NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE PORE-SCALE INVESTIGATION OF PERMAFROST AND GAS HYDRATE SEDIMENTS

Abstract

Permafrost is a ubiquitous feature of arctic landmasses, and natural gas hydrate occurrence is widespread in the arctic and beneath the sea floor on continental slopes at all latitudes. The mechanical, thermal and hydraulic properties of the subsurface are profoundly modified by ice and hydrate. Nuclear magnetic resonance is a relatively recent addition to the measurement methods used to characterize recovered samples. This review shows how magnetic resonance has been used in two field studies to quantify frozen and unfrozen components of the sediment pore space, to understand the growth habit of ice and hydrate in rock and sediments, and to estimate hydraulic permeability. © The Geological Society of London 2006.