Assessment of Thermal State Based on the Depth of Gas Hydrate BSR of the Fold-Thrust System in the Gravity Driven Deformation Complex of the Krishna-Godavari Basin, Offshore Eastern-India

Abstract

The Krishna–Godavari (KG) Basin, located along the eastern coast of India, is one of the largest storehouses of methane gas hydrates in the world. The basin receives an enormous sediment load from the Krishna and Godavari rivers, creating favorable conditions for gas hydrate formation. Gas hydrates are considered a potential future energy resource due to their high methane content; however, their dissociation under changing thermal or pressure conditions can release large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, posing significant climatic and geohazard risks. Following the NGHP-01 and NGHP-02 expeditions, several studies have focused on characterizing hydrate concentrations, measuring heat flow, and identifying associated geo- hazards. However, most of these studies have been limited by the lack of high-resolution three-dimensional seismic data. This study, advances the current understanding of the basin’s geothermal setting by integrating high-resolution 3D seismic data with 3-D FEM. This approach allows for a more accurate reconstruction of the thermal regime and provides new insights into the nature of the Bottom Simulating Reflector (BSR), slope stability, and fluid flow patterns within the basin. The results contribute to developing an improved thermal model for the KG Basin and enhance our understanding of the controls governing gas hydrate stability and associated geohazards.