Gas Hydrates in Alaska 2019
Detailed Description
The Alaska North Slope is rich in gas hydrate-bearing formations which contain significant natural gas resources. The USGS has released a geologically based assessment for how much of these resources is technically recoverable.
53.8 trillion cubic feet
Estimate of the undiscovered technically recoverable amount of natural gas that is stored in hydrate-bearing formations in the Alaska North Slope.
35 years
Length of USGS Gas Hydrate Project in the Alaska North Slope.
200-1200m
Depth range where gas hydrate can be found in permafrost.
Ice and Fire
Gas hydrate crystalline structure holds natural gas in voids of rock formations.
Map of Alaska Northern Province with the following areas identified:
- Nanushuk Formation Gas Hydrate AU
- Tuluvak-Schrader Bluff-Prince Creek Formations Gas Hydrate AU
- Sagavanirktok Formation Gas Hydrate AU
Sources:
- https://www.usgs.gov/news/usgs-estimates-538-trillion-cubic-feet-natural-gas-hydrate-resources-alaska-north-slope
- https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2017/3080/fs20173080.pdf
Latest assessment at usgs.gov/gas-hydrates-ak-2019
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.
Assessment of Undiscovered Gas Hydrate Resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018
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.