Table 1 Potential unconventional gas reservoirs in Germany
Type of reservoir | Most promising reservoir | Regions |
|---|---|---|
Coal bed methane (source rocks) | Seam-bearing Upper Carboniferous | Northern Ruhr region/Münsterland Basin (NRW) |
Ibbenbühen (NRW) | ||
Saar Basin (Saarland) | ||
Shale gas (source rocks) | Tertiary clay formations (e.g. Fischschiefer) | Molasse Basin (BW) |
Posidonia Shale (Black Jurassic)* | Northwest German Basin (e.g. Lünne) (NI) | |
Molasse Basin (BW) | ||
Upper Rhine Graben | ||
Wealden clay formations (e.g. Lower Cretaceous)* | Weser Depression (NRW/NI) | |
Permian clay formations (e.g. black shale (stinkschiefe”), copper shale) | Northeast German Basin (NI/SA) | |
Carboniferous and Devonian clay formations e.g. alum shale (Lower Carboniferous)* | Northern edge of the Rhenish massif (NRW) | |
Northwest German Basin | ||
Harz Mountain (NI/SA) | ||
Silurian slates | Northeast German Basin | |
Cambro Ordovician clay formations (“alum shale”) | (not yet studied in details) | |
Tight gas (deposit rocks) | Red sandstone | Northwest German basin (NI/SA) |
Permian sandstones (Rotliegend) and carbonates (Zechstein) | Northeast German basin (e.g. Leer) (NI) | |
Permian sandstones (Rotliegend) and dolomite (Stassfurt series) sandstones (Triassic) | Thuringian Basin (TH) | |
Upper Carboniferous sandstones | Northwest German Basin (e.g. Vechta) (NI) |