EAGE Workshop on Mobile Shales: Understanding Processes, Imaging, and Risks

 7 - 9 October 2026  |  Bucharest, Romania

Eastern Carpathian Bend Zone: Mobile Shale Systems in Action

This field trip to the Eastern Carpathian Bend Zone offers a comprehensive case study for the EAGE workshop on Mobile Shale Provinces. It highlights the complex interaction between mobile detachments, fluid migration systems, and active surface expressions within a world-class petroleum province.

Participants will gain a unique opportunity to connect deep-seated tectonic processes with their observable surface manifestations, bridging theory with real-world geological phenomena.

Field Trip Leaders

Dan Tamas
Alexandru Lapadat
Calin Baciu
Csaba Krezsek
Alexandra Tamas

Key Field Stops

Pâclele Mud Volcanoes

Located directly above an active hydrocarbon field, the Pâclele Mud Volcanoes represent one of the most striking surface expressions of subsurface petroleum systems. Methane migrates upward through a fault network at the crest of the structure, mixing with groundwater and clay to produce the characteristic mud flows observed at the surface.

Mânzălești Salt Diapir

This site features one of the largest rock-salt outcrops in Europe. Field observations reveal that the diapir has been “decapitated” by foreland-directed movement of the Tarcău nappe, forming a low-angle shear zone indicative of rapid deformation at shallow depths. Recent data further indicate ongoing uplift at rates of up to 55 mm/year, making this an active and dynamic geological structure.

Lopătari Eternal Flames (Optional)

If time permits, participants will visit the Lopătari Eternal Flames—natural gas seeps formed by trap breaching during late-stage (Wallachian) tectonic events. Beyond their visual appeal, these seeps provide valuable evidence of a mature, hydrocarbon-generating system, linked to the Oligocene–Miocene Dysodile formations.

Proposed Schedule

08:00 – Departure by bus from hotel parking area
11:00 – Arrival at Pâclele Mari Mud Volcanoes
12:00 – 12:30 – Departure towards Mânzălești
13:30 – 1–2 stops en route (discussion of Dacian Basin stratigraphy)
14:30 – Arrival at Mânzălești Salt Diapir & lunch break (packed lunch)
16:00 – Optional hike to Lopătari Eternal Flames (~3 km round trip)
17:00 – Departure from field area
20:00 – Arrival back

(Please note, schedule/details subject to change)

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the role of mobile shale detachments in petroleum systems
• Observe direct links between subsurface hydrocarbon migration and surface expressions
• Analyze structural deformation in active tectonic settings
• Integrate stratigraphic and structural observations in the Dacian Basin