Possible deep-water gas hydrate accumulations in the Bering Sea

Seismic reflection images from the deep-water Aleutian and Bowers Basins
of the Bering Sea contain many hundreds of acoustic Velocity-AMPlitude
(VAMP) anomalies, each of which may represent a large accumulation of
natural gas hydrate. Against a backdrop of essentially horizontal sedimentary
reflections, the VAMP anomalies stand out as both high-amplitude bright
spots and zones of vertically aligned horizon distortions. The VAMPs are
interpreted as natural gas chimneys overlain by concentrated hydrate caps.