Field trip: Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage in the London Basin
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a technology to store and recover thermal energy by extraction and injection of groundwater in subsurface aquifers. It has the potential to provide clean, sustainable heating and cooling of buildings in London (and many other cities), but its success will depend on developing a good understanding of the geology of shallow aquifers into which groundwater is extracted and injected.
Preliminary data from test ATES projects in London suggest that most groundwater storage occurs in the upper 10-20 m of the Chalk aquifer. This fieldtrip will visit exposures of the upper part of the Chalk Group and the overlying Thanet Formation sands at Chafford Gorges Nature Park, Essex. We will focus on characterising geological features that control transmissivity in these rocks, including fractures in the Chalk, palaeokarst development at the top-Chalk unconformity, and the sedimentology and heterogeneity of the Thanet Sands.
This field trip is free to attend, but participants will need to cover their travel costs (£15 return train fare from Fenchurch Street station, central London to Chafford Hundred station) and lunch costs (£15 pub lunch).
The field trip is open to all, but space is limited to 20 participants on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. You must have registered and bought a ticket for the conference in order to sign up for the fieldtrip.
​​
​
Date: Friday 19th December
Time: 9:15 am – 4:15 pm
​
Location: The fieldtrip will begin (at 9:15 am) and end (at 4:15 pm) at Chafford Hundred train station. This train station is a 30 minute journey from Fenchurch Street station, central London. The fieldtrip will involve hiking 2 miles over flat to moderate terrain.
​
Fieldtrip leader: Prof. Gary Hampson, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London
If you have any enquiries or questions, please contact us at:
bsrg2025@gmail.com
Sponsored by:
