Mapping the distribution of methane hydrate beneath Woolsy Mound, Mississippi Canyon Block 118, Gulf of Mexico.

An active methane vent (Woolsey Mound) in Mississippi Canyon Block 118 (MC118), Gulf of Mexico, has been a focus of persistent research. This vent area contains both active and dormant vents and blocks of methane hydrate outcropping on the seafloor. In light of the large amount of collaborative work done by the Gulf of Mexico-Hydrate Research Consortium (GOM-HRC), surface characteristics and mound chemistry is understood, but the distribution of hydrate within the HSZ is unknown. High-frequency seismic imaging of the mound is hindered by the presence of free gas, hydrate, and biogenic carbonate blocks at the water bottom. By performing seismic attribute analyses on the high-frequency seismic data previously collected by the OMHRC and combining direct current resistivity data, the likely distribution consists of high-saturation methane hydrate in pockets along deep-seeded faults and low-saturation hydrate and disseminated free gas surrounding these faulted areas beneath Woolsey Mound.