Gas hydrate in the Faroe-Shetland Basin, offshore United Kingdom

We conduct the first comprehensive assessment of the hydrate system in the Faroe-Shetland Basin, offshore United Kingdom using well and seismic data from the petroleum industry and find that the hydrate systems in the Faroe-Shetland Basin are primarily microbial in origin. We also argue that there are hydrate systems similar to the Faroe-Shetland Basin across Europe's continental margins. In the Faroe-Shetland Basin, we find evidence for hydrate in 19 out of 20 wells (95%), however hydrate is mostly accumulated in discrete intervals at low concentrations. In addition, hydrate is not concentrated at the base of the hydrate stability zone. These observations from well data suggest that the hydrate system has a microbial source of gas. We identify and describe the first bottom simulating reflection (BSR), which is a seismic indicator of hydrate, in the United Kingdom. The BSR is spread across an area of 66 km 2 and has both continuous and discontinuous characteristics. We observe that the BSR is associated with normal faults that are not deep seated. The BSR is intersected by two low concentration hydrate bearing wells. Moreover, we observe that the root mean square amplitude values within the hydrate stability zone at the wells and in the area above the BSR is consistently low. This does not suggest a significant accumulation of hydrate above the BSR indicating that the gas source for the hydrate system is likely microbial origin. • We argue that the hydrate system in the Faroe-Shetland Basin is microbial in origin. • We suggest that microbial gas could be a significant source for hydrate systems across Europe. • We describe the first BSR in the Faroe-Shetland Basin. • We find hydrate in 95% petroleum industry wells in the Faroe-Shetland Basin.