Gas hydrate that breaches the sea floor on the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · Geology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0699:GHTBTS>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:6997066

MacDonald, I R; Guinasso, Jr, N L; Sassen, R; Brooks, J M; Lee, L ^[1]; Scott, K T ^[2]

---

1. Texas A M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
2. Pennsylvania State Univ., Univeristy Park, PA (United States)

We report observations that concern formation and dissociation of gas hydrate near the sea floor at depths of [minus]540 m in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In August 1992, three lobes of gas hydrate were partly exposed beneath a thin layer of sediment. By May 1993, the most prominent lobe had evidently broken free and floated away, leaving a patch of disturbed sediment and exposed hydrate. The underside of the gas hydrate was about 0.2[degree]C warmer than ambient sea water and had trapped a large volume of oil and free gas. An in situ monitoring device, deployed on a nearby bed of mussels, recorded sustained releases of gas during a 44 day monitoring period. Gas venting coincided with a temporary rise in water temperature of 1[degree]C, which is consistent with thermally induced dissociation of hydrate composed mainly of methane and water. We conclude that the effects of accumulating buoyant force and fluctuating water temperature cause shallow gas hydrate alternately to check and release gas venting. 18 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

• OSTI ID: 6997066
• Journal Information: Geology; (United States), Journal Name: Geology; (United States) Vol. 22:8; ISSN 0091-7613; ISSN GLGYBA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200 -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
&amp; Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200* -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
&amp; Exploration
033000 -- Natural Gas-- Properties &amp; Composition
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201 -- Chemical &amp; Physicochemical Properties
ALKANES
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BUBBLES
CARIBBEAN SEA
COMPILED DATA
DATA
DISSOCIATION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GULF OF MEXICO
HYDRATES
HYDRATION
HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
METHANE
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCES
SEA BED
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SOLVATION
SURFACE WATERS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE