Experimental assessment of the stress-sensitivity of combined elastic and electrical anisotropy in shallow reservoir sandstones

Seismic and electromagnetic properties are generally anisotropic, depending on the microscale rock fabric and the macroscale stress field. We have assessed the stress-dependent anisotropy of poorly consolidated (porosity of approximately 0.35) sandstones (broadly representative of shallow reservoirs) experimentally, combining ultrasonic (0.6 MHz P-wave velocity, VP, and attenuation 1/QP) and electrical resistivity measurements. We used three cores from an outcrop sandstone sample extracted at 0°, 45°, and 90° angles with respect to the visible geologic bedding plane and subjected them to unloading/loading cycles with variations of the confining (20–35 MPa) and pore (2–17 MPa) pressures. Our results indicate that stress field orientation, loading history, rock fabric, and the measurement scale, all affect the elastic and electrical anisotropies. Strong linear correlations (R2 > 0.9) between VP, 1/QP, and resistivity in the three considered directions suggest that the stress orientation similarly affects the elastic and electrical properties of poorly consolidated, high-porosity (shallow) sandstone reservoirs. However, resistivity is more sensitive to pore pressure changes (effective stress coefficients n > 1), whereas P-wave properties provide simultaneous information about the confining (from VP, with n slightly less than 1) and pore pressure (from 1/QP, with n slightly greater than 1) variations. We found n is also anisotropic for the three measured properties because a more intense and rapid grain rearrangement occurs when the stress field changes result from oblique stress orientations with respect to rock layering. Altogether, our results highlighted the potential of joint elastic-electrical stress-dependent anisotropy assessments to enhance the geomechanical interpretation of reservoirs during production or injection activities

Comparison of 2-D and 3-D full waveform inversion imaging using wide-angle seismic data from the Deep Galicia Margin

Full waveform inversion (FWI) is a data-fitting technique capable of generating high-resolution velocity models with a resolution down to half the seismic wavelength. FWI is applied typically to densely sampled seismic data. In this study, we applied FWI to 3-D wide-angle seismic data acquired using sparsely spaced ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) from the Deep Galicia Margin west of Iberia. Our data set samples the S-reflector, a low-angle detachment present in this area. Here we highlight differences between 2-D, 2.5-D and 3-D-FWI performances using a real sparsely spaced data set. We performed 3-D FWI in the time domain and compared the results with 2-D and 2.5-D FWI results from a profile through the 3-D model. When overlaid on multichannel seismic images, the 3-D FWI results constrain better the complex faulting within the pre- and syn-rift sediments and crystalline crust compared to the 2-D result. Furthermore, we estimate variable serpentinization of the upper mantle below the S-reflector along the profile using 3-D FWI, reaching a maximum of 45 per cent. Differences in the data residuals of the 2-D, 2.5-D and 3-D inversions suggest that 2-D inversion can be prone to overfitting when using a sparse data set. To validate our results, we performed tests to recover the anomalies introduced by the inversions in the final models using synthetic data sets. Based on our comparison of the velocity models, we conclude that the use of 3-D data can partially mitigate the problem of receiver sparsity in FWI

Elastic and electrical properties and permeability of serpentinites from Atlantis Massif, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Serpentinized peridotites co-exist with mafic rocks in a variety of marine environments including subduction zones, continental rifts and mid-ocean ridges. Remote geophysical methods are crucial to distinguish between them and improve the understanding of the tectonic, magmatic and metamorphic history of the oceanic crust. But, serpentinite peridotites exhibit a wide range of physical properties that complicate such a distinction. We analyzed the ultrasonic P- and S-wave velocities (Vp, Vs) and their respective attenuation (Qp−1, Qs−1), electrical resistivity and permeability of four serpentinized peridotite samples from the southern wall of the Atlantis Massif, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, collected during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 357. The measurements were taken over a range of loading-unloading stress paths (5 - 45 MPa), using ∼1.7 cm length, 5 cm diameter samples horizontally extracted from the original cores drilled on the seafloor. The measured parameters showed variable degrees of stress dependence, but followed similar trends. Vp, Vs, resistivity and permeability show good inter-correlations, while relationships that included Qp−1 and Qs−1 are less clear. Resistivity showed high contrast between highly serpentinized ultramafic matrix (> 50 Ω m) and mechanically/geochemically altered (magmatic/hydrothermal-driven alteration) domains (< 20 Ω m). This information together with the elastic constants (Vp/Vs ratio and bulk moduli) of the samples allowed us to infer useful information about the degree of serpentinization and the alteration state of the rock, contrasted by petrographic analysis. This study shows the potential of combining seismic techniques and controlled source electromagnetic surveys for understanding tectono-magmatic processes and fluid pathways in hydrothermal systems

Lateral coexistence of ductile and brittle deformation shapes magma-poor distal margins: An example from the West Iberia-Newfoundland margins

A long-standing problem in solid Earth science is to understand how low-angle normal faults form, their role in the development of tectonic asymmetry of conjugate margins, and how they relate to mantle hydration during continental breakup. The latter requires water to reach the mantle through active brittle faults, but low angle slip on faults is mechanically difficult. Here, we incorporate observations from high-resolution multichannel seismic data along the West Iberia-Newfoundland margins into a 2D forward thermo-mechanical model to understand the relationship between evolving rift asymmetry, detachment tectonics, and mantle hydration. We show that, during extreme extension, slip on active faults bifurcates at depth into brittle and ductile deformation branches, as a result of the cooling of the faults' footwall and heating of their hangingwall. The brittle deformation penetrates the Moho and leads to mantle hydration, while ductile deformation occurs in localized shear zones and leads to the formation of detachment-like structures in the distal margin sections. Such structures, as for example ‘S’ in the West Iberia-Newfoundland margins, are thus composed of several shear zones, active at low-angles, ∼25°-20°, and merging with the Moho at depth. The final sub-horizontal geometry of these structures is the result of subsequent back-rotation of these shear zones by new oceanward faults. Our results reproduce remarkably well the final sedimentary, fault, crustal architecture, and serpentinisation pattern observed at the West Iberia-Newfoundland margins. However, they challenge widely accepted ideas that such detachment-like structures formed by brittle processes, separate crust from mantle and caused conjugate margin asymmetry. Our model provides a quantitative framework to study hydrothermal systems related to serpentinization during extreme extension, their associated hydrogen, methane production, and the chemosynthetic life they sustain

Seismic characterization and modelling of the gas hydrate system in the northern Bay of Bengal, offshore Bangladesh

The offshore Bangladesh includes the northern Bengal fan, where sediment supply from the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers has resulted in the accumulation of up to 20 km of shallow-marine, fluvio-deltaic and slope sediments that have accumulated during rapid tectonic subsidence since the late Miocene. The high sedimentation rates, along with high organic matter content, make this area favorable for the formation of natural gas from both microbial and thermogenic sources. Here we use multichannel seismic reflection profiles and modelling of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) to present the first evidence for the occurrence of natural gas hydrate in the offshore Bangladesh. First, we analyze the sediments of the shelf and slope areas, which are characterized by downslope sediment transport features and by the presence, in places, of faults/fractures as well as widely distributed amplitude anomalies and seismic facies that we relate to the presence of gas. A high-amplitude reversed polarity reflection of variable continuity that mimics the seafloor and cross-cut stratigraphy is interpreted as a Bottom Simulating Reflector (BSR). The BSR is observed in several areas that are predominantly located in the E-SE of the study area, in water depths of 1300–1900 m and at depths below seafloor of 250–440 m. Sediments above BSR locations generally show higher seismic interval velocities reaching values of ∼1920–1940 m/s, which are consistent with the presence of gas hydrate in shallow marine sediments. Furthermore, the BSR lies at approximately the same depth as the theoretical base of the gas (methane) hydrate stability zone (BGHSZ), calculated assuming a 3.5 % wt pore water salinity and using existing geothermal gradient and seafloor temperature data from the study region. However, in places, the BSR lies deeper or shallower than the base of the modelled BGHSZ. These discrepancies include areas where faults/fractures and seismic evidence linked to fluid flow from deeper reservoirs reach the GHSZ disrupting its stratigraphic continuity. At these locations, we suggest that faults/fractures act as fluid migration pathways causing localized heat-flow perturbations and/or changes in the hydrate-forming gas composition both likely affecting the depth of the GHSZ. Our results provide the first evidence of the gas hydrate potential in the offshore Bangladesh and should drive future research and data acquisition aiming to understand the composition, saturation and thickness of the gas hydrate-bearing sediments in this region

Seismic chimney characterisation in the North Sea – Implications for pockmark formation and shallow gas migration

Fluid-escape structures within sedimentary basins permit pressure-driven focused fluid flow through inter-connected faults, fractures and sediment. Seismically-imaged chimneys are recognised as fluid migration pathways which cross-cut overburden stratigraphy, hydraulically connecting deeper strata with the seafloor. However, the geological processes in the sedimentary overburden which control the mechanisms of genesis and temporal evolution require improved understanding. We integrate high resolution 2D and 3D seismic reflection data with sediment core data to characterise a natural, active site of seafloor methane venting in the UK North Sea and Witch Ground Basin, the Scanner pockmark complex. A regional assessment of shallow gas distribution presents direct evidence of active and palaeo-fluid migration pathways which terminate at the seabed pockmarks. We show that these pockmarks are fed from a methane gas reservoir located at 70 metres below the seafloor. We find that the shallow reservoir is a glacial outwash fan, that is laterally sealed by glacial tunnel valleys. Overpressure generation leading to chimney and pockmark genesis is directly controlled by the shallow geological and glaciogenic setting. Once formed, pockmarks act as drainage cells for the underlying gas accumulations. Fluid flow occurs through gas chimneys, comprised of a sub-vertical gas-filled fracture zone. Our findings provide an improved understanding of focused fluid flow and pockmark formation within the sediment overburden, which can be applied to subsurface geohazard assessment and geological storage of CO2

Resolving the fine-scale velocity structure of continental hyperextension at the Deep Galicia Margin using full-waveform inversion

Continental hyperextension during magma-poor rifting at the Deep Galicia Margin is characterized by a complex pattern of faulting, thin continental fault blocks and the serpentinization, with local exhumation, of mantle peridotites along the S-reflector, interpreted as a detachment surface. In order to understand fully the evolution of these features, it is important to image seismically the structure and to model the velocity structure to the greatest resolution possible. Traveltime tomography models have revealed the long-wavelength velocity structure of this hyperextended domain, but are often insufficient to match accurately the short-wavelength structure observed in reflection seismic imaging. Here, we demonstrate the application of 2-D time-domain acoustic full-waveform inversion (FWI) to deep-water seismic data collected at the Deep Galicia Margin, in order to attain a high-resolution velocity model of continental hyperextension. We have used several quality assurance procedures to assess the velocity model, including comparison of the observed and modeled waveforms, checkerboard tests, testing of parameter and inversion strategy and comparison with the migrated reflection image. Our final model exhibits an increase in the resolution of subsurface velocities, with particular improvement observed in the westernmost continental fault blocks, with a clear rotation of the velocity field to match steeply dipping reflectors. Across the S-reflector, there is a sharpening in the velocity contrast, with lower velocities beneath S indicative of preferential mantle serpentinization. This study supports the hypothesis that normal faulting acts to hydrate the upper-mantle peridotite, observed as a systematic decrease in seismic velocities, consistent with increased serpentinization. Our results confirm the feasibility of applying the FWI method to sparse, deep-water crustal data sets

Expedition 357 Preliminary Report: Atlantis Massif Serpentinization and Life

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 357 successfully cored an east–west transect across the southern wall of Atlantis Massif on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to study the links between serpentinization processes and microbial activity in the shallow subsurface of highly altered ultramafic and mafic sequences that have been uplifted to the seafloor along a major detachment fault zone. The primary goals of this expedition were to (1) examine the role of serpentinization in driving hydrothermal systems, sustaining microbial communities, and sequestering carbon; (2) characterize the tectonomagmatic processes that lead to lithospheric heterogeneities and detachment faulting; and (3) assess how abiotic and biotic processes change with variations in rock type and progressive exposure on the seafloor. To accomplish these objectives, we developed a coring and sampling strategy based around the use of seabed rock drills—the first time that such systems have been used in the scientific ocean drilling programs. This technology was chosen in hopes of achieving high recovery of the carbonate cap sequences and intact contact and deformation relationships. The expedition plans also included several engineering developments to assess geochemical parameters during drilling; sample bottom water before and after drilling; supply synthetic tracers during drilling for contamination assessment; gather downhole electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility logs for assessing fractures, fluid flow, and extent of serpentinization; and seal boreholes to provide opportunities for future experiments. Seventeen holes were drilled at nine sites across Atlantis Massif, with two sites on the eastern end of the southern wall (Sites M0068 and M0075), three sites in the central section of the southern wall north of the Lost City hydrothermal field (Sites M0069, M0072, and M0076), two sites on the western end (Sites M0071 and M0073), and two sites north of the southern wall in the direction of the central dome of the massif and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1309 (Sites M0070 and M0074). Use of seabed rock drills enabled collection of more than 57 m of core, with borehole penetration ranging from 1.3 to 16.44 meters below seafloor and core recoveries as high as 75% of total penetration. This high level of recovery of shallow mantle sequences is unprecedented in the history of ocean drilling. The cores recovered along the southern wall of Atlantis Massif have highly heterogeneous lithologies, types of alteration, and degrees of deformation. The ultramafic rocks are dominated by harzburgites with intervals of dunite and minor pyroxenite veins, as well as gabbroic rocks occurring as melt impregnations and veins, all of which provide information about early magmatic processes and the magmatic evolution in the southernmost portion of Atlantis Massif. Dolerite dikes and basaltic rocks represent the latest stage of magmatic activity. Overall, the ultramafic rocks recovered during Expedition 357 revealed a high degree of serpentinization, as well as metasomatic talc-amphibole-chlorite overprinting and local rodingitization. Metasomatism postdates an early phase of serpentinization but predates late-stage intrusion and alteration of dolerite dikes and the extrusion of basalt. The intensity of alteration is generally lower in the gabbroic and doleritic rocks. Chilled margins in dolerite intruded into talc-amphibole-chlorite schists are observed at the most eastern Site M0075. Deformation in Expedition 357 cores is variable and dominated by brecciation and formation of localized shear zones; the degree of carbonate veining was lower than anticipated. All types of variably altered and deformed ultramafic and mafic rocks occur as components in sedimentary breccias and as fault scarp rubble. The sedimentary cap rocks include basaltic breccias with a carbonate sand matrix and/or fossiliferous carbonate. Fresh glass on basaltic components was observed in some of the breccias. The expedition also successfully applied new technologies, namely (1) extensively using an in situ sensor package and water sampling system on the seabed drills for evaluating real-time dissolved oxygen and methane, pH, oxidation-reduction potential, temperature, and conductivity during drilling; (2) deploying a borehole plug system for sealing seabed drill boreholes at four sites to allow access for future sampling; and (3) proving that tracers can be delivered into drilling fluids when using seabed drills. The rock drill sensor packages and water sampling enabled detection of elevated dissolved methane and hydrogen concentrations during and/or after drilling, with “hot spots” of hydrogen observed over Sites M0068–M0072 and methane over Sites M0070–M0072. Shipboard determination of contamination tracer delivery confirmed appropriate sample handling procedures for microbiological and geochemical analyses, which will aid all subsequent microbiological investigations that are part of the science party sampling plans, as well as verify this new tracer delivery technology for seabed drill rigs. Shipboard investigation of biomass density in select samples revealed relatively low and variable cell densities, and enrichment experiments set up shipboard reveal growth. Thus, we anticipate achieving many of the deep biosphere–related objectives of the expedition through continued scientific investigation in the coming years. Finally, although not an objective of the expedition, we were serendipitously able to generate a high-resolution (20 m per pixel) multibeam bathymetry map across the entire Atlantis Massif and the nearby fracture zone, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and eastern conjugate, taking advantage of weather and operational downtime. This will assist science party members in evaluating and interpreting tectonic and mass-wasting processes at Atlantis Massif

Multiscale characterisation of chimneys/pipes: Fluid escape structures within sedimentary basins

Evaluation of seismic reflection data has identified the presence of fluid escape structures cross-cutting overburden stratigraphy within sedimentary basins globally. Seismically-imaged chimneys/pipes are considered to be possible pathways for fluid flow, which may hydraulically connect deeper strata to the seabed. The properties of fluid migration pathways through the overburden must be constrained to enable secure, long-term subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) storage. We have investigated a site of natural active fluid escape in the North Sea, the Scanner pockmark complex, to determine the physical characteristics of focused fluid conduits, and how they control fluid flow. Here we show that a multi-scale, multi-disciplinary experimental approach is required for complete characterisation of fluid escape structures. Geophysical techniques are necessary to resolve fracture geometry and subsurface structure (e.g., multi-frequency seismics) and physical parameters of sediments (e.g., controlled source electromagnetics) across a wide range of length scales (m to km). At smaller (mm to cm) scales, sediment cores were sampled directly and their physical and chemical properties assessed using laboratory-based methods. Numerical modelling approaches bridge the resolution gap, though their validity is dependent on calibration and constraint from field and laboratory experimental data. Further, time-lapse seismic and acoustic methods capable of resolving temporal changes are key for determining fluid flux. Future optimisation of experiment resource use may be facilitated by the installation of permanent seabed infrastructure, and replacement of manual data processing with automated workflows. This study can be used to inform measurement, monitoring and verification workflows that will assist policymaking, regulation, and best practice for CO2 subsurface storage operations