ABSTRACT

This phenomenon has been observed in oil drilling activities by many researchers (Makogon, 1981; Nimblett et al., 2005; Tan et al., 2005). Hydrate dissociation, induced through changes in sea level or rise in ocean bottom temperature, has been associated with large seafloor failure in the geologic past causing devastating tsunamis and widespread flooding (Carpenter, 1981; Kayen & Lee, 1991; Padden et al., 2001).