3-D Images of a Large Pockmark from the Chatham Rise, New Zealand

Pockmarks have been observed on the Chatham Rise east of New Zealand over an area of >20,000 km2. Their formation has been linked primarily to gas hydrate dissociation during glacial-stage sealevel lowstands. We here show first images from a recent high-resolution 3D seismic images targeting the sub-surface structure of a giant pockmarks. Results show in particular that the pockmark may be underlain by a large gas chimney.