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78-634: It is one of Italy's 24 national parks and one of three national parks in Abruzzi. It was established in 1991. The 740.95 km (286.08 sq mi) large area of Maiella National Park, especially the Montagna della Majella, has been subject to a major international geoscientific research project, TaskForceMajella , from 1998 up to 2005. Along the northern slope of the mountain for thousands of years hydrocarbon extraction has occurred from spontaneous seepages and shallow wells. On 21 April 2021, Maiella National Park

156-452: A three-dimensional model was constructed based on the geological map of the area by ( Donzelli 1969 ). This map was vectorised and calibrated in three dimensions, using geological profiles available. The work was performed in Milan , by the architects Pasquale Femia and Antonio Sergi, in collaboration with Eni E&P and Interservice. The outcome was a complete 3D model of the area constructed in

234-618: A constraint on the type of stress field responsible for the deformations observed, a paleostress analysis using numerical inversion techniques was performed on the same kinematic data, and a palaeo-stress map was constructed. Connected to the structural cartography and mapping, analyses was conducted regarding the slope stability of the area and the occurrence of large scale land-slides that occurred in (pre-)historical times. Some results can be found in ( Di Luzio et al. 2003a ), ( Di Luzio et al. 2003b ), and ( Scarascia-Mugnozza et al. 2003 ). Another fundamental piece of research performed during

312-546: A geometrical framework. The codification of the new stratigraphic framework was used in the G-MAP data base system in order to define the stratigraphic reference for all structural geological data collected. A new geological map of the Majella Mountain was compiled on a 1:25,000 scale which showed the distribution of these newly defined stratigraphic units ( Patacca & Scandone 2021 ). Numerical simulations were performed of

390-567: A large amount of data regarding fracture and fault systems and their characteristics can easily be acquired in the area due to the excellent degree of outcropping. The northern part of the Majella Anticline is locally filled with hydrocarbon which indicates that the "Majella Petroleum System" was active throughout the Neogene and the Majella Anticline can thus be considered as an aborted hydrocarbon reservoir. The chemical characteristics of this oil

468-439: A lively debate, also attended by Prof. Dr. Alberto Bally ( Bally & 1954, Int. Rept. ) who had worked in the area in the late forties and fifties, initiated the organisation of the working plan. Following that, the official start date was May 2000 when the project work plan was defined. Initial sponsor was Eni E&P Division (former Agip ), followed by NorskHydro (After that Hydro O&G and now Statoil ) which entered

546-597: A novel technology for producing artificial fertilizers by fixing nitrogen from air. The technology had been developed by the Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland . The method is still known as the Birkeland–Eyde process . The process required large amounts of electric energy, and for this, a power plant was built at the Svelgfossen waterfall near Notodden. Later also Rjukan Falls was developed and its power harnessed, in

624-673: A scientific committee (the president of the steering committee was Prof. U. Crescenti, in this period also the president of the Italian National Geological Society (SGI) ). The Geological Cartography Project (CARG) of the Italian National Geological Survey (SGN) of the Ministry of Environmental Control of the Italian national administration (Dott. B. Compagnioni, Dott. F. Galluzzo) was officially involved in

702-479: A significant presence in the oil and gas industry until October 2007, when these operations were merged with Statoil to form StatoilHydro (in 2009 changed back to Statoil, which is now called Equinor ). Financed by the Swedish Wallenberg family and French banks, the company was founded on December 2, 1905 as Norsk hydro-elektrisk (lit. Norwegian hydro-electric nitrogen limited) by Sam Eyde , exploiting

780-428: A stratigraphic map of the Majella Mountain focussing on the carbonate succession. A new sequence stratigraphic scheme was built based on the field work, 25 sections were logged in detail (see e.g. ( Cippolari et al. 2003 ), ) and about 4000 spot samples were analysed. The stratigraphic map was constructed in collaboration with the members of the field mapping working group 'Structure', using the main structural elements as

858-460: A study of all geological aspects of the Montagna della Majella and aims at reconstructing a complete model of its geological evolution using both previous and newly collected data, and applying the latest technologies. The Project which can be considered as the largest of this kind ever conducted, comprises numerous Research Institutes and Universities distributed in Italy and other European countries and

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936-500: A total of about 18 TWh over a 20-year period. Though Hydro started off as a fertilizer producer and agricultural products was for a long time one of the companies major ventures, the agricultural division was in 2004 demerged into the independent company Yara International , listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Hydro Global Business Services was founded In 2020 to deliver Finance, IT, and HR services to all businesses within

1014-740: Is close to the Rome - Pescara highway, with less than 1 hour drive to the nearby international airport of Pescara, and 2 hours drive to the Roma airports. The tectonic structure of the Majella is similar to many broad foreland anticlines in various hydrocarbon provinces, both in size, dimension and structural characteristics (few tens of kilometres long and wide). Some aspects of the Montagna della Majella anticline were previously studied by some scientific research groups, partly also in collaboration with oil companies such as Exxon , Lasmo and British Gas . A huge data base

1092-597: Is part of the Central Apennines Mountain range , and consists mainly of carbonate rocks showing a complete sedimentary sequence of Upper Jurassic up till Middle Pliocene of Age ( Bally & 1954, Int. Rept. ), ( Donzelli 1969 ), ( Crescenti et al. 1969a ), ( Crescenti et al. 1969b ), ( Servizio Geologico d’Italia 1970b ), ( Catenacci 1974 ), ( Vecsei et al. 1998 ), ( Bernoulli et al. 1996 ), ( Vezzani & Ghisetti 1998 ), ( Calamita et al. 2002 ), ( Vezzani et al. 2010 ). The TFM Project comprises

1170-504: Is present in literature regarding its sedimentary evolution, in studies by French and Swiss research groups. Previous to the TFM Project, in Italy , Torino and Pisa Universities have conducted ten years of geological research in the area during the nineties of the twentieth century, focussing mainly on sedimentary and stratigraphic aspects of the area. The presence inside the mountain of a major E-W trending platform-basin transition provides

1248-527: Is to provide a predictive tool for the exploration and production of these prospects and reservoirs, which are characterized by the fact that their production is for a considerable amount controlled by the presence of fractures and faults . The Montagna della Majella is a mountain massif in the Apennines , in Abruzzo , central Italy , at the boundary between the provinces of Chieti , Pescara and L'Aquila . It

1326-465: The European wildcat , the red fox , the European badger and the rare European otter . TaskForceMajella 42°02′N 14°02′E  /  42.03°N 14.03°E  / 42.03; 14.03 TaskForceMajella (TFM) is an industry-funded geoscientific research project conducted between the years 1998 and 2005. The project involved numerous universities distributed worldwide, and

1404-560: The German atomic bomb project . At the time, German industrial conglomerate I.G. Farben owned stock in Norsk Hydro, which then produced less than 11 litres (3  US gal ) of heavy water per month, and the company was approached to increase its deuterium output to at least 110 litres (30 US gal) per month. Although Norsk Hydro's management had previously refused to supply the heavy water, upon Norway's surrender to Nazi Germany ,

1482-570: The German invasion of Norway stopped the plans. In 1941 the Oslo Consortium (Norwegian: Oslo-konsortiet) invested money equivalent to year 2014 Norwegian kroner 172 million. (The consortium included Thomas Fearnley , Orkla , Fred Olsen , Storebrand , Jens P. Heyerdahl, Klaveness & Co, Christopher Kahrs Kielland. ) Collaboration with the Nazi-German regime , did not result in any company employees being convicted ( for collaboration ) after

1560-716: The North Sea . Hydro soon became a large company in the North Sea petroleum industry, and also became operator of a number of fields, the first being Oseberg . In 1969, Hydro started its first international operations, with a 25% stake in a fertilizer plant in Qatar . Hydro acquired in the late 1980s the Mobil service stations in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, changing their name to Hydro . In 1995 Hydro merged its gas stations in Norway and Denmark with

1638-550: The Paragominas mine , one of the largest bauxite mines in the world. It also gained large alumina refining and aluminum production capacity, including a 51 percent stake in the Albras aluminum plant and 91 percent ownership of Alunorte, then the world's largest alumina refinery and now the largest outside China. In 1965, Hydro joined Elf Aquitaine and six other French companies to form Petronord to perform search for oil and gas in

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1716-516: The Texaco , creating the joint venture HydroTexaco . The service station chain was sold in 2006 to Reitangruppen . In 1999 Hydro acquired Norway's third largest petroleum company Saga Petroleum , which had major upstream operations primarily in Norway and the United Kingdom . The British operations were later sold. Hydro's fertilizer business was spun off as a separately stock-listed company under

1794-513: The United States , with a working team composed of over 100 collaborators such as technical personnel, University Professors and Research Assistants and students. The structure and technical details which define the Project ( van Dijk 2011 ) were described in a Work Plan which was written in order to define the work schedule, technical specifications, responsibilities and financial specifications and

1872-469: The spectacled salamander , the yellow-billed toad and the unique Orsini's viper. Also goshawk, buzzard , rock partridge , alpine and red-billed chough , peregrine falcon and sparrow hawk are some important bird species that breed inside the park. Finally other mammals that thrive in the dense forests that surround the majella massif are the wild boar , the Corsican hare , the European pine marten ,

1950-560: The 1950s Hydro opened a new magnesium plant in Herøya and in 1963 Hydro started in cooperation with Harvey Aluminum, building a plant at Karmøy to produce aluminium. The plant, called Alnor, was purchased in whole by Hydro in 1973. In 2000, Hydro acquired Wells Aluminum, a network of aluminium extrusion plants in the United States. Two years later, the company acquired the leading German aluminium producer Vereinigte Aluminium Werke from

2028-580: The German utility company E.ON and the French building systems company Technal . Hydro became a truly integrated aluminium company in 2011, when it acquired the aluminium assets owned by Vale in Brazil for $ 4.9 billion. This gave Hydro the world's largest alumina refinery and aimed to "secure raw materials for more than a hundred years of aluminum production". Hydro gained a large bauxite supply, including control of

2106-877: The Hydro company. The largest hub is in Székesfehérvár , Hungary. In February 2018 Hydro was forced to cut aluminium production by 50% in its plant located in Pará, Brazil (operated by the joint venture Albras ). This followed allegations that untreated and contaminated water had been released to the environment, resulting in water pollution. A team of local researchers found a clandestine waste pipe and highly elevated levels of aluminum in its proximity. Other substances such as nitrate, sulphate, chloride and lead were also found at abnormally high concentrations. Hydro has since claimed that while some unauthorized spills had happened, their own and independent reports showed no environmental pollution of

2184-486: The Majella anticline can be regarded as a partially filled oil reservoir. This, still active quarry was identified in 1992 by an Eni field scouting as a potential study site. In 1995 it was extensively described for the first time ( van Dijk et al. ) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC ( help ) . Studies that formed part of TaskForceMajella were carried out, following on these preliminary but exhaustive notes (The present owner Italcementi gave their permission, thanks to

2262-502: The Project in February 2001. The university components were divided into five working groups (Mapping, Stratigraphy, Structure, Fracture and Modelling), each composed of various university representatives in a way that each university was part of different working groups. The universities that were involved directly and indirectly are: The Project benefitted from collaborations and support from regional and local administrations: A synergie

2340-404: The Project. The working group 'Stratigraphy' coordinated the stratigraphic aspects of the mapping, whereas the working group 'Structure' coordinated the collection of structural data. The working group 'Fracture' provided the structural field data collected, integrating them with other structural geological data. A geological map of the Majella Mountain was compiled on a 1:25,000 scale which showed

2418-637: The Projects could mutually benefit from the results obtained, and provide suggestions for steering of their relative research activities. A technical office of the TFM was founded and is supported by the Ortona District Office of Eni (DORT) and based in the harbour area of Ortona in the SAF (Deep Water Survey Project) building. The web site https://web.archive.org/web/20051024074759/http://www.taskforcemajella.com/

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2496-442: The TFM Project, and three sites of particular interest are mentioned here: The ancient Madonna della Mazza stone Quarry , located on the eastern central side of the mountain massif near the village Pretoro , was extensively studied by the various members of the project, on various scales and applying different type of data acquisition and analyses techniques. The quarry was identified in 1993 by an Eni scouting field trip. In 1995 it

2574-581: The TFM Project. Some results of the studies can be found in ( Marchegiani et al. 2002 ), and ( Bazalgette et al. 2010 ). The pain stacking analysis of all these data resulted in a number of major constraints on the relation between fracture network and anticline structure and evolution, and fault zones and mechanical Stratigraphy. The Working Group Modelling, led by the Research Centre CNR of Rome, has performed various types of modeling exercises , such as: These modelling exercises provide insight into

2652-451: The United States than any other Norwegian company. In 2010, Hydro and QatarEnergy inaugurated their 50-50 joint venture Qatalum , located in Qatar . It was the largest aluminium plant ever launched in one step. Its annual capacity in September 2011 was 585,000 metric tons of primary aluminium, all to be shipped as value added aluminium casthouse products. A 1350 MW natural gas power plant

2730-567: The book dedicated to the history of research in the area ( van Dijk2019,b ). Mainly, six basic arguments are used to explain why the Majella Mountain structure was chosen as the study object of the TFM Project: The Majella Mountain structure is located in central Italy , in an area of the National Park; numerous roads and mountain tracks provide access to 60% of the area, excluded the high mountain central sectors. The area

2808-628: The company and turning it into a new business area within Hydro, called Extruded Solutions. The agreed enterprise value for 100% of Sapa was NOK 27 billion. Hydro is a major producer of hydroelectric power in Norway. To secure electricity for its aluminium production Hydro has signed a power purchase agreement with the Fosen Vind wind farm, which is scheduled to be fully operational in 2020. Under this agreement Fosen Vind will deliver around 0.6 TWh in 2020, around 1.0 TWh annually from 2021 to 2035 and 0.7 TWh annually from 2036 to 2039, for

2886-426: The company gave up its resistance and agreed to supply 1.5 tons of heavy water per year. Consequently, Norsk Hydro's facilities were the target of several commando and air raids and a sabotage raid which eventually resulted in the plant's destruction and later reconstruction. The first steps towards light metal production came in 1940 when Hydro started construction of a magnesium carbonate plant at Herøya, but

2964-639: The description of one of the study sites of the Projects. The Project was initialised in 1998 and managed throughout its project lifetime by Dr. J.P. van Dijk of the company Eni , through a round-table discussion at the National Conference of the Italian Geological Society (SGI) in Palermo in Sicily . All possible research institutes interested in participating in the Project presented themselves and

3042-517: The distribution of the main stratigraphic units ( Patacca & Scandone 2021 ). In addition to these field data, the G–MAP data base (see above) comprised all cartographic material ( digital maps on various scales), location of all data collected in the Project such as the stereophotogrammetrical sites, sample sites, stratigraphic and sedimentological logs, and the various interpreted geological maps. Parallel to these structural cartography activities,

3120-575: The evolution of the geological structure. The scope and mission of the Project TaskForceMajella (TFM) is to construct a model of the Montagna della Majella anticline structure as an analogue of a faulted and fractured carbonate reservoir similar to those in production and explored by the sponsors of the Project, Eni and Norsk Hydro (now merged into StaoilHydro ) (e.g. Iran , Iraq , Libya , Canada , Caspian Sea area, etc.). The aim

3198-556: The extensive logistics efforts performed for the TFM Project). Amongst other, the quarry was covered by a complete topographic and 3D photogrammetrical survey on various scales. For obvious reasons, the quarry became one of the favorite sites visited on many field excursions ( van Dijk 2002c ). The first results of the fracture studies were successively published by ( Agosta et al. 2009 ) and ( Agosta et al. 2010 ) (see also ( van Dijk 2011 ) ). Studies on this quarry have continued throughout

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3276-519: The fertilizer as well as a point to import limestone . From 1936 Hydro also started producing fertilizer at Herøya. There was also opened a railway, Rjukanbanen , connecting Rjukan with Hærøy. The railway opened in 1909 and consisted of a railway ferry across Lake Tinn , railway again with the Tinnoset Line and a barge ride from Borgestad to Herøya with barge on the Telemark Canal . The canal

3354-591: The following decades (see reference list below). A site of intensive study was the Valle Santo Spirito , situated in the area of the village Fara San Martino . This area is characterised by steep canyons in strongly lithified platform carbonates which show characteristic deformation patterns. Basic observations and characterisation of the site were described by ( van Dijk et al. ) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC ( help ) Extensive photogrammetrical surveys at various scales were conducted in this area during

3432-460: The fracture studies were published by ( Tondi et al. 2006 ). Studies on this quarry have continued throughout the following decades (see reference list below). Another extensively studied site (where three-dimensional photogrammetrical surveys were also performed on various scales) regards the ancient Valle Romana bitumen quarry situated in the area of the village Lettomanoppello , where calcarenites partially impregnated with heavy oil testify that

3510-796: The geological mapping group of the TFM Project in order to follow national standards of cartography and integrate the surface data with the official national geological map sheets of the area. Furthermore, and on the other hand, the project CARG benefitted from the technical specifications and experiences of the G-Map tool of the TFM Project. Other sinergies were created with the Italian National Seismic Monitoring Service (Dott.ssa Daniela di Bucci, Dott. Giuseppe Naso, Dott.ssa Roberta Giuliani, Dott.ssa Annamaria Blumetti). Eni E&P Division, based in San Donato Milanese ( Italy ),

3588-427: The internal structure of the Majella mountain. The Working Group furthermore performed a systematic analysis of kinematic data collected on fault surfaces (indications for type of movement and timing of the fault network). This resulted in a detailed framework for the deformation history of the Majella anticline, which shows the style of movement on various sets of faults and their relationships in time. In order to obtain

3666-468: The main mountain ranges of the protected area. GPS-collars are applied to 17 wolves for ongoing monitoring. It is believed that the wolf population density of the Majella national park is one of the highest in Italy and in the world even if compared to Yellowstone national park. Notable also the presence of species of the following animals: The amphibians and reptiles that live in this mountainous landscape are

3744-649: The name of Yara International on March 26, 2004. Hydro distributed all its Yara shares to Hydro's shareholders and presently has no ownership in Yara. In December 2006 Norsk Hydro revealed a proposal to merge their oil business with compatriate oil and gas company Statoil . Under the rules of the EEA the proposal was approved by the European Union on May 3, 2007 and by the Norwegian Parliament on June 8, 2007. The merger

3822-413: The necessary local service. Two main supporting items were set up which function and the technical work base for the project data base: All Working Groups of the Project have contributed to a completely new geological mapping of the Majella anticline. Each single outcrop was separately mapped and all data relative to the mapping are stored in the digital data base system G-MAP , especially designed for

3900-497: The occupier. In 1946 the Årdal aluminium plant was opened, operated by the state owned company Årdal og Sunndal Verk . In a merger, Hydro acquired this company in 1986, in essence establishing the light metal division Hydro Aluminium . Since 1919, there had been zinc production and then aluminium production at Glomfjord in Northern Norway . Hydro bought the power plant in 1947 and started ammonia production there instead. In

3978-560: The park's territories are uninhabited and so the human-made structures, including skiing resorts and roads, are fewer than those in other national parks of Italy. This condition favored the Apennine wildlife which is shown here in all its greatness. The most representative animal of the Majella territories is the Italian wolf which is also present in the park's logo and it relies on a population of 100 estimated wolves distributed in eleven packs across

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4056-450: The possibility of evaluating fault and fracture networks in many different carbonate facies, ranging from tight platform carbonates to marl-chalk interbedded sequences and porous bioclastic grainstones , present inside the same tectonic structure, and therefore having gone through the same geological evolution. Previous studies, conducted by research consortia mentioned above and during scouting field trips by Eni-Agip experts, had shown that

4134-461: The process establishing the city of Rjukan, establishing the plant Norsk Hydro Rjukan . Hydro's first factory was built at Notodden (opened in 1907) followed up with another at Rjukan , Tinn (opened in 1911). Then in 1920 production was established at Glomfjord in Nordland . In 1930 Norsk Hydro opened a plant at Herøya outside Porsgrunn . To begin with it was to function as a shipping port for

4212-725: The project concerns the analysis of present-day uplift and subsidence rates of the area using remote sensing techniques such as Radar Interferometric techniques . The first results of the research were published by ( Pizzi 2003 ), and ( Pizzi & Pugliese 2004 ). The working group ' Fracture ', led and coordinated by Camerino University, has examined the fracture network of the Majella anticline on various scales using different acquisition and analysis techniques. About 50 vertical and horizontal outcrop surfaces were scanned and properties (orientation, dimension, surface texture, aperture) of about 4500 fractures were measured. Additionally, 25 scan lines on main faults were measured in order to analyse

4290-769: The properties of the fault zones and their relation to the stratigraphy and structural setting. Furthermore, in collaboration with Eni SpA and Serma SrL personnel, data acquisition was performed on a number of selected sites using stereo-photogrammetrical techniques, which allowed the acquisition of three-dimensional data on the fault and fracture networks up to tens of metres scale. Using these techniques, about 120.000 fractures were measured at these selected sites. Some results of these analyses and modelling can be found in ( Marchegiani et al. 2002 ), ( Cello et al. 2003 ), ( Tondi & Cello 2003 ), ( Marchegiani et al. 2006 ), ( Tondi et al. 2006 ), and ( Bazalgette et al. 2010 ). Hundreds of smaller and larger areas were studied during

4368-517: The quarry was extensively cleaned and made available for visiting and studying, will all kinds of instruments, as part of the logistics activities of the TFM Project. During these numerous visits, the results of the TaskForceMajella Project were illustrated, and the quarry became well known as the site where deformation bands in carbonate rocks had been discovered and described for the first time ( van Dijk et al. 2002 ). The first results of

4446-438: The regional geological model (Profile CROP 11a, 11b, 11c; Civitavecchia - Vasto ; CROP references: Prof. Castellerin, Prof. Maurizio Parotto). The photogrammetrical survey engineering group of Eni was heavily involved in the three-dimensional monitoring of sites with specific interest and the analysis of three-dimensional fracture and faults networks at different scales (see below). A number of technical support companies provided

4524-426: The relationships between the deformation styles we observe today and the processes that are responsible for these end-results. In order to perform the numerical and analogue simulations, data had to be collected in order to describe the geomechanical properties of the various tectonostratigraphic units and environments that characterise the Majella anticline and its bordering area. Representative samples were collected by

4602-510: The result of research conducted directly for the Project, in relation with the Project, and/or benefitting considerably of the activities of the Project, issued both during and after the Project. Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just Hydro ) is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo . It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around

4680-466: The second stage of the Project, the Association SFERA managed numerous organisational aspects. The TFM web site and a special brochure designed to provide visibility to the Project, played important roles in the organisation and the success of the Project on local, regional and international scales. The project was monitored by the sponsors through a steering committee, and accompanied and guided by

4758-508: The sedimentary evolution of the Carbonate Platform margin and slope ( Morsilli et al. 2003 ), ( Rusciadelli et al. 2003 ), ( Rusciadelli 2005 ). The working group ' Structure ', led by Chieti University and coordinated by Chieti and Rome-III University, constructed a structural map of the Majella mountain. This structural framework is accompanied by five structural cross-sections of the anticline , which together provide an overview of

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4836-451: The software AutoCad of AutoDesk , and a series of 1:25,000 scale geological maps. The work can be regarded as the first step in the industrial process known as " Seismic to simulation ", where from the available geophysical and geological information a model is constructed which is the basis of a dynamic reservoir simulation. The working group ' Stratigraphy ', led by Pisa University and coordinated by Pisa and Rome-I Universities, constructed

4914-530: The various operational units of the Project and laboratory deformation experiments were performed in Eni and in NorskHydro mechanical laboratories. This is a series of references made to scientific works that treat the geoscience of the Majella Mountain, and publications related to the subjects treated in the TaskForceMajella Project. This list contains papers issued during and after the TaskForceMajella Project, which are

4992-548: The war. During the Second World War Norsk Hydro collaborated with IG Farben and Nordische Aluminium Aktiengesellschaft (Nordag) in building new aluminium and magnesium plants in support of the German war effort. The construction was however ended on July 24, 1943 when an allied bombardment completely destroyed the facilities, killing 55 construction workers. As Germany's defeat became more likely, Norsk Hydro started to tone down its collaborative relations with

5070-515: The world and is active on all continents . The Norwegian state owns 34.3% of the company through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries . A further 6.5% is owned by Folketrygdfond, which administers the Government Pension Fund of Norway . Norsk Hydro employs approximately 35,000 people. Eivind Kallevik has been the CEO since May, 2024, following Hilde Merete Aasheim . Hydro had

5148-551: Was a direct result of no longer being dependent on immediate proximity to the power sources. This provided the advantage of being able to have the plants and the shipping port in the same location, as was the case with the Herøya plant. The Rjukan plant was the only location in Europe which produced heavy water , a component the Allied powers in World War II feared would be used as part of

5226-603: Was also built to ensure a stable supply of electricity. In 2010, Hydro acquired the Brazilian bauxite, alumina and aluminium production assets of Vale , an international mining and metals company. In September 2013, Hydro combined its aluminium extrusion operations with that of Sapa, making Sapa a 50/50 joint venture between Hydro and the Norwegian company Orkla . Hydro then acquired Orkla's 50% ownership in Sapa in October 2017, taking over

5304-522: Was completed by 1 October 2007. Hydro's shareholders took 32.7% of the new company—StatoilHydro—shares. Hydro is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. In Norway, Hydro has plants in Magnor , Rjukan , Raufoss , Vennesla , Karmøy , Høyanger , Årdal , Husnes , Sunndalsøra , and Holmestrand . Most of the employees in the company work in plants and offices located outside Norway, such as Hungary , Germany and Brazil . Hydro has more employees in

5382-598: Was created with the technical activities performed in the Stanford Rock Fracture Project ("RFP", ran by Stanford University), and the GeoFracNet consortium ("GFN", ran by Montpellier University) and supported by the company GeoTER. These two projects had overlaps in research objectives though run in a completely different manner: The RFP tackled questions related to fault and fracture zones in different tectonic regimes but mainly in clastic sedimentary rocks, and

5460-403: Was declared a UNESCO Global Geopark under the name of Majella Geopark. The park contains about 500 kilometers of hiking trails through the mountains, cave paintings in Grotta Sant'Angelo and Grotta del Cavallone (the latter being one of the deepest caves in Europe open to the public). Tourist centers located in the park include: Due to its altitude, inaccessibility and prominence most of

5538-430: Was extensively described for the first time and its potential for fracture studies was outlined ( van Dijk et al. ) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC ( help ) . After these preliminary notes, the studies of the TaskForceMajella were performed (such as a complete 3D photogrammetrical survey), and the quarry became one of the favorite sites for a visit during many field excursions ( van Dijk 2002c ). For this purpose,

5616-462: Was freely distributed amongst potential project partners ( van Dijk & 1999-2000, Int. Rept. ). A general geological description can be found in the official but not freely available Eni Majella Field Guide ( van Dijk et al. ) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC ( help ) , in the Official Field Guide of Central Italy of the Italian Geological Society ( Crescenti et al. 2003 ). and in

5694-510: Was previously and extensively studies by Eni experts, and compared with source rocks of nearby oil fields ( van Dijk et al. ) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC ( help ) . The oil in the Pescara Valley has been dug in open mines since ancient Roman times, and Eni is exploring and producing from subsurface satellite anticlines since the fifties of the previous century. Most of these small oil fields are at present depleted. See below for

5772-619: Was set up and was managed by Temars - Eni-Data, the former software company of Eni , based in Bologna . It was designed by Dott. Luca Benvenuti, and remained active until some years after the closure of the Project in 2006 ( van Dijk 2002c ). The logistic service of the Project was performed by Maria Lanzellotti, and was vital for the contacts with local, regional and national administrations for authorisations, contacts with supporting companies, logistics, organisations of meetings of Working Groups and conferences, public relations, etc. Furthermore, in

5850-450: Was sponsored by a considerable number of oil companies, whereas the GFN was sponsored by only a few companies and focussed on specific genetic relationships in different selected sites. Furthermore, between the three projects there was an overlap in industrial sponsors and stake holders (though Eni was in the privileged position of being the only company involved in all three of them). In this way,

5928-623: Was sponsored by a number of international major oil companies . The area of research was the Majella Mountain in Central Italy , regarded as an analogue of a faulted and fractured hydrocarbon reservoir as can be found in major provinces like the Middle East , Caspian Basin , Mediterranean Basin , and other areas. The scope was to obtain knowledge on the relation between fracture and fault generation, and all types of geological aspects of

6006-495: Was superseded by the Bratsberg Line in 1916. By the 1920s, Norsk Hydro's electric arc -based technology for manufacturing artificial fertilizer was no longer able to compete with the newly developed Haber-Bosch process , and in 1927 the company formed a partnership with the German company IG Farben in order to gain access to this process. By 1945, IG Farben had become a majority shareholder in Norsk Hydro. The plant at Herøya

6084-518: Was technically involved in the Project in order to provide regional subsurface data sets (non sensible seismic and well data ) for the construction of the regional geological model. Furthermore, the data were confronted with the deep crustal seismic profile which passed through the area, acquired in the CROP the Italian National CROP Project, which data were integrated in the construction of

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