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SO266
RV SONNE - Expedition SO266
Kaohsiung – Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
15.10. -18.11.2018
Taiwanese-German Expedition to study the influence of tectonic processes on hydrate distribution and dynamics southwest of Taiwan
Contact / Chief Scientists:
Gerhard Bohrmann (MARUM)
Saulwood Lin (NTU, Taipei)
Christian Berndt (GEOMAR)
Current Position of SONNE
SONNE with German Research Fleet Coordination Centre
The gas hydrate system off southwest Taiwan offers the unique opportunity to study the influence of the tectonic setting on gas hydrate dynamics. It extends on both sides of the deformation front that separates the passive continental margin of South China Sea from the active margin of the Manila Trench while maintaining its lithostratigraphy. Throughout the past 19 years numerous geophysical, geochemical, and sedimentological studies have been conducted in this area to make use of this unique tectonic setting. During cruise SO266 (15.10.-18.11.2018) we plan to drill four MeBo sites to make constrain quantitatively the geological processes that lead to gas hydrate formation and dissociation. This will also help in determining the gas hydrate resource potential of this continental margin. The main scientific aim of the proposed project is to test the hypothesis that fluid migration through thrust faults in the active continental margin lead to much higher gas hydrate concentrations than those that can be found in passive margin settings. Secondly, we will constrain the impact of different lithologies on gas hydrate variations in the passive margin Setting.