Seismic Data Processing Approaches for the Study of Gas Hydrates in the East China Sea

A comprehensive study of the data profiles, including the 2D seismic data, single channel seismic data, shallow sections, etc., reveals that gas hydrates occur in the East China Sea. A series of special techniques are used in the processing of seismic data, which include enhancing the accuracy of velocity analysis and resolution, estimating the wavelet, suppressing the multiple, preserving the relative amplitude, using the DMO and AVO techniques and some special techniques in dealing with the wave impedance. The existence of gas hydrates is reflected in the subbottom profiles in the appearance of BSRs, amplitude anomalies, velocity anomalies and AVO anomalies, etc. Hence the gas hydrates can be identified and predicted. It is pointed out that the East China Sea is a favorable area of the gas hydrates resource, and the Okinawa Trough is a target area of gas hydrates reservoir.