In-Situ Sampling and Characterization of Naturally Occurring Marine Methane Hydrate Using the D/V JOIDES Resolution
The primary accomplishment of the JOI Cooperative Agreement with DOE/NETL in this quarter was the deployment of tools and measurement systems on ODP Leg 204 to study hydrate deposits on Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon from July through September, 2002. During Leg 204, we cored and logged 9 sites on the Oregon continental margin to determine the distribution and concentration of gas hydrates in an accretionary ridge and adjacent slope basin, investigate the mechanisms that transport methane and other gases into the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ), and obtain constraints on physical properties of hydrates in situ. A 3D seismic survey conducted in 2000 provided images of potential subsurface fluid conduits and indicated the position of the GHSZ throughout the survey region. After coring the first site, we acquired Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) data at all but one site to provide an overview of downhole physical properties. The LWD data confirmed the general position of key seismic stratigraphic horizons and yielded an initial estimate of hydrate concentration through the proxy of in situ electrical resistivity. These records proved to be of great value in planning subsequent coring. The second new hydrate proxy to be tested was infrared thermal imaging of cores on the catwalk as rapidly as possible after retrieval. The thermal images were used to identify hydrate samples and to map estimate the distribution and texture of hydrate within the cores. Geochemical analyses of interstitial waters and of headspace and void gases provide additional information on the distribution and concentration of hydrate within the stability zone, the origin and pathway of fluids into and through the GHSZ, and the rates at which the process of gas hydrate formation is occurring. Bio- and lithostratigraphic description of cores, measurement of physical properties, and in situ pressure core sampling and thermal measurements complement the data set, providing ground-truth tests of inferred physical and sedimentological properties. Among the most interesting preliminary results are: (1) the discovery that gas hydrates are distributed through a broad depth range within the GHSZ and that different physical and chemical proxies for hydrate distribution and concentration give generally consistent results; (2) evidence for the importance of sediment properties for controlling the migration of fluids in the accretionary complex; (3) geochemical indications that the gas hydrate system at Hydrate Ridge contains significant concentrations of higher order hydrocarbons and that fractionation and mixing signals will provide important constraints on gas hydrate dynamics; and (4) the discovery of very high chlorinity values that extend for at least 10 mbsf near the summit, indicating that hydrate formation here must be very rapid.
- Research Organization:
- Joint Oceanograph Institutions
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC26-01NT41329
- OSTI ID:
- 896481
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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In-Situ Sampling and Characterization of Naturally Occurring Marine Methane Hydrate Using the D/V JOIDES Resolution
In-Situ Sampling and Characterization of Naturally Occurring Marine Methane Hydrate Using the D/V JOIDES Resolution