Geological Occurrence of Gas Hydrates at the Blake Outer Ridge, Western North Atlantic

The occurrence of gas hydrates at the Blake Outer Ridge, as confirmed by the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), is governed not only by gas-water phase relationships but also by interrelated geological constraints. The results of this reexamination of the DSDP data show that seafloor processes, topog...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dominic, K. L., Barlow, D. L.
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: Morgantown Energy Technology Center 1986
Subjects:
Atlantic Ocean
Geology
Geophysical Surveys
Phase Diagrams
Geothermal Legacy
Gas Analysis
Surveys
Gas Hydrates
Comparative Evaluations
Data
Geologic Deposits
Surface Waters
Seismic Surveys
Continental Shelf
Phase Stability
Caribbean Sea
Continental Margin
Chemistry
Gulf Of Mexico
Temperature Gradients Geothermal Legacy
Seas
Natural Gas Hydrate Deposits
Stability
Experimental Data
Natural Occurrence
03 Natural Gas
Numerical Data
Geothermal Gradients
Information
Hydrates
Geochemistry
Diagrams
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2172/6263555
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1111423/
Description
Summary:The occurrence of gas hydrates at the Blake Outer Ridge, as confirmed by the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), is governed not only by gas-water phase relationships but also by interrelated geological constraints. The results of this reexamination of the DSDP data show that seafloor processes, topography, and sediment properties are among the factors that impact the stability and distribution of gas hydrate at the ridge. Rapid sedimentation and erosion have local and transient effects on thermal gradients, which cause the base of the hydrate stability zone to migrate. To a large degree, the convex shape of the Blake Outer Ridge allows gas hydrates to be stable. Low-permeability sediments occupy the interval in which the stability zone exists, and they influence hydrate occurrence by controlling the distribution of gas. A brief comparison of the Blake Outer Ridge with two more recently confirmed hydrate localities (the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Middle America's trench) shows little similarity among the three hydrate environments, but calls attention to the complex and often subtle effects that the geological system imposes on hydrate stability. 47 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

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