EARTH DEGASSING IN THE ARCTIC: COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF FACTORS OF POWERFUL GAS EMISSION IN THE LAPTEV SEA

Interpretation was conducted for 28 CDP seismic time sections with total length of 5930 km acquired by JSC “MAGE” in the Central Laptev Area, where a zone of powerful gas emission had been discovered earlier. 519 anomalous objects were revealed in near-bottom deposits with an average distance on seismic lines of 11,4 km, potentially connected with accumulations of gas and its migration paths. As a result of comprehensive analysis, for the first time, connection of gas seeps with deep-seated faults in the study area was justified. Highly likely forecast was made that in the area of the discovered seeps (seafloor depths from 50—60 m to 110 m), permafrost and gas hydrates are absent, and the seeps are caused by direct migration of gas from great depths. On the continental slope of the Laptev Sea, a bottom simulating reflector (BSR) was distinguished in CDP seismic sections, associated with the base of gas hydrates.

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