Aiming to contribute to the energy transition, this study provides an integrated picture of the geothermal system hosted in the West Netherlands Basin and shows how the reconstruction of the basin's geological history can contribute to the correct exploration and exploitation of its geothermal resources. In the West Netherlands Basin, the main geothermal targets are found in the Cretaceous and Jurassic strata that were deposited during the rifting and post-rifting stages and were deformed during the subsequent basin inversion. Despite multiple studies on the tectonic setting, the timing and tectono-stratigraphic architecture of the rift system and its overall control on the development and evolution of geothermal systems are still to be fully deciphered. In this study, a detailed seismo-stratigraphic interpretation of the syn- and post-rift intervals in the West Netherlands Basin will be given within the framework of geothermal exploration. A recently released and reprocessed 3D seismic cube is used, covering a large portion of the onshore section of the basin. We identified two major Jurassic rifting episodes and a Late Cretaceous inversion event. During the Jurassic rifting phases, the compartmentalization of the basin and the creation of accommodation space led to the deposition of the Late Jurassic Nieuwerkerk Formation, which is the main regional geothermal producing target. Within this formation, we individuate growth synclines located in the central portions of the Jurassic half-grabens as sites that show good potential for geothermal exploration.

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In rift basins, the spatial arrangement of extensional faults can influence the facies and the thickness distribution of the syn- and post-sedimentary infill, which can harbour good potential for geothermal systems. In this framework, unravelling the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of a rift basin is decisive, as it can influence one of the key parameters for planning geothermal doublets: aquifer thickness.

In our study, the West Netherlands Basin, located in one of the Netherlands most densely populated areas, is used as a case study. Up to 2022, 14 geothermal doublets were realized in the area, with the main target being the syn-rift deposits of the Late Jurassic Nieuwerkerk Formation. As a NW-SE oriented transtensional basin, the West Netherlands Basin developed as consequence of Mesozoic extensional tectonics, after which it became inverted during the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Using publicly available seismic 3D and well data, our renewed interpretation of the study area shows two important rift events. The first one during the Early-Mid Jurassic and the second one, partly controlled by structures of the former, during the Late Jurassic, coinciding with the deposition of the Nieuwerkerk Formation.

Our study adds to the understanding of a multiple stage rifting history in the West Netherlands Basin. This is important, as the process influences reservoir thicknesses and with that, the amount of MW that can be extracted from geothermal aquifers. Therefore, this study forms a bridge between providing an integrated picture of the West Netherlands Basin and how the basins geological history affects its geothermal resources.@en