My research is focused on the application of a wide spectrum of Quantitative Provenance Analysis (QPA) techniques applied to basin analysis, particularly on the relationships between tectonic and climatic perturbations, and lithological controls on sediment production and transfer from source-to-sink. At present, my main research focus is on modern sedimentary systems,  particularly in regard to the properties of the erosional products and links to landscape and external forcing controls. I use the knowledge acquired on modern systems to increase our understanding of how environmental signal propagation is recorded in deep-time stratigraphy.

My analytical background includes sedimentary petrology, heavy minerals analysis, detrital geochemistry (bulk-rock and varietal studies), detrital geochronology and Low-temperature thermochronology (U-Pb dating, Fission tracks and U-Th/He dating). I’m keen on using and integrating state of the art techniques – e.g. Raman and QemScan – and model compositional data to link sediment mineralogy to sedimentary processes.

One exciting and challenging aspect of my research is the use of provenance signatures and sediment composition in different fields, especially those related to the O&G and geothermal industry for enhanced interpretation of facies heterogeneity, reservoir connectivity, diagenetic environments and their influence on fluid migration. Combining both academic and industry experience, I had the chance to work and publish in areas dislocated in all continents including Europe, North and South America, Africa, SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. I’m actively involved in industry projects and training of professionals from the O&G industry.

Since 2018 I organise the international summer school on the ‚Controls on sandstone diagenesis‘ – in collaboration with Rob Lander and Linda Bonnel from Geocosm LCC – which aims at providing both state-of-the-art and innovative concepts on (i) pre-deposition controlling parameters determining the generation and redistribution of sediments within sedimentary environments; (ii) hydraulic sorting and depositional facies as predisposing factors on early diagenesis; (iii) relationship between sedimentology and diagenetic processes; (iv) modelling of compositional data as a tool for understanding and predicting texture; (vi) diagenesis and reservoir quality.

I’m also working on the application of diagenesis and basin analysis features to geothermal research. Since 2019 I collaborate with Prof. Carlos Vargas (National University of Colombia) on the potential use of geothermal as an additional resource to Megacities.

• Environmental Signals Propagation in Sediment Routing Systems across the Permian-Triassic Boundary.

  
  (Drittmittelfinanzierte Einzelförderung)
  Laufzeit: 1. März 2022 - 28. Februar 2025
  Mittelgeber: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
  
  Abstract

  Two of the biggest challenges in sedimentary geology are (i) the identification of tectonic and climatic perturbations – particularly in relation to down-system propagation in both modern deep-time sedimentary systems, and (ii) the reconstruction of paleo-sediment fluxes in ancient Sediment Routing Systems (SRS) (Caracciolo, 2020). Tectonic and climatic forcings perturbate the steady state of geological landscapes which in turn adapt to the increase/decrease of erosion rates, water discharge, sediment flux, downstream sedimentfining, and sediment partitioning. Furthermore, lithological controls (e.g. how different lithologies react to weathering and sediment production) are commonly overlooked or oversimplified, hence, the calculation of sediment flux in deep-time is often imprecise. Key information relevant to the reconstruction of ancient SRS can be extracted from mineralogy and compositional signatures of sediments. Detrital provenance signatures are possibly the most reliable tool in deep-time research as they faithfully record the provenance of source lithologies. While post-depositional overprinting can destroy pristine, compositionally diagnostic signatures (e.g. mineral dissolution during weathering and/or diagenesis), complete destruction of the compositional signature is unlikely (Caracciolo, 2020, Caracciolo et al., 2020; Chew et al, 2020).The Permian-Triassic transition is of general interest since it witnessed the most devastating mass extinction in the Phanerozoic (Erwin, 1994; Hallam and Wignall, 1997). About 95% of marine species and 75% of terrestrial species, both plants and animals went extinct.The general models for continental sedimentation converge towards increasing aridity from the Permian to the Early Triassic, with potential increase of sediment flux being related to (i) increase of precipitations in the catchment area, or (ii) increased runoff due to the lack of vegetation (Ward et al., 2000; Newell et al., 2011; Bourquin et al., 2011; Wilson et al., 2019; Zhu et al., 2020). However, several studies suggested that global warming across the P-T transition (Joachimski et al. 2012, 2020) greatly enhanced continental weathering thus providing more nutrients to the ocean. Excessive nutrients are assumed to have stimulated primary productivity, leading to widely observed anoxia-euxinia in Early Triassic oceans (Algeo et al., 2010; Algeo et al., 2011).The implications from proving and especially quantifying an increase in sediment flux are important. Firstly, because the PTB is one of the most critical time intervals in Earth history, and the interplay of tectonics, climate, and changes in the sediment flux are currently poorly understood. Secondly, enhanced silicate weathering could have effectively contributed to the sequestration of atmospheric CO2 emitted by Siberian Trap volcanism instead climate regulation by silicate weathering may have failed in case of no major change in weathering and extensive volcanic degassing (see Kump, 2018).The main aims of the project are to (i) establish a reliable methodology integrating paleodrainage, cosmogenic nuclides, and Quantitative Provenance Analysis to constrain the evolution of SRS in deep-time, (ii) quantify erosion rates and sediment flux and disentangle the role of tectonics, climate, and drainage lithologies on the generation and transfer of sediments across the PTB, (iii) prove/disprove the climate regulation through silicate weathering across the PTB. In this project, a systematic approach to quantify landscape modifications to climatic and tectonic perturbations, and the correspondent variations in sediment flux is proposed.
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• Allogene Kontrolle der Sedimenterzeugung und der Erosionsraten im höchsten Küstengebiet der Erde: die Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Nordost Kolumbien)

  
  (Drittmittelfinanzierte Einzelförderung)
  Laufzeit: 1. Januar 2020 - 31. Dezember 2021
  Mittelgeber: DFG-Einzelförderung / Sachbeihilfe (EIN-SBH)
  
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• Rapide Versenkung eines trockenen Sandsteins – die besondere kompaktionsdominierte Diagenese der Twyfelfontein Formation, NW Namibia

  
  (Drittmittelfinanzierte Einzelförderung)
  Laufzeit: 1. Oktober 2019 - 30. September 2022
  Mittelgeber: DFG-Einzelförderung / Sachbeihilfe (EIN-SBH)
  
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• Geothermal energy for megacities: phase 1, Bogota

  
  (Drittmittelfinanzierte Einzelförderung)
  Laufzeit: 1. Januar 2019 - 31. Dezember 2021
  Mittelgeber: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
  
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• Geothermisches Potenzial in Nord-Kolumbien und Süd-Peru, Aufbau einer Kooperation mit Universitäten und Entwicklung eines Studentenaustauschprogramms

  
  (Drittmittelfinanzierte Einzelförderung)
  Laufzeit: 1. Januar 2018 - 31. August 2018
  Mittelgeber: Bayerische Forschungsallianz (BayFOR)
  
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• Masterstudiengang "GeoThermie/GeoEnergie"

  
  (Drittmittelfinanzierte Gruppenförderung – Teilprojekt)
  Titel des Gesamtprojektes: Geothermie-Allianz Bayern (GAB)
  Laufzeit: 1. Januar 2016 - 31. Dezember 2021
  Mittelgeber: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst (ab 10/2013)
  URL: https://www.geoenergy.nat.fau.de/studium/
  Abstract

  In Bayern gibt es bisher keinen Studiengang, der auf Geothermie/Geoenergieressourcen fokussiert ist und relevante Lehrinhalte ganzheitlich - von der Aufsuchung und Erschließung bis zur energetischen Nutzung und Speicherung der Ressource - an Studierende vermittelt. Die an den beiden Standorten TU München und FAU Erlangen vorhandenen Lehr- und Forschungskompetenzen sollen durch die Einrichtung eines in der Verantwortung der FAU liegenden interdisziplinären Master-Studiengangs "GeoThermie/GeoEnergie" zusammengeführt und und inhaltlich ergänzt werden. Dies erfordert einen personellen Ausbau der Fachrichtungen I) Seismische Interpretation & Untergrund-Modellierung und II) Reservoirgeologie & Geohydraulik.
  Für den Master-Studiengang "GeoThermie/GeoEnergie" wird ein interdisziplinärer Ansatz angestrebt:
  Neben der geowissenschaftlichen Komponente soll auch die technische Erschließung
  und energietechnische Nutzung von geothermischen Reservoiren, ergänzt durch energiewirtschaftliche
  und berg-/umweltrechtliche Aspekte behandelt werden. Somit kann den Studierenden
  sowohl das angestrebte ganzheitliche Systemverständnis als auch das einem modernen
  Anforderungsprofil der Energiewirtschaft entsprechende Methodenspektrum vermittelt werden.
  Die den Studierenden vermittelten Methoden sind jedoch keinesfalls nur auf Anwendungen in
  der Geothermie beschränkt, sondern auch auf sehr viele andere, das Verständnis des tieferen
  geologischen Untergrunds betreffende Fragestellungen (z.B. Gas-, Fluid- und
  Wärmespeicherung) direkt übertragbar.
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• Late Cretaceous to Recent post-breakup evolution of the African S-Atlantic margin: integrating onshore field studies; sequence development, offshore seismic data, numerical dating and modelling

  
  (Drittmittelfinanzierte Gruppenförderung – Teilprojekt)
  Titel des Gesamtprojektes: SPP 1375: SAMPLE: South Atlantic Margin Processes and Links with onshore Evolution
  Laufzeit: 1. November 2008 - 31. Juli 2017
  Mittelgeber: DFG / Schwerpunktprogramm (SPP)
  
  Abstract

  Multiple phases of volcanism, uplift and subsidence are recorded after the breakup of the Namibian South Atlantic margin segment – features which are regarded as atypical when compared to published examples of other post-breakup continental margin successions. It is currently not understood whether these geodynamic processes are only of regional or a broader, South Atlantic intercontinental importance. Existing low T thermochronometric analyses, cosmogenic isotope measurements on bedrock surfaces and tectonic and stratigraphic analysis of the post-breakup succession could be advantageously completed and calibrated by (A) the interpretation of offshore industrial seismic and well log data (uppermost 2s TWT) and (B) the analysis of onshore sedimentary archives such as post-breakup fluvial depositional sequences, marine terraces, aeolianites, palaeo-seacliffs, incised valleys and syntectonic strata in the hanging-walls of normal faults. Both, onshore and offshore strata provide a high-resolution archive of processes accompanying the breakup and post-breakup evolution of the South Atlantic margin. Many of the coastal marine terraces contain dateable material suitable for biostratigraphic analysis combined with ESR and OSL dating. Offshore seismic structural and stratigraphic analysis and well data will be integrated with a detailed 3D stratigraphic and structural analysis as well as dynamic retro- and forward modelling which forms the basis for a combined 3D onshore-offshore surface-subsurface model.
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• Coordinator of the Working Group on Sediment Generation (WGSG)
• Associate Editor at Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Halliburton

Research topics fitting to both BSc and MSc thesis projects are always available and are largely focused on Sediment Provenance, Basin Analysis, Diagenesis and Reservoir Modelling.

Analytical tools include sedimentary petrography (thin section analysis and heavy minerals), detrital geochemistry (whole-rock and single-grain analysis) and mineralogy (XRD and Qemscan), geochronology (U-Pb dating) and compositional data analysis. Petrophysics (porosity, permeability, anisotropy and thermoconductivity), cathodoluminescence, micro-CT and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and isotopic analyses are routinely applied for diagenetic studies. PETREL and similar software are also available for sedimentological, diagenetic and reservoir modelling.

Please contact me at: luca.caracciolo(at)fau(dot)de

1. Permo-Triassic of South-East Germany (Bavaria) – up to 5 BSc and MSc thesis
   
   We’re conducting research on both sediment provenance and diagenesis aiming at establishing the relationship between sediment supply, sedimentary environments and their influence on diagenetic processes and petrophysical properties. Permo-Triassic successions are studied from both outcrop and boreholes which will ultimately provide the opportunity to correlate correspondent formations at a regional scale. The analytical workflow includes core-logs analysis, petrophysics, diagenesis, sediment provenance and sedimentological/reservoir modelling.
2. Namibia (Southern Africa) – 3 thesis
   
   On-going research in Namibia is focused on modern and ancient aeolian vs fluvial processes aiming at achieving a better understanding of dominant sedimentary dynamics in the Namib Desert over the last 15 Ma. Analytical workflow comprises bulk petrography and heavy mineral analysis, detrital geochemistry and possibly geochronology for the study of three formations, namely the Oswater, Karpfen Kliff and Langen Heinrich post-Miocene successions.
3. Betic Cordillera (South-western Spain) – 1 thesis
   
   A provenance-basin analysis project based on bulk petrography and heavy mineral analysis to reconstruct drainage modifications in response to major tectonic events during the Serravalian-Tortonian building phase of the Betic Cordillera.