Heat-flow regimes and the hydrate stability zone of a transient,thermogenic, fault-controlled hydrate system (Woolsey Mound northern Gulf of Mexico)

This study aims to constrain the base of the hydrates stability field in structurally complexsites using the case of Woolsey Mound, a fault-controlled, transient, thermogenic hydrates system, in Mississippi Canyon Block 118, northern Gulf of Mexico. We have computed the base of the hydrates stability field integrating results from a recent heat-flow survey, designed to investigate geothermal anomalies along fault zones which exhibit different fluid flux regimes. An advanced “compositional” simulator was used to model hydrate formation and dissociation at Woolsey Mound and addresses the following hypotheses:

• 1.Migrating thermogenic fluids alter thermal conditions of the Hydrate Stability Zone (HSZ), so heat-flow reflects fault activity;
• 2.Gas hydrate formation and dissociation vary temporally at active faults, temporarily sealing conduits for migration of thermogenic fluids;
• 3.High salinity and inclusion of thermogenic gases with higher molecular weight than methane produce opposite effects on the depth to the bottom of the hydrate stability zone.

Applications of results include identifying and quantifying hydrate deposits in shallow sediments using an interdisciplinary approach that includes multiple resolution seismic data evaluation, geological and geochemical groundtruthing and heat-flow analyses as a proxy for activity along faults.     

In situ hydrocarbon concentrations from pressurized cores in surface sediments, Northern Gulf of Mexico

Two newly developed coring devices, the Multi-Autoclave-Corer and the Dynamic Autoclave Piston Corer were deployed in shallow gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the northern Gulf of Mexico during research cruise SO174 (Oct–Nov 2003). For the first time, they enable the retrieval of near-surface sediment cores under ambient pressure. This enables the determination of in situ methane concentrations and amounts of gas hydrate in sediment depths where bottom water temperature and pressure changes most strongly influence gas/hydrate relationships. At seep sites of GC185 (Bush Hill) and the newly discovered sites at GC415, we determined the volume of low-weight hydrocarbons (C₁ through C₅) from nine pressurized cores via controlled degassing. The resulting in situ methane concentrations vary by two orders of magnitudes between 0.031 and 0.985 mol kg^− 1 pore water below the zone of sulfate depletion. This includes dissolved, free, and hydrate-bound CH₄. Combined with results from conventional cores, this establishes a variability of methane concentrations in close proximity to seep sites of five orders of magnitude. In total four out of nine pressure cores had CH₄ concentrations above equilibrium with gas hydrates. Two of them contain gas hydrate volumes of 15% (GC185) and 18% (GC415) of pore space. The measurements prove that the highest methane concentrations are not necessarily related to the highest advection rates. Brine advection inhibits gas hydrate stability a few centimeters below the sediment surface at the depth of anaerobic oxidation of methane and thus inhibits the storage of enhanced methane volumes. Here, computerized tomography (CT) of the pressure cores detected small amounts of free gas. This finding has major implications for methane distribution, possible consumption, and escape into the bottom water in fluid flow systems related to halokinesis.     

Northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope

The hummocky continental slope in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico is the result of active salt tectonism and accompanying faulting. Fluid and gassy hydrocarbons rise through the sediment column and along faults causing the formation of gas hydrates, gassy sediments, mud volcanoes and mounds, chemosynthetic communities and authigenic carbonates, reefs, and hardgrounds. Salt activity coupled with processes associated with relative sea level fluctuations create a feedback relationship resulting in the above-mentioned phenomena as well as others such as seafloor erosion at great water depths.     

High-frequency near-bottom acoustic reflection signatures of hydrocarbon seeps on the Northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope

Acoustic reflection signatures of four hydro-carbon seeps were classified using near-bottom 25-kHz echosounder profiles. Echo patterns were compared with ground-truth data obtained by submersible observations and shallow coring. Six echo types were distinguished: strong reflections from (1)?exposed or (2)?buried hard substrates, such as authigenic carbonate or gas hydrate; acoustic scattering in (3)?unlayered or (4)?layered sediments owing to gas, shells, or disseminated carbonates; (5)?attenuation caused by gas; and (6)?undisturbed sediments. Echo type distributions suggest that high spatial variability indicates a younger, vigorous seep, whereas extensive hard substrate implies an older, encrusted seep.     

High-frequency near-bottom acoustic reflection signatures of hydrocarbon seeps on the Northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope

 Acoustic reflection signatures of four hydro-carbon seeps were classified using near-bottom 25-kHz echosounder profiles. Echo patterns were compared with ground-truth data obtained by submersible observations and shallow coring. Six echo types were distinguished: strong reflections from (1) exposed or (2) buried hard substrates, such as authigenic carbonate or gas hydrate; acoustic scattering in (3) unlayered or (4) layered sediments owing to gas, shells, or disseminated carbonates; (5) attenuation caused by gas; and (6) undisturbed sediments. Echo type distributions suggest that high spatial variability indicates a younger, vigorous seep, whereas extensive hard substrate implies an older, encrusted seep. Received: 29 May 1998 / Revision received: 7 October 1998     

Time series video analysis of bubble release processes at natural hydrocarbon seeps in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

This research quantifies the rate and volume of oil and gas released from two natural seep sites in the Gulf of Mexico: lease blocks GC600 (1200 m depth) and MC118 (850 m depth). Our objectives were to determine variability in release rates and bubble size at five individual vents and to investigate the effects of tidal fluctuations on bubble release. Observations with autonomous video cameras captured the formation of individual bubbles as they were released through partially exposed deposits of gas hydrate. Image processing techniques determined bubble type (oily, gaseous, and mixed: oily and gaseous), size distribution, release rate, and temporal variations (observation intervals ranged from 3 h to 26 d). A semi-automatic bubble counting algorithm was developed to analyze bubble count and release rates from video data. This method is suitable for discrete vents with small bubble streams commonly seen at seeps and is adaptable to multiple in situ set-ups. Two vents at GC600 (Birthday Candles 1 and Birthday Candles 2) were analyzed. They released oily bubbles with an average diameter of 5.0 mm at a rate of 4.7 bubbles s⁻¹, and 1.3 bubbles s⁻¹, respectively. Approximately 1 km away, within the GC600 seep site, two more vents (Mega Plume 1 and Mega Plume 2) were analyzed. These vents released a mixture of oily and gaseous bubbles with an average diameter of 3.9 mm at a rate of 49 bubbles s⁻¹, and 81 bubbles s⁻¹, respectively. The fifth vent at MC118 (Rudyville) released gaseous bubbles with an average diameter of 3.0 mm at a rate of 127 bubbles s⁻¹. Pressure records at Mega Plume and Rudyville showed a diurnal tidal cycle (24.5 h). Rudyville was the only vent that demonstrated any positive correlation (ρ = 0.60) to the 24.5 h diurnal tidal cycle. However, these observations were not conclusive regarding tidal effects on bubble release.     

Predicting saturation of gas hydrates using pre-stack seismic data, Gulf of Mexico

A promising method for gas hydrates exploration incorporates pre-stack seismic inversion data, elastic properties modeling, and seismic interpretation to predict saturation of gas hydrates (Sgh). The technology can be modified slightly and used for predicting hydrate concentrations in shallow arctic locations as well. Examples from Gulf of Mexico Walker Ridge (WR) and Green Canyon (GC) protraction areas illustrate how Sgh was derived and used to support the selection of well locations to be drilled for gas hydrates in sand reservoirs by the Chevron-led Joint Industry Project (JIP) Leg II cruise in 2009. Concentrations of hydrates were estimated through the integration of seismic inversion of carefully conditioned pre-stack data, seismic stratigraphic interpretation, and shallow rock property modeling. Rock property trends were established by applying principles of rock physics and shallow sediment compaction, constrained by regional geological knowledge. No nearby sonic or density logs were available to define the elastic property trends in the zone of interest. Sgh volumes were generated by inverting pre-stack data to acoustic and shear impedance (PI and SI) volumes, and then analyzing deviations from modeled impedance trends. In order to enhance the quality of the inversion, we stress the importance of maximizing the signal to noise ratio of the offset data by conditioning seismic angle gathers prior to inversion. Seismic interpretation further plays an important role by identifying false anomalies such as hard, compact strata, which can produce apparent high Sgh values, and by identifying the more promising strata and structures for containing the hydrates. This integrated workflow presents a highly promising methodology, appropriate for the exploration of gas hydrates.     

海底浅层地质灾害的高分辨率地震识别技术

将渤海某油田最新采集的二维高分辨率资料处理解释后,结合区域地球物理及地质概况,利用地震相分析、波阻抗反演、井(孔)震标定等深层油气勘探的成熟技术,系统研究了各类海底浅层地质灾害因素的成因、特征、危害及展布规律,总结了一套完整的利用高分辨率地震识别海底浅层地质灾害的技术方法。结果表明,浅层断裂、浅层气和埋藏古河道是研究区海底浅层发育的主要地质灾害因素,通过刻画不同期次地质灾害因素的类型及其分布范围,为今后该油田海上施工提供了可靠的工程地质调查成果。因此,高分辨率地震技术能够很好地应用于海底浅层地质灾害的识别。     

High-resolution seismic characterization of the gas and gas hydrate system at Green Canyon 955, Gulf of Mexico,USA

The Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments at lease block Green Canyon 955 (GC955) in the Gulf of Mexico include sand-rich strata with high saturations of gas hydrate; these gas hydrate accumulations and the associated geology have been characterized over the past decade using conventional industry three-dimensional (3D) seismic data and dedicated logging-while-drilling (LWD) borehole data. To improve structural and stratigraphic characterization and to address questions of gas flow and reservoir properties, in 2013 the U.S. Geological Survey acquired high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) seismic data at GC955. Combined analysis of all available data improves our understanding of the geological evolution of the study area, which includes basin-scale migration of the Mississippi River sediment influx as well as local-scale shifting of sedimentary channels at GC955 in response to salt-driven uplift, structural deformation associated with the salt uplift, and upward gas migration from deeper sediments that charges the main gas hydrate reservoir and shallower strata. The 2D data confirm that the sand-rich reservoir is composed principally of sediments deposited in a proximal levee setting and that episodes of channel scour, interspersed with levee deposition, have resulted in an assemblage of many individual proximal levee deposit “pods” each with horizontal extent up to several hundred meters. Joint analysis of the 2D and 3D data reveals new detail of a complex fault network that controls the fluid-flow system; large east-west trending normal faults allow fluid flow through the reservoir-sealing fine-grained unit, and smaller north-south oriented faults provide focused fluid-flow pathways (chimneys) through the shallower sediments. This system has enabled the flow of gas from the main reservoir to the seafloor throughout the recent history at GC955, and its intricacies help explain the distributed occurrences of gas hydrate in the intervening strata.     

Gassy sediment occurrence and properties: Northern Gulf of Mexico

Free gas is ubiquitous at shallow sediment depths of the northern margin of the Gulf of Mexico. Gassy sediment patches are between 250 and 500 m in horizontal size. Often the gassy layers are within 100 m from the sea floor and are only a few meters thick. Both biogenic and thermogenic gas hydrates have been recovered. Stability values of temperature and pressure indicate that hydrates can exist in water depths less than 500 m. Gassy sediment geoacoustic parameter values are not well constrained because of a lack of concurrent measurements of acoustic properties and sediment gas content. For Gulf of Mexico gassy sediment, some reportedin situ values of sound speed are reduced by an order of magnitude below values for water saturated sediments. More commonly, sound speed is reduced from water saturated sediment values by only 15 to 50 percent.     

Sequence Stratigraphy and Composition of Late Quaternary Shelf-Margin Deltas,Northern Gulf of Mexico

High-resolution seismic profiles and foundation borings from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico record the physical attributes and depositional histories of several late Quaternary sequences that were deposited by wave-modified, river-dominated shelf margin deltas during successive periods of lowered sea level. Each progressively younger deltaic sequence is thinner and exhibits a systematic decrease in the abundance and concentration of sand, which is attributed to a shift in the axis of trunk streams and greater structural influence through time. Our study shows that (1) contemporaneous structural deformation controlled the thickness of each sequence, the oblique directions of delta progradation, the axes of major fluvial channels, and the geometries of delta lobes at the shelf margin, (2) sedimentation was rapid in response to rapid eustatic fluctuations and structural influence, (3) boundaries of these high-frequency sequences are the correlative conformities of updip fluvial incision, and coincide with downlap surfaces at the shelf margin, (4) the downlap surfaces are not true surfaces, but zones of parallel reflections that become progressively higher and younger in the direction of progradation, (5) the downlap zones are composed of marine muds that do not contain high concentrations of shell debris that would be expected in condensed sections, (6) possible paleosols capping the two oldest sequences are regressive surfaces of subaerial exposure that were preserved during transgressions, and (7) no incised valleys or submarine canyons breach the paleoshelf margin, even though incised drainages were present updip and sea-level curves indicate several periods of rapid fall. (Published in American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 80: 505 530.) R. A. Morton and J. R. Suter AAPG Bulletin, Vol. 80, No. 4, AAPG 1996, reprinted by permission of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists whose permission is required for future use.     

Rock physics-based seismic trace analysis of unconsolidated sediments containing gas hydrate and free gas in Green Canyon 955, Northern Gulf of Mexico

The gas hydrate petroleum system at the 2009 Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project Leg II (JIP Leg II) Green Canyon 955 (GC955) site shows a complex seismic amplitude and waveform response of highly negative and positive amplitudes with continuous and discontinuous character within inferred gas-hydrate- and gas-bearing sand reservoirs. Logging-while-drilling (LWD) data obtained during JIP Leg II and conventional 3-D seismic data allowed for the identification of thick highly concentrated hydrate layers by integrating rock physics modeling, amplitude and thin layer analysis, and spectral decomposition. Rock physics modeling with constraints from three JIP LWD holes allowed for the analysis of variations in acoustic amplitude characteristics as a product of hydrate saturation, gas saturation, and reservoir thickness. Using the well log-derived acoustic models, thick highly concentrated gas hydrate with and without underlying free gas accumulations have been identified. These results suggest that thick highly concentrated gas-hydrate-bearing sand units (with thicknesses greater than half of the seismic tuning thickness and gas hydrate saturations greater than 50%) underlain by gas can be differentiated from sands containing only gas, but thin gas-hydrate-bearing sand units with low gas hydrate concentrations (with thicknesses less than half of the seismic tuning thickness and gas hydrate saturations less than 50%) are difficult to identify from post-stack seismic amplitude data alone. Within GC955, we have identified six zones with seismic amplitude anomalies interpreted as being caused by gas hydrate deposits with variable lateral extent, thickness and saturation, and in some cases overlying free-gas-bearing intervals. Synthetic seismic images produced from well-log- and model-derived velocity and density distributions mimic similar reflection characteristics in the corresponding field seismic data.     

Mineral assemblages occurring around hydrocarbon vents in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Magnesian calcites are the most abundant authigenic minerals associated with hydrocarbon vents at 25 sites, in water depths ranging from 100 to 600 m in the Green Canyon area and about 2200 m in the Alaminos Canyon area on the Continental Slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The most frequently encountered magnesian calcites have 10–15 mol% MgCO₃ and the apparent structural disorder revealed by XRD peak widths increases with Mg substitution. There are no systematic variations in Mg content with respect to water depth or geographic location. The calcite saturation state of the precipitating fluid is primarily determined by the nature of the fluids escaping from the vents, not the ambient seawater.     

Metazoan meiofauna biomass, grazing, and weight-dependent respiration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico deep sea

Metazoan meiofauna are ubiquitous in marine soft sediments and play a pivotal role in diagenesis of particulate organic matter. However, the relative importance of meiofauna to the function of deep-sea benthic boundary layer communities has not been resolved. Here, meiofauna biomass, respiration, and grazing on aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were estimated and compared to standing stocks and fluxes of other benthic components (e.g., bacteria and macrofauna). Biomass and respiration declined with depth. Highest biomass and respiration occurred in the proximity of the Mississippi River on the upper continental slope of the central Gulf of Mexico. Meiofauna required 7% of their biomass per day to meet their metabolic energy budget, compared to approximately 24% day⁻¹ in shallow water. Respiration accounted for 8–22% of whole sediment community respiration (SCOC), reflecting the importance of meiofauna in diagenesis, deep-sea carbon budgets, and global biogeochemical cycles.     

Consideration of the oasis analogy for chemosynthetic communities at Gulf of Mexico hydrocarbon vents

The analogy between desert oasis and deep-sea chemosynthetic community arose from the biomass contrast between vents and the relatively depauperate background benthic fauna. Fully developed, the analogy helps pose questions about interactions with the background fauna with respect to resources, colonization, and persistence. The chemosynthetic sites of the Gulf of Mexico provide an opportunity to consider possible interactions between vent and nonvent fauna over a 3000-m depth range. It is postulated that deep chemosynthetic communities require the operation of geochemical transporting and concentrating processes to overcome low levels of in situ methane and sulfide production. Clathrate reservoirs may serve these functions. A few chemosynthetic species at the Gulf of Mexico upper slope sites are related to shallow-water sulfide species, but it can be speculated that the dominant chemosynthetic fauna may have originated in a wide spread deep sulfide biome of the Cretaceous. Generic endemism of consumers is low in Gulf of Mexico sites, suggesting a high level of colonization from the surrounding benthos. Chemosynthetic communities may avoid excessive colonization by predators in spite of the apparent food limitation of the surrounding benthos due to toxicity or an evolutionary mechanism selecting against specialized predators. The abundance of large predators is related to the composition of the surrounding benthos and is high at the Gulf of Mexico upper slope sites. Exclusion of chemosyntheic communities from shallower depths may be due to excessive predation by generalists.     

Beggiatoa in microbial mats at hydrocarbon vents in the Gulf of Mexico and Warm Mineral Springs,Florida

Microbial mats were collected from a variety of sites near hydrocarbon vents along the slope in the northern Gulf of Mexico and, for comparison, from Warm Mineral Springs, Florida, USA. A predominant microorganism in each of the mats was the giant bacterium,Beggiatoa. Diameters of the bacterial filaments ranged from about 6 µm to approximately 200 µm. The latter organisms are the largest prokaryotic organisms yet found. All filaments over about 10 µm in diameter contained a large central vacuole, producing a cell with the cytoplasm as a cylindrical tube underlying the cytoplasmic membrane. Sulfur globules were confined to this peripheral layer. Push cores often contained pyrite tubules whose appearance is suggestive of aBeggiatoa origin. Determinations of ¹³C inBeggiatoa mats from vents along the Louisiana slope yielded values in the range of –26.6 to –27.9 (PDB), suggesting an unusually high degree of isotope fractionation (–24.9) relative to the carbon source in the ambient seawater, which is typical of sulfur-oxidizing chemoautotrophs. The presence of S^O (elemental sulfur) within cells ofBeggiatoa resulting from oxidation of H₂S supports the importance of bacterial sulfate reduction processes in the underlying vents for the sustenance of theBeggiatoa mats.     

Population structure of the mussel “Bathymodiolus” childressi from Gulf of Mexico hydrocarbon seeps

Hydrocarbon and brine seeps in the deep regions of the northern and western Gulf of Mexico often support populations of the bathymodiolin mussel, “Bathymodiolus” childressi. In this study, we use two mitochondrial and six nuclear DNA markers to investigate relationships within the metapopulation of “B.” childressi in the Gulf of Mexico from Mississippi Canyon to Alaminos Canyon over a range of 527–2222 m in depth and approximately 550 km in distance. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and size polymorphism analysis of the markers suggest that populations are not genetically differentiated. F_ST values were not significantly different from zero. The presence of a panmictic population of “B.” childressi over such a broad range of depth suggests that this species may be quite different from most members of the Gulf of Mexico seep chemosynthetic communities.     

Cenozoic evolution of sediment accumulation in deltaic and shore-zone depositional systems, Northern Gulf of Mexico Basin

Paleogeographic and volumetric lithofacies mapping of 18 Cenozoic genetic sequences within the Northern Gulf of Mexico Basin quantifies the proportional sequestering of sediment within wave-dominated shore-zone vs. deltaic systems through time. Three long-term depositional phases are revealed by plots, based on paleogeographic and sediment isochore maps, of total shore-zone system area and volume to total delta system area and volume (SZ/D). (1) SZ/D area and volume ratios are highly variable in Paleocene through Eocene sequences. However, typical volume ratios for major genetic sequences (Upper, Middle, and Lower Wilcox; Queen City (QC), and Yegua) range between 0.2 and 0.6. Minor sequences (Sparta (SP), Jackson (JS)), which record very low rates and volumes of sediment accumulation, have the greatest variability in their ratios. (2) Oligocene and Miocene sequences display consistently high proportions of shore-zone sediment. SZ/D area ratios range from 0.6 to 1.0, and volume ratios cluster between 0.4 and 0.8. (3) A substantial late Neogene decrease in SZ/D ratios is presaged in the late Miocene sequence. Pliocene and Pleistocene sequences are uniformly characterized by very low ratios of <0.2. Consistently high Oligocene–Miocene ratios reflect a post-Eocene period of strong E–W climate gradient across the Northern Gulf margin. Shore-zone volume displays no correlation to overall rate of sediment supply. The late Neogene decrease in proportional shore-zone system importance corresponds to development of the West Antarctic and Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and related increase in amplitude and frequency of glacioeustatic sea level cycling.     

Gulf of Mexico hydrocarbon seep communities: VI. Patterns in community structure and habitat

Communities of chemosynthetic fauna that depend on seeping oil and gas have been found in the Gulf of Mexico at approximately 45 sites between 88°W and 95°W and between the 350 and 2,200 m isobaths. Investigations suggest that the number of sites and the range of occurrence will increase with additional exploration. The dominant fauna consist of species within four groups: tube worms, seep mussels, epibenthic clams, and infaunal clams. These species co-occur to some degree, but tend to form assemblages dominated by a single group. Community development is closely coupled to the geological and geochemical processes of seepage.     

Seismic imaging of migration pathways by advanced attribute analysis,Alaminos Canyon 21, Gulf of Mexico

Potential accumulations of gas hydrates in Alaminos Canyon Block 21 (AC21) in the Gulf of Mexico are thought to occur in a shallow sand-rich interval, stratigraphically separated from sources of free gas below the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (BGHSZ), by an intervening thick layer of clay- and silt-rich sediments. Availability of sufficient gas charge from depth, in addition to local biogenic sourcing is considered key to the formation of gas hydrates in the GHSZ. Implicitly, a detailed understanding of geometries associated with fault and fracture networks in relation to potential gas migration pathways can provide additional confidence that seismic amplitude anomalies are related to gas hydrate accumulations. Delineation of fault and fracture systems from high resolution seismic data in and below the gas hydrates stability zone (GHSZ) was performed using an automated algorithm—Ant Tracking. The capturing of small-scale detail has particular significance at AC21, revealing a pervasive network of typically small-extent discontinuities, indicative of fracturing, throughout this intervening clay- and silt-rich layer of mass-transport deposits (MTDs). Ant Tracking features appear to correlate, to some extent, with potential gas hydrate accumulations, supporting the concept that fracturing possibly provides migration pathways albeit via a tortuous, complex path. This study demonstrates that the Ant Tracking attribute, in conjunction with detailed seismic interpretation and analysis, can provide valuable evidence of potential gas migration pathways.