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Seismic expression of gas and gas hydrates across the western Black Sea

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Abstract

This study is a synthesis of gas-related features in recent sediments across the western Black Sea basin. The investigation is based on an extensive seismic dataset, and integrates published information from previous local studies. Our data reveal widespread occurrences of seismic facies indicating free gas in sediments and gas escape in the water column. The presence of gas hydrates is inferred from bottom-simulating reflections (BSRs). The distribution of the gas facies shows (1) major gas accumulations close to the seafloor in the coastal area and along the shelfbreak, (2) ubiquitous gas migration from the deeper subsurface on the shelf and (3) gas hydrate occurrences on the lower slope (below 750 m water depth). The coastal and shelfbreak shallow gas areas correspond to the highstand and lowstand depocentres, respectively. Gas in these areas most likely results from in situ degradation of biogenic methane, probably with a contribution of deep gas in the shelfbreak accumulation. On the western shelf, vertical gas migration appears to originate from a source of Eocene age or older and, in some cases, it is clearly related to known deep oil and gas fields. Gas release at the seafloor is abundant at water depths shallower than 725 m, which corresponds to the minimum theoretical depth for methane hydrate stability, but occurs only exceptionally at water depths where hydrates can form. As such, gas entering the hydrate stability field appears to form hydrates, acting as a buffer for gas migration towards the seafloor and subsequent escape.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship of the European Community programme IHP under contract number HPMF-CT-01835 (I.P.). We also acknowledge a contribution from the ASSEMBLAGE European Project (EVK3-CT-2002-00090). Thoughtful and constructive reviews from Karin Andreassen and Maarten Vanneste helped us to improve this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Renard Centre of Marine Geology (RCMG), University of Ghent, Krijgslaan 281 S8, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Irina Popescu & Marc De Batist

  2. IFREMER Brest, DRO/GM LES, B.P. 70, 29280, Plouzané, France

    Gilles Lericolais & Hervé Gillet

  3. GeoEcoMar Bucharest, Str. D. Onciul 23-25, Bucharest, 024053, Romania

    Nicolae Panin

Authors
  1. Irina Popescu
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  2. Gilles Lericolais
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  3. Nicolae Panin
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  4. Marc De Batist
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  5. Hervé Gillet
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Correspondence to Irina Popescu.

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Popescu, I., Lericolais, G., Panin, N. et al. Seismic expression of gas and gas hydrates across the western Black Sea. Geo-Mar Lett 27, 173–183 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-007-0068-0

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