Application of AVO Analysis to Seismic Data for Detection of Gas below Methane Hydrate Stability Zone in Nankai Trough Area

Abstract. For the purpose of development of methane hydrate, occurring in the deep marine subsurface, as a resource, the most important issue is to understand the methane hydrate system (generation, migration and accumulation) as well as to delineate the methane hydrate reservoir properties. We have applied the Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) analysis to the seismic data acquired in the Nankai Trough, offshore Japan, in order to confirm the occurrence of gas just below the methane hydrate-bearing zone, assuming that gas will show a so-called Class-3 AVO response. Knowledge of the amount and occurrence of gas in the sediment below methane hydrate-bearing zone is one of the keys to understand the methane hydrate system.
We have utilized the qualitative analysis of AVO methodology to delineate how gas is located below the BSR, which is thought to be the reflection event from the interface between the methane hydrate-bearing zone and the underlying gas-bearing zone. In the region of MITI Nankai Trough Well PSW-3, we observe two BSRs separated by 25 ms. After AVO modeling using well data, we applied AVO attribute analysis and attribute crossplot analysis to the seismic data. Finally we applied an offset-amplitude analysis to CMP gather data at specific locations to confirm the results of AVO attribute analysis. The AVO analysis shows that there is very little gas located in the underlying sediment below methane hydrate-bearing zone. This result supports the fact that we could not obtain any clear evidence of gas occurrence just below the methane hydrate-bearing zone in the Nankai Trough well drilling.     

Microcrack networks in granite affected by a fault zone: Visualization by confocal laser scanning microscopy

Microcracks in the Cretaceous Ryoke-type granite in Japan were investigated by using deep drilling core samples collected in the Mizunami Underground Research Project of the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). The granite body suffered brittle deformation associated with Tertiary thrust movement. Based on core-scale and microscopic deformation features, the drill core from a depth of 300 to 700 m is divided into four domains, i.e. (A) undeformed granite, (B) granite intruded by cataclastic seams, (C) fractured granite in the fault damage zone, and (D) foliated cataclasite at the fault center. To characterize microcrack geometries in each domain, we employed the impregnation method using a low-viscous acrylic resin doped with fluorescent agents and captured the microcrack images by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The CLSM image in the fault damage zone revealed anisotropic development of microcrack networks related to the fault movement. Both CLSM observation and porosity measurements reveal a drastic increase of micro-pores in the foliated cataclasite, possibly caused by fragmentation, and granulation and crack sealing in the fault zone.     

Temporal variations in the current structure and volume transport of the Coastal Oyashio revealed by direct current measurement

Direct current measurements by a shipboard and bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler and concurrent hydrographic observations with a CTD were conducted off southeastern Hokkaido, Japan, between January and May 2005 to reveal temporal variations in the current structure and volume transport of the Coastal Oyashio (CO). The CO, which has a baroclinic jet structure with southwestward speeds exceeding 90 cm s^?1 and a width of 7–8 km, was associated with a surface-to-bottom density front and was formed on the offshore side of the shelf break. The volume transport of CO (T _CO) was estimated by integrating the fluxes of lower-density water that was trapped against the coast along the density front represented by the 26.2 σ _θ isopycnal line. This transport decreased monotonously from 0.79 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s^?1) in January to 0.21 Sv in March and subsequently to 0.12 Sv in May, possibly due to the decay of the East Sakhalin Current Water in the Okhotsk Sea. Accompanied by a decrease in T _CO, the location of the jet structure associated with the density front moved toward the coast while the maximum speed of the jet decreased and the tilt of the front became more horizontal. Consequently, more saline offshore Oyashio water flowed into the deep part of the shelf area, and the current structure altered from relatively barotropic in winter to baroclinic in spring. This study is the first to estimate the observed volume transport of the CO from direct current measurements.     

Diagnosis of earth-fill dams by synthesised approach of sounding and surface wave method

The spatial distribution of the strength inside the earth-fill is identified by the sounding tests. In this research, the Swedish weight sounding (SWS) is employed, and the spatial high-density test is performed to identify the spatial correlation structure. Furthermore, the synthesised approach of the SWS and surface wave method, which is one of the geophysical method, is proposed to compensate the shortage of each approach. Consequently, the correlation structure of an earth-fill could be identified accurately, and the high resolution of the spatial distribution could be visualised based on the survey results.     

Nd and Sr isotopic variations in acidic rocks formed under a peculiar tectonic environment in Miocene Southwest Japan

Initial Nd and Sr isotopic ratios were obtained for middle Miocene igneous rocks as well as for related rocks from the Outer Zone of Southwest Japan to investigate the petrogenesis of acidic magmas and their relation to a peculiar tectonic environment bearing on the back-arc spreading of the Japan Sea. On the _Nd- _Sr diagram, data points for the acidic rocks fall in the – _Nd, + _Sr quadrant occupying different positions from those for sedimentary and old crustal rocks, and seem to define several subparallel lines which extend towards the lower-righthand sedimentary field. The S-type acidic rocks occupy an intermediate position between I-type rocks and sedimentary ones, a fact suggesting mixing of an igneous component and a sedimentary one. The linear mixing trend observed on the _Nd- _Sr diagram can be attained in the restricted case that the igneous component has similar Sr/Nd concentration ratios to that of the sedimentary one, which implies an intermediate to acidic composition for the igneous component. Inconsistency between the elemental and isotopic variations observed may be reconciled by considering that mixing, probably in the relatively deep part of the crust, might have occured prior to chemical differentiation processes. The episodic igneous activity and the high heat energy required to melt such materials involving sedimentary rocks may be explained by a model in which a hot mantle region probably corresponding to the rising part of the mantle convection supplied the heating energy to the Outer Zone of Southwest Japan when passing beneath Southwest Japan in the course of movement of the hot rising part from the Shikoku basin areas to the Japan Sea area.     

Iron and zinc partitioning between coexisting stannite and sphalerite: a possible indicator of temperature and sulfur fugacity

Stannite and sphalerite coexisting with iron sulfides (pyrite and/or pyrrhotite) from Japanese ore deposits associated with tin mineralization were analyzed. Based on the iron and zinc partitioning between stannite and sphalerite, the formation temperature and sulfur fugacity for this mineral assemblage were estimated. A good correlation between stannite-sphalerite temperatures and filling temperatures of fluid inclusions and sulfur isotope temperatures was obtained. This good correlation suggests that the stannite-sphalerite pair is a useful indicator of temperature and sulfur fugacity. It is deduced that the formation temperatures are not different for skarn-type, polymetallic vein-type and Sn-W vein-type deposits, whereas the sulfur fugacities are different; sulfur fugacities increase from the skarn-type through the Sn-W vein-type to the polymetallic vein-type deposits.     

The Ag/Au ratio of native gold and electrum and the geochemical environment of gold vein deposits in Japan

The chemical composition of native gold and electrum from auriferous vein and gold-silver vein deposits in Japan has been analyzed and summarized. The Ag/Au ratios of native gold and electrum from these two types of deposits are distinct, i.e., 10–20 Ag at % (auriferous vein) and 30–70 Ag at % (gold-silver vein). Thermochemical calculations suggest that the Ag/Au ratio of native gold and electrum should decrease with increasing chloride concentration and temperature. This is consistent with analytical results of native gold and electrum and fluid inclusion studies. Based on the Ag content of native gold and electrum, the Fe content of sphalerite, and the estimated temperatures, it is deduced that the sulfur activity for auriferous vein-type systems was lower than that of gold-silver vein-type systems.     

Strong interaction between the ring system and the ionosphere of saturn

An abnormally low electron density in the Saturnian ionosphere observed by the radio occultation experiment of the Pioneer 11 may be explained in terms of the contamination of water in the Saturnian upper atmosphere from its ring system.     

The structure of cometary atmospheres

The temperature distributions in cometary atmospheres at various heliocentric distances for comets of Bennett and Encke types have been calculated by taking into account heating due to the absorption of solar ultraviolet radiation, cooling by H₂O far infrared emission, and various dynamical processes (expansion, advection, and thermal conduction). The agreement of the results with the observations is in general satisfactory. The conversion of CH₄ and NH₃ to CO and N₂ through thermochemical reaction with H₂O is concluded to be impossible, since the temperature is too low at a heliocentric distance 1.5 AU where CO⁺ ions begin to be observable.