Gas hydrate distribution and hydrocarbon maturation north of the Knipovich Ridge, western Svalbard margin.

Dumke, Ines, Burwicz, Ewa B. , Berndt, Christian , Klaeschen, Dirk , Feseker, Tomas, Geissler, Wolfram and Sarkar, Sudipta (2016) Gas hydrate distribution and hydrocarbon maturation north of the Knipovich Ridge, western Svalbard margin. Open Access Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 121 (3). pp. 1405-1424. DOI 10.1002/2015JB012083.

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Supplementary data:

Abstract

A bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) occurs west of Svalbard in water depths exceeding 600 m, indicating that gas hydrate occurrence in marine sediments is more widespread in this region than anywhere else on the eastern North Atlantic margin. Regional BSR mapping shows the presence of hydrate and free gas in several areas, with the largest area located north of the Knipovich Ridge, a slow-spreading ridge segment of the Mid Atlantic Ridge system. Here, heat flow is high (up to 330 mW m-2), increasing towards the ridge axis. The coinciding maxima in across-margin BSR width and heat flow suggest that the Knipovich Ridge influenced methane generation in this area. This is supported by recent finds of thermogenic methane at cold seeps north of the ridge termination. To evaluate the source rock potential on the western Svalbard margin, we applied 1D petroleum system modeling at three sites. The modeling shows that temperature and burial conditions near the ridge were sufficient to produce hydrocarbons. The bulk petroleum mass produced since the Eocene is at least 5 kt and could be as high as ~0.2 Mt. Most likely, source rocks are Miocene organic-rich sediments and a potential Eocene source rock that may exist in the area if early rifting created sufficiently deep depocenters. Thermogenic methane production could thus explain the more widespread presence of gas hydrates north of the Knipovich Ridge. The presence of microbial methane on the upper continental slope and shelf indicates that the origin of methane on the Svalbard margin varies spatially.

Document Type: Article
Additional Information: WOS:000374695200009
Keywords: gas hydrate, Svalbard, heat flow, petroleum system modeling, thermogenic methane, RV Maria S. Merian, MSM21/4, RV Joides Resolution, JR211
Research affiliation: OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence > FO-R05
OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence > FO-R09
Kiel University
OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence
OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB4 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor > FB4-MUHS
OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence > FO-R02
HGF-AWI
OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB4 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor > FB4-GDY Marine Geodynamics
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: AGU (American Geophysical Union), Wiley
Projects: Future Ocean
Expeditions/Models/Experiments:
Date Deposited: 08 Mar 2016 08:00
Last Modified: 23 Sep 2019 22:58
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/31719

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