Regional Multibeam Surveys for Seep Hunting and Geochemical Sampling in Frontier Areas

H ydrocarbon-rich gases and fluids seep through the seafloor in many regions of the world. If these hydrocarbons are generated from leaking reservoirs, then there is much information to be gained for frontier oil and gas exploration. These seeps can physically modify the seafloor and create topographically-distinct features such as mud volcanoes, pockmarks and depressions, methane hydrate deposits, characteristic patterns of seafloor faulting, and other interpretable seabed morphology. Additionally, cold seeps have associated mineral deposits and aggregations of organisms, like cold seep clams and mussels, that are relatively hard and/or rough compared to the softer clay-rich seafloor around them. Finally, some seeps have gas bubbles and oil droplets migrating through the water column to form bubble plumes and oil slicks on the sea surface.