BOEM recently participated in the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX) project that collected over 2,000 line km of marine seismic data on the Atlantic OCS. Data acquired in the U.S. Geological Survey-led project in August 2018 reveal new information about the distribution of gas hydrates in the sector stretching from the upper continental slope to deep water areas offshore New Jersey to North Carolina. The MATRIX data image 1 to 3 km (about 3,300 to 9,800 ft) below the seafloor and provide new information about the distribution of a key seismic indicator linked to the presence of gas hydrate. The data also reveal structural features beneath some of the hundreds of seafloor methane seeps discovered along the margin since 2011 and image submarine landslide deposits, shallow faults, and sedimentary markers considered important in interpreting the history of the Atlantic Ocean basin.
The MATRIX project was jointly sponsored by the USGS Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP), the Methane Hydrates R&D Program at the Department of Energy, and the Bureau of Ocean Management. Additional information about the MATRIX project can be found in a Fire in the Ice article at the DOE website.