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44-612: The field was discovered in 1981 through the Mittelplate 1 well, which confirmed that the reservoir contained 75 million tonnes (83,000,000 tons) of crude oil. As early as the 1950s, geologists suspected the presence of oil off the German coast. Preliminary test drilling in the 1960s did indeed turn up indications of oil, though not in economically profitable quantities. The oil crisis of 1973 and 1979 raised awareness of indigenous oil sources. In 1980 and 1981, exploration wells in

88-809: A Joint Declaration on the Protection of the Wadden Sea was agreed upon to co-ordinate activities and measures for the protection of the Wadden Sea. In 1997, a Trilateral Wadden Sea Plan was adopted. In 1986, the Wadden Sea Area was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO . In June 2009, the Wadden Sea (comprising the Dutch Wadden Sea Conservation Area and the German Wadden Sea National Parks of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein)

132-462: A resting place. Nearly 200,000 shelducks are believed to gather around the Elbe river estuary each summer. Geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and history of Earth . Geologists incorporate techniques from physics , chemistry , biology , mathematics , and geography to perform research in the field and the laboratory . Geologists work in

176-520: A result, about 90% of all the species that historically inhabited that part of the Wadden Sea are at risk. The Wadden Sea is an important habitat for both harbour and grey seals . Harbour porpoises and white-beaked dolphins are the sea's only resident cetaceans . They were once extinct in the southern part of the sea but have also re-colonized that area again. Many other cetaceans only visit seasonally, or occasionally. In early history, North Atlantic right whales and gray whales (now extinct in

220-590: A small and increasing breeding population of white-tailed eagles . However, the biodiversity of Wadden Sea is smaller today than it once was; for birds, greater flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans used to be common as well, at least during the Holocene climatic optimum when the climate was warmer. Due to human activity and a changing environment, species have gone extinct, while others are expected to migrate in. Larger fish including rays , Atlantic salmon and brown trout are still present in several sections of

264-428: A specialized area within their geological discipline and are employed by universities. In Canada, National Instrument 43-101 requires reports containing estimates of mineral resources and reserves to be prepared by, or under the supervision of, a Qualified Person (QP) who has at least five years of experience with the reported minerals and is a member of a professional association. The QP accepts personal liability for

308-418: A year. Oil is pumped ashore and water extracted during processing is then routed back by the second pipeline for reinjection into the lower section of the reservoir. The modified island facility now contains living accommodation for up to 96 people. The Mittelplate is operated and solely owned by Wintershall Dea. Out of a total capital spending of €670 million, €100 million was spent on construction of

352-562: Is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea . It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands , forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands . It has a high biological diversity and is an important area for both breeding and migrating birds. In 2009, the Dutch and German parts of the Wadden Sea were inscribed on UNESCO 's World Heritage List and

396-410: Is common in the fields of geography , engineering , chemistry , urban planning , environmental studies , among others. Geologists, can be generally identified as a specialist in one or more of the various geoscience disciplines, such as a geophysicist or geochemist. Geologists may concentrate their studies or research in one or more of the following disciplines: Professional geologists may work in

440-606: Is generally understood to include all coastal regions around the Wadden Sea that participate in the trilateral cooperation between Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. The entire area is known for its rich cultural heritage, dating back to the Roman Iron Age and the Middle Ages, and largely coincides with the area internationally referred to as Frisia . Between 2002 and 2023 stakeholder organizations and NGOs from

484-541: Is protected by 11-metre-high (36 ft) sheet piling measures at 70 by 95 m (230 by 312 ft). The western section of the field includes 18 production wells. The first oil came onstream in 1987 and was delivered ashore on 45 by 18 m (148 by 59 ft) double hull barges . A new redevelopment plan included the construction of a land-based facility in Dieksand from which 2,000–3,000 m-long (6,600–9,800 ft) extended-reach production wells were to tap into

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528-538: Is the deposition of lava from volcanoes, as opposed to the Neptunists , led by Abraham Werner , who believed that all rocks had settled out of a large ocean whose level gradually dropped over time. The first geological map of the United States was produced in 1809 by William Maclure . In 1807, Maclure commenced the self-imposed task of making a geological survey of the United States. Almost every state in

572-612: Is the theory that Earth's features formed in single, catastrophic events and remained unchanged thereafter. Though Hutton believed in uniformitarianism, the idea was not widely accepted at the time. For an aspiring geologist, training typically includes significant coursework in physics , mathematics , and chemistry , in addition to classes offered through the geology department; historical and physical geology, igneous and metamorphic petrology and petrography, hydrogeology , sedimentology , stratigraphy , mineralogy , palaeontology , physical geography and structural geology are among

616-647: The Afsluitdijk . Historically, the coastal regions were often subjected to large floods, resulting in thousands of deaths, including the Saint Marcellus' floods of 1219 and 1362, Burchardi flood of 1634 and Christmas Flood of 1717 . Some of these also significantly changed the coastline. Numerous dikes and several causeways have been built, and as a result recent floods have resulted in few or no fatalities (even if some dikes rarely and locally have been overrun in recent history). This makes it among

660-544: The Büsum salt diapir were to ensure a faster exploitation of the field. The redevelopment plan also included construction of 7.5 km (4.7 mi) pipelines from the island to Friedrichskoog -Spitze and a 2.8 km (1.7 mi) pipeline to the Dieksand Land Station. This was expected to enable the Mittelplate consortium to transport up to 1 million tonnes or 7,550,000 barrels (1,200,000 m) of oil

704-669: The Frisian islands and the mainland coastal marshes , is also called the Wadden Coast. In Germany the area is referred to as North Sea Coast ( Nordseeküste ). The embanked polderlands and saltmarshes in the Wadden Sea area – including the Elbe Marshes – are referred to in Germany as North Sea coastal marshes ( Nordseemarschen ). More recent are terms such as Waddenland, Wadden Sea area and Wadden Sea Region. The latter term

748-561: The energy and mining sectors to exploit natural resources . They monitor environmental hazards such as earthquakes , volcanoes , tsunamis and landslides . Geologists are also important contributors to climate change discussions. James Hutton is often viewed as the first modern geologist. In 1785 he presented a paper entitled Theory of the Earth to the Royal Society of Edinburgh . In his paper, he explained his theory that

792-475: The 10th to 14th centuries, overflowing and carrying away former peat land behind the coastal dunes. The present islands are a remnant of the former coastal dunes. Towards the North Sea the islands are marked by dunes and wide sandy beaches, and towards the Wadden Sea a low, tidal coast. The impact of waves and currents carrying away sediments is slowly changing both land masses and coastlines. For example,

836-521: The 19th century. Mudflat hiking , i.e., walking on the sandy flats at low tide, has become popular in the Wadden Sea. It is also a popular region for pleasure boating. The German part of the Wadden Sea was the setting for the 1903 Erskine Childers novel The Riddle of the Sands and Else Ury 's 1915 novel Nesthäkchen in the Children's Sanitorium . The area bordering the Wadden Sea, including

880-689: The Danish part was added in June 2014. The Wadden Sea stretches from Den Helder , in the northwest of the Netherlands , past the great river estuaries of Germany to its northern boundary at Skallingen in Denmark along a total coastline of some 500 km (310 mi) and a total area of about 10,000 km (3,900 sq mi). Within the Netherlands, it is bounded from the IJsselmeer by

924-425: The Earth must be much older than had previously been supposed to allow enough time for mountains to be eroded and for sediments to form new rocks at the bottom of the sea, which in turn were raised up to become dry land. Hutton published a two-volume version of his ideas in 1795 ( Vol. 1 , Vol. 2 ). Followers of Hutton were known as Plutonists because they believed that some rocks were formed by vulcanism , which

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968-618: The Mittelplate vicinity found oil in several sandstone layers. Due to the location of the field in an ecologically sensitive area, hydrographic, hydrodynamic and meteorological studies modelling storm, wave and ice-flow conditions were done, with the result that an artificial island holding a drilling and production facility was built in 1985. The oil in the Mittelplate field is trapped in Dogger (Middle Jurassic) sandstones of uppermost Aalenian to lowermost Callovian in age. The five main sandstone reservoir units, known from oldest to youngest as

1012-669: The North Atlantic) were present in the region, perhaps using the shallow, calm waters for feeding and breeding. It has been theorized that they were hunted to extinction in this region by shore-based whalers in medieval times. They are generally considered long-extinct in the region, but in the Netherlands, a possible right whale was observed close to beaches on Texel in the West Frisian Islands and off Steenbanken, Schouwen-Duiveland in July 2005. Recent increases in

1056-803: The Union was traversed and mapped by him; the Allegheny Mountains being crossed and recrossed some 50 times. The results of his unaided labors were submitted to the American Philosophical Society in a memoir entitled Observations on the Geology of the United States explanatory of a Geological Map , and published in the Society's Transactions , together with the nation's first geological map. This antedates William Smith 's geological map of England by six years, although it

1100-598: The Wadden Sea). European oyster once formed large beds in the region and was still present until a few decades ago, when extirpated due to a combination of disease and the continued spread of the invasive Pacific oyster , which now forms large beds in the Wadden Sea. Especially the southwestern part of the Wadden Sea has been greatly reduced. Historically, the Rhine was by far the most important river flowing into this section, but it has been greatly reduced due to dams. As

1144-423: The Wadden Sea, but others like European sea sturgeon only survive in the region through a reintroduction project. The world's only remaining natural population of houting survives in the Danish part of the Wadden Sea and it has been used as a basis for reintroductions further south, but considerable taxonomic confusion remains over its status (whether it is the same as the houting that once lived further south in

1188-525: The alpha-sand, beta-sand, gamma-sand, delta-sand and epsilon-sand, are separated by intervening sandy claystones, not of reservoir quality. The trap is formed on the flank of the Büsum salt dome , with the hydrocarbons sealed up-dip by the edge of the salt dome. The overall top seal is provided by Lower Cretaceous mudstones. The source rock for the oil found at Mittelplate is thought to be the underlying Lower Jurassic Liassic organic-rich claystone. The island

1232-489: The area and production in the field have been in accord with National Parks Law. However, Greenpeace along with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have been active critics of the field development in Wattenmeer. The national park is home to nearly 4,000 species, 250 of which do not exist anywhere in the world but Wattenmeer. Up to 12 million migratory birds use the park—which is rich of mussels, worms, snails, and shrimp—as

1276-646: The country. This 'wellbeing' is often in the form of greater tax revenues from new or extended mining projects or through better infrastructure and/or natural disaster planning. An engineering geologist is employed to investigate geologic hazards and geologic constraints for the planning, design and construction of public and private engineering projects, forensic and post-mortem studies, and environmental impact analysis . Exploration geologists use all aspects of geology and geophysics to locate and study natural resources. In many countries or U.S. states without specialized environmental remediation licensure programs,

1320-548: The eastern part of the field directly from land on Dieksand / Friedrichskoog . The oil is piped from there to Brunsbüttel and onward to oil refineries in Hemmingstedt . The companies developing the field spent a substantial part of €670 million already invested over 20 years into industrial safety and environmental protection programs due to unique location of the field in Wattenmeer tidelands. Pipe-laying in

1364-401: The eastern part of the field. As per the development program, a pilot well and seven high-tech extended-reach wells measuring at 7,727 m (25,351 ft), 8,284 m (27,178 ft), 8,367 m (27,451 ft), 8,995 m (29,511 ft), 9,275 m (30,430 ft), 8,450 m (27,720 ft), 8,672 m (28,451 ft) and a 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) section cutting through

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1408-528: The environmental remediation field is often dominated by professional geologists, particularly hydrogeologists, with professional concentrations in this aspect of the field. Petroleum and mining companies use mudloggers , and large-scale land developers use the skills of geologists and engineering geologists to help them locate oil and minerals, adapt to local features such as karst topography or earthquake risk, and comply with environmental regulations. Geologists in academia usually hold an advanced degree in

1452-476: The islands of Vlieland and Ameland have moved eastwards through the centuries, having lost land on one side and added it on the other. The Wadden Sea is famous for its rich flora and fauna , especially birds. Hundreds of thousands of waders , ducks , and geese use the area as a migration stopover or wintering site. It is also a rich habitat for gulls and terns , as well as a few species of herons , Eurasian spoonbills and birds-of-prey , including

1496-490: The many required areas of study. Most geologists also need skills in GIS and other mapping techniques. Geology students often spend portions of the year, especially the summer though sometimes during a January term, living and working under field conditions with faculty members (often referred to as "field camp"). Many non-geologists often take geology courses or have expertise in geology that they find valuable to their fields; this

1540-603: The mining industry or in the associated area of mineral exploration . They may also work in oil and gas industry. Some geologists also work for a wide range of government agencies, private firms, and non-profit and academic institutions. They are usually hired on a contract basis or hold permanent positions within private firms or official agencies (such as the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran ). Local, state, and national governments hire geologists to work on geological projects that are of interest to

1584-417: The most human-altered habitats on the planet. The word wad is Frisian and Dutch for "mud flat" ( Low German and German : Watt , Danish : Vade ). The area is typified by extensive tidal mud flats , deeper tidal trenches ( tidal creeks ) and the islands that are contained within this, a region continually contested by land and sea. The landscape has been formed for a great part by storm tides in

1628-428: The number of North Atlantic humpback whales and minke whales might have resulted in more visits and possible re-colonization by the species to the areas especially around Marsdiep . Future recovery of once-extinct local bottlenose dolphins is also expected. A number of human-introduced invasive species , including algae , plants, and smaller organisms, are causing negative effects on native species. Each of

1672-722: The pipeline transporting crude oil ashore and €50 million was spent on construction of a new T-150 drilling rig . Starting from October 1987, the field has been tapped in several sandstone layers at depths reaching 2,000–3,000 m (6,600–9,800 ft). The size of the deposit was adjusted upward to over 100 million tons, of which 15 million tons were extracted by June 2005. The annual production of Mittelplate Island amounts to 900,000 tons of oil (about 18,100 barrels of oil per day). Under prevailing conditions, about 40 million tons are still economically extractable. Since 2000, nearly horizontal wells (some up to about 9,200 metres [30,200 ft] long) have been extracting from

1716-571: The professional quality of the report and underlying work. The rules and guidelines codified in National Instrument 43-101 were introduced after a scandal in 1997 where Bre-X geologists salted drill core samples at a gold exploration property in Busang, Indonesia. The falsified drilling results misled Bre-X investors and upon discovery of the fraud, the company collapsed in the largest gold mining scam in history. In Europe exists

1760-661: The professional title of EurGeol (European Geologist ) awarded by the European Federation of Geologists . Geologists may belong to a number of professional societies promoting research, networking, and professional development within the field. Wattenmeer The Wadden Sea ( Dutch : Waddenzee [ˈʋɑdə(n)zeː] ; German : Wattenmeer [ˈvatn̩ˌmeːɐ̯] ; Low German : Wattensee or Waddenzee ; Danish : Vadehavet ; [Waadsee] Error: {{Langx}}: invalid parameter: |longname= ( help ) ; North Frisian : di Heef )

1804-427: The public community. The investigation of a country's natural resources is often a key role when working for government institutions; the work of the geologist in this field can be made publicly available to help the community make more informed decisions related to the exploitation of resources, management of the environment and the safety of critical infrastructure - all of which is expected to bring greater wellbeing to

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1848-514: The three countries has designated Ramsar sites in the region (see Wadden Sea National Parks ). Although the Wadden Sea is not yet listed as a transboundary Ramsar site, a great part of the Wadden Sea is protected in cooperation of all three countries. The governments of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have been working together since 1978 on the protection and conservation of the Wadden Sea. Co-operation covers management, monitoring and research, as well as political matters. Furthermore, in 1982,

1892-477: Was constructed using a different classification of rocks. Sir Charles Lyell first published his famous book, Principles of Geology , in 1830. This book, which influenced the thought of Charles Darwin , successfully promoted the doctrine of uniformitarianism . This theory states that slow geological processes have occurred throughout the Earth's history and are still occurring today. In contrast, catastrophism

1936-802: Was placed on the World Heritage list by UNESCO . A minor boundary modification in 2011 added the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park to the site, and the Danish part was added to in 2014. The state of Bremen , covering part of the Weser River estuary, is not participating. Conservation efforts are coordinated by the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, seated in Wilhelmshaven . Many of the islands have been popular seaside resorts since

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