Interpretations of Focused Fluid Flow Leading to Highly Concentrated Gas Hydrate Deposits Figure 1: Rock Garden – Seismic Coverage and Predicted Thickness of the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone
Australian Plate
Pacific Plate
= NIGHT Line = Palmer Lines = CHARMNZ Lines = CHARMNZ sections = presented in this study
= seafloor seepage = chimney features
2000 1800 1600 (mbsl) 1200 1000 800 600 20 60 100 140 180 (m thick) 300 340 380 420 460 500
A: The location of Rock Garden (red square) within New Zealand’s tectonic framework. B: High-resolution bathymetry of the Rock Garden area with three different seismic surveys overlain (see key). Also marked are the sections of lines T6, T7 and T8 presented in this study, seafloor seep locations and locations of chimney features. C: Spatial approximation of the thickness of the GHSZ in the Rock Garden area (same areal extent as B), assuming pure methane as hydrate-forming gas, a 35°C km-1 geothermal gradient, and hydrostatic fluid pressure. The gas composition assumption is our best estimate to date, based on analyses made at seep sites during F/S Sonne research cruises conducted on the Hikurangi Margin in 2007 (K Faure, personal communication, December 2008). The geothermal gradient of 35°C km-1 is a reasonable ‘mid-range’ approximation for modelling many of the BSR depth data under hydrostatic fluid pressure conditions (Crutchley et al., 2010). White regions are where gas hydrate is not predicted to be stable (i.e. the thickness of the GHSZ is 0m). As in B, line segments, seep locations and chimney locations are marked according to the key.
of the regional BGHS thickness can be made (see Figure 1C). Here, we present sections of three lines in the northern reaches of the research area, from the trough between Paoanui Ridge and Rock Garden south-
east to the Rock Garden ridge itself (see Figure 2). Several key features are annotated, including BSRs, active methane seep sites, gas pockets, and low-amplitude chimney features.
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A Sediment–Gravity Flow in Deep-sea Environment
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