Influence of shallow gas on the geotechnical properties of pockmark soil: A case study in the East China Sea

Abstract Several incidents involving damage to submarine pipelines indicate that there will be potential hazards for many submarine structures if the geotechnical properties of the soil in pockmarks remain unclear. Based on a geophysical survey, geological drilling, in-situ measurement, and shallow gas eruption experiment, two large pockmarks near the Zhongjieshan Archipelago in the East China Sea were analyzed comprehensively. The geophysical and in-situ data indicated that the soil below the two pockmarks contains free or dissolved shallow gas, which continues to migrate upward from the deep zones, but there is no high-pressure gas reservoir in the pockmark soil. In-situ piezocone data, geotechnical results, and shallow gas eruption experiments have demonstrated that the pockmark soil has strengthened mechanical properties and zoning characteristics. After analyzing the pockmark soil in the area where the study was conducted, it was concluded that the pockmark soil in this area is not suitable for the accumulation of high-pressure, shallow gas. It also was concluded that the pockmark soil had stronger mechanical properties than virgin sediment due to the compaction of the soil caused by the eruption of the shallow gas. The zoning characteristics of pockmark soil are due to the regional differences in the ability of shallow gas to carry soil particles, which is a new finding that is worthy of attention in off-shore engineering.