Geological occurrence of gas hydrates at the Blake Outer Ridge, western North Atlantic
The occurrence of gas hydrates at the Blake Outer Ridge, as confirmed by the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), is governed not only by gas-water phase relationships but also by interrelated geological constraints. The results of this reexamination of the DSDP data show that seafloor processes, topography, and sediment properties are among the factors that impact the stability and distribution of gas hydrate at the ridge. Rapid sedimentation and erosion have local and transient effects on thermal gradients, which cause the base of the hydrate stability zone to migrate. To a large degree, the convex shape of the Blake Outer Ridge allows gas hydrates to be stable. Low-permeability sediments occupy the interval in which the stability zone exists, and they influence hydrate occurrence by controlling the distribution of gas. A brief comparison of the Blake Outer Ridge with two more recently confirmed hydrate localities (the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Middle America's trench) shows little similarity among the three hydrate environments, but calls attention to the complex and often subtle effects that the geological system imposes on hydrate stability. 47 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center, WV
- OSTI ID:
- 6263555
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/METC-86/2024; ON: DE86001078
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
03 NATURAL GAS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CHEMISTRY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CONTINENTAL SHELF
DATA
DIAGRAMS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAS ANALYSIS
GAS HYDRATES
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GEOTHERMAL GRADIENTS
GULF OF MEXICO
Geothermal Legacy
HYDRATES
INFORMATION
NATURAL GAS HYDRATE DEPOSITS
NATURAL OCCURRENCE
NUMERICAL DATA
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PHASE STABILITY
SEAS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
STABILITY
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CHEMISTRY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CONTINENTAL SHELF
DATA
DIAGRAMS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAS ANALYSIS
GAS HYDRATES
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GEOTHERMAL GRADIENTS
GULF OF MEXICO
Geothermal Legacy
HYDRATES
INFORMATION
NATURAL GAS HYDRATE DEPOSITS
NATURAL OCCURRENCE
NUMERICAL DATA
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PHASE STABILITY
SEAS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
STABILITY
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS