The National Methane Hydrates R&D Program
The DOE/JIP Gulf of Mexico Hydrate Research Cruise
Cruise Prospectus and Science Plan
The research expedition will study and characterize natural gas hydrates at two deep-water sites- Atwater Valley and Keathley Canyon -on the outer continental shelf. Two well pairs, each approximated 1,000 feet deep, are planned at each site in approximately 4,300 feet of water. Each pair will consist of a logging-while-drilling well and a nearby cored well for correlation to logging results and sample collection for scientific analysis. The drilling locations were selected based on previous project work to identify gas hydrate seismic indicators and interpret the geologic framework of the selected sites.
The "Cruise Prospectus" [PDF-827KB] provides an overall description of the cruise. This document includes the cruise and project objectives, the operations plan, the drilling and logging plan, the scientific objectives, the coring, sampling, and analysis strategy, a summary of the criteria for success, and a summary of the shipboard core logging equipment. The planned cruise timeline [PDF-13KB] provides the planned schedule of the cruise. The schedule may change without prior notification due weather conditions or other unplanned occurrences.
The documents listed below were created in PDF format from the spreadsheet referenced on page 8 of the "Cruise Prospectus" in the section labeled "Coring and Sampling Strategy". These documents describe the detailed coring program and scientific plan.
- Objectives Summary - This page provides brief descriptions of the science objective at each research site/hole.
- Experiments Summary - This is a table of planned experiments on samples and data collected during the cruise, at onshore laboratories and research facilities following the cruise.
- Well Locations - This table provides pre-cruise, geographic and spatial information for each of the planned sample
locations.
- Planning and Data Sheets
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