Wu NengYou

Characteristics of authigenic pyrites in shallow core sediments in the Shenhu area of the northern South China Sea: Implications for a possible mud volcano environment

Distinct pyrites have been recovered from a shallow sediment core from Site 4B in the Shenhu area of the northern South China Sea. Based on the lithology, texture and structure of sediments, the stable sulfur isotope of pyrite and the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of the sediments, a distinctive sediment interface is identified at a depth of about 1 m below the seafloor in the core sediments. The pyrites only accumulate in the lower part of the core as rods and foraminifera-infillings, and mainly within three intervals marked by high pyrite concentrations. The amount of pyrite in the sediments shows no remarkable correlation with TOC in the Site 4B core sediments. The stable sulfur isotopes of the pyrite have extremely negative values ranging from −41.69‰ to −49.16‰. They are considered to be the mutual product of sulfate bacterial reduction and sulfur bacterial disproportionation. Our research proposes that Site 4B might be located in or near a possible mud volcano sedimentary environment; a large amount of methane could migrate from deep to shallow sediments in an active mud volcano and thereby play a key role in the intensity of sulfate bacterial reduction and the amount of pyrite formed at Site 4B. Further, the variation in flux of deep methane fluid by intermittent mud volcanic eruptions might result in the deposition of authigenic pyrite intervals.

Geochemistry of pore waters from HQ-1PC of the Qiongdongnan Basin, northern South China Sea, and its implications for gas hydrate exploration

The Qiongdongnan Basin is one of the target areas for marine gas hydrate exploration in the northern margin of the South China Sea. In this study, major anion (e.g., SO4−2, Cl, Br, I), cation (e.g., Ca, Mg, K, Na), and trace element (e.g., Sr, Ba) concentrations of pore water samples collected from site HQ-1PC in the Qiongdongnan Basin were analyzed. These geochemical data suggest that the process of AOM (Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane) is dominant in sulfate-reduction zone in this site due to high upwelling iodine flux and strong microbial activities. The iodine-rich fluids, which may carry methane for the gas hydrate formation, pass through the gas hydrate stability zone, mix with brine released during gas hydrate formation, and cause the geochemical anomalies observed at site HQ-1PC. The pore water geochemical characteristics and anomalies in the Qiongdongnan Basin are quite similar to those found in other gas hydrate locations in the Shenhu area in the northern South China Sea, and a genetic link is suggested with the possibility of gas hydrate occurrence in the study area.

Controlling factors for gas hydrate occurrence in Shenhu area on the northern slope of the South China Sea

Temperature and pressure on seafloor of the northern slope in the South China Sea are suitable for gas hydrate formation, but bottom simulation reflector (BSR), an indication of gas hydrate occurrence, only occurred in limited areas of the slope. Drillings in the BSR-distributed area (the District S) on the northern slope of the South China Sea suggested that gas hydrate only occurred at Sites SH2, SH3, and SH7 with high saturation (up to 20%–40%), and there is no hydrate at Sites SH1 and SH5 although the distance between SH1 to SH3 is only 500 m. In this paper, we investigated seafloor gradient, fault development, temperature, and pressure in the District S on the northern slope of the South China Sea to understand the possible factors controlling BSR distribution and gas hydrate occurrence. The District S is a structurally fractured continental slope zone and its seafloor gradient varied greatly. The BSR-occurred areas have an average gradient of 19.89×10−2 whereas the BSR-free zone has the average gradient of 10.57×10−2. The calculated relative structural intensities from fault densities and displacements show that the BSR-distributed areas tend to occur in the areas with a moderately high structural intensity, where faults frequently developed close to the seafloor that are possibly favored for lateral migration of gases. On the basis of temperatures and pressures at drilling sites, hydrate-occurred Sites SH2, SH3, and SH7 are located within the thermodynamically stable area for methane hydrate, and hydrate-absent Sites SH1 and SH5 are out of the thermodynamically stable area for methane hydrate formation, suggesting that both BSR and the thermodynamic stability are necessary for hydrate occurrence in the subsurface.

Effect of thermal stimulation on gas production from hydrate deposits in Shenhu area of the South China Sea

The Shenhu area on the northern continental slope of the South China Sea (SCS) is one of the promising fields for gas hydrate exploitation. The hydrate-bearing layer at drilling site SH2 is overlain and underlain by permeable zones of mobile water. In this study a vertical well was configured with a perforated Interval I for producing gas and a coiled Interval II for heating sediment. The hydrate is dissociated by a small depressurization at Interval I and a thermal stimulation at Interval II. The numerical simulations indicate that the thermal stimulation has a significant effect on gas release from the hydrates in the production duration and improves the gas production in the late period. The gas released by thermal stimulation cannot be produced as quickly as the production gets operated because of the hard pathway for fluids to flow in the sediments. The gas production is enhanced due to the heating for 7242 m3 in the whole production. Increasing heating temperature at Interval II can improve gas production and restrain water output, and advance the arrival time of the gas flow from the zone at Interval II. The absolute criterion and relative criterion suggest that the thermal stimulation in the production schemes is pronounced for releasing gas from the hydrate deposit, but the production efficiency of gas is limited by the sediment of low permeability. The study provides an insight into the production potential of the hydrate accumulations by thermal stimulation with depressurization in two wells, and a basis for analyzing economic feasibility of gas production from the area.

Gas hydrate formation in fine sand

Gas hydrate formation from two types of dissolved gas (methane and mixed gas) was studied under varying thermodynamic conditions in a novel apparatus containing two different natural media from the South China Sea. The testing media consisted of silica sand particles with diameters of 150–250 μm and 250–380 μm. Hydrate was formed (as in nature) in salt water that occupies the interstitial space of the partially water-saturated silica sand bed. The experiments demonstrate that the rate of hydrate formation is a function of particle diameter, gas source, water salinity, and thermodynamic conditions. The initiation time of hydrate formation was very short and pressure decreased rapidly in the initial stage. The process of mixed gas hydrate formation can be divided into three stages for each type of sediment. Sand particle diameter and water salinity also can influence the formation process of hydrate. The conversion rate of water to hydrate was different under varying thermodynamic conditions, although the formation processes were similar. The conversion rate of methane hydrate in the 250–380 μm sediment was greater than that in the 150–250 μm sediment. However, the sediment grain size has no significant influence on the conversion rate of mixed gas hydrate.

Detection and indication of 1,3,4-C 27-29 triol in the sediment of northern South China Sea

After the detection of the 1,20,21-C29 long-chain triol in some sediments and freshwater pteridophytes, in this study, a new homologous long-chain triol, 1,3,4-C27–29, is detected for the first time in the Site4B core sediment in the northern South China Sea. The hydroxyl location and length of the carbon chain of this newly discovered triol differ from those of 1,20,21-C29 triol. The test results of its molecular distribution and individual carbon isotope reveal that 1,3,4-C29triol has a good correlation with n-C26–30 even carbon-numbered long-chain fatty alcohols, with R2 (n=68) values of 0.905, 0.929 and 0.903, respectively, and its carbon isotope composition, at–32.3‰±1.9‰, is similar to that of n-C26-30, at–29.13‰±0.87‰,–32.98‰±1.28‰, and–32.98‰±1.28‰. 1,3,4-C29 triol from the Site4B core sediment and terrigenous long-chain fatty alcohol (n-C26–34) show highly consistent distribution trends in the entire section; thus, the former could serve as a proxy indicator of the terrigenous input. Considering that the 1,20,21-C29 triol in previous research belongs to Azolla, which are fresh water pteridophytes, the 1,3,4-C27–29 triol identified in this study might have similar biogenetic derivation. Thus, determination of its biogenic area and growing environment could provide potential organic geochemical evidence supporting the terrigenous input and source in the northern South China Sea.