Detecting hydrate and fluid flow from bottom simulating reflector depth anomalies

Abstract

Research Article| March 01, 2012 Detecting hydrate and fluid flow from bottom simulating reflector depth anomalies Matthew J. Hornbach; Matthew J. Hornbach * 1Southern Methodist University, Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Dallas, Texas 75275-0395, USA *E-mail: mhornbach@smu.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nathan L. Bangs; Nathan L. Bangs 2University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christian Berndt Christian Berndt 3Leibniz-Institute for Marine Sciences, IFM-GEOMAR, Gebäude Ostufer, Wischhofstraße 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Matthew J. Hornbach * 1Southern Methodist University, Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Dallas, Texas 75275-0395, USA Nathan L. Bangs 2University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Christian Berndt 3Leibniz-Institute for Marine Sciences, IFM-GEOMAR, Gebäude Ostufer, Wischhofstraße 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany *E-mail: mhornbach@smu.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 12 Jul 2011 Revision Received: 23 Sep 2011 Accepted: 06 Oct 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2012 Geological Society of America Geology (2012) 40 (3): 227–230. https://doi.org/10.1130/G32635.1 Article history Received: 12 Jul 2011 Revision Received: 23 Sep 2011 Accepted: 06 Oct 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Matthew J. Hornbach, Nathan L. Bangs, Christian Berndt; Detecting hydrate and fluid flow from bottom simulating reflector depth anomalies. Geology 2012;; 40 (3): 227–230. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G32635.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Methane hydrates, ice-like compounds that consist of water and methane, represent a potentially enormous unconventional methane resource that may play a critical role in climate change and ocean acidification; however, it remains unclear how much hydrate exists. Here, using a newly developed three-dimensional (3-D) thermal technique, we reveal a novel method for detecting and quantifying methane hydrate. The analysis reveals where fluids migrate in three dimensions across a continental margin and is used to quantify hydrate with meter-scale horizontal resolution. Our study, located at Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon (United States), suggests that heat flow and hydrate concentrations are coupled and that 3-D thermal analysis can be used to constrain hydrate and fluid flow in 3-D seismic data. Hydrate estimates using this technique are consistent with 1-D drilling results, but reveal large, previously unrecognized swaths of hydrate-rich sediments that have gone undetected due to spatially limited drilling and sampling techniques used in past studies. The 3-D analysis suggests that previous hydrate estimates based on drilling at this site are low by a factor of approximately three. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.