Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Distribution and characteristics of gas chimneys in the passive margin offshore SW Taiwan

  • Original Research Paper
  • Published:
Marine Geophysical Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We analyzed original and published seismic data to investigate the distribution and characteristics of subsurface fluid flow features in the gas hydrate provinces along the northeastern South China Sea (SCS) continental slope, including Jiulong Ridge, Horseshoe Ridge, Pointer Ridge, and Formosa Ridge. Numerous features indicating the presence/migration of hydrocarbons, such as bottom simulating reflections (BSRs), bright spots, gas chimneys, and fluid flow through faults, are identified. The results reveal that the hydrofracturing-induced gas chimneys act as the primary conduits for the overall focused fluid flow in the study area, though fluid flow along permeable faults is also observed at Pointer Ridge. Thirty-three gas chimneys identified are categorized into two types depending on their capability for focused fluid flow migrating into the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). The type-I chimneys that transport fluids into the GHSZ contribute to gas hydrate formation and may even lead to seafloor seepage. Buried by a considerable thickness of sediments, the type-II chimneys cannot directly contribute to generating gas hydrate and surface seepage. Our results suggest that the sedimentary processes and fluid accumulation significantly control the development of gas chimneys in the study area. Since the focused fluid flow conduits that indicate overpressured fluids are critical pathways that feed gas into the GHSZ and form gas hydrates, utmost attention should be paid to them during hydrocarbon exploration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

adapted from Han et al. (2019). See Fig. 1 for the figure location

Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The MCS seismic and bathymetric data used in this study are confidential. The MGL seismic data are available through the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).

References

  • Andresen KJ (2012) Fluid flow features in hydrocarbon plumbing systems: what do they tell us about the basin evolution? Mar Geol 332:89–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andresen KJ, Huuse M, Schødt NH et al (2011) Hydrocarbon plumbing systems of salt minibasins offshore Angola revealed by three-dimensional seismic analysis. AAPG Bull 95:1039–1065

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai C, Zhang G, Liang J et al (2019) Deep-water sediment waves as a special gas hydrate reservoirs in the Northeastern South China Sea. Mar Pet Geol 101:476–485

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berndt C (2005) Focused fluid flow in passive continental margins. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A: Math Phys Eng Sci 363:2855–2871

  • Berndt C, Feseker T, Treude T et al (2014) Temporal constraints on hydrate-controlled methane seepage off Svalbard. Science 343:284–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berndt C, Chi W-C, Jegen M et al (2019) Tectonic controls on gas hydrate distribution off SW Taiwan. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 124:1164–1184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boetius A, Wenzhöfer F (2013) Seafloor oxygen consumption fuelled by methane from cold seeps. Nat Geosci 6:725–734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao L, Lian C, Zhang X et al (2021) In situ detection of the fine scale heterogeneity of active cold seep environment of the Formosa Ridge, the South China Sea. J Mar Syst 218:103530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cartwright J, Huuse M, Aplin A (2007) Seal bypass systems. AAPG Bull 91:1141–1166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen S-C, Hsu S-K, Tsai C-H et al (2010) Gas seepage, pockmarks and mud volcanoes in the near shore of SW Taiwan. Mar Geophys Res 31:133–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen N-C, Yang TF, Hong W-L et al (2017) Production, consumption, and migration of methane in accretionary prism of southwestern Taiwan. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 18:2970–2989

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chopra S, Marfurt KJ (2018) Coherence attribute applications on seismic data in various guises—part 1. Interpretation 6:T521–T529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chuang P-C, Yang TF, Wallmann K et al (2019) Carbon isotope exchange during anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in sediments of the northeastern South China Sea. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 246:138–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crutchley GJ, Kroeger KF, Pecher IA, Gorman AR (2019) How tectonic folding influences gas hydrate formation: New Zealand’s Hikurangi subduction margin. Geology 47:39–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirgantara F, Lin AT-S, Liu C-S et al (2020) Gas-hydrate systems and gas volumetric assessment in the Lower Fangliao Basin, Taiwan accretionary wedge. J Pet Geol 43:27–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elger J, Berndt C, Rüpke L et al (2018) Submarine slope failures due to pipe structure formation. Nat Commun 9:1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng D, Chen D (2015) Authigenic carbonates from an active cold seep of the northern South China Sea: new insights into fluid sources and past seepage activity. Deep Sea Res II 122:74–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gay A, Mourgues R, Berndt C et al (2012) Anatomy of a fluid pipe in the Norway Basin: initiation, propagation and 3D shape. Mar Geol 332:75–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong C, Wang Y, Peng X et al (2012) Sediment waves on the South China Sea Slope off southwestern Taiwan: implications for the intrusion of the Northern Pacific Deep Water into the South China Sea. Mar Pet Geol 32:95–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong J, Sun X, Xu L, Lu H (2017) Contribution of thermogenic organic matter to the formation of biogenic gas hydrate: evidence from geochemical and microbial characteristics of hydrate-containing sediments in the Taixinan Basin, South China Sea. Mar Pet Geol 80:432–449

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han W-C, Liu C-S, Hsu H-H et al (2016) Gas hydrate system in the South China Sea continental slope offshore SW Taiwan. Spec Publ Cent Geol Surv MOEA 30:43–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Han W-C, Liu C-S, Chi W-C et al (2017) Westward advance of the deformation front and evolution of submarine canyons offshore of southwestern Taiwan. J Asian Earth Sci 149:6–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2017.07.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han W-C, Chen L, Liu C-S et al (2019) Seismic analysis of the gas hydrate system at Pointer Ridge offshore SW Taiwan. Mar Pet Geol 105:158–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han W-C, Lu Y-W, Lo S-C (2020) Seismic prediction of soil distribution for the Chang-Bin offshore wind farm in the Taiwan Strait. Interpretation 8:T727–T737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillman JI, Crutchley GJ, Kroeger KF (2020) Investigating the role of faults in fluid migration and gas hydrate formation along the southern Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand. Mar Geophys Res 41:1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho S, Cartwright JA, Imbert P (2012) Vertical evolution of fluid venting structures in relation to gas flux, in the Neogene-Quaternary of the Lower Congo Basin, Offshore Angola. Mar Geol 332:40–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho S, Hovland M, Blouet J-P et al (2018a) Formation of linear planform chimneys controlled by preferential hydrocarbon leakage and anisotropic stresses in faulted fine-grained sediments, offshore Angola. Solid Earth 1437:1437–1468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho S, Imbert P, Hovland M et al (2018b) Downslope-shifting pockmarks: interplay between hydrocarbon leakage, sedimentations, currents and slope’s topography. Int J Earth Sci 107:2907–2929

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu S-K, Wang S-Y, Liao Y-C et al (2013) Tide-modulated gas emissions and tremors off SW Taiwan. Earth Planet Sci Lett 369:98–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu H-H, Liu C-S, Morita S et al (2018) Seismic imaging of the Formosa Ridge cold seep site offshore of southwestern Taiwan. Mar Geophys Res 39:523–535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson AH, Max MD (2006) The path to commercial hydrate gas production. Lead Edge 25:648–651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karstens J, Berndt C (2015) Seismic chimneys in the Southern Viking Graben—implications for palaeo fluid migration and overpressure evolution. Earth Planet Sci Lett 412:88–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim GY, Yi BY, Yoo DG et al (2011) Evidence of gas hydrate from downhole logging data in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea. Mar Pet Geol 28:1979–1985

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim GY, Narantsetseg B, Ryu B-J et al (2013) Fracture orientation and induced anisotropy of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in seismic chimney-like-structures of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea. Mar Pet Geol 47:182–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klaucke I, Berndt C, Crutchley G et al (2016) Fluid venting and seepage at accretionary ridges: the Four Way Closure Ridge offshore SW Taiwan. Geo-Mar Lett 36:165–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuang Z, Zhong G, Wang L, Guo Y (2014) Channel-related sediment waves on the eastern slope offshore Dongsha Islands, northern South China Sea. J Asian Earth Sci 79:540–551

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuang Z, Fang Y, Liang J et al (2018) Geomorphological-geological-geophysical signatures of high-flux fluid flows in the eastern Pearl River Mouth Basin and effects on gas hydrate accumulation. Sci China Earth Sci 61:914–924

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunath P, Chi W-C, Berndt C et al (2020) A shallow seabed dynamic gas hydrate system off SW Taiwan: results from 3-D seismic, thermal, and fluid migration analyses. J Geophys Res Solid Earth. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB019245-T

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li L, Lei X, Zhang X, Sha Z (2013) Gas hydrate and associated free gas in the Dongsha area of northern South China Sea. Mar Pet Geol 39:92–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin AT, Liu C-S, Lin C-C, et al (2008) Tectonic features associated with the overriding of an accretionary wedge on top of a rifted continental margin: an example from Taiwan. Mar Geol 255:186–203

  • Lin LH, Chiu JH, Wu SH (1993) The hydrocarbon generation and migration study in the Central Uplifted Zone, Tainan Basin. Bull Explor Prod Res CPC Corp 16:349–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin C-C, Lin AT-S, Liu C-S et al (2009) Geological controls on BSR occurrences in the incipient arc-continent collision zone off southwest Taiwan. Mar Pet Geol 26:1118–1131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin C-C, Lin AT-S, Liu C-S, et al (2014) Canyon-infilling and gas hydrate occurrences in the frontal fold of the offshore accretionary wedge off southern Taiwan. Mar Geophy Res 35:21–35

  • Liao W-Z, Lin AT, Liu C-S, et al (2014) Heat flow in the rifted continental margin of the South China Sea near Taiwan and its tectonic implications. J Asian Earth Sci 92:233–244

  • Liao W-Z, Lin AT, Liu C-S et al (2016) A study on tectonic and sedimentary development in the rifted northern continental margin of the South China Sea near Taiwan. Interpretation 4:SP47–SP65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu C-S, Huang IL, Teng LS (1997) Structural features off southwestern Taiwan. Mar Geol 137:305–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu C-S, Liu S-Y, Lallemand SE et al (1998) Digital elevation model offshore Taiwan and its tectonic implications. Terr Atmos Ocean Sci 9:705–738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu C-S, Schnurle P, Wang Y, et al (2006) Distribution and characters of gas hydrate offshore of southwestern Taiwan. TAO: Terrestrial, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 17:615

  • Liu Z, Colin C, Li X et al (2010) Clay mineral distribution in surface sediments of the northeastern South China Sea and surrounding fluvial drainage basins: source and transport. Mar Geol 277:48–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Løseth H, Gading M, Wensaas L (2009) Hydrocarbon leakage interpreted on seismic data. Mar Pet Geol 26:1304–1319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mau S, Tu T-H, Becker M et al (2020) Methane seeps and independent methane plumes in the South China Sea offshore Taiwan. Front Mar Sci 7:543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Max MD, Johnson AH (2014) Hydrate petroleum system approach to natural gas hydrate exploration. Pet Geosci 20:187–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nayak K, Lin AT-S, Huang K-F et al (2021) Clay-mineral distribution in recent deep-sea sediments around Taiwan: implications for sediment dispersal processes. Tectonophysics 814:228974

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon MF, Grozic JL (2007) Submarine slope failure due to gas hydrate dissociation: a preliminary quantification. Can Geotech J 44:314–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plaza-Faverola A, Westbrook GK, Ker S et al (2010) Evidence from three-dimensional seismic tomography for a substantial accumulation of gas hydrate in a fluid-escape chimney in the Nyegga pockmark field, offshore Norway. J Geophys Res Solid Earth. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JB007078

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramya J, Somasundareswari D, Vijayalakshmi P (2020) Gas chimney and hydrocarbon detection using combined BBO and artificial neural network with hybrid seismic attributes. Soft Comput 24:2341–2354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sahoo SK, Chi W-C, Han W-C et al (2018) Estimating the composition of gas hydrate using 3D seismic data from Penghu Canyon, offshore Taiwan. Terr Atmos Ocean Sci 29:105–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sha Z, Liang J, Zhang G et al (2015) A seepage gas hydrate system in northern South China Sea: seismic and well log interpretations. Mar Geol 366:69–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith AJ, Flemings PB, Liu X, Darnell K (2014) The evolution of methane vents that pierce the hydrate stability zone in the world’s oceans. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 119:6337–6356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Y, Wu S, Dong D et al (2012) Gas hydrates associated with gas chimneys in fine-grained sediments of the northern South China Sea. Mar Geol 311:32–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svensen H, Planke S, Malthe-Sørenssen A et al (2004) Release of methane from a volcanic basin as a mechanism for initial Eocene global warming. Nature 429:542–545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Talukder AR (2012) Review of submarine cold seep plumbing systems: leakage to seepage and venting. Terra Nova 24:255–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taner MT (2001) Seismic attributes. CSEG Rec 26:48–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Vadakkepuliyambatta S, Bünz S, Mienert J, Chand S (2013) Distribution of subsurface fluid-flow systems in the SW Barents Sea. Mar Pet Geol 43:208–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang TK, Chen T-R, Deng J-M et al (2015) Velocity structures imaged from long-offset reflection data and four-component OBS data at Jiulong Methane Reef in the northern South China Sea. Mar Pet Geol 68:206–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Liu B, Qian J et al (2018) Geophysical evidence for gas hydrate accumulation related to methane seepage in the Taixinan Basin, South China Sea. J Asian Earth Sci 168:27–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan W, Zhang G, Zhang L et al (2020) Focused fluid flow systems discovered from seismic data at the southern margin of the South China Sea. Interpretation 8:1–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang KM, Ting HH, Yuan J (1991) Structural styles and tectonic modes of Neogene extensional tectonics in southwestern Taiwan: implications for hydrocarbon exploration. Pet Geol Taiwan 26:1–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Yassir N (2003) The role of shear stress in mobilizing deep-seated mud volcanoes: geological and geomechanical evidence from Trinidad and Taiwan. Geol Soc Lond Spec Publ 216:461–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeh Y-C, Hsu S-K, Doo W-B, et al (2012) Crustal features of the northeastern South China Sea: insights from seismic and magnetic interpretations. Mar Geophys Res 33:307–326

  • Zhang G, Liang J, Lu J et al (2015) Geological features, controlling factors and potential prospects of the gas hydrate occurrence in the east part of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea. Mar Pet Geol 67:356–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Yun-Shuen Wang and Dr. Song-Chuen Chen for their research project efforts. The captains and crew of the OR1, technicians of the OR1 Instrumentation Center, and S. D. Chiou of the Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, are thanked for helping to collect the seismic data. We acknowledge the teamwork of the Seismic Exploration Laboratory, Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University. We especially thank the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive reviews on the early version of this paper.

Funding

This research is funded by grants from the Central Geological Survey, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan (No. 103-5226904000-03-01 and 104-5226904000-02-01), and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (No. 106-2917-I-002-037 and 107-3113-M002-004).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exploration and Development Research Institute, CPC Corporation, Miaoli, Taiwan

    Wei-Chung Han

  2. National Academy of Marine Research, Ocean Affairs Council, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Liwen Chen

  3. Ocean Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Char-Shine Liu

Authors
  1. Wei-Chung Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Liwen Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Char-Shine Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

W-CH and LC jointly conceived the original idea and conducted data analyses, including seismic attribute analysis and interpretations. C-SL collected/calibrated the seismic data and assisted in proofreading the manuscript. The main manuscript was written by W-CH. All authors contributed to the writing, design, and content of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wei-Chung Han.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they do not have competing for financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this manuscript.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Han, WC., Chen, L. & Liu, CS. Distribution and characteristics of gas chimneys in the passive margin offshore SW Taiwan. Mar Geophys Res 42, 25 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11001-021-09447-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11001-021-09447-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation