Dr Robert Raine

Robert Raine’s Biography

• 2022 to ongoing: Senior Energy Geologist: BGS
• 2013 to 2022: Energy Geologist: BGS
• 2011 to 2013: Senior Reservoir Geologist: Ichron Limited
•  2008 to 2011: Reservoir Geologist: Ichron Limited
•  2004 to 2004: Geological Conservator: Lapworth Museum of Geology
•  2003 to 2008: Assistant Curator: Lapworth Museum of Geology
•  2003 to 2008: PhD: University of Birmingham
•  1999 to 2003: MSci Geology: University of Birmingham

Research interests

• Geothermal energy
• Heat storage
• CCS
• Science communication
• Petrography and geochemistry
• Sedimentology
• Biostratigraphy
• Permo-Triassic and Lower Jurassic stratigraphy

Current projects and collaborations

• 2023 to ongoing: GSNI Science Lead, GeoEnergy NI – Geothermal demonstration project. https://geoenergyni.org/
• 2022 to ongoing: Supervisor ICRAG PhD research project. Triassic Reservoir Quality and Geostorage Potential in the Irish Sea Basins.
• 2021 – ongoing: ATESHAC project. Aquifer thermal energy storage for decarbonisation of heating and cooling: Overcoming technical, economic and societal barriers to UK deployment (ATESHAC).
• 2013 to ongoing: Service Level Agreement with the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy – Providing energy related geoscientific data, advice and expertise to government, industry and academia

ORCID: 0000-0003-3483-7880

Key papers

• English, K L, English, J M, Moscardini, R, Haughton, P D W, Raine, R J, and Cooper, M R. 2024. Review of Triassic Sherwood Sandstone Group reservoirs of Ireland and Great Britain and their future role in geoenergy applications. Geoenergy, 2, geoenergy2023-042.
• English, J M, English, K L, Dumphy, R B, Blake, S, Walsh, J, Raine R, Vafeas, N A, and Salgado, P R. 2023. An Overview of Geothermal Energy and its Potential on the island of Ireland. First Break, 41, 33–43.
• Boomer, I, Azmi, A, Copestake, P, and Raine, R. 2021. Lower Jurassic (Hettangian–Pliensbachian) microfossil biostratigraphy of the Ballinlea-1 well, Rathlin Basin, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 132, 657–666.
• Boomer, I, Copestake, P, Raine, R, Azmi, A, Fenton, J P G, Page, K N, and O’Callaghan, M. 2021. Stratigraphy, palaeoenvironments and geochemistry across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary transition at Carnduff, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 132, 667–687.
• Raine, R, Copestake, P, Simms, M J, and Boomer, I. 2020. Uppermost Triassic to Lower Jurassic sediments of the island of Ireland and its surrounding basins. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 132, 627–640.
• Raine, R J, Fenton, J P G, Boomer, I, Azmi, A, and Copestake, P. 2021. Uppermost Triassic to Lower Jurassic stratigraphy in the Lough Foyle Basin of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 132, 641–656.
• Franklin, J, Tyrrell, S, O’Sullivan, G, Nauton-Fourteu, M, and Raine, R. 2020. Provenance of Triassic sandstones in the basins of Northern Ireland—Implications for NW European Triassic palaeodrainage. Geological Journal, 55, 5432–5450.
• Fyfe, L-J C, Schofield, N, Holford, S P, Heafford, A, and Raine, R. 2020. Geology and petroleum prospectivity of the Larne and Portpatrick basins, North Channel, offshore SW Scotland and Northern Ireland. Petroleum Geoscience, 26, 272–302.
• Andeski, A S, Benison, K C, Eichenlaub, L A, and Raine, R J. 2018. Acid saline lake systems of the Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 88, 385–398.
• Raine, R J, and Smith, M P. 2017. Sabkha Facies and the preservation of a falling-stage systems tract At the Sauk II–III Supersequence boundary in the Late Cambrian Eilean Dubh Formation, NW Scotland. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 87, 41–65.
• Ulmer Scholle, D, Scholle, P, Scieber, J, and Raine, R J. 2014. A Color Guide to the Petrography of Sandstones, AAPG Memoir 109, 526pp.
• Derby, J R, Raine, R J, Runkel, A, and Smith, M P. 2012. Generalized map of the Great American Carbonate Bank in Early Ordovician (early Tremadocian) time: the “Stonehenge Transgression” or Rossodus Manitouensis Zone. In: Derby, J. et al. (eds.) The Cambro-Ordovician Sauk Sequence of Laurentia – The Geology and Petroleum Potential of the Great American Carbonate Bank. 5–13. AAPG & Shell.
• Raine, R J, and Smith, M P. 2012. Sequence stratigraphy of the Scottish Laurentian margin and the recognition of the Sauk megasequences in the Scotland–Greenland sector. In: Derby, J et al. (eds.) The Cambro-Ordovician Sauk Sequence of Laurentia – The Geology and Petroleum Potential of the Great American Carbonate Bank. 575–596. AAPG & Shell
• Raine, R J, Smith, M P, Holdsworth, B, and Strachan, R. 2011. Excursion 14: Durness, Balnakeil Bay and Faraid Head In: Goodenough, K & Krabbendam, M A. Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 161–180. Edinburgh Geological Society.
• Butler, R, Raine, R, and Smith, P. 2011. Excursion 15 – The Moine Thrust Zone at Loch Eriboll. In: Goodenough, K, and Krabbendam, M. (eds) A Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 181–197. Edinburgh Geological Society.
• Smith, P, and Raine, R. 2011. Excursion 1 – Loch Assynt and the Achmore duplex. In: Goodenough, K, and Krabbendam, M. (eds) A Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 37–52. Edinburgh Geological Society.
• Johnson, M, Parsons, I, Smith, P, Raine, R, and Goodenough, K. 2011. Geological framework of the North-West Highlands. In: Goodenough, K & Krabbendam, M. (eds) A Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 8–36. Edinburgh Geological Society.
• Davies, N S, Herringshaw, L G, and Raine, R J. 2009. Controls on trace fossil diversity in an Early Cambrian epeiric sea: new perspectives from northwest Scotland. Lethaia 42, 17–30.
• Herringshaw, L G, and Raine, R J. 2007. The earliest turrilepadid: a machaeridian from the Lower Ordovician of the Northwest Highlands. Scottish Journal of Geology 43, 97–100.
• Raine, R J. 2007. Palaeobiogeography of Cambro-Ordovician conodont faunas across Laurentia. The Palaeontology Newsletter 65, 103–106.
• Armstrong, H A, Raine, R J, and Smith, M P. 2006. Iapetus from coast to coast – ICOS 2006 Post-Conference Field Trip, Lapworth Museum of Geology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, 93 pp

Books

• Ulmer Scholle, D, Scholle, P, Schieber, J, and Raine, R J. 2014. A Color Guide to the Petrography of Sandstones, AAPG Memoir 109, 526pp.

Chapters

• Derby, J R, Raine, R J, Runkel, A, and Smith, M P. 2012. Generalized map of the Great American Carbonate Bank in Early Ordovician (early Tremadocian) time: The Stonehenge Transgression. In: Derby, J. et al. (eds.) The Cambro-Ordovician Sauk Sequence of Laurentia – The Geology and Petroleum Potential of the Great American Carbonate Bank. 5–13. AAPG & Shell.
• Raine, R J, and Smith, M P. 2012. Sequence stratigraphy of the Scottish Laurentian margin and the recognition of the Sauk megasequences in the Scotland–Greenland sector. In: Derby, J et al. (eds.) The Cambro-Ordovician Sauk Sequence of Laurentia – The Geology and Petroleum Potential of the Great American Carbonate Bank. 575–596. AAPG & Shell.
• Raine, R J, Smith, M P, Holdsworth, B, and Strachan, R. 2011. Excursion 14: Durness, Balnakeil Bay and Faraid Head In: Goodenough, K & Krabbendam, M A. Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 161–180. Edinburgh Geological Society.
• Butler, R, Raine, R, and Smith, P. 2011. Excursion 15 – The Moine Thrust Zone at Loch Eriboll. In: Goodenough, K & Krabbendam, M. (eds) A Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 181–197. Edinburgh Geological Society.
• Smith, P, and Raine, R. 2011. Excursion 1 – Loch Assynt and the Achmore duplex. In: Goodenough, K, and Krabbendam, M. (eds) A Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 37–52. Edinburgh Geological Society.
• Johnson, M, Parsons, I, Smith, P, Raine, R, and Goodenough, K. 2011. Geological framework of the North-West Highlands. In: Goodenough, K & Krabbendam, M. (eds) A Geological Excursion Guide to the North West Highlands of Scotland. 8–36. Edinburgh Geological Society.

Reports

• Raine, R J, and Reay, D M. 2021. Geothermal energy potential in Northern Ireland : summary and recommendations for the Geothermal Advisory Committee. Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 27pp. (Unpublished)
• Raine, R, and Reay, D M. 2019. A review of geothermal reservoir properties of Triassic, Permian and Carboniferous sandstones in Northern Ireland. Belfast, UK, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 59pp. (INTERNAL REPORT 19/EM/01) (Unpublished)
• Waters, C N, Terrington, R L, Cooper, M R, Raine, R J, and Thorpe, S. 2016. The construction of a bedrock geology model for the UK: UK3D_v2015. British Geological Survey, 22pp. (OR/15/069) (Unpublished)

Skills

• Core description
• Geophysical logging
• Geophysical log interpretation
• Geological mapping
• Software: IP, IHS Kingdon, SKUA GOCAD, ARC Pro, QGIS, Petrog, MS Office
• Petrography: thin section, SEM, BSEM,
• Reservoir quality analysis
• Geochemistry
• Stratigraphy

Awards

• 2023 to 2027: Honorary Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin.
• 2016: Robert H Dott Sr. Memorial Award. For best Memoir. AAPG Memoir 109.
• 2008 to 2012: Honorary researcher at the University of Birmingham
• 2008: BSRG Farrell Fund
• 2005: Sylvester-Bradley Award from the Palaeontological Association

Boards and committees

• 2023 to 2024: Steering Group, Belfast Local Area Energy Plan
• 2022 to ongoing: DECC Geothermal Energy Advisory Group (GEAG), IGN representative.
• 2021 to ongoing: Northern Ireland Geothermal Advisory Committee (GAC)
• 2020 to 2021: Department for the Economy, Heat Policy Working Group
• 2020 to ongoing: Energy Geoscientists Working Group, IGI
• 2016 to 2019: Treasurer, Earth Science Ireland
• 2014 to 2018: Fieldtrip Secretary, Belfast Geologists’ Society
• 2009 to 2011: Publicity officer for The Micropalaeontology Society
• 2005 to 2009: Secretary of the Microvertebrate Group, The Microplaeontological Society

Professional association

• 2023 to ongoing: Chartered Professional Geologist (PGeo) with IGI
• 2013 to ongoing: Fellow of the Geological Society of London
• 2020 to ongoing: Member of the Geologists Association