Assessment of gas hydrate saturation in marine sediments from resistivity and compressional-wave velocity log measurements in the Mahanadi Basin, India

•Seismic imaging of gas hydrate deposits in the Mahanadi Basin shows strong linkages to channel/levee structures.•Gas hydrate occurs only in discrete layers, stratigraphically bound.•Gas hydrate saturation was determined successfully from log and core data.•Saturation estimates show overall low values of up to 10% in discrete layers.

Gas hydrate was recovered in the Mahanadi Basin along the eastern continental margin of India during the India National Gas Hydrate Program (NGHP) Expedition-01 in 2006. Infrared imaging of recovered core confirmed gas hydrate occurs predominantly in discrete layers. Pore-water chemistry, electrical resistivity and acoustic velocity down-hole logs were used to estimate gas hydrate saturations at three of the sites in the Mahanadi Basin: Sites NGHP-01-08, -09, and -19. Gas hydrate saturation estimated from pore-water chloride concentrations shows values up to ∼10% of the pore space at ∼200 m below seafloor just above the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (BGHSZ). Gas hydrate saturations estimated from electrical resistivity and acoustic velocity logs using standard relations and modeling approaches are comparable to each other and saturations are ∼10-15% of the pore space. Seismic reflection data were also analyzed for the evidence of gas hydrate, and a bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) was imaged along the seismic profiles in the study area. The depth of the BSR is varying from ∼200 m to ∼300 m below seafloor depending on water depth in the Mahanadi Basin. The occurrence of gas hydrate was observed to be associated with deep-water channel and levee complexes (especially at Site NGHP-01-19) based on the regional seismic data. But the cored/logged section at each site lacked any significant sand fraction, which does not allow for higher gas hydrate saturations. As identified from seismic time-slice data, all sites drilled in the Mahanadi Basin are within the steeper slope region of the channel system and any sand bypassed this region. Significant sand deposition would occur further down slope where typical fan-type deposits can be inferred from the seismic data and thus higher accumulations of gas hydrate would be expected.