Effects of Depositional Processes in Submarine Canyons and Distribution of Gas Chimneys on Gas Hydrate Accumulation in the Shenhu Sea Area, Northern South China Sea

Yunlong He (), Zenggui Kuang, Cong Cheng, Tao Jiang, Cheng Zhang, Biyu Lu, Chengzhi Yang, Jiayu Liu and Changlong Xiang
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Yunlong He: Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Zenggui Kuang: National Engineering Research Center of Gas Hydrate Exploration and Development, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, China
Cong Cheng: Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Tao Jiang: Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Cheng Zhang: Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Biyu Lu: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Marine Geological Survey Institute, Beihai 536000, China
Chengzhi Yang: National Engineering Research Center of Gas Hydrate Exploration and Development, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, China
Jiayu Liu: Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Changlong Xiang: Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Previous gas hydrate production tests conducted by the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey (GSGM) in 2017 and 2020 indicated the great potential of gas hydrates in the Shenhu Sea area in the Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB), China. In this study, the effects of deposition processes in submarine canyons and the distribution of gas chimneys on gas hydrate accumulation were investigated using high-resolution two- dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) seismic data. Four intact submarine canyons were identified in the study area. Five deepwater depositional elements are closely related to submarine canyons: lateral accretion packages (LAPs), basal lags, slides, mass transport deposits (MTDs), and turbidity lobes. MTDs and lobes with multiple stages outside the distal canyon mouth reveal that the sedimentary evolution of the canyon was accompanied by frequent sediment gravity flows. Gas chimneys originating from Eocene strata are generally up to 3 km wide and distributed in a lumpy or banded pattern. The analysis of seismic attributes confirmed fluid activity in these gas chimneys. Gas hydrates are mainly distributed in ridges among different canyons. Based on the gas sources of gas hydrates and depositional evolution of submarine canyons, depositional processes of sediment gravity flows in submarine canyons and the distribution of gas chimneys significantly affect the accumulation of gas hydrates. Based on these findings, this study establishes a conceptional model for the accumulation of gas hydrate, which can provide guidance in the prediction for favorable gas hydrates zones in the area and nearby.

Keywords: submarine canyon; depositional process; gas chimney; accumulation; gas hydrate; South China Sea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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