Irregular BSR: evidence of an on-going reequilibrium of a gas hydrate system

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Gas hydrate (GH) systems constitute methane sinks sensitive to environmental changes such as pressure, temperature or salinity. It remains a matter of debate whether the large GH system of the Black Sea has achieved a steady state since the last glacial maximum (LGM). We report on an irregular free gas distribution occurring in specific sediment layers marking an irregular bottom-simulating reflector (BSR). This anomalous free gas distribution revealed by very high resolution seismic images, acquired by a deep-towed multichannel seismic system, might be an evidence of an on-going migration of the base of the GH stability zone (GHSZ). We show that the reequilibrium is not occurring homogeneously as overpressure from hydrates dissociation slows their decomposition in specific sedimentary layers. The Black Sea example highlights that dissociation and the associated methane released in the water column or even in the atmosphere could be largely delayed by overpressure accumulation.

Data and resources

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Profile Bla1-7 (HR seismic - BLASON cruise) - 31 MB

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Profile PL01PR12 (VHR seismic - SYSIF - GHASS cruise) - 59 MB

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Profile PL01PR13 (VHR seismic - SYSIF - GHASS cruise) - 59 MB

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Profile PL03PR07 (VHR seismic - SYSIF - GHASS cruise) - 58 MB

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Profile PL03PR11 (VHR seismic - SYSIF - GHASS cruise) - 51 MB

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Profile HR31a (HR seismic - GHASS cruise) - 56 MB

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DOI of the product

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Seanoe

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Additional information

Date (publication)	2020-01-01
Date (revision)	2021-05-12
Status	onGoing
Update frequency	asNeeded
Metadata language	en
License	CC-BY-NC (Creative Commons - Attribution, No commercial usage)
Source metadata	ISO 19115 XML
Last updated	2026-11-04
Created	2026-11-04
API	package_show