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Investigation of Possible Shallow Gas Accumulations Associated with Pockmarks on the Otago Slope Southeast of New Zealand

High-resolution ‘boomer’ seismic data, together with an industrial 3D seismic dataset indicate the possible presence of shallow gas in the vicinity of the Waitaki Canyon, SE of New Zealand’s South Island. Crescent-shaped seafloor depressions are abundant on the marginal extent of the Otago canyon system in water depths between 500 and 1100 m. Fluids seeping through the seabed, potentially forming pockmarks, play a crucial role in seabed ecological systems and can be used to investigate the distribution of hydrocarbons in underlying geological units. Recently acquired 3D seismic data in the Canterbury frontier basin exhibit the first indications of shallow gas in the region. Two areas with shallow high-amplitude reversed phase reflections were identified and targeted for a high-resolution 2D seismic survey. The 2D data, acquired by the University of Otago in 2017, show reduced amplitudes beneath the bright spots (as also observed in the 3D data). Above the bright spots, bathymetry data show crescent-shaped seafloor depressions, which were most likely modified by northward flowing currents. Both recent and buried seafloor depressions along the shelf exhibit the same northward facing crescent form that we associate with water current modification. Water column imaging data reveal no evidence for present-day seepage of gas through the seabed. An ongoing programme of 2D seismic and bathymetry data collection is underway. High-density velocity analysis and amplitude variations with offset (AVO) will be assessed around the bright spots using several in- and crosslines from the 3D data.