Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean Sea
High-resolution seismic analysis and bathymetry data, used in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt (OSFB), have revealed seabed and sub-surface anomalies, which were probably caused by the presence of shallow gas within the sedimentary records. Shallow gas is widely detected by the frequent presence of anoma...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/11/2121 |
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| author | Ana María Osorio-Granada Bismarck Jigena-Antelo Juan Vidal-Perez Enrico Zambianchi Edward G. Osorio-Granada Cristina Torrecillas Jeanette Romero-Cozar Hermann Leon-Rincón Karem Oviedo-Prada Juan J. Muñoz-Perez |
| author_facet | Ana María Osorio-Granada Bismarck Jigena-Antelo Juan Vidal-Perez Enrico Zambianchi Edward G. Osorio-Granada Cristina Torrecillas Jeanette Romero-Cozar Hermann Leon-Rincón Karem Oviedo-Prada Juan J. Muñoz-Perez |
| author_sort | Ana María Osorio-Granada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | High-resolution seismic analysis and bathymetry data, used in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt (OSFB), have revealed seabed and sub-surface anomalies, which were probably caused by the presence of shallow gas within the sedimentary records. Shallow gas is widely detected by the frequent presence of anomalous acoustic reflections including acoustic blanking, enhanced reflections, acoustic plumes, pockmarks, and dome structures. More than 30 anomalies that occur within a subsurface depth of ~65 m were acoustically detected within an area of 1000 km<sup>2</sup> on the continental shelf and upper continental slope, in water depths ranging from −20 to −1300 m. Moreover, a map with the spatial distribution of the gas occurrences is shown. A close relationship between the locally elevated seabed (dome structures), pockmarks, and acoustic blanking was found. Most of the active pockmarks may be closely related to the submarine path of the Uramita Fault, indicating that the gas occurrences are controlled by active faulting. The shallow gas occurrence was confirmed by the generation of authigenic carbonate and the occurrence of chemosymbiotic biological communities sampled in the area. Although there is an admixture of biogenic gas, it is believed that many of the features observed relate to thermogenic gas. The identification of these anomalies represents a useful basis for an assessment of marine geohazards and can serve as a hydrocarbon exploration tool. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:42:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cfa12dbb06e348f883650fee000e7d2f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:42:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-cfa12dbb06e348f883650fee000e7d2f2023-11-24T14:50:30ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122023-11-011111212110.3390/jmse11112121Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean SeaAna María Osorio-Granada0Bismarck Jigena-Antelo1Juan Vidal-Perez2Enrico Zambianchi3Edward G. Osorio-Granada4Cristina Torrecillas5Jeanette Romero-Cozar6Hermann Leon-Rincón7Karem Oviedo-Prada8Juan J. Muñoz-Perez9CASEM (Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos), Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainCASEM (Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos), Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainCASEM (Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos), Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainDipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie, Università degli Studi di Napoli Parthenope, 80143 Naples, ItalyInstituto de Investigaciones en Estratigrafía, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales 170004, ColombiaDepartamento de Ingeniería Gráfica, Universidad de Sevilla, 41092 Sevilla, SpainCASEM (Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos), Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainCentro de Investigaciones Oceanográficas e Hidrográficas del Caribe, Cartagena de Indias 130001, ColombiaCASEM (Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos), Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainCASEM (Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos), Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainHigh-resolution seismic analysis and bathymetry data, used in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt (OSFB), have revealed seabed and sub-surface anomalies, which were probably caused by the presence of shallow gas within the sedimentary records. Shallow gas is widely detected by the frequent presence of anomalous acoustic reflections including acoustic blanking, enhanced reflections, acoustic plumes, pockmarks, and dome structures. More than 30 anomalies that occur within a subsurface depth of ~65 m were acoustically detected within an area of 1000 km<sup>2</sup> on the continental shelf and upper continental slope, in water depths ranging from −20 to −1300 m. Moreover, a map with the spatial distribution of the gas occurrences is shown. A close relationship between the locally elevated seabed (dome structures), pockmarks, and acoustic blanking was found. Most of the active pockmarks may be closely related to the submarine path of the Uramita Fault, indicating that the gas occurrences are controlled by active faulting. The shallow gas occurrence was confirmed by the generation of authigenic carbonate and the occurrence of chemosymbiotic biological communities sampled in the area. Although there is an admixture of biogenic gas, it is believed that many of the features observed relate to thermogenic gas. The identification of these anomalies represents a useful basis for an assessment of marine geohazards and can serve as a hydrocarbon exploration tool.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/11/2121shallow gas occurrencesmultibeam bathymetryhigh-resolution seismic profiles |
| spellingShingle | Ana María Osorio-Granada Bismarck Jigena-Antelo Juan Vidal-Perez Enrico Zambianchi Edward G. Osorio-Granada Cristina Torrecillas Jeanette Romero-Cozar Hermann Leon-Rincón Karem Oviedo-Prada Juan J. Muñoz-Perez Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean Sea Journal of Marine Science and Engineering shallow gas occurrences multibeam bathymetry high-resolution seismic profiles |
| title | Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean Sea |
| title_full | Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean Sea |
| title_fullStr | Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean Sea |
| title_short | Acoustic Evidence of Shallow Gas Occurrences in the Offshore Sinú Fold Belt, Colombian Caribbean Sea |
| title_sort | acoustic evidence of shallow gas occurrences in the offshore sinu fold belt colombian caribbean sea |
| topic | shallow gas occurrences multibeam bathymetry high-resolution seismic profiles |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/11/2121 |
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