Channel Confined Pockmarks - A Case Study from the Present Day Seafloor, Offshore Niger Delta

Using a 738 km2 3D seismic dataset from deep offshore Niger Delta, two types of channel confined pockmarks (channel-margin and intra-channel pockmarks) have been identified and imaged within a submarine channel on the present-day seafloor, offshore Niger delta. The channel-margin pockmarks are aligned along the inner channel margins while the intra-channel pockmarks are randomly distributed within the channel. Our study shows that the pockmarks and their distribution patterns are related to palaeo-channels within a shallow buried channel complex of Quaternary age, and could be useful in understanding fluid flow processes and migration pathways in the basin.