basaltic reservoirs for CO2 storage. A major task in analysing the storage potential of the reservoir is to bring all relevant geological data within a single framework for integration and joint interpretation. In this study, we illustrate how data integration facilitates an improved understanding of the geological evolution of the Faroe Islands, the North Atlantic Igneous Province, and how the data integration forms a foundation for future carbon capture and storage campaigns. We have integrated new and existing data including geological field observations, digital elevation models, digital outcrop models, lithological logs, seismic profiles, and bathymetry in a single, consistent, and quality-controlled toolbox. Two key findings are that (a) we have mapped stratigraphic markers in the central Faroe Islands across the islands, and there is no indication of large-scale strike-slip faults that offset the volcanic stratigraphy; (b) our analysis provides no clear onshore evidence of transfer zones in the Faroe Islands. We show that a high density of data and integration of data types across different vertical and horizontal scales is crucial for mapping the highly heterogeneous basaltic reservoir.

• Rosenqvist, Marija Plahter; Millett, John M.; Planke, Sverre; Johannesen, Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir; Passey, Simon R. & Sørensen, Erik V. [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2024). The architecture of basalt reservoirs in the North Atlantic Igneous Province with implications for basalt carbon sequestration. Geological Society Special Publication. ISSN 0305-8719. 547(1), p. 389–413. doi: 10.1144/SP547-2023-96. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Offshore CO2 sequestration in basaltic formations of the North Atlantic Igneous Province may allow permanent storage of large volumes of CO2 through rapid carbonate mineralization. Characterizing the internal architecture of such reservoirs is key to assessing the storage potential. In this study, six photogrammetry models and three boreholes on the Faroe Islands have been used to characterize the internal lava sequence architectures as a direct analogue to potential offshore North Atlantic Igneous Province storage sites. The studied formations are dominated by c. 5 to 50 m thick simple and compound lava flows, with drill core observations documenting a transition from pāhoehoe moving towards ‘a’ā lava flow types interbedded with thin (<5 m thick) volcaniclastic rock units. The identification of flow margin breccias is potentially important as these units form excellent reservoirs in several other localities globally. Stacked, thick simple flows may present sealing units associated with dense flow interiors. Connected porous and permeable lava flow crusts present potential reservoirs; however, the degree of secondary mineralization and alteration can alter initially good reservoir units to impermeable barriers for fluid flow. Large-scale reservoir volumes may be present mainly within both vesicular, fractured pāhoehoe and brecciated flow margins of transitional simple lava flows.

• Senger, Kim; Betlem, Peter; Grundvåg, Sten-Andreas; Horota, Rafael Kenji; Buckley, Simon John & Smyrak-Sikora, Aleksandra [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2021). Teaching with digital geology in the high Arctic: Opportunities and challenges. Geoscience Communication. ISSN 2569-7102. 4(3), p. 399–420. doi: 10.5194/gc-4-399-2021. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Covid-19 pandemic occurred at a time of major revolution in the geosciences – the era of digital geology. Digital outcrop models (DOMs) acquired from consumer drones, processed using user-friendly photogrammetric software and shared with the wider audience through online platforms are a cornerstone of this digital geological revolution. Integration of DOMs with other geoscientific data, such as geological maps, satellite imagery, terrain models, geophysical data and field observations, strengthens their application in both research and education. Teaching geology with digital tools advances students' learning experience by providing access to high-quality outcrops, enhancing visualization of 3D geological structures and improving data integration. Similarly, active use of DOMs to integrate new field observations will facilitate more effective fieldwork and quantitative research. From a student's perspective, georeferenced and scaled DOMs allow for an improved appreciation of scale and of 3D architecture, which is a major threshold concept in geoscientific education. DOMs allow us to bring geoscientists to the outcrops digitally, which is particularly important in view of the Covid-19 pandemic that restricts travel and thus direct access to outcrops. At the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), located at 78∘ N in Longyearbyen in Arctic Norway, DOMs are actively used even in non-pandemic years, as the summer field season is short and not overlapping with the Bachelor “Arctic Geology” course package held from January to June each year. In 2017, we at UNIS developed a new course (AG222 “Integrated Geological Methods: From Outcrop To Geomodel”) to encourage the use of emerging techniques like DOMs and data integration to solve authentic geoscientific challenges. In parallel, we have established the open-access Svalbox geoscientific portal, which forms the backbone of the AG222 course activities and provides easy access to a growing number of DOMs, 360∘ imagery, subsurface data and published geoscientific data from Svalbard. Considering the rapid onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Svalbox portal and the pre-Covid work on digital techniques in AG222 allowed us to rapidly adapt and fulfil at least some of the students' learning objectives during the pandemic. In this contribution, we provide an overview of the course development and share experiences from running the AG222 course and the Svalbox platform, both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic

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• Johannesen, Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir; Galland, Olivier; Ólavsdóttir, Jana; Kjøll, Hans Jørgen; Eidesgaard, Óluva & Planke, Sverre (2025). Fractured basalts as reservoirs for permanent CO2 storage on the Faroe Islands. doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12801. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  During the last decade, the pilot CarbFix project in the Iceland rift zone has provided highly promising results for permanently storing CO2 as carbonates in basalts. A key question is whether this method can be applied in other basaltic formations worldwide where the rocks are older, the porosities are lower, the chemical compositions are different, and/or the temperatures are lower. Storing CO2 in the subsurface necessitates injectivity, where two essential properties are permeability and porosity. In basaltic formations, porous volumes are typically found as vesicle zones, near lava flow boundaries and in flow tops, or fractures. Currently, it appears that the permeability necessary for injecting fluids in basalts is dominated by fractures. The Faroe Islands, in the North Atlantic, consist of layered basalts of Paleogene age. The aim of this study is to examine the potential of the Faroe Island Basalt Group (FIBG) as a CO2 reservoir. To evaluate the reservoir properties of the FIBG we interpret and integrate new and existing data at multiple scales, including satellite images, UAV photogrammetric surveys, and field mapping. We have determined the distribution of large-scale lineaments (faults and dykes), flow-scale fractures, and the interaction between them in three dimensions. Here, we focus on the Malinstindur Formation, a compound basalt sequence, which is a potential pilot injection sequence because of its permeability potential. Large-scale mapping of the FIBG volcanostratigraphy is used to map the depth of the Malinstindur Formation and to determine the presence of large strike-slip faults across the archipelago. In addition, large-scale structural lineaments exhibiting a preferred EW-trending orientation are mapped. In addition, fracture analyses on different scales (from islands to outcrops), have been conducted to investigate how lava flow architectures, regional stress, and faults control fracture distribution and connectivity. The results of these analyses show that (1) the fracture density decreases with flow thickness, (2) the orientation of the internal fractures follows the same as those of the sets of regional scale lineaments, and (3) there is no link between the fracture intensity in the basalts and the distance to the regional scale lineaments. This study will serve as a foundation for determining the subsurface distribution of the Malinstindur Formation and the fracture distribution and connectivity at potential injection sites in order to estimate the potential for permanent CO2 storage within the Faroe Islands.

• Johannesen, Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir (2026). CO2 storage potential of flood basalts: A multiscale, structural reservoir study of the Faroe Island Basalt Group. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There is potential for CO2 storage in flood basalts Earth’s temperature is rising, mainly because of CO₂ emissions from human activities, primarily burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas). To meet the global climate goals, we must cut emissions and use technologies that can both reduce and remove the CO₂ from the atmosphere. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) do this by injecting CO₂ underground, into safe and effective geological reservoirs. Basalt, is a common volcanic rock formed from solidified lava, and is a promising option as a reservoir for CO2 storage. In Iceland, pilot projects have shown that injected CO₂ can react with young basalt and turn into solid minerals. But will this storage technology also work in places where the basalt is older and likely less porous and permeable? To find out, Rakul M. I. Johannesen has in her doctoral work studied solidified lava flows on the Faroe Islands emplaced for more than 55 million years ago. In her study she has used a wide range of data including field observations from cliffs at the islands, drone images and detailed measurements from a scientific bore-hole. The results show that fractures in the lava flows play an important role in the reservoir potential. The fractures are controlling both how much CO₂ can be injected and how the CO2 will move underground. And even more importantly, fractures might improve the storage potential of otherwise less permeable basaltic rocks. This knowledge is essential before potentially starting CCS on the Faroe Islands, and it can also help assess other regions where basaltic lava flows are being considered for CO₂ storage. This doctoral work is done at Department of Geosciences and the Njord centre at University of Oslo and in close cooperation with the Jarðfeingi – Faroese Geological Survey.

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