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Gas Hydrates

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By Central Energy Resources Science Center November 2, 2018

Central Energy Resources Science Center - Gas Hydrates Project Page

Gas hydrates are naturally occurring ice-like combinations of natural gas and water that have the potential to provide an immense resource of natural gas from the world's oceans and polar regions.  Gas hydrates are known to be widespread in permafrost regions and beneath the sea in sediments of outer continental margins.  It is generally accepted that the volume of natural gas contained in the world's gas hydrate accumulations greatly exceeds that of known gas reserves.  There is also growing evidence that natural gas can be produced from gas hydrates with existing conventional oil and gas production technology.  The USGS is participating in several international consortia of research, industry, and academic institutions. The USGS also has ongoing cooperative research efforts with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the State of Alaska, the Department of Energy, industry, and Native Alaskan corporations to further the understanding of gas the hydrate endowment and recoverability.

For a listing of our completed expeditions click here to visit the Related Science tab.

 

 

USGS Links

     USGS Gas Hydrate Project

     Woods Hole Science Center

     USGS Scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

External Links

     DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program

     NETL Methane Hydrate Web Site

     NETL Fire in the Ice Newsletter

     US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

     Current Perspectives on Gas Hydrate Resources

     Gas Hydrate and Climate Change

     World Atlas of Submarine Gas Hydrates in Continental Margins | SpringerLink

     

Tasks and Field Reports

Filter Total Items: 14
link
Overview of production test site (June 2023)

Gas Hydrate Energy Research – 2024 Update

Review of International Gas Hydrate Research and Development Activities
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Gas Hydrate Energy Research – 2024 Update

Review of International Gas Hydrate Research and Development Activities
Learn More
link
Image shows a large white ship with a drill rig

Results of the India National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 02

The Government of India, with the support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has released the initial results of the most comprehensive gas hydrate scientific drilling investigation ever undertaken. Coinciding with the release of the Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology Special Issue on Marine Gas Hydrate Reservoir Systems Along the Eastern Continental Margin of India: Results of the...
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Results of the India National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 02

The Government of India, with the support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has released the initial results of the most comprehensive gas hydrate scientific drilling investigation ever undertaken. Coinciding with the release of the Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology Special Issue on Marine Gas Hydrate Reservoir Systems Along the Eastern Continental Margin of India: Results of the...
Learn More
link
2018 Alaska Assessment Map

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated the previous 2008 assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas hydrate resources beneath the North Slope of Alaska. This new 2018 assessment again indicates the existence of technically recoverable gas hydrate resources―that is, resources that can be discovered, developed, and produced using current technology. Using a geology-based...
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated the previous 2008 assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas hydrate resources beneath the North Slope of Alaska. This new 2018 assessment again indicates the existence of technically recoverable gas hydrate resources―that is, resources that can be discovered, developed, and produced using current technology. Using a geology-based...
Learn More
link
Alaska Gas Hydrate 2018 Drill Rig

Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska.
Learn More
link
Image shows gas hydrate samples in blue-gloved hands

Marine Methane Hydrate Field Research Plan

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), in partnership with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL), initiated a new field-focused methane hydrate research planning effort that would inform, and potentially lead to, future off shore drilling field expeditions. The primary objective of this project was to conduct planning that would help define...
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Marine Methane Hydrate Field Research Plan

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), in partnership with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL), initiated a new field-focused methane hydrate research planning effort that would inform, and potentially lead to, future off shore drilling field expeditions. The primary objective of this project was to conduct planning that would help define...
Learn More
link
Successful Test of Gas Hydrate Production Test Well Ignik Sikumi on Alaska Thumbnail

Successful Test of Gas Hydrate Production Test Well Ignik Sikumi on Alaska's North Slope

On May 2, 2012 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the completion of the field testing phase of the Ignik Sikumi gas hydrate production test well project on the North Slope of Alaska. The USGS participated in many phases of this work, including originally identifying the test site, which was based on almost 30 years of USGS geologic studies on gas hydrates in northern Alaska.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Successful Test of Gas Hydrate Production Test Well Ignik Sikumi on Alaska's North Slope

On May 2, 2012 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the completion of the field testing phase of the Ignik Sikumi gas hydrate production test well project on the North Slope of Alaska. The USGS participated in many phases of this work, including originally identifying the test site, which was based on almost 30 years of USGS geologic studies on gas hydrates in northern Alaska.
Learn More
link
Drill Rig at the Mt. Elbert Test Site

Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well

Field Report
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well

Field Report
Learn More
link
Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, Second Ulleung Basin Thumbnail

Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition

As a part of Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, the Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition (UBGH2) was successfully performed by using the D/V Fugro Synergy to establish 13 research drill sites in the period of time from July 8 to September 30, 2010. The first leg of this expedition focused on logging-while-drilling operations, while the second leg focused on both conventional and...
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition

As a part of Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, the Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition (UBGH2) was successfully performed by using the D/V Fugro Synergy to establish 13 research drill sites in the period of time from July 8 to September 30, 2010. The first leg of this expedition focused on logging-while-drilling operations, while the second leg focused on both conventional and...
Learn More
link
Aerial photograph at the Mallik location site in Canada

The Mallik Research Consortium

The Mallik Research Consortium drilled three test wells in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta, and the results of this international cooperative effort, demonstrating the producibility of this energy resource, were published in 2005.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

The Mallik Research Consortium

The Mallik Research Consortium drilled three test wells in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta, and the results of this international cooperative effort, demonstrating the producibility of this energy resource, were published in 2005.
Learn More
link
Image shows a gas hydrate sample with a green and pink pen for scale

AAPG Memoir 89: Natural Gas Hydrates

USGS Contribution to AAPG Memoir on Gas Hydrates: In the December of 2009, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) published a comprehensive treatise on the geology of gas hydrates which is entitled Natural Gas Hydrates – Energy Resource Potential and Associated Hazards.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

AAPG Memoir 89: Natural Gas Hydrates

USGS Contribution to AAPG Memoir on Gas Hydrates: In the December of 2009, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) published a comprehensive treatise on the geology of gas hydrates which is entitled Natural Gas Hydrates – Energy Resource Potential and Associated Hazards.
Learn More
link
Image shows an undersea gas hydrate formation with shellfish on it.

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project Leg II
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project Leg II
Learn More
link
Area in northern Alaska where subsurface temperature and pressure conditions are conducive to the occurrence of gas hydrates

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources on the North Slope, Alaska, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed the first assessment of the undiscovered technically recoverable gas-hydrate resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that there are about 85 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas resources within gas hydrates in northern Alaska. Read the full...
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources on the North Slope, Alaska, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed the first assessment of the undiscovered technically recoverable gas-hydrate resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that there are about 85 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas resources within gas hydrates in northern Alaska. Read the full...
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 43

Source, migration pathways, and atmospheric release of geologic methane associated with the complex permafrost regimes of the outer Mackenzie River Delta, Arctic, Canada

Sources and fluxes of methane to the atmosphere from permafrost are significant but poorly constrained in global climate models. We present data collected from the variable permafrost setting of the outer Mackenzie River Delta, including observations of aquatic methane seepage, core determinations of in situ methane occurrence and seep gas isotope geochemistry. The sources and locations of in situ
Authors
Scott Dallimore, Laura Lapham, Michelle Côté, Robert Bowen, Roger MacLeod, Hadley Marcek, C. Geoffrey Wheat, Timothy Collett
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Alaska North Slope terrestrial gas hydrate systems: Insights from scientific drilling

A wealth of information has been accumulated regarding the occurrence of gas hydrates in nature, leading to significant advancements in our understanding of the geologic controls on their occurrence in both the terrestrial and marine settings of the Arctic. Gas hydrate accumulations discovered in the Alaska North Slope have been the focus of several important geoscience and production testing rese
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Ray M. Boswell, Margarita V. Zyrianova
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Northern Cascadia Margin gas hydrates — Regional geophysical surveying, IODP drilling leg 311, and cabled observatory monitoring

This article reviews extensive geophysical survey data, ocean drilling results and long-term seafloor monitoring that constrain the distribution and concentration of gas hydrates within the accretionary prism of the northern Cascadia subduction margin, located offshore Vancouver Island in Canada. Seismic surveys and geologic studies conducted since the 1980s have mapped the bottom simulating refle
Authors
Michael Riedel, Timothy S. Collett, Martin Scherwath, John W. Pohlman, Roy Hyndman, George Spence
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

A review of the exploration, discovery, and characterization of highly concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained reservoir systems along the Eastern Continental Margin of India

The analysis of 3-D seismic data has become one of the most powerful ways to identify sand-rich gas hydrate reservoir systems and to directly identify highly concentrated gas hydrate prospects. Scientific drilling programs have shown that the occurrence of highly concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained, sand-rich, reservoir systems has a significant impact on the physical properti
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Krishan Chopra, Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Ray Boswell, William F. Waite, A. K. Misra, Pushpendra Kumar
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered gas hydrate resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of about 54 trillion cubic feet of gas resources within gas hydrates in the North Slope of Alaska.
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Kristen A. Lewis, Margarita V. Zyrianova, Seth S. Haines, Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Michael E. Brownfield, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Janet K. Pitman, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, David W. Houseknecht
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Downhole log evidence for the coexistence of structure II gas hydrate and free gas below the bottom simulating reflector in the South China Sea

Stratigraphic layered pore-filling gas hydrates are identified above the bottom simulating reflector (BSR) using the well log and core data acquired at Sites W11 and W17 during the third gas hydrate drilling expedition conducted by China's Geological Survey/Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey (GMGS3) in the South China Sea. A seismic profile near Site W17, reveal the presence of two BSRs (i.e., dou
Authors
Jin Qian, Xiujuan Wang, Timothy S. Collett, Yiqun Guo, Dongju Kang, Jiapeng Jin
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Gas hydrate in nature

Gas hydrate is a naturally occurring, ice-like substance that forms when water and gas combine under high pressure and at moderate temperatures. Methane is the most common gas present in gas hydrate, although other gases may also be included in hydrate structures, particularly in areas close to conventional oil and gas reservoirs. Gas hydrate is widespread in ocean-bottom sediments at water depths
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Gas Hydrates Project

The Gas Hydrates Project at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) focuses on the study of methane hydrates in natural environments. The project is a collaboration between the USGS Energy Resources and the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Programs and works closely with other U.S. Federal agencies, some State governments, outside research organizations, and international partners. The USGS studies the f
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution seismic characterization of the gas and gas hydrate system at Green Canyon 955, Gulf of Mexico, USA

The Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments at lease block Green Canyon 955 (GC955) in the Gulf of Mexico include sand-rich strata with high saturations of gas hydrate; these gas hydrate accumulations and the associated geology have been characterized over the past decade using conventional industry three-dimensional (3D) seismic data and dedicated logging-while-drilling (LWD) borehole data. To improve
Authors
Seth S. Haines, Patrick E. Hart, Timothy S. Collett, William Shedd, Matthew Frye, Paul Weimer, Ray Boswell
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Observed correlation between the depth to base and top of gas hydrate occurrence from review of global drilling data

A global inventory of data from gas hydrate drilling expeditions is used to develop relationships between the base of structure I gas hydrate stability, top of gas hydrate occurrence, sulfate-methane transition depth, pressure (water depth), and geothermal gradients. The motivation of this study is to provide first-order estimates of the top of gas hydrate occurrence and associated thickness of th
Authors
Michael Riedel, Timothy S. Collett
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

The Iġnik Sikumi Field Experiment, Alaska North Slope: Design, operations, and implications for CO2−CH4 exchange in gas hydrate reservoirs

The Iġnik Sikumi Gas Hydrate Exchange Field Experiment was conducted by ConocoPhillips in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and the U.S. Geological Survey within the Prudhoe Bay Unit on the Alaska North Slope during 2011 and 2012. The primary goals of the program were to (1) determine the feasibility of gas injection into hydrate-be
Authors
Ray Boswell, David Schoderbek, Timothy S. Collett, Satoshi Ohtsuki, Mark White, Brian J. Anderson
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Evaluation of gas production potential from gas hydrate deposits in National Petroleum Reserve Alaska using numerical simulations

An evaluation of the gas production potential of Sunlight Peak gas hydrate accumulation in the eastern portion of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA) of Alaska North Slope (ANS) is conducted using numerical simulations, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gas hydrate Life Cycle Assessment program. A field scale reservoir model for Sunlight Peak is developed using Advanced Process
Authors
Manish S. Nandanwar, Brian J. Anderson, Taiwo Ajayi, Timothy S. Collett, Margarita V. Zyrianova
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Below are news stories associated with this project.

 

link
Drill Rig at the Mt. Elbert Test Site

Exploring Gas Hydrates as a Future Energy Source

In the past decade, the development of the Barnett, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, and other shales has dominated the national consciousness regarding natural gas. But in Alaska, another form of natural gas has been the focus of research for decades—methane hydrate.

By
Science for a Changing World
USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

The recently-published monograph entitled World Atlas of Submarine Gas Hydrates on Continental Margins compiles findings about gas hydrates offshore...

Read Article
USGS Estimates 53.8 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas Hydrate Resources in the Alaska North Slope

USGS Estimates 53.8 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas Hydrate Resources in the Alaska North Slope

Access to 3D seismic mapping, along with a greater understanding of gas hydrate reservoir properties, yields estimates that are more precise.

Read Article
Test Well Confirms Two Gas Hydrate Reservoirs in Alaska North Slope

Test Well Confirms Two Gas Hydrate Reservoirs in Alaska North Slope

In the far north of Alaska, near the giant Prudhoe Bay oil field, an international research consortium has been studying the potential of an...

Read Article
USGS in South Korea

USGS in South Korea

 For several years, KIGAM, the Korean Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, has hosted an international program for geoscience resources (IS...

Read Article
EarthWord–Gas Hydrate

EarthWord–Gas Hydrate

No, this EarthWord isn’t how natural gas quenches its thirst-it just sounds like it...

Read Article
When Ice Yields Fire

When Ice Yields Fire

When can ice yield fire? That’s the burning question at the heart of one of USGS’s longest-running research programs to date: the exploration of gas...

Read Article
EarthWord–Discovery

EarthWord–Discovery

Eureka often accompanies this EarthWord.

Read Article
Exploring Gas Hydrates as a Future Energy Source

Exploring Gas Hydrates as a Future Energy Source

In the past decade, the development of the Barnett, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, and other shales has dominated the national consciousness regarding natural...

Read Article

Central Energy Resources Science Center - Gas Hydrates Project Page

Gas hydrates are naturally occurring ice-like combinations of natural gas and water that have the potential to provide an immense resource of natural gas from the world's oceans and polar regions.  Gas hydrates are known to be widespread in permafrost regions and beneath the sea in sediments of outer continental margins.  It is generally accepted that the volume of natural gas contained in the world's gas hydrate accumulations greatly exceeds that of known gas reserves.  There is also growing evidence that natural gas can be produced from gas hydrates with existing conventional oil and gas production technology.  The USGS is participating in several international consortia of research, industry, and academic institutions. The USGS also has ongoing cooperative research efforts with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the State of Alaska, the Department of Energy, industry, and Native Alaskan corporations to further the understanding of gas the hydrate endowment and recoverability.

For a listing of our completed expeditions click here to visit the Related Science tab.

 

 

USGS Links

     USGS Gas Hydrate Project

     Woods Hole Science Center

     USGS Scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

External Links

     DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program

     NETL Methane Hydrate Web Site

     NETL Fire in the Ice Newsletter

     US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

     Current Perspectives on Gas Hydrate Resources

     Gas Hydrate and Climate Change

     World Atlas of Submarine Gas Hydrates in Continental Margins | SpringerLink

     

Tasks and Field Reports

Filter Total Items: 14
link
Overview of production test site (June 2023)

Gas Hydrate Energy Research – 2024 Update

Review of International Gas Hydrate Research and Development Activities
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Gas Hydrate Energy Research – 2024 Update

Review of International Gas Hydrate Research and Development Activities
Learn More
link
Image shows a large white ship with a drill rig

Results of the India National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 02

The Government of India, with the support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has released the initial results of the most comprehensive gas hydrate scientific drilling investigation ever undertaken. Coinciding with the release of the Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology Special Issue on Marine Gas Hydrate Reservoir Systems Along the Eastern Continental Margin of India: Results of the...
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Results of the India National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 02

The Government of India, with the support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has released the initial results of the most comprehensive gas hydrate scientific drilling investigation ever undertaken. Coinciding with the release of the Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology Special Issue on Marine Gas Hydrate Reservoir Systems Along the Eastern Continental Margin of India: Results of the...
Learn More
link
2018 Alaska Assessment Map

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated the previous 2008 assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas hydrate resources beneath the North Slope of Alaska. This new 2018 assessment again indicates the existence of technically recoverable gas hydrate resources―that is, resources that can be discovered, developed, and produced using current technology. Using a geology-based...
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated the previous 2008 assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas hydrate resources beneath the North Slope of Alaska. This new 2018 assessment again indicates the existence of technically recoverable gas hydrate resources―that is, resources that can be discovered, developed, and produced using current technology. Using a geology-based...
Learn More
link
Alaska Gas Hydrate 2018 Drill Rig

Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska.
Learn More
link
Image shows gas hydrate samples in blue-gloved hands

Marine Methane Hydrate Field Research Plan

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), in partnership with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL), initiated a new field-focused methane hydrate research planning effort that would inform, and potentially lead to, future off shore drilling field expeditions. The primary objective of this project was to conduct planning that would help define...
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Marine Methane Hydrate Field Research Plan

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), in partnership with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL), initiated a new field-focused methane hydrate research planning effort that would inform, and potentially lead to, future off shore drilling field expeditions. The primary objective of this project was to conduct planning that would help define...
Learn More
link
Successful Test of Gas Hydrate Production Test Well Ignik Sikumi on Alaska Thumbnail

Successful Test of Gas Hydrate Production Test Well Ignik Sikumi on Alaska's North Slope

On May 2, 2012 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the completion of the field testing phase of the Ignik Sikumi gas hydrate production test well project on the North Slope of Alaska. The USGS participated in many phases of this work, including originally identifying the test site, which was based on almost 30 years of USGS geologic studies on gas hydrates in northern Alaska.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Successful Test of Gas Hydrate Production Test Well Ignik Sikumi on Alaska's North Slope

On May 2, 2012 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the completion of the field testing phase of the Ignik Sikumi gas hydrate production test well project on the North Slope of Alaska. The USGS participated in many phases of this work, including originally identifying the test site, which was based on almost 30 years of USGS geologic studies on gas hydrates in northern Alaska.
Learn More
link
Drill Rig at the Mt. Elbert Test Site

Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well

Field Report
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well

Field Report
Learn More
link
Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, Second Ulleung Basin Thumbnail

Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition

As a part of Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, the Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition (UBGH2) was successfully performed by using the D/V Fugro Synergy to establish 13 research drill sites in the period of time from July 8 to September 30, 2010. The first leg of this expedition focused on logging-while-drilling operations, while the second leg focused on both conventional and...
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition

As a part of Korean National Gas Hydrate Program, the Second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition (UBGH2) was successfully performed by using the D/V Fugro Synergy to establish 13 research drill sites in the period of time from July 8 to September 30, 2010. The first leg of this expedition focused on logging-while-drilling operations, while the second leg focused on both conventional and...
Learn More
link
Aerial photograph at the Mallik location site in Canada

The Mallik Research Consortium

The Mallik Research Consortium drilled three test wells in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta, and the results of this international cooperative effort, demonstrating the producibility of this energy resource, were published in 2005.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

The Mallik Research Consortium

The Mallik Research Consortium drilled three test wells in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta, and the results of this international cooperative effort, demonstrating the producibility of this energy resource, were published in 2005.
Learn More
link
Image shows a gas hydrate sample with a green and pink pen for scale

AAPG Memoir 89: Natural Gas Hydrates

USGS Contribution to AAPG Memoir on Gas Hydrates: In the December of 2009, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) published a comprehensive treatise on the geology of gas hydrates which is entitled Natural Gas Hydrates – Energy Resource Potential and Associated Hazards.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

AAPG Memoir 89: Natural Gas Hydrates

USGS Contribution to AAPG Memoir on Gas Hydrates: In the December of 2009, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) published a comprehensive treatise on the geology of gas hydrates which is entitled Natural Gas Hydrates – Energy Resource Potential and Associated Hazards.
Learn More
link
Image shows an undersea gas hydrate formation with shellfish on it.

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project Leg II
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project

Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project Leg II
Learn More
link
Area in northern Alaska where subsurface temperature and pressure conditions are conducive to the occurrence of gas hydrates

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources on the North Slope, Alaska, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed the first assessment of the undiscovered technically recoverable gas-hydrate resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that there are about 85 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas resources within gas hydrates in northern Alaska. Read the full...
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources on the North Slope, Alaska, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed the first assessment of the undiscovered technically recoverable gas-hydrate resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that there are about 85 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas resources within gas hydrates in northern Alaska. Read the full...
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 43

Source, migration pathways, and atmospheric release of geologic methane associated with the complex permafrost regimes of the outer Mackenzie River Delta, Arctic, Canada

Sources and fluxes of methane to the atmosphere from permafrost are significant but poorly constrained in global climate models. We present data collected from the variable permafrost setting of the outer Mackenzie River Delta, including observations of aquatic methane seepage, core determinations of in situ methane occurrence and seep gas isotope geochemistry. The sources and locations of in situ
Authors
Scott Dallimore, Laura Lapham, Michelle Côté, Robert Bowen, Roger MacLeod, Hadley Marcek, C. Geoffrey Wheat, Timothy Collett
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Alaska North Slope terrestrial gas hydrate systems: Insights from scientific drilling

A wealth of information has been accumulated regarding the occurrence of gas hydrates in nature, leading to significant advancements in our understanding of the geologic controls on their occurrence in both the terrestrial and marine settings of the Arctic. Gas hydrate accumulations discovered in the Alaska North Slope have been the focus of several important geoscience and production testing rese
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Ray M. Boswell, Margarita V. Zyrianova
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Northern Cascadia Margin gas hydrates — Regional geophysical surveying, IODP drilling leg 311, and cabled observatory monitoring

This article reviews extensive geophysical survey data, ocean drilling results and long-term seafloor monitoring that constrain the distribution and concentration of gas hydrates within the accretionary prism of the northern Cascadia subduction margin, located offshore Vancouver Island in Canada. Seismic surveys and geologic studies conducted since the 1980s have mapped the bottom simulating refle
Authors
Michael Riedel, Timothy S. Collett, Martin Scherwath, John W. Pohlman, Roy Hyndman, George Spence
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

A review of the exploration, discovery, and characterization of highly concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained reservoir systems along the Eastern Continental Margin of India

The analysis of 3-D seismic data has become one of the most powerful ways to identify sand-rich gas hydrate reservoir systems and to directly identify highly concentrated gas hydrate prospects. Scientific drilling programs have shown that the occurrence of highly concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained, sand-rich, reservoir systems has a significant impact on the physical properti
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Krishan Chopra, Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Ray Boswell, William F. Waite, A. K. Misra, Pushpendra Kumar
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered gas hydrate resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of about 54 trillion cubic feet of gas resources within gas hydrates in the North Slope of Alaska.
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Kristen A. Lewis, Margarita V. Zyrianova, Seth S. Haines, Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Michael E. Brownfield, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Janet K. Pitman, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, David W. Houseknecht
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Downhole log evidence for the coexistence of structure II gas hydrate and free gas below the bottom simulating reflector in the South China Sea

Stratigraphic layered pore-filling gas hydrates are identified above the bottom simulating reflector (BSR) using the well log and core data acquired at Sites W11 and W17 during the third gas hydrate drilling expedition conducted by China's Geological Survey/Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey (GMGS3) in the South China Sea. A seismic profile near Site W17, reveal the presence of two BSRs (i.e., dou
Authors
Jin Qian, Xiujuan Wang, Timothy S. Collett, Yiqun Guo, Dongju Kang, Jiapeng Jin
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Gas hydrate in nature

Gas hydrate is a naturally occurring, ice-like substance that forms when water and gas combine under high pressure and at moderate temperatures. Methane is the most common gas present in gas hydrate, although other gases may also be included in hydrate structures, particularly in areas close to conventional oil and gas reservoirs. Gas hydrate is widespread in ocean-bottom sediments at water depths
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Gas Hydrates Project

The Gas Hydrates Project at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) focuses on the study of methane hydrates in natural environments. The project is a collaboration between the USGS Energy Resources and the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Programs and works closely with other U.S. Federal agencies, some State governments, outside research organizations, and international partners. The USGS studies the f
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution seismic characterization of the gas and gas hydrate system at Green Canyon 955, Gulf of Mexico, USA

The Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments at lease block Green Canyon 955 (GC955) in the Gulf of Mexico include sand-rich strata with high saturations of gas hydrate; these gas hydrate accumulations and the associated geology have been characterized over the past decade using conventional industry three-dimensional (3D) seismic data and dedicated logging-while-drilling (LWD) borehole data. To improve
Authors
Seth S. Haines, Patrick E. Hart, Timothy S. Collett, William Shedd, Matthew Frye, Paul Weimer, Ray Boswell
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Observed correlation between the depth to base and top of gas hydrate occurrence from review of global drilling data

A global inventory of data from gas hydrate drilling expeditions is used to develop relationships between the base of structure I gas hydrate stability, top of gas hydrate occurrence, sulfate-methane transition depth, pressure (water depth), and geothermal gradients. The motivation of this study is to provide first-order estimates of the top of gas hydrate occurrence and associated thickness of th
Authors
Michael Riedel, Timothy S. Collett
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

The Iġnik Sikumi Field Experiment, Alaska North Slope: Design, operations, and implications for CO2−CH4 exchange in gas hydrate reservoirs

The Iġnik Sikumi Gas Hydrate Exchange Field Experiment was conducted by ConocoPhillips in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and the U.S. Geological Survey within the Prudhoe Bay Unit on the Alaska North Slope during 2011 and 2012. The primary goals of the program were to (1) determine the feasibility of gas injection into hydrate-be
Authors
Ray Boswell, David Schoderbek, Timothy S. Collett, Satoshi Ohtsuki, Mark White, Brian J. Anderson
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Evaluation of gas production potential from gas hydrate deposits in National Petroleum Reserve Alaska using numerical simulations

An evaluation of the gas production potential of Sunlight Peak gas hydrate accumulation in the eastern portion of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA) of Alaska North Slope (ANS) is conducted using numerical simulations, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gas hydrate Life Cycle Assessment program. A field scale reservoir model for Sunlight Peak is developed using Advanced Process
Authors
Manish S. Nandanwar, Brian J. Anderson, Taiwo Ajayi, Timothy S. Collett, Margarita V. Zyrianova
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Below are news stories associated with this project.

 

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Drill Rig at the Mt. Elbert Test Site

Exploring Gas Hydrates as a Future Energy Source

In the past decade, the development of the Barnett, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, and other shales has dominated the national consciousness regarding natural gas. But in Alaska, another form of natural gas has been the focus of research for decades—methane hydrate.

By
Science for a Changing World
USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

The recently-published monograph entitled World Atlas of Submarine Gas Hydrates on Continental Margins compiles findings about gas hydrates offshore...

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USGS Estimates 53.8 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas Hydrate Resources in the Alaska North Slope

USGS Estimates 53.8 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas Hydrate Resources in the Alaska North Slope

Access to 3D seismic mapping, along with a greater understanding of gas hydrate reservoir properties, yields estimates that are more precise.

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Test Well Confirms Two Gas Hydrate Reservoirs in Alaska North Slope

Test Well Confirms Two Gas Hydrate Reservoirs in Alaska North Slope

In the far north of Alaska, near the giant Prudhoe Bay oil field, an international research consortium has been studying the potential of an...

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USGS in South Korea

USGS in South Korea

 For several years, KIGAM, the Korean Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, has hosted an international program for geoscience resources (IS...

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EarthWord–Gas Hydrate

EarthWord–Gas Hydrate

No, this EarthWord isn’t how natural gas quenches its thirst-it just sounds like it...

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When Ice Yields Fire

When Ice Yields Fire

When can ice yield fire? That’s the burning question at the heart of one of USGS’s longest-running research programs to date: the exploration of gas...

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EarthWord–Discovery

EarthWord–Discovery

Eureka often accompanies this EarthWord.

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Exploring Gas Hydrates as a Future Energy Source

Exploring Gas Hydrates as a Future Energy Source

In the past decade, the development of the Barnett, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, and other shales has dominated the national consciousness regarding natural...

Read Article
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