Publication Date:
2017-11-28
Description:
In the eastern Black Sea, we determined methane (CH4) concentrations, gas hydrate volumes, and their vertical distribution from combined gas and chloride (Cl−) measurements within pressurized sediment cores. The total gas volume collected from the cores corresponded to concentrations of 1.2–1.4 mol CH4 kg−1 porewater at in-situ pressure, which is equivalent to a gas hydrate saturation of 15–18% of pore volume and amongst the highest values detected in shallow seep sediments. At the central seep site, a high-resolution Cl− profile resolved the upper boundary of gas hydrate occurrence and a continuous layer of hydrates in a sediment column of 120 cm thickness. Including this information, a more precise gas hydrate saturation of 22–24% pore volume could be calculated. This volume was higher in comparison to a saturation calculated from the Cl− profile alone, resulting in only 14.4%. The likely explanation is an active gas hydrate formation from CH4 gas ebullition. The hydrocarbons at Batumi Seep are of shallow biogenic origin (CH4 〉 99.6%), at Pechori Mound they originate from deeper thermocatalytic processes as indicated by the lower ratios of C1 to C2–C3 and the presence of C5.
Type:
Article
,
PeerReviewed
Format:
text
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