Geophysical indications of gas hydrate occurrence on the Greenland continental margins

The glaciated Greenland continental margins contain favorable conditions for hydrate formation if gas is present. No gas hydrates have been encountered in the drilling of offshore wells, however, and only a limited focus has been placed on academic-led hydrate research to date. Nevertheless, analyses of 2D and 3D seismic reflection data have revealed the occurrence of BSRs, DHIs, chimneys and pockmarks. These seismic features all suggest the presence of gas and gas hydrates within three different sections of the Greenland margin. Seismic amplitude observations in Melville Bay, offshore northwest Greenland, indicate the existence of a ~220 m thick gas hydrate deposit over a 50 m high gas column. It is suggested that the paleo-topography of the area has forced the migration of fluid into the overlying stratigraphy. In the Disco area, offshore central West Greenland, seismic observations together with heatflow measurements and sediment core samples suggest that gas and gas hydrates exist in regions with sub-cropping Cretaceous to Paleocene strata and in areas covered by thick postglacial sediments. Finally, 2D seismic reflection data indicate gas and gas hydrate deposits of potentially abiotic origin within the northeast Greenland margin and Molloy Basin, adjacent to the ocean spreading systems in the Fram Strait.