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The Multi-scale Laboratories (MSL) are a network of European laboratories bringing together the scientific fields of analogue modeling, paleomagnetism, experimental rock and melt physics, geochemistry and microscopy. MSL is one of nine (see below) Thematic Core Services (TCS) of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS). The overarching goal of EPOS is to establish a comprehensive multidisciplinary research platform for the Earth sciences in Europe. It aims at facilitating the integrated use of data, models, and facilities, from both existing and new distributed pan European Research Infrastructures, allowing open access and transparent use of data. The TCS MSL network allows researchers to collaborate with other labs and scientists. By becoming part of the rapidly growing TCS MSL network, new laboratories are offered a platform to showcase their research data output, laboratory equipment and information, and the opportunity to open laboratories to guest researchers through the Transnational Access (TNA) program. The EPOS Multi-scale laboratories offer researchers a fully operational data publication chain tailored to the specific needs of laboratory research, from a bespoke metadata editor, through dedicated, (domain-specific) data repositories, to the MSL Portal showcasing these citable data publications. During this process the data publications are assigned with digital object identidiers (DOI), published with open licenses (e.g. CC BY 4.0) and described with standardized and machine-readable rich metadata (following the FAIR Principles to make research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. The TCS MSL is currently working on linking these data publications to the EPOS Central Portal1, the main discovery and access point for European multi-disciplinary data, and on increasing the number of connected data repositories. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The European Plate Observing System - Netherlands (EPOS-NL) is the Dutch research infrastructure for solid Earth sciences. EPOS-NL is a cluster of large-scale geophysical facilities for research on georesources and geohazards. It is a partnership between Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) and Utrecht University (UU) and is funded by NWO, as part of the national roadmap for large-scale research infrastructure. EPOS-NL facilities include 1) The Earth Simulation Lab at UU, 2) The Groningen gas field seismological network and the ORFEUS Data Centre at KNMI, 3) The deep geothermal (DAP-)well to be installed on the TU Delft campus, and 4) A distributed facility for multi-scale imaging and tomography (MINT) at UU and TU Delft. EPOS-NL aims to further develop the infrastructure for solid Earth scientific research. It also makes cutting-edge research facilities and data available to (inter)national researchers, aiming to address key geo-societal challenges, notably: • Exploration for (renewable) geo-energy resources • Storage of fuels, CO2 and wastewater in the sub-surface, and • Hazards such as induced or natural earthquakes Addressing these challenges requires a multi-physics, multi-scale approach, and open access to state-of-the-art research facilities and data. EPOS-NL contributes to addressing these needs.

Continental collision and subduction dynamics are often the main tectonic processes responsible for the formation of mountain belts. Understanding the mechanics of deformation across collisional orogens is of prime importance in order to determine the mountains architecture and the associated deep mantle-scale geodynamic processes. The Dinarides orogen is a world-class example of a collisional orogen that was affected by a number of critical processes driving mountain building and subsequent collapse during its Jurassic-Eocene evolution associated with the convergence between Europe- and Adriatic derived units. Such processes include linked migration of slab and magmatism during continental collision, indentation of continental micro-plates, changes in polarities in respect to neighboring orogens or transfer of deformation between active areas driving the distribution of present-day seismicity and crustal stresses. All these processes are critical for the evaluation of geo-resources in the upper crustal domain and their quantification is important to be ported to the understanding of other orogens worldwide. The large-scale kinematic evolution of the Dinarides has been obtained by an extensive surface kinematic study performed in the less known area of the external Dinarides. By correlating the kinematics with available geophysical and evolutionary constraints, we constructed two large-scale, kinematically controlled regional transects. The results demonstrate a long-lived evolution of shortening that affected the Dinarides lower orogenic plate. While the Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous deformation was associated with an earlier obduction moment, the latest Cretaceous onset of continental collision has gradually focused deformation at inherited rheological weakness zones. We show that shortening was interrupted by a period of Miocene extension that affected all orogenic areas. The extension was followed by renewed shortening, which started during the late Miocene and remains presently active. These results indicate a lower plate crustal accretion mechanism that was spatially and temporally connected with gradual slab retreat in the Dinarides. The structural and kinematic effects of the post- middle Miocene Adriatic indentation in the NW-SE oriented Dinarides structure have been analysed in more detail. This deformation induced a characteristic coherent regional system of large offset dextral strike-slip faults, which transfer gradually their offsets to thrusts and high-angle reverse faults. By linking the data in a regional context, the post-middle Miocene Dinarides fault system seems to accommodate the differential motion between the N- ward Adriatic indentation in the Alps and the rapid S- to SW- ward movement of a Hellenides area situated SE of the Kefalonia Fault driven by the Aegean slab-roll back. The effects of the kinematic, structural and regional geodynamics on the thermal, fluid-flow and organic matter maturity evolutions were further explored by the means of a numerical modelling study performed on a kinematically controlled cross-section. The modelling results demonstrate that deformation-, burial- and exhumation-, and erosion- and sedimentation- rates significantly contribute to changes in the thermal/maturity distribution across the orogen. In addition, petrographic and geochemical (stable oxygen and carbon isotopic) investigations of samples that were taken from major fault contacts, demonstrate the significant impact of the tectonic-induced paleo-fluid flow on the diagenetic evolution of rocks across the external Dinarides.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a promising method in the portfolio of negative CO2 emission techniques. It involves capture of CO2 from industrial units (e.g. power plants and cement factories), followed by transport and then injection of the captured CO2 into underground reservoirs, such as saline aquifers, or depleted oil and gas reservoirs, for geological storage. Long-term safe containment of stored CO2 relies on the sealing integrity of the overlying caprock overlying the storage reservoir, as well as any pre-existing faults bounding the system. For many existing and potential CO2 storage sites, clay-rich shales and mudstones form the primary caprock. To assess the leakage risk of CO2 through clay-rich caprocks and along initially sealed faults, the interactions between the caprock material and CO2-rich fluid, and its effect on sealing integrity must be well understood under CO2 storage conditions. In many clay-rich caprocks, swelling clays, such as smectites, are pervasively present. It is known that upon interaction with CO2 and/or water, these clays swell. However, it has not yet been investigated how their swelling behavior impacts caprock and fault integrity under in-situ conditions. This thesis addresses an experimentally-based study on the self-stressing effect in smectite clays induced by volumetric swelling of the smectite due to interactions with CO2 and H2O. Furthermore, it investigates the effect of stress-strain-sorption behaviour of smectites on the transport properties of smectite-bearing shale and fault-filling gouge.

Print on Demand version available via http://www.linguaterraebooks.nl

Print on Demand version available via http://www.linguaterraebooks.nl

Print on Demand version available via http://www.linguaterraebooks.nl

Continental collision and subduction dynamics are often the main tectonic processes responsible for the formation of mountain belts. Understanding the mechanics of deformation across collisional orogens is of prime importance in order to determine the mountains architecture and the associated deep mantle-scale geodynamic processes. The Dinarides orogen is a world-class example of a collisional orogen that was affected by a number of critical processes driving mountain building and subsequent collapse during its Jurassic-Eocene evolution associated with the convergence between Europe- and Adriatic derived units. Such processes include linked migration of slab and magmatism during continental collision, indentation of continental micro-plates, changes in polarities in respect to neighboring orogens or transfer of deformation between active areas driving the distribution of present-day seismicity and crustal stresses. All these processes are critical for the evaluation of geo-resources in the upper crustal domain and their quantification is important to be ported to the understanding of other orogens worldwide. The large-scale kinematic evolution of the Dinarides has been obtained by an extensive surface kinematic study performed in the less known area of the external Dinarides. By correlating the kinematics with available geophysical and evolutionary constraints, we constructed two large-scale, kinematically controlled regional transects. The results demonstrate a long-lived evolution of shortening that affected the Dinarides lower orogenic plate. While the Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous deformation was associated with an earlier obduction moment, the latest Cretaceous onset of continental collision has gradually focused deformation at inherited rheological weakness zones. We show that shortening was interrupted by a period of Miocene extension that affected all orogenic areas. The extension was followed by renewed shortening, which started during the late Miocene and remains presently active. These results indicate a lower plate crustal accretion mechanism that was spatially and temporally connected with gradual slab retreat in the Dinarides. The structural and kinematic effects of the post- middle Miocene Adriatic indentation in the NW-SE oriented Dinarides structure have been analysed in more detail. This deformation induced a characteristic coherent regional system of large offset dextral strike-slip faults, which transfer gradually their offsets to thrusts and high-angle reverse faults. By linking the data in a regional context, the post-middle Miocene Dinarides fault system seems to accommodate the differential motion between the N- ward Adriatic indentation in the Alps and the rapid S- to SW- ward movement of a Hellenides area situated SE of the Kefalonia Fault driven by the Aegean slab-roll back. The effects of the kinematic, structural and regional geodynamics on the thermal, fluid-flow and organic matter maturity evolutions were further explored by the means of a numerical modelling study performed on a kinematically controlled cross-section. The modelling results demonstrate that deformation-, burial- and exhumation-, and erosion- and sedimentation- rates significantly contribute to changes in the thermal/maturity distribution across the orogen. In addition, petrographic and geochemical (stable oxygen and carbon isotopic) investigations of samples that were taken from major fault contacts, demonstrate the significant impact of the tectonic-induced paleo-fluid flow on the diagenetic evolution of rocks across the external Dinarides.