A Comparison of Gas Hydrate Petroleum Systems in Marine and Permafrost Regions

In this paper, we present for the first time, a classification system for naturally-occurring gas hydrate deposits existing in the permafrost and marine environment. This classification is relatively simple but highlights the salient features of a gas hydrate deposit which are important for their exploration and production such as location, porosity system, gas origin and migration path. We then show how this classification can be used to describe eight well-studied gas hydrate deposits in permafrost and marine environment. Potential implications of this classification are also discussed.