scholarly journals Gas hydrate occurrences along the Haida Gwaii margin—Constraints on the geothermal regime and implications for fluid flow

Geosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Riedel ◽  
Kristin M.M. Rohr ◽  
Michelle M. Côté ◽  
Ulrike Schmidt ◽  
Terryl Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Gas Hydrate ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
North American Plate ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Topographic Effects ◽  
Thermal Gradients ◽  
Haida Gwaii ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Geothermal Gradients ◽  
Oblique Convergence

Abstract Seismic-reflection data along the Haida Gwaii margin collected from 1967 to 2013 were used to identify gas hydrate–related bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs). The BSRs occur along the Queen Charlotte Terrace only, within more strongly folded and tectonically deformed sedimentary ridges. The BSRs are absent within well-bedded and sediment-filled minibasins. The BSR is modeled as the base of the phase boundary of the methane hydrate (structure I) stability zone and is used to estimate geothermal gradients. The P-wave velocity structure required to convert observed depths of the BSR in two-way time to meters below seafloor was constrained from ocean-bottom seismometers. The BSR-derived gradients are lower than data from heat-probe deployments in the region, as well as predicted values from previous modeling of the large-scale tectonic thermal regime. Lower values of the BSR-derived thermal gradients may be due to topographic effects across the ridges where BSRs were observed. The previously identified landward decrease in thermal gradients across the terrace was also identified to a lesser extent from the BSRs, in accordance with the effects of oblique convergence of the Pacific plate with the North American plate. Geothermal gradients decreased from south to north by a factor of two, which is likely an effect of plate cooling due to an increase in age of the underlying plate (ca. 8 Ma off southern Haida Gwaii to ca. 12 Ma at Dixon Entrance) as well as the fact that sediments triple in thickness over the same distance. This may be due to downward flexure of the underlying crust during transpression and/or a high flux of sediments through Dixon Entrance.

scholarly journals Seismic velocity structure of the Queen Charlotte terrace off western Canada in the region of the 2012 Haida Gwaii Mw 7.8 thrust earthquake

Geosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Riedel ◽  
S. Yelisetti ◽  
C. Papenberg ◽  
K.M.M. Rohr ◽  
M.M. Côté ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Velocity ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Seismic Survey ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Crustal Material ◽  
Haida Gwaii ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
Refraction Data

A well-recorded Mw 7.8 megathrust earthquake occurred on 27 October 2012 under the Queen Charlotte terrace off the west coast of Haida Gwaii, western Canada. In this study, we supplement limited earlier seismic refraction work on the offshore velocity structure off Haida Gwaii with data from ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) operating between 6 December 2012 and 5 January 2013. The OBS recorded a portion of the aftershock sequence, and an active-source seismic survey was conducted in January 2013 to acquire seismic refraction data in the region of the Haida Gwaii earthquake across the Queen Charlotte terrace. P-wave velocity analyses using first-arrival tomography showed relatively shallow (2.0–3.0 km below seafloor) high-velocity material with values up to 4.0 km/s beneath the terrace. At the one OBS station seaward of the deformation front on the abyssal plain, refraction velocities of ~4.5 km/s indicated the top of the oceanic plate at ~1–2 km below the seafloor. At sev­eral OBS stations, converted shear-wave velocities were determined within the sediment cover using reflected arrivals. The S-wave velocities ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 km/s, and the corresponding P/S velocity ratio was between 3.0 and 4.2. The new refraction data confirm earlier interpretations of high-velocity material in the shallow terrace that may indicate fractured oceanic crustal material lies significantly above the location where a sub­ducted slab is thought to occur under the terrace. Transpressive deformation of the Pacific plate may explain these observations.

scholarly journals Structure of the SW Iberian Margin from Combined Wide-angle and Multichannel Seismic Reflection Data (FRAME Project)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Correia ◽  
Manel Prada ◽  
Valenti Sallares ◽  
Irene Merino ◽  
Alcinoe Calahorrano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Tectonic Setting ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Ocean Bottom ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Thrust Faults ◽  
Acoustic Basement ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Iberian Margin

<p>The SW Iberian Margin has a complex tectonic setting and crustal structure derived from a succession of rift events related to the opening of North Atlantic and Neotethys, from the Mesozoic to the Lower Cretaceous, and subsequent compression between Africa and Eurasia from the Lower Oligocene to present. This setting led to the reactivation of pre-existing strike-slip and extensional faults enhancing the seismogenic and tsunamigenic potential of the area. Thus, understanding of lithospheric structure along the SW Iberian Margin is not only important to study the rifting evolution but also to characterize the distribution of major lithospheric-scale boundaries, currently active and potentially capable of generating great seismic events of similar magnitude to the catastrophic 1755 Lisbon tsunamigenic earthquake, with estimated M<sub>W</sub>>8.5.</p><p>To this end, we use spatially coincident wide-angle seismic (WAS) and multichannel seismic (MCS) data collected along a ~320 km-long, NW-SE trending transect across the SW Iberian margin, during the FRAME survey in 2018. WAS data were recorded with by 24 ocean bottom seismometers and hydrophones (OBS/H), deployed each ~10km, while MCS data was recorded with a 6 km-long streamer. From NW to SE, the transect runs from the Tagus Abyssal plain to the westernmost extension of the Gulf of Cadiz area, across three major thrust faults: the Marquês de Pombal fault, São Vicente fault, and Horseshoe fault.</p><p>We applied joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography using a combination of WAS refractions and reflections and MCS reflections to invert for the 2D P-wave velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle, and the geometry of the main seismic interfaces, namely the top of the acoustic basement and the Moho. The combination of WAS and MCS reflection travel-times brings a significant increase in the resolution of the tomographic model, and especially in the definition of the geometry of the inverted reflectors (i.e. top of the basement), because MCS data has a higher spatial sampling than WAS data in these shallow regions.</p><p>In the preliminary model, the Moho shallows beneath the north-eastward continuation of the Horseshoe Basin and the Gorringe Bank, coinciding with the location of the three major thrust faults mentioned before, and defining three major crustal blocks along the model. Further analysis of deep seismic phases from WAS records should provide additional information on the geometry and extent of these three major thrust faults.</p>

Characterization of elastic properties of near-surface and subsurface deepwater hydrate-bearing sediments

Geophysics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. D169-D179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zijian Zhang ◽  
De-hua Han ◽  
Daniel R. McConnell
Keyword(s):  
Wave Velocity ◽  
Elastic Constants ◽  
Gas Hydrate ◽  
Effective Medium Theory ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Seismic Interpretation ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Free Gas ◽  
Hydrate Bearing Sediments

Hydrate-bearing sands and shallow nodular hydrate are potential energy resources and geohazards, and they both need to be better understood and identified. Therefore, it is useful to develop methodologies for modeling and simulating elastic constants of these hydrate-bearing sediments. A gas-hydrate rock-physics model based on the effective medium theory was successfully applied to dry rock, water-saturated rock, and hydrate-bearing rock. The model was used to investigate the seismic interpretation capability of hydrate-bearing sediments in the Gulf of Mexico by computing elastic constants, also known as seismic attributes, in terms of seismic interpretation, including the normal incident reflectivity (NI), Poisson’s ratio (PR), P-wave velocity ([Formula: see text]), S-wave velocity ([Formula: see text]), and density. The study of the model was concerned with the formation of gas hydrate, and, therefore, hydrate-bearing sediments were divided into hydrate-bearing sands, hydrate-bearing sands with free gas in the pore space, and shallow nodular hydrate. Although relations of hydrate saturation versus [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are different between structures I and II gas hydrates, highly concentrated hydrate-bearing sands may be interpreted on poststack seismic amplitude sections because of the high NI present. The computations of elastic constant implied that hydrate-bearing sands with free gas could be detected with the crossplot of NI and PR from prestack amplitude analysis, and density may be a good hydrate indicator for shallow nodular hydrate, if it can be accurately estimated by seismic methods.

Crustal P-wave velocity structure and earthquake distribution in the Jiaodong Peninsula, China

2021 ◽  
pp. 228973
Author(s):  
Junhao Qu ◽  
Stephen S. Gao ◽  
Changzai Wang ◽  
Kelly H. Liu ◽  
Shaohui Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wave Velocity ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Jiaodong Peninsula ◽  
P Wave Velocity ◽  
Earthquake Distribution ◽  
P Wave Velocity Structure

Potentially Large Subsurface Gas Hydrate Bodies in the Mexican Ridges, Southwestern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Papia Nandi ◽  
Patrick Fulton ◽  
James Dale
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Gas Hydrate ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Reflection Point ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
High Impedance ◽  
Acoustic Velocities ◽  
Seismic Images

As rising ocean temperatures can destabilize gas hydrate, identifying and characterizing large shallow hydrate bodies is increasingly important in order to understand their hazard potential. In the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, reanalysis of 3D seismic reflection data reveals evidence for the presence of six potentially large gas hydrate bodies located at shallow depths below the seafloor. We originally interpreted these bodies as salt, as they share common visual characteristics on seismic data with shallow allochthonous salt bodies, including high-impedance boundaries and homogenous interiors with very little acoustic reflectivity. However, when seismic images are constructed using acoustic velocities associated with salt, the resulting images were of poor quality containing excessive moveout in common reflection point (CRP) offset image gathers. Further investigation reveals that using lower-valued acoustic velocities results in higher quality images with little or no moveout. We believe that these lower acoustic values are representative of gas hydrate and not of salt. Directly underneath these bodies lies a zone of poor reflectivity, which is both typical and expected under hydrate. Observations of gas in a nearby well, other indicators of hydrate in the vicinity, and regional geologic context, all support the interpretation that these large bodies are composed of hydrate. The total equivalent volume of gas within these bodies is estimated to potentially be as large as 1.5 gigatons or 10.5 TCF, considering uncertainty for estimates of porosity and saturation, comparable to the entire proven natural gas reserves of Trinidad and Tobago in 2019.

Estimates of velocity structure and source depth using multiple P waves from aftershocks of the 1987 Elmore Ranch and Superstition Hills, California, earthquakes

1991 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 508-523
Author(s):  
Jim Mori
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Sediment Layer ◽  
Source Depth ◽  
Imperial Valley ◽  
P Waves ◽  
Main Shocks ◽  
Aftershock Sequences ◽  
Event Record

Abstract Event record sections, which are constructed by plotting seismograms from many closely spaced earthquakes recorded on a few stations, show multiple free-surface reflections (PP, PPP, PPPP) of the P wave in the Imperial Valley, California. The relative timing of these arrivals is used to estimate the strength of the P-wave velocity gradient within the upper 5 km of the sediment layer. Consistent with previous studies, a velocity model with a value of 1.8 km/sec at the surface increasing linearly to 5.8 km/sec at a depth of 5.5 km fits the data well. The relative amplitudes of the P and PP arrivals are used to estimate the source depth for the aftershock distributions of the Elmore Ranch and Superstition Hills main shocks. Although the depth determination has large uncertainties, both the Elmore Ranch and Superstition Hills aftershock sequences appear to have similar depth distribution in the range of 4 to 10 km.

Seismic tomographic interpretation of Paleozoic sedimentary sequences in the southeastern North Sea

Geophysics ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. R45-R56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Nielsen ◽  
Hans Thybo ◽  
Martin Glendrup
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
North German Basin ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
The North ◽  
Crystalline Crust ◽  
German Basin

Seismic wide-angle data were recorded to more than 300-km offset from powerful airgun sources during the MONA LISA experiments in 1993 and 1995 to determine the seismic-velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle along three lines in the southeastern North Sea with a total length of 850 km. We use the first arrivals observed out to an offset of 90 km to obtain high-resolution models of the velocity structure of the sedimentary layers and the upper part of the crystalline crust. Seismic tomographic traveltime inversion reveals 2–8-km-thick Paleozoic sedimentary sequences with P-wave velocities of 4.5–5.2 km/s. These sedimentary rocks are situated below a Mesozoic-Cenozoic sequence with variable thickness: ∼2–3 km on the basement highs, ∼2–4 km in the Horn Graben and the North German Basin, and ∼6–7 km in the Central Graben. The thicknesses of the Paleozoic sedimentary sequences are ∼3–5 km in the Central Graben, more than 4 km in the Horn Graben, up to ∼4 km on the basement highs, and up to 8 km in the North German Basin. The Paleozoic strata are clearly separated from the shallower and younger sequences with velocities of ∼1.8–3.8 km/s and the deeper crystalline crust with velocities of more than 5.8–6.0 km/s in the tomographic P-wave velocity model. Resolution tests show that the existence of the Paleozoic sediments is well constrained by the data. Hence, our wide-angle seismic models document the presence of Paleozoic sediments throughout the southeastern North Sea, both in the graben structures and in deep basins on the basement highs.

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