Exploration of the Gas Hydrates on the Southwestern Continental Slope of the Chukchi Plateau in the Arctic Ocean

Abstract

A single-channel sparker seismic survey was conducted to investigate the distribution of gas hydrates around a sea mound cluster on the southwestern slope of the Chukchi Plateau, where the gas hydrates were first recovered by gravity coring in 2016. Reflections with reversed polarity were discovered on the continental slope of the acquired seismic sections. The depths of the lower bound of the gas hydrate stability zone calculated from the heat flow data and the water temperature at the seafloor were used to confirm that these reflections were gas hydrate related bottom simulating reflections (BSRs). This implies that the regional distribution of gas hydrates in the southwestern continental slope of the Chukchi Plateau is being reported for the first time based on geophysical data. The proposed distribution map of the BSRs related to the gas hydrates is expected to be used as significant information for future gas hydrate surveys in the Chukchi Sea.