Deposition processes of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the inter-canyon area of Shenhu Area in the northern South China Sea

Zhixuan LIN; Ming SU; Haiteng ZHUO; Pibo SU; Jinqiang LIANG; Feifei WANG; Chengzhi YANG; Kunwen LUO

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Deposition processes of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the inter-canyon area of Shenhu Area in the northern South China Sea

Sedimentary processes and resource potential in the South China Sea | Updated：2024-10-12

- Deposition processes of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the inter-canyon area of Shenhu Area in the northern South China Sea
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 41, Issue 2, Pages: 740-756(2023)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
  2.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou 510006, China
  3.Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
  4.Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Author bio：
  
  zhuoht3@mail.sysu.edu.cn
  ljinqiang@petalmail.com
- Funds：
- DOI：
  CLC：
- Received：01 March 2022，
  
  Published：01 March 2023
- Accepted：
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LIN Zhixuan,SU Ming,ZHUO Haiteng,et al.Deposition processes of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the inter-canyon area of Shenhu Area in the northern South China Sea[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2023,41(02):740-756.
DOI：

LIN Zhixuan,SU Ming,ZHUO Haiteng,et al.Deposition processes of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the inter-canyon area of Shenhu Area in the northern South China Sea[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2023,41(02):740-756. DOI：

摘要

Abstract

The Shenhu Submarine Canyon Group on the northern slope of the South China Sea consists of 17 slope-confined canyons

providing a good example for investigating their hosting sediments. Three drilling sites

including W07

W18

and W19

have proven the occurrence of gas hydrate reservoirs in the inter-canyon area between canyons C11 and C12. Whereas

variations of the geomorphology and seismic facies analyzed by high-resolution 3D seismic data indicate that the gas hydrate-bearing sediments may form in different sedimentary processes. In the upper segment

a set of small-scale channels with obvious topographic lows can be identified

revealing fine-grained turbidites supplied from the shelf region during a very short-term sea-level lowstand. In the middle part

gas hydrate units at Site W07 showing mounded or undulation external configuration are interpreted as sliding sedimentary features

and those features caused by gravity destabilization were the main formative mechanism of gas hydrate-bearing sediments that were sourced from the upper segments. In contrast

for the canyon transition zone of lower segments between C11–C12 inter-canyon and C12 intra-canyon areas

where W18 and W19 sites are located

the gas hydrate-bearing sediments are deposited in the channelized feature in the middle to lower segment and slide erosive surface. Gas hydrate-bearing sediments of the lower segment were migrated through channelized features interconnecting with the middle to lower slope by gravity-driven flows. The majority of deposits tended to be furtherly moved by lateral migration via erosive surface created by sediment failed to intra-canyon area. The conclusion of this study may help better understand the interaction between the formation mechanism of gas hydrate-bearing sediments and the geomorphologic effects of inter-canyon areas.

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references

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