Geochemical and Mineralogical Indicators for Quantitative Reconstruction of Methane Seepage History in Marine Cold Seeps with Applications to Petroleum Exploration

Marine cold seeps are natural archives of methane seepage history, the quantitative reconstruction of which is crucial for hydrocarbon exploration and gas hydrate assessment. This review integrates two complementary approaches: ۱) the use of iron-bearing minerals (such as greigite and authigenic magnetite) as sensitive indicators of diagenetic conditions and seepage intensity, and ۲) quantitative reaction-transport modeling (RTM) for estimating methane flux from the volume of precipitated carbonates. The results demonstrate that the paragenesis of these minerals, combined with RTM models, provides a powerful multi-proxy framework for identifying hydrocarbon migration pathways, assessing seal integrity, and delineating prospective exploration areas. This integrated approach establishes a critical link between surficial geochemistry and deep hydrocarbon systems, serving as an effective tool for reducing exploration risk.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cold seep ، Methane ، Iron-bearing minerals ، Authigenic carbonate ، Reaction-transport modeling ، Oil and gas exploration