Geology & Geophysics Group
Gas hydrates
Contact: Prof. Tim Minshull or Dr Angus Best
Methane hydrates are widespread in the upper few hundred metres of continental margin sediments. They may constitute a significant energy resource, and their decomposition may be a factor in slope stability and global climate change. Our research on hydrates addresses all aspects of their detection and quantification in the marine environment, from field studies to determine the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments, to theoretical modelling of the influence of hydrate on these properties, to laboratory measurements of these same physical properties in synthetic and real hydrate-bearing sediments.
Right: Hydrate burning in the resonant column (the solid hydrate within the pore space is dissociating into methane gas which we ignited for effect).
Key areas include:
- High-resolution reflection and ocean bottom seismic studies of hydrate provinces on active and passive continental margins
- Effective medium modelling and inversion of the elastic, attenuation and electrical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments
- Measurement of the elastic and electrical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments under in situ conditions and over a range of frequencies.
Current projects include:
- High-resolution seismic tomography around active hydrate-bearing vent sites, offshore Norway (part of the HERMES project)
- Three-dimensional seismic reflection imaging of active hydrate-bearing vent sites, offshore Norway (part of the HERMES project)
- Joint effective medium modelling of the seismic and electrical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments
- Laboratory investigation of synthetic hydrate growth morphology in sediments and its influence on geotechnical, seismic and electrical resistivity properties.
Above: 3D model of hydrate content from offshore Vancouver Island
