The influence of sedimentation rate variation on the occurrence of methane hydrate crystallized from dissolved methane in marine gas hydrate system

Abstract:

Methane is commonly delivered to the gas hydrate stability zone by advection of methane-bearing fluids, diffusion of dissolved methane, and in-situ biogenic methane production (Davie and Buffett, 2003), except at cold vent sites. Burial of pore water and sediment compaction can induce the fluid flux change (Bhatnagar et al., 2007). Sedimentation supply the organic material for methane production. In addition, Gas hydrate can move to below gas hydrate stability zone and decompose via sedimentation. Therefore, sedimentation significantly affect the gas hydrate accumulation.

ODP site 997 located at the Blake Ridge. The sedimentation rate is estimated to 48 m/Ma, 245m/Ma, 17.2 m/Ma and 281m/Ma for 0-2.5Ma, 2.5-3.75Ma, 3.75-4.4Ma, and 4.4-5.9Ma, respectively, according to the age-depth profile of biostratigraphic marker of nonnofossils(Paull et al., 1996).

 We constructed a gas hydrate formation model and apply to ODP sites 997 to evaluate the influence of variation of sedimentation rate on gas hydrate accumulation. Our results show that the gas hydrate format rate varied from 0.013mol/m²-a to 0.017mol/m²-a and the gas hydrate burial to below gas hydrate stability zone varied from 0.001mol/m²-a to 0.018mol/m²-a during recently 5Ma. The gas hydrate formation rate by pore water advection and dissolved methane diffusion would be lower, and the top occurrence of gas hydrate would be shallower, when the sedimentation rate is higher. With higher sedimentation rate, the amount of gas hydrate burial to below stability zone would be larger. The relative high sedimentation rate before 2.5 Ma at ODP site 997 produced the gas hydrate saturation much lower than present value, and over 60% of present gas hydrates are formed during recent 2.5Ma.

<span">Reference:

Bhatnagar,G., Chapman, W. G.,Dickens, G. R., et al. Generalization of gas hydrate distribution and saturation in marine sediments by scaling of thermodynamic and transport processes. American Journal of Science, 2007, 307, 861–900.

Davie, M.K., Buffett, B. A. Sources of methane for marine gas hydrate: inferences from a comparison of observations and numerical models, Earth and Planet Science Letters, 2003, 206, 51–63.

Paull, C. K., Matsumoto, R., Wallace, P. J. et al. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports, Volume 164, 1996.