2) contain introductory material regarding ge Historical Background ology and petroleum exploration techniques Only a few decades ago knowledge of the off which we trust will help the non-specialist, in shore geology west of Britain and Ireland was conjunction with some of the more general ref limited to a scattering of seabed samples. Dur follow the main erences cited in the text, to ing the last twenty five years, however, the parts of the chapters and the text figures. This tempo of geological investigation has gradu first chapter also contains a small amount of ally increased. The framework and outline ge introductory material concerning the opening ology of the western seaboard is now known, of the North Atlantic Ocean which should help although a great deal, some of it fundamental to lead into the more detailed account which in nature, still remains to be elucidated. Sev follows, and also help in the understanding of eral commercial and sub-commercial hydrocar some of the points made in later chapters. bon discoveries have been made and are being Credit must go to university departments, produced, . developed or investigated. A sus and later the Institute of Geological Sciences, tained phase of exploration drilling is antici for their parts in initially establishing the pated in the next five years in the Western existence of, and geological outlines for, the Approaches - Celtic Sea area and to the west offshore basins along the western seaboard of Britain and Ireland."

2) contain introductory material regarding ge Historical Background ology and petroleum exploration techniques Only a few decades ago knowledge of the off which we trust will help the non-specialist, in shore geology west of Britain and Ireland was conjunction with some of the more general ref limited to a scattering of seabed samples. Dur follow the main erences cited in the text, to ing the last twenty five years, however, the parts of the chapters and the text figures. This tempo of geological investigation has gradu first chapter also contains a small amount of ally increased. The framework and outline ge introductory material concerning the opening ology of the western seaboard is now known, of the North Atlantic Ocean which should help although a great deal, some of it fundamental to lead into the more detailed account which in nature, still remains to be elucidated. Sev follows, and also help in the understanding of eral commercial and sub-commercial hydrocar some of the points made in later chapters. bon discoveries have been made and are being Credit must go to university departments, produced, . developed or investigated. A sus and later the Institute of Geological Sciences, tained phase of exploration drilling is antici for their parts in initially establishing the pated in the next five years in the Western existence of, and geological outlines for, the Approaches - Celtic Sea area and to the west offshore basins along the western seaboard of Britain and Ireland.

Britain, Ireland and their surrounding areas have a remarkably varied geology for so small a fragment of continental crust. This region contains a fine rock record from all the geological periods from Quaternary back to Cambrian, and a less continuous but still impressive catalogue of events back through nearly 2500 million years of Precambrian time. This protracted geological history would have been interesting enough to reconstruct if it had been played out on relatively stable continental crust. However, Britain and Ireland have developed instead at a tectonic crossroads, on crust traversed intermittently by subduction zones and volcanic arcs, continental rifts and mountain belts. The resulting complexity makes the geological history of this region at once fascinating and perplexing. Geological History of Britain and Ireland tells the geological story of the region at a level accessible to undergraduate geologists, as well as to postgraduates, professionals or informed amateurs. The book takes a multi-disciplinary rather than a purely stratigraphical approach, and aims to bring to life the processes behind the catalogue of historical events. Full coverage is given to the rich Precambrian and Early Palaeozoic history, as well as to later events more relevant to hydrocarbon exploration. The book is profusely illustrated and contains guides to further reading and full references to data sources, making it an essential starting point for more detailed studies of the regional geology. All British Earth science undergraduates will be required to spend some time studying British Geological History, and this book will be the only one available to British undergraduates The book takes a process-based approach, rather than simply describing the regional stratigraphy Lavishly illustrated with high-quality diagrams

A review of the extensive advances made in the understanding the petroleum geology of the Atlantic margin of northwest Europe, of the North Sea and of adjacent areas since the;ast conference in 1992. In particular, the volume focuses on: the development of and application of 3D seismic, time-lapse ('4D') and other innovative seismic tools; the ongoing refinement of sequence and other stratigraphic approaches, including the integration of detailed biostratigraphic data; the development of modelling at both the reservoir and basin scale which can respond to new data acquisition and be used to assess uncertainties at the reservoir scale and scenarios at the basin scale.

This text provides a snap-shot of current understanding on the petroleum geology of the East Irish Sea and adjacent areas.