USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Project Description

Summary:

Gas hydrate is a crystalline solid formed of water and gas. It looks and acts much like ice, but it contains huge amounts of methane; it is known to occur on every continent; and it exists in huge quantities in marine sediments in a layer several hundred meters thick directly below the sea floor and in association with permafrost in the Arctic. It is not stable at normal sea-level pressures and temperatures, which is the primary reason that it is a challenge to study. It is important for three reasons: (1) It may contain a major energy resource; (2) It may be a significant hazard because it alters sea floor sediment stability, influencing collapse and landsliding; and (3) The hydrate reservoir may have strong influence on the environment and climate, because methane is a significant greenhouse gas. In the late 1990's, major interest developed in gas hydrate research and, in 2000, Congress passed the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000, instituting a national gas hydrate research program. The Department of Energy is named as lead agency and Department of Interior, specifically the USGS, is named as one of four other cooperating agencies. The program as defined in the law will be managed by the Fossil Energy Program in DOE. The Coastal and Marine Geology and Energy Resources Programs in USGS have worked closely with the Fossil Energy group to assist them to plan the research program. DOe has supported our research generously over many years, especially for field programs, and we expect that this mutually valuable cooperation will continue as the research program continues. This project seeks to understand the occurrences of and geological processes that control methane hydrate in the natural environment. This includes topics such as identifying and quantifying gas hydrate from remote sensing techniques, determining its concentration into possibly extractable accumulations, studying how it changes the strength of sediments and generates overpressures, understanding processes of seafloor mobilization, and determining processes that sequester methane in the sediments and allow its transfer into the oceans and the atmosphere. Collaborations with academia and industry further explore the role of bacteria in methanogenesis in sediments and the hazards posed by gas hydrate for the offshore drilling industry.

Investigators:

Objectives:

There are four strategic objectives and four parallel long-term science goals for this project, which are more fully described in the USGS Gas Hydrates 5-year plan. (1) Strategic Goal 1: Contribute to Understanding the Energy Resource Potential of Onshore and Offshore Gas Hydrates Long-term Science Goal 1: Construct quantitative source-migration-reservoir models of the hydrate system for specific and general cases. (2) Strategic Goal 2: Assess the Role of Gas Hydrates in Sea-floor Stability Long-term Science Goal 2: Develop predictive capability for how gas hydrates interact with natural and man-made phenomena to affect sea-floor properties. (3) Strategic Goal 3: Assess the Role of Gas Hydrates in Global Climate Change Long-term Science Goal 3: Assess hydrates as a potential and/or significant source of green-house gas emissions? (4) Strategic Goal 4: Expedite Project and Information Management for USGS Gas Hydrates Research Long-term Science Goal 4: Maintain research flexibility and relevance in order to continue cutting-edge research in a viable and well-funded project. These objectives, broad in scope but focused in purpose, will set priorities for hydrates research through 2009 and position USGS to play a leadership role in the increasingly popular and competetive field of hydrates research. They will also ensure that USGS hydrate research evolves from description and characterization of hydrates to understanding and modeling the dynamic and highly interactive Earth processes that control their behavior.

Start Date of project:

End date of project:

Topic of project:

Approach:

The USGS Gas Hydrates (GH) Project functions under a 5-year plan (FY 2005-2009) that defines strategic goals and objectives. This workplan represents the implementation of these objectives, which are identified in tasks and subtasks. An external scientific panel that reviewed scientific activities at the USG-WH commented about the GH project "...the project planning and develpment process embodied in this effort can serve as a model that should be applied towards other projects within the program." (Report, 1 June, 2005). We propose a strategy of multiple technical groups that have overlapping and mutually supporting interests. These groups work jointly on science tasks. Each technical group has a unique expertise essential to the geologic study of GH: (1) Field Geophysical studies that link geologic framework to natural GHoccurrence, include collection/interpretation of seismic data, GoMex and North Slope of AK, and eventually from other field areas. This work is performed at the seismic processing center in Den (3D) and at the smaller seismic processing centers (2D) in MP and WH. (2) Well logging studies link field studies and lab analyses to drilling results (North Slope of AK, GoMex, and Arctic) in cooperation with industry drilling. Further cooperative studies are anticipated with offshore holes drilled by the IODP. (3) Laboratory studies of physical properties of GH/sediment mixtures and pure GH are essential for understanding drilling results and developing parameters to constrain numerical models of GH behavior. These studies are carried out at the WH GHASTLI system, where natural and synthetic GH/sediment mixtures are studied, and at the MP petrophysics lab, where properties of pure GH are studied. Additional experiments are performed to investigate dynamic and pore-scale properties (e.g., dissociation rates, cage occupancy). (4) Geochemical analysis to determine the gases present and quantities of gas in natural samples will be carried out in the organic geochemistry laboratory at MP. Samples are analyzed from preserved samples that come from field and drilling programs that USGS participates in, and that are provided from other national and international research programs. (5) Numerical modelling is carried out in conjunction with field, laboratory, and theoretical studies to help develop a predictive capability for GH behavior. Field studies utilize seismic inversions and velocity calibrations to quantify GH volume in a regional setting. Models at outcrop scale (e.g., soil models) and at regional scales (e.g., basin models) help constrain drilling, chemical, and fluid flux observations. Models of pore-scale behavior (e.g., rock constitutive properties) help constrain laboratory observations. The level of expertise for these modeling skills varies amongst the centers. (6) Cooperative collaborations with federal and state entities, industry, and academia are utilized for maximizing scientific results from field, lab, and theoretical experiments. Examples of these cooperatives include geophysics (Ga. Tech, NRL); bottom photography (WHOI), well logging (industry), lab expts (NRL, Ga. Tech), geochemistry ( MBARI), isotope analyses (Univ. Victoria), modelling (LBNL). FUTURE WORK The GH project anticipates similar levels of effort through the duration of the five year plan. We intend for OE to be augmented by reimbursable monies, especially to cover USGS leadership and participation in future field programs (phase 2 drilling GoMex JIP; phase 2 drilling by BP, NS of AK; and a possible new production test well, Mallik). The addition of a new hire (modeling) part way through FY2006 will serve to integrate USGS lab and field efforts, and help set priorities for synthesizing data and defining critical experiments.

Impact/Results:

3 aspects of natural gas hydrate (GH) have justified its study (Sloan et al., 1999): 1. Energy: GH’s contributions to world energy depends on the availability, producibility, and cost of extracting methane from the hydrate phase. Yet the overall size and producibility at any one site are still rudimentary. Few dedicated surveys to identify GH deposits have been conducted, better methods to identify them need to be developed, particularly to identify zones of high concentrations. Our understanding of processes that control GH accumulation/extraction is primitive. 2. Seafloor Stability: Substantial direct observational evidence exists for major seafloor collapses, submarine slides, and drilling hazards that may be linked to the presence of GH. GH processes influence seafloor and well-bore stability by causing substantial changes in the physical properties of shallow sediments. 3. Global Change: The global GH reservoir may affect climate because of the greenhouse gas properties of methane. Changes in pressure/temperature can release methane from GH, e.g., by ocean warming. Understanding how GH is mobilized and migrates is critical for evaluating the role of GH in earth history and in global change. The first three strategic objectives and long-term science goals of the GH project parallel these three impacts. The US Department of Energy GH Program emphasizes the first and second of these impacts. Research into any of the impacts is likely to also reap benefits for the other two. OUTCOMES: Five areas show how USGS GH research has made an impact beyond project goals: * USGS plays a key role in rendering scientific judgment to national-level panels and committees: USGS scientists - have testified in hearings/briefings to Congress; are members of the DOE Interagency Federal Coordinating Committee; were invited speakers at 2 out of 3 public meetings of the NAS/NRC Review of DOE Activities under the MHR and D Act of 2000; were invited speakers at a DOS workshop on the foreign policy implications of GH. * USGS GH research has influenced decisions by management to assess GH natural resources and hazards: USGS scientists - advise MMS in developing new methodologies for assessing energy production potential of marine GH; are developing updated assessments of GH on the North Slope of AK with BLM and AK; are invited advisors to the AK GH study (BP) to identify hydrate deposits for drilling; are invited scientific advisors to the GH JIP (Chevron) to understand GH in Gulf of Mex as a hazard; were asked to lead the logging science for GH drilling of ODP, two Mallik drilling programs, and for the Chevron JIP, Gulf of Mex. * USGS research has had a profound effect on the direction of GH science: USGS lab measurements - are critical inputs that allow improvements to Production Gas Models; are regularly incorporated into models of logging properties and of offshore sediment stability. USGS GH papers are published in and cited extensively in prominent peer-reviewed journals. USGS scientists contribute to NSF and DOE proposal reviews. Foreign scientists/managers regularly visit the WH, MP, and Denver labs to learn how to develop critical expertise (e.g., Japan, India, Korea, China, Indonesia, Russia, Germany). * USGS GH research has resulted in considerable cost-savings for the GH project: USGS received natural samples of GH-bearing material from drilling programs without having to support acquisition costs (e.g., ODP, Mallik, Gulf of Mex). These samples help maintain USGS leadership in GH research which leads to low-cost or no-cost collaborations with academic and international partners. * USGS is regularly consulted by the media about GH: USGS scientists respond to 5 -10 inquiries/year from newspapers, magazines, talk radio, and documentary film makers. USGS scientists also respond to questions from the public that arise from email about materials that are on the web.

Publications

Smith, S., Boswell, R., Collett, T., Lee. M., andJones, E., 2006, Alaminos Canyon Block 818: Documented examples of gashydrate saturated sand in the Gulf of Mexico: Fire in the Ice, DOE/NETLNewsletter, Fall, 2006,http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/Hydrates/Newsletter/HMNewsFall06.pdf,p. 12-13.

Gullapalli, I., Moridis,G., Silpngarmlert, S., Reik, B., Kamal, M., Jones, E., and Collett,T.S., 2008, DESIGNING A RESERVOIR FLOW RATE EXPERIMENT FOR THE GOMHYDRATE JIP LEG II LWD DRILLING (abs.): Proceedings, 6th InternationalConference on Gas Hydrates, 7-10 July, 2008, Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada, CD-ROM.

Latham,T., Shelander, D., Boswell, R., Collett, T., and Lee, M., 2008,SUBSURFACE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HYDRATE BEARING SEDIMENTS NEARALAMINOS CANYON 818 (abs.): Proceedings, 6th International Conferenceon Gas Hydrates, 7-10 July, 2008, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,CD-ROM.

Collett, T.S.,Conte, A., Loh, L.L., Hoong, H.F., and Goldberg, D.S., 2005,Preliminary Analysis of the downhole well logs from the Gulf of Mexicogas hydrate JIP cruise (abs.): EOS, Transactions American GeophysicalUnion, 86(52), paper OS31D-02.

Ellis, M., Evans, R.L., Hutchinson, D.R., and Hart, P.E.,2005, An electromagnetic survey of the JIP drill sites in AtwaterValley (abs): EOS, American Geophysical Union, paper OS31D-07.

Gardner, J.M., Hagen, R., Hart, P., Czarnecki,M., Nishimura, C., and Hutchinson, D.R., 2005, High resolution seafloorenvironmental characterization of methane seeps in the MississippiCanyon near Atwater Valley 13/14, Gulf of Mexico (abs): EOS, AmericanGeophysical Union, paper OS43A-0618.

Hart, P.E., Hutchinson, D.R., Dugan, G., Fowler, M., Wood,W., Snyder, F., Dutta, N., Coffin, R., Gardner, J., Hagen, R., Evans,R., and Fornari, D., 2005, A multidisciplinary investigation of adeep-water gas hydrate mound, Atwater Valley, northern Gulf of Mexico:Fourth International Workshop on Methane Hydrate Research andDevelopment, 9-11 May, 2005, Victoria, British Columbia (unpaginated).

Hutchinson, D.R., 2007, Gas Hydrates in theNorthern Gulf of Mexico (oral presentation): Woods Hole OceanographicInstitution, invited presentation to Taiwanese visitors, 30 May 2007.

Hutchinson, D.R., 2007, Overview of gas hydrateoccurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico (oral presentation): PEMEX,Villahermosa, Mexico, 10 April 2007.

Hutchinson, D.R., 2007, Summary of Results from the drillingat the DOE/JIP Keathley Canyon Site (oral presentation): PEMEX,Villahermosa, Mexico, 10 April 2007.

Hutchinson, D.R., 2008, Gas Hydrates in the northern Gulf ofMexico: invited presentation to MMS, Anchorage Office, 18 April, 2008.

Hutchinson, D.R., Collett, T.S., Ruppel, C.,and Roberts, H.H., 2006, Heterogenetigy and dynamics in gas hydrateoccurrence: lessons learned from the northern Gulf of Mexico (abs.):Science and Technology Issues in Methane Hydrates Research andDevelopment, Kauai, HI, 5-9 March, 2006, Engineering ConferencesInternational, p. 57,http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/Hydrates/reports/MH_Kauai_Workshop_Report.pdf.

Hutchinson, D.R., Hart, P.E., Collett, T.S.,Edwards, K.M., Twichell, D.C., and Snyder, F., 2007, Geologic Frameworkof the 2005 Keathley Canyon Gas Hydrate Research Well, Northern Gulf ofMexico (abs.): 2007 Joint Assembly Meeting Supplement, Acapulco,Mexico, 22-25 May, 2007, Abstract NS54A-03.

Hutchinson, D.R., Ruppel, C., Collett, T.S.,Pohlman, J., Hart, P.E., and Snyder, F., 2006, Minibasins andsubsurface gas hydrate in the Gulf of Mexico: 17th InternationalSedimentological Congress, "From the Highest to the Deepest," Fukuoka,Japan, 27 August ¿ 1 September, 2006, v. B, p. 6.

Hutchinson, D.R., Ruppel, C.D., Pohlman, J.,Hart, P.E., Snyder, F., Dugan, B., and Coffin, R., 2005, Geophysicaland geochemical characterization of the hydrate stability zone in aregion of active salt tectonics, Keathley Canyon, northern Gulf ofMexico (abs.): Fourth International Workshop on Methane HydrateResearch and Development, 9-11 May, 2005, Victoria, British Columbia(unpaginated).

Hutchinson,D.R., Shelander, D., Dai, J., McConnell, D., Shedd, W., Frye, M.,Ruppel, C., Boswell, R., Jones, E., Collett, T.S., Rose, K., Dugan, B.,Wood, W., Latham, T., 2008, SITE SELECTION FOR DOE/JIP GAS HYDRATEDRILLING IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO (abs.): 6th InternationalConference on Gas Hydrate, 7-10 July, 2008, Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada, CD-ROM.

Hutchinson, D.R., and others, 2005, Geologic and site survey settingfor JIP Gulf of Mexico gas hydrate drilling (abs): EOS,TransactionsAmerican Geophysical Union, 86(52), paper OS31D-01.

Jones, E., T. Latham, D. McConnell, M. Frye, J.Hunt, W. Shedd, D. Shelander, R. Boswell, K. Rose, C. Ruppel, D.Hutchinson, T. Collett, B. Dugan, and W. Wood, 2008, Scientificobjectives of the Gulf of Mexico gas hydrate JIP II drilling:Abstracts, Offshore Technology Conference, (OTC 19501), 10 pp.

Lorenson, T.D., and others, 2005, Preliminaryresults from the ChevronTexaco Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrates JIP:Hydrocarbon Gases in Sediments (abs): EOS, Transactions AmericanGeophysical Union, 86(52), paper OS42A-04.

Pohlman, J.W., Ruppel, C., Hutchinson, D.R.,and others , The effects of mass deposition, gas flux, and salt diapirson surface sediment geochemistry in Keathley Canyon (northern Gulf ofMexico) (abs.): EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 86(52),paper OS31D-04.

Santamarina,J.C., and Ruppel, C., 2008, THE IMPACT OF HYDRATE SATURATION ON THEMECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OFHYDRATE-BEARING SAND, SILTS, AND CLAY (abs.): Proceedings, 6thInternational Conference on Gas Hydrates, 7-10 July, 2008, Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada, CD-ROM.

Elis, M., Evans, R.L., Hutchinson, D., Hart, P.,Gardner, J., Hagen, R., 2008, Electromagnetic Surveying of SeafloorMounds in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Marine and Petroleum Geology(2008), doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2007.12.006

Evans, J.G., Fornari, D., Gilbert, L.Y., Boyle, M.,Dougherty, J.A., and Hutchinson, D.R., 2005, Archive of raw bottomphotographs collected during cruise P1-04-GM, northern Gulf of Mexico,21-24 June, 2004, USGS Open-File Report 2004-1285.

Flocks, J. and Swarzenski, P., 2007, Cruise Report:Sediment Collection from Orca and Pigmy Basins, Gulf of Mexico, andAnalyses for Texture and Trace-Metal Concentrations, July 2002, 127PAGE Campaign: chapter 13 in Winters, W.J., Lorenson, T.D., and Paull,C.K., eds., Initial report of the IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gas hydrate andpaleoclimate cruise on the RV Marion Dufresne in the Gulf of Mexico,2-18 July 2002, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1358.

Gullapalli, I., Moridis, G., Silpngarmlert, S., Reik,B., Kamal, M., Jones, E., and Collett, T.S., 2008, DESIGNING ARESERVOIR FLOW RATE EXPERIMENT FOR THE GOM HYDRATE JIP LEG II LWDDRILLING: Proceedings, 6th International Conference on Gas Hydrates,7-10 July, 2008, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 12 pp., CD-ROM.

Hart, P., D. Hutchinson, J. Gardner, R. Carney, and D.Fornari, 2008, A photographic and acoustic transect across twodeep-water seafloor mounds, Mississippi Canyon, northern Gulf ofMexico, Marine and Petroleum Geology,doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.01.020

Report DeliveredHart, P.E., Hutchinson, D.R., and Lee, Myung, 2005, High-resolutionseismic-reflection data acquired in the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2003:U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1411, on line at:http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1411.

Report DeliveredHutchinson, D.R., Hart, P.E., Collett, T.S., Edwards, M., Twichell,D.C., and Snyder, F., 2008, Geologic framework of the 2005 KeathleyCanyon gas hydrate research well, northernGulf of Mexico: Marine and Petroleum Geology,doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.01.012

Hutchinson, D.R., Hart, P.E., Ruppel, C.D., Snyder,F., and Dugan, B., in press, Seismic and thermal characterization of abottom simulating reflection in the northern Gulf of Mexico: AAPGHedberg Gas Hydrates Volume, 27 ms pp., 11 figures.

Hutchinson, D.R., Ruppel, C.D., Roberts, H.S., Carney,R.S., and Smith, M.A., in press, Gas hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico, inHolmes, C.W., ed., Gulf of Mexico, its origin (history, archeology, andgeology), v. 1, TAMU Harte Institute 50th Anniversary publication, 45ms pp., 8 figures.

Hutchinson,D.R., Shelander, D., Dai, J., McConnell, D., Shedd, W., Frye, M.,Ruppel, C., Boswell, R., Jones, E., Collett, T.S., Rose, K., Dugan, B.,Wood, W., Latham, T., 2008, SITE SELECTION FOR DOE/JIP GAS HYDRATEDRILLING IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO: 6th International Conferenceon Gas Hydrate, 7-10 July, 2008, 12 pp.,https://circle.ubc.ca//handle/2429/1165.

Jones, E., T. Latham, D. McConnell, M. Frye, J. Hunt, W.Shedd, D. Shelander, R. Boswell, K. Rose, C. Ruppel, D. Hutchinson, T.Collett, B. Dugan, and W. Wood, 2008, Scientific objectives of the Gulfof Mexico gas hydrate JIP II drilling: Proc. Offshore TechnologyConference, (OTC 19501), 10 pp.

Report DeliveredLabails C., Géli, L., Sultan, N., Novosel, I., Winters, W., 2007,Thermal measurements from the Gulf of Mexico continental slope: resultsfrom the PAGE cruise: chapter 6 in Winters, W.J., Lorenson, T.D., andPaull, C.K., eds., Initial report of the IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gashydrate and paleoclimate cruise on the RV Marion Dufresne in the Gulfof Mexico, 2-18 July 2002, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report2004-1358.

Latham, T., Shelander,D., Boswell, R., Collett, T., and Lee, M., 2008, SUBSURFACECHARACTERIZATION OF THE HYDRATE BEARING SEDIMENTS NEAR ALAMINOS CANYON818: Proceedings, 6th International Conference on Gas Hydrates, 7-10July, 2008, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 12 pp., 7 pp., CD-ROM.

Lee, J.Y., Santamarina, J.C., and Ruppel, C., 2008,Mechanical and electromagnetic properties of northern Gulf of Mexicosediments with and without THF hydrates: Marine and Petroleum Geology,12 pp., doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.01.019.

Lee, M.W., and Collett, T.S., 2008, Integrated analysis ofwell logs and seismic data to estimate gas hydrate concentrations atKeathley Canyon, Gulf of Mexico: Marine and Petroleum Geology, 8 pp,doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2007.09.002

Report DeliveredLorenson, T.D., Claypool, G.E., Dougherty, J.A., 2008, Natural GasGeochemistry of Sediments Driled on the 2005 Gulf of Mexico JIP Cruise,Marine and Petroleum Geology, doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.01.017

Lorenson, T.D., Claypool, G.E., and Dougherty, J.A.,2006, Natural gas geochemistry ¿ 2005 Gulf of Mexico JIP Cruise inClaypool G.E., ed. JIP cruise report CD-ROM available from U.S. DOE-JIPgas hydrates program, 2006. 15p.

Report DeliveredLorenson, T.D., Claypool, G.E., and Dougherty, J.A., 2007, Natural GasGeochemistry of Sediments Drilled on the 2005 Gulf of Mexico JIPCruise. Accepted Marine and Petroleum Geology 44 p.

Lorenson, T.D., Cooper, A.K. , Hart, P.E., andWinters, W.J., 2007, Geologic setting and context of cores taken duringthe IMAGESVIII, MONA/PAGE 2002, D-1-02-GM cruise of the RV MarionDufresne in the northern Gulf of Mexico: chapter 2 in Winters, W.J.,Lorenson, T.D., and Paull, C.K., eds., Initial report of the IMAGESVIII/PAGE 127 gas hydrate and paleoclimate cruise on the RV MarionDufresne in the Gulf of Mexico, 2-18 July 2002, U.S. Geological SurveyOpen-File Report 2004-1358, 21 p.

Report DeliveredLorenson, T.D., Dougherty, J.A., and Flocks, J.G., 2007, HydrocarbonGases from Giant Piston Cores in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Resultsfrom the IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 Cruise of the RV Marion Dufresne, July,2002: chapter 9 in Winters, W.J., Lorenson, T.D., and Paull, C.K.,eds., Initial report of the IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gas hydrate andpaleoclimate cruise on the RV Marion Dufresne in the Gulf of Mexico,2-18 July 2002, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1358.

Novosel, I., Winters, W.J., Boldina, O.M., Labails,C., Géli, L., 2007, Thermal Conductivity of Sediment Recovered from theIMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 Gas Hydrate and Paleoclimate Cruise on the RVMarion Dufresne in the Gulf of Mexico, 2-18 July 2002: chapter 7 inWinters, W.J., Lorenson, T.D., and Paull, C.K., eds., Initial report ofthe IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gas hydrate and paleoclimate cruise on the RVMarion Dufresne in the Gulf of Mexico, 2-18 July 2002, U.S. GeologicalSurvey Open-File Report 2004-1358.

Report DeliveredPohlman, J.W., Ruppel, C., Hutchinson, D.R., Downer, R., and Coffin,R.B., 2008, Assessing sulfate reduction and methane cycling in a highsalinity pore water system in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Marine andPetroleum Geology, doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.01.016

Ruppel, C.D., Boswell, R., and Jones, E., 2008,Scientific Results from Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrates Joint IndustryProject Leg 1 Drilling: Introduction and Overview: Marine and PetroleumGeology, doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.02.007

Santamarina, J.C., and Ruppel, C., 2008, THE IMPACT OFHYDRATE SATURATION ON THE MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, AND THERMALPROPERTIES OFHYDRATE-BEARING SAND, SILTS, AND CLAY: Proceedings, 6th InternationalConference on Gas Hydrates, 7-10 July, 2008, Vancouver, BritishColumbia, 12-pp., CD-ROM,

Report DeliveredStern, L.A. and Kirby, S.H., 2007, Grain and Pore Structure Imaging ofGas Hydrate From Core MD02-2569 (Mississippi Canyon, Gulf of Mexico): AFirst Look by SEM: 2007, in Winters, W.J., Lorenson, T.D., and Paull,C.K., eds., Initial report of the IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gas hydrate andpaleoclimate cruise on the RV Marion Dufresne in the Gulf of Mexico,2-18 July 2002, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1358.

Ussler, W., III, Paull, C.K., Chen, Y., Matsumoto, R.,Lorenson, T.D., and Winters, W.J., 2005, The consequences of methaneoxidation at the sulfate-methane interface in a methane-rich core fromthe northern Gulf of Mexico: Fifth International Conference on GasHydrates, Trondheim, Norway, 12-16 June, 2005, v. 3, paper 3053, p.1056-1062.

Wilson, A., and Ruppel,C., 2007, Salt tectonics and shallow subseafloor fluid convection:models of coupled fluid-heat-salt transport: Geofluids, 10 pp, doi:10.1111/j.1468-8123.2007.00191.

Report DeliveredWinters, W. J., B. Dugan, T.S. Collett, 2008, Physical properties ofsediments from Keathley Canyon and Atwater Valley, JIP Gulf of Mexicogas hydrate drilling program, Marine and Petroleum Geology, 10 pp.,doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.01.018

Report DeliveredWinters, W.J., Lorenson, T.D., Paull, C.K., and Balut, Y., 2007, Coringand gas hydrate related operations during the IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gashydrate and paleoclimate cruise on the RV Marion Dufresne in the Gulfof Mexico, 2-18 July 2002: chapter 3 in Winters, W.J., Lorenson, T.D.,and Paull, C.K., eds., Initial report of the IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gashydrate and paleoclimate cruise on the RV Marion Dufresne in the Gulfof Mexico, 2-18 July 2002, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report2004-1358, 81 p.

Winters, W.J.,Lorenson, T.D., and Paull, C.K., 2007, Introduction, in Winters, W.J.,Lorenson, T.D., and Paull, C.K., eds., Initial report of the IMAGESVIII/PAGE 127 gas hydrate and paleoclimate cruise on the RV MarionDufresne in the Gulf of Mexico, 2-18 July 2002: USGS Open-File Report2004-1358.

Winters, W.J., Lorenson,T.D., and Paull, C.K., eds., 2007, IMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 Gas Hydrate andPaleoclimate Cruise on the RV Marion Dufresne in the Gulf of Mexico,2-18 July 2002: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1358, 13chapters + Appendices.

Winters,W.J., Novosel, I., Boldina, O., Waite, W.F., Kelsey, S.A., and Hallett,B.W., 2007, Physical Properties of Sediment Obtained During the IMAGESVIII/PAGE 127 Gas Hydrate and Paleoclimate Cruise on the RV MarionDufresne in the Gulf of Mexico, 2-18 July 2002: chapter 4 in Winters,W.J., Lorenson, T.D., and Paull, C.K., eds., Initial report of theIMAGES VIII/PAGE 127 gas hydrate and paleoclimate cruise on the RVMarion Dufresne in the Gulf of Mexico, 2-18 July 2002, U.S. GeologicalSurvey Open-File Report 2004-1358.

Wood, W.T., Hart, P.E., Hutchinson, D.R., Dutta, N., Snyder, F.,Coffin, R.B., and Gettrust, J.F., 2008, Gas and gas hydratedistribution around seafloor seeps in Mississippi Canyon, Northern Gulfof Mexico, using multi-resolution seismic imagery: Marine and PetroleumGeology, 8 pp., doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.01.015

DOE/JIP Site Selection Workshop, Houston, TX, 7September, 2006: unpublished workshop in which USGS participated(Hutchinson and Ruppel).

FastTrack Methane Hydrate Exploration adn Production Scenario, New Orleans,LA, 29 Auguest 2006: unpublished workshop in which USGS (Hutchinson)was a participant.

August 27,2009

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