Characterization of the seismic velocities in a gas chimney blow the actively seeping Lunde pockmark, Vestnesa Ridge, Svalbard Margin: Preliminary results

• Main Authors: Schramm, Bettina, Singhroha, S., Dannowski, Anke, Vadakkepuliyambatta, S., Domel, P., Berndt, Christian, Bünz, St.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Lunde; Svalbard; The Chimney; Svalbard margin
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/53344/

Hydrocarbon gases are actively seeping from pockmarks in the eastern part of the Vestnesa Ridge, western-Svalbard Margin. One of these is Lunde pockmark which is characterized by a seismic chimney below. Such seismic anomalies are widely believed to represent fluid migration pathways. However, their detailed structure and the physical properties of such structures is poorly understood and might be highly variable. Tomographic seismic velocity analysis can resolve the inner structure of the chimney beneath the Lunde pockmark. The aim is to understand the distribution of gas hydrate, free gas and carbonates within the gas chimney. Here, we present first results of our detailed 3D seismic travel time tomography using newly acquired high-resolution ocean bottom seismometer data guided by high-resolution 3D multi-channel seismic data. These models were generated with the Jive3D software. Our initial results show the variability of the seismic velocity structure beneath the Lunde pockmark. Our analysis, combined with earlier datasets and results shows that fluid pathways through the gas hydrate stability zone are anything but simple and highlights the importance of understanding the evolution of methane seepage pathways through time.