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

Abstract Logging-while-drilling (LWD) and wireline log (CWL) data were acquired during China's second gas hydrate drilling expedition (GMGS-2) in the east of Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea. Disseminated and massive gas hydrates deposits were found at different sites. Gas hydrate-bearing lithologies identified from the sample coring included the fine-grained sediments and coarse-grained sediments. LWD logs from Site GMGS2-08 indicate significant gas hydrate in clay-bearing sediments including two layers with massive gas hydrate with a bulk density near to 1.08 g/cm3. High electrical resistivities with a range of 2.5–2000.0 Ω m and high P-wave velocities are simultaneously observed in the hydrate-bearing sediments. The average gas hydrate saturation estimated from the pore water freshing analysis ranges from 45 to 55% of the pore space. Buried carbonate layers above the massive gas hydrate deposit discovered at Sites GMGS2-08 indicate that the formations are likely to have formed initially at the surface and then were buried. Significant high amplitude seismic anomalies, discontinuous bottom simulating reflection (BSR) and blanking zone are detected in the drilling zone. The hydrate-bearing sediments predominantly consist of silty clay and limestone grains in which the gas hydrates are deposited primarily in the form of laminated, massive, veins or nodule. The gas hydrates occurrences are subjected to the sediment lithology, new tectonic activities, migration of fluid and gas and also the factors such as heat flow, salinity and time which affect the nucleation of gas hydrates. Its natural morphologies present massive, laminated, nodular, nugget and disseminated, of which the former four often formed in shallow fault, inter-layer's weak cementation zone and on the seabed. The “buried” gas hydrates with high saturation are good zones for gas hydrate exploitation.