P-wave and S-wave velocity structure of northern Cascadia margin gas hydrates

Abstract

Single-channel seismic and wide-angle reflection data collected in September 2005 were analysed along a 2-D profile of 10 ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) on the continental slope region off Vancouver Island, near ODP Site 889 and IODP Site U1327. The objectives were to determine the shallow P-wave and S-wave velocity structure associated with marine gas hydrates and to estimate the hydrate concentration and distribution in the sediment pore space. Combined traveltime inversion of single-channel and OBS data produced a P-wave velocity model down to the depth of the bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) at 230(±5) m below the seafloor (mbsf). Mean velocities, which increased from 1.50 km s-1 at the seafloor to 1.88 km s-1 at the BSR, are in good agreement with the sonic log data from Sites 889 and U1327. The increase in P-wave velocity of the hydrate-bearing sediments relative to a background no-hydrate velocity was utilized to estimate the hydrate concentration by using effective medium theory. An average concentration of 13 per cent in the interval from 120-230 mbsf was estimated from the P-wave velocity model. Lateral continuity of the model data confirms that these average hydrate concentrations are also found around the drillsites out to distances of a few kilometres. Forward modelling of S-waves was carried out using the data from the OBS horizontal components. Above the BSR, S-wave velocities are higher than a background velocity profile based on a rock physics model and on global averages for unconsolidated sediments. This increase in velocity suggests that the hydrate is distributed as part of the load-bearing matrix to increase the rigidity of the sediment. © 2011 The Authors Geophysical Journal International © 2011 RAS.