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The Arctic Ocean

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Natural Gas Hydrate - Arctic Ocean Deepwater Resource Potential

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Energy ((BRIEFSENERGY))

Abstract

The Arctic Ocean is an almost entirely enclosed basin floored by two major tectonic zones, the Eurasia Basin that flanks the European continental margin, which is floored by a relatively regularly disposed oceanic crust at abyssal depths, and the Amerasia Basin, which has an older and more complex tectonic history. Broad continental shelves along the European and Asian continental margins contrast with much narrower continental shelves along the North American and Greenland continental margins. The continental margins of the Arctic Ocean are generally draped with sediments derived as a result of the harsh weathering and erosional framework of the Pleistocene glaciations. The factors that have the strongest effect on the degree of sediment winnowing and composition in the slope depositional environment are the width of the shelf and the degree of ice cover on the continental shelf segment and the edge of the ice to the continental slope break. The clastic sediments, which can be expected to comprise a high percentage of the continental slope and deep continental shelf turbidites, are the focus for natural gas hydrate concentrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hydrate Energy International, Inc., Kenner, LA, USA

    Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson & William P. Dillon

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  1. Michael D. Max
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  2. Arthur H. Johnson
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  3. William P. Dillon
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Correspondence to Michael D. Max .

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Max, M.D., Johnson, A.H., Dillon, W.P. (2013). The Arctic Ocean. In: Natural Gas Hydrate - Arctic Ocean Deepwater Resource Potential. SpringerBriefs in Energy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02508-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02508-7_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02507-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02508-7

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