Point

• Main Authors: Andrew M. Hennes, Beaufort Sea
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Milne Point; Barrow; north slope; permafrost; Prudhoe Bay; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.634.7477; http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/abstracts/2004hedberg_vancouver/extended/hennes/images/hennes.pdf

Occurrence of gas hydrates on the North Slope of Alaska has been recognized for over three decades. Large-scale well-log studies over the entire North Slope, including detailed temperature profiling in the shallow subsurface, suggest widespread gas-hydrate occurrence, which is facilitated by the depressed geothermal gradient and thick permafrost (Collett et al., 1988). The Milne Point Unit (MPU) is one of several large, active oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska (Figure 1) characterized by a thick, near-surface gas-hydrate-stability zone (HSZ) as documented by many well-log-inferred gas-hydrate occurrences. These factors, along with moderate well coverage, a modern 3-D seismic survey and complex structure make MPU an ideal location for characterizing shallow, onshore gas-hydrate occurrence and distribution. Figure 1. Regional map of structural trends at depth for current production areas; encompassing Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk River (south of Oliktok Point), and Milne Point oilfields. Depths of these structures vary, but all are deeper than the zone of gas-hydrate stability, which is the focus of this study. Inset on the right shows location of the North Slope of Alaska, the trend of the Barrow Arch, as well as the location of the detailed structure map. Boundary for the Milne Point Unit indicates extent of 3-D seismic data utilized in this study. Location of wells WSak-25 and MPA-01 are identified in Milne Point. Inset on the left details