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HIGH-FLUX GAS VENTING IN THE EAST SEA, KOREA, FROM ANALYSIS OF 2D SEISMIC REFLECTION DATA.

University of British Columbia. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; International Conference on Gas Hydrates (6th : 2008 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Seismic reflection data from a multi-channel streamer deployed offshore Korea reveal evidence of hydrateforming gases being vented into the ocean. Numerous, localised vent structures are apparent from reduced seismic reflection amplitude, high seismic velocities, and reflector pull-up. These structures penetrate upward from the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) and are typically several hundred metres wide, and only a few hundred metres high. Underlying zones of reduced reflection amplitude and low velocities indicate the presence of gas many kilometers below the seabed, which migrates upward through near-vertical conduits to feed the vent structures. Where the local geology and underlying plumbing indicates a high flux of gases migrating through the system, the associated vent structures show the greatest change of reflector pull-up (the greatest concentration of hydrate) to be near the seabed; where the local geology and underlying plumbing indicates a moderate flux of gases, the greatest change of reflector pullup (the greatest concentration of hydrate) is near the base of the GHSZ. The distribution of gas hydrate in the high-flux gas vent is consistent with the recent salinity-driven model developed for a rapid and continuous flow of migrating gas, while the hydrate distribution in the lower-flux vent is consistent with a liquid-dominated system. The high-flux vent shows evidence of recent activity at the seabed, and it is likely that a substantial amount of gas is passing, or has passed, through this vent structure directly into the overlying ocean.

Seismic reflection; Korea; Venting; Gas hydrate stability zone; Geophysics; Vent structures; Gas hydrates; Chimney; Pockmark

Text

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0040997

Non UBC

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/