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Sedimentary and structural control on pockmark development—evidence from the Nyegga pockmark field, NW European margin

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Abstract

The Nyegga region, located at water depths of about 600–800 m on the NW European continental margin, contains more than 200 pockmarks. Recently collected TOPAS seismic profiles and EM1002 bathymetric records now provide high-resolution information on their seabed and shallow sub-seabed geological setting. The identified pockmarks are up to 15 m deep, between 30 m and 600 m across and reach a maximum area of ca. 315,000 m2. The pockmarks are sediment-empty features. They do not have any preferred direction of orientation and show large variations in their shape. The pockmarks are restricted to a <16.2 cal. ka old sediment unit. This unit comprises sandy mud and is characterised by sedimentation rates of ca. 1 mm/year. The pockmarks are localised over a thick late Plio-Pleistocene prograding sediment package and a polygonal faulted Miocene-Oligocene ooze-rich unit. The late Plio-Plistocene deposits host bottom simulating reflectors, indicative of gas hydrate-bearing sediments. Inspection of the newly collected high-resolution dataset, combined with previously analysed sediment cores and 2D multichannel seismic profiles, reveals that the Nyegga pockmark field does not show any strong relationship between seabed features, sub-seabed structures and the sedimentary setting. This suggests a more complex evolution history of the Nyegga pockmark field then previously thought.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the captains, Preben Vindenes and John Hugo Johansen, and the crew on the R/V GO Sars for all support during the two cruises to the Nyegga pockmark field in 2007 and 2008. This paper is a contribution to the Norwegian Research Council PETROMAKS project “Gas Hydrates on the Norwegian-Barents Sea-Svalbard Margin” (GANS, Norwegian Research Council project no. 175969/S30). We thank the Norwegian Deepwater Programme Seabed III, Fugro and TGS for access to multichannel seismic profiles. Two anonymous reviewers contributed substantially to improve the paper.

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  1. Atle Nygård

    Present address: Statoil ASA, P.O. Box 7200, 5020, Bergen, Norway

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allegt 41, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    Berit Oline Hjelstuen, Haflidi Haflidason, Hans Petter Sejrup & Atle Nygård

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  1. Berit Oline Hjelstuen
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Correspondence to Berit Oline Hjelstuen.

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Hjelstuen, B.O., Haflidason, H., Sejrup, H.P. et al. Sedimentary and structural control on pockmark development—evidence from the Nyegga pockmark field, NW European margin. Geo-Mar Lett 30, 221–230 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-009-0172-4

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