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Shallow Deposits of Gas Hydrate on the Gulf of Mexico Slope: A Natural Laboratory for Hydrate Research
By
Ian R. MacDonald
Geochemical
and Environmental Research Group, Texas A&M University The Gulf of Mexico is
one of a several continental margins where gas hydrate deposits occur in the
upper-most portion of the sediment column. The Gulf is a prolific hydrocarbon
basin and has been extensively surveyed for energy exploration, thus providing
diverse data to indicate the locations of hydrate deposits. Many of the hydrate
settings are located in water depths of 500 to 600 m where they form part of a
diverse benthic
ecosystem characterized by chemosynthetic fauna and active oil
and gas venting. Consequently, Gulf hydrates frequently comprise propane and
higher hydrocarbon gases in a structure II lattice formation. They occlude oil
and sediments and are an important substratum for microbial and metazoan life
forms.
These circumstances make the Gulf hydrate deposits a natural laboratory for studying the dynamics of hydrate formation and persistence.