Scientific results from the deepend Lopra-1 borehole, Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands in the northern North Altantic consist primarily of Palaeogene eruptive volcanic rocks. Two research boreholes were drilled in 1980 and 1981 on the islands, the deeper of which, Lopra-1, extended 2 km into the unexposed part of the volcanic succession.

Exploration for hydrocarbons in the area to the south-east of the Faroe Islands and leakage of gas from the still-open Lopra-1 borehole suggested the presence of a sedimentary section below the volcanics that might contain hydrocarbons. VSP (Vertical Seismic Profiling) studies from the Lopra-1 borehole indicated the presence of seismic reflections from below its final depth that might indicate the base of the volcanic series underlain by sediments.

These observations motivated an industry consortium to drill an extension to the Lopra-1 borehole in 1996 that, including a side-track, reached a final depth of 3565 m. The extension penetrated a thick sequence of previously unknown volcanic rocks, but not pre-volcanic siliciclastic sediments as hoped.

This bulletin presents many new scientific studies of both the extended and original Lopra-1/1A boreholes, in some cases combined with regional studies from elsewhere in the Faroe Islands.