USGS - science for a changing world

USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program

Field Activity Details for field activity 2023-021-FA

View new CMGDS report form

Other ID: GOM2-2

Status: Completed

Organization(s): USGS, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Funding Program(s): USGS GAS HYDRATES (LQ000FP)

Principal Investigator(s): Stephen Phillips

Affiliate Investigator(s): William Waite

Information Specialist(s): William Waite

Data Type(s): Sampling: Geology

Scientific Purpose/Goals: Scientific purpose is summarized from the cruise overview available at: https://ig.utexas.edu/energy/gom2-methane-hydrates-at-the-university-of-texas/gom2-2-expedition/ The underlying goal of the UT-GOM2-2 effort was two-fold. As noted in the project prospectus, In the shallow subsurface, the goal was to constrain the flux of carbon from the sediment into the ocean and determine whether there have been recent temperature perturbations at the ocean floor. Drilling and coring more deeply, the project will collect material from muds as well as gas hydrate-bearing sands. Again, as noted in the prospectus, "Through sampling of the microbes, and analysis of the surrounding pore fluid, we will illuminate the depths and rates at which microbes are generating methane beneath the seafloor. Our analyses will inform biological, geochemical, and geomechanical models to constrain the role of gas hydrates in the carbon cycle and the potential for gas hydrates as an energy resource."

Vehicle(s):

Start Port/Location: Port Fourchon, Louisiana

End Port/Location: Port Fourchon, Louisiana

Start Date: 2023-07-29

End Date: 2023-10-04

Equipment Used: Rotary core, Piston corer, Corer - pressure

Information to be Derived: USGS-derived data will be included here as the measurement results become available.

Summary of Activity and Data Gathered: Project scientists participated in the summer 2023 drilling expedition to sample gas hydrates from a sand-rich layers over 1000 feet below the seafloor of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The expedition, which was led by the University of Texas-Austin and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, focused on sampling dipping hydrate-bearing sand layers trapped between clay-rich layers during a site selection process led by the USGS Gas Hydrates Project more than a decade ago. Project scientists led pressure core analysis, gas sampling, and curation during the offshore expedition. During the post-expedition phase, Project scientists led sampling of all recovered core material and have started analyses on the sediments and gases retrieved during the drilling. Updates on project findings, products and data will be posted by the project owners (University of Texas) at: https://ig.utexas.edu/energy/gom2-methane-hydrates-at-the-university-of-texas/gom2-2-expedition/

Staff: Stephen Phillips

Affiliate Staff:

Notes: The GOM2-2 project was supported by the Department of Energy, with the University of Texas as the science lead. Conventional and Pressure cores were acquired through a gas hydrate-bearing reservoir in the Terrebonne Basin within the Walker Ridge 313 (WR313) lease block in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Through our partnership with U. Texas, S. Phillips participated in the onboard pressure core analysis. S. Phillips and W. Waite participated in the post-cruise, onshore processing of conventionalized and pressure core.

Post-cruise publications will be link when they become available. For the most up-to-date information, the University of Texas hosts a site with the cruise reports, shipboard data, and links to various publications and datasets:

https://ig.utexas.edu/energy/gom2-methane-hydrates-at-the-university-of-texas/gom2-2-expedition/

Location:

Gulf of Mexico

Boundaries
North: 26.66291802 South: 26.66228414 West: -91.67608256 East: -91.6760624

Platform(s):

photo of Q4000
Q4000

Publications

Cook, A., Collett, T., Phillips, S., Flemings, P., Thomas, C., 2024, Comparing High Saturation Hydrate-bearing Sand Reservoirs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: , AGU Fall Meeting 2024. URL: https://agu.confex.com/agu/agu24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1562359.

Tozier, K., Johnson, J.E., Phillips, S.C., Purkey Phillips, M., Bartlett, M., 2024, Investigating Late Pleistocene to Recent Bimodal Sedimentation in the Terrebonne Basin, Gulf of Mexico: , AGU Fall Meeting 2024. URL: https://agu.confex.com/agu/agu24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1643118.

Portals/Viewers

Data Acquired

Survey EquipmentSurvey InfoData Type(s)Data Collected
Rotary coreUpdates on project findings, products and data will be posted by the project owners (University of Texas) at: https://ig.utexas.edu/energy/gom2-methane-hydrates-at-the-university-of-texas/gom2-2-expedition/Geology
Piston corerUpdates on project findings, products and data will be posted by the project owners (University of Texas) at: https://ig.utexas.edu/energy/gom2-methane-hydrates-at-the-university-of-texas/gom2-2-expedition/Geology
Corer - pressureUpdates on project findings, products and data will be posted by the project owners (University of Texas) at: https://ig.utexas.edu/energy/gom2-methane-hydrates-at-the-university-of-texas/gom2-2-expedition/Geology

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
Questions or Comments? Contact CMGDS Team
https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov