Geological subsurface model of the Austrian Molasse Basin

The Molasse Basin in the northern foreland of the Alps covers Lower- and Upper Austria as well as Salzburg between the outline of the Bohemian Massif in the north and the Alpine frontal thrust in the south. However, sediments of the Molasse Basin reach far towards south beneath the Alpine Orogen. Increasing usage requirements in the Molasse Basin regarding mining, geothermal energy and storage of CO2 and natural gas have been the main driving force for creating a geological subsurface model of the respective area. The model can therefore form the basis for a common subsurface management framework in order to prevent possible conflicts over resources. The published subsurface model includes nine stratigraphic units of the Autochthonous Molasse, the Crystalline Basement of the Bohemian Massif with overlying, Paleozoic sediments as well as a model unit combing the Allochthonous Molasse, the Flysch Zone and the Helvetic superunit. The whole model covers an area of about 12,250 km² and reaches to a depth of -8,000 m below sealevel.