Small fractures in marine muds indicating nascent hydrate formation

On many marine continental slopes, gas hydrate has been observed filling fractures in marine muds.  Fracture filling hydrate likely forms because the pore size of clays is small, and therefore, hydrate can only form in secondary porosity; some scientists have suggested the process of hydrate formation causes these fractures to form. On borehole image logs, these fractures were found to have high angles and form in 3D planes. While the plane is filled with hydrate, the overall bulk concentration of hydrate can be quite low. In X-ray computed tomography (XCT) images, similar high angle planar fractures have been found that cut through whole round core. Typically, these fractures appear to have diffuse, wispy edges in comparison to other fractures that form due to core expansion or core collection. 

We have found new, smaller 3D planer fractures that are likely the initial stages of hydrate fracture formation. These hydrate-filled fractures range in lengths from around 10 – 400 mm with widths ranging from 0.5 - 15 mm. The fractures tend to be well oriented, having a high dip angles (>40°) and going through the whole core on a plane. The wispy, diffused edges suggest sediment displacement due to the hydrate formation process and are distinctly different than other fractures seen in the XCT data. The fractures must be unconnected to any other break in the sediment, existing solely as a fracture with a high dip angle, with diffused edges.

In New Zealand, IODP Site 1517, we found that these specific fractures appear near the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ). We hypothesize that if more sediment cores and XCT data were collected through and close to the SMTZ, more similar small fractures would be imaged, potentially indicating nascent gas hydrate formation.