Deposition processes of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the inter-canyon area of Shenhu Area in the northern South China Sea

The Shenhu Submarine Canyon Group on the northern slope of the South China Sea consists of 17 slope-confined canyons, providing a good example for investigating their hosting sediments. Three drilling sites, including W07, W18, and W19, have proven the occurrence of gas hydrate reservoirs in the inter-canyon area between canyons C11 and C12. Whereas, variations of the geomorphology and seismic facies analyzed by high-resolution 3D seismic data indicate that the gas hydrate-bearing sediments may form in different sedimentary processes. In the upper segment, a set of small-scale channels with obvious topographic lows can be identified, revealing fine-grained turbidites supplied from the shelf region during a very short-term sea-level lowstand. In the middle part, gas hydrate units at Site W07 showing mounded or undulation external configuration are interpreted as sliding sedimentary features, and those features caused by gravity destabilization were the main formative mechanism of gas hydrate-bearing sediments that were sourced from the upper segments. In contrast, for the canyon transition zone of lower segments between C11–C12 inter-canyon and C12 intra-canyon areas, where W18 and W19 sites are located, the gas hydrate-bearing sediments are deposited in the channelized feature in the middle to lower segment and slide erosive surface. Gas hydrate-bearing sediments of the lower segment were migrated through channelized features interconnecting with the middle to lower slope by gravity-driven flows. The majority of deposits tended to be furtherly moved by lateral migration via erosive surface created by sediment failed to intra-canyon area. The conclusion of this study may help better understand the interaction between the formation mechanism of gas hydrate-bearing sediments and the geomorphologic effects of inter-canyon areas.