Sedimentary bottom simulating reflection muting—A new model of hydrate and fluid redistribution from the Pegasus Basin, New Zealand

Bottom simulating reflections (BSRs) interpreted in seismic data are one of the most used indicators for the presence of gas hydrates. In numerous hydrate provinces, including the Hikurangi margin, east of New Zealand, distinct and anomalous gaps in reflectivity punctuate otherwise continuous BSRs. We undertake a seismic stratigraphic and structural interpretation of a dense grid of two‐dimensional reflection seismic data to investigate possible causes of widespread BSR gaps that occur near the hinge area of synclines. We explain these BSR gaps with a tectono‐sedimentary model where sedimentation into accretionary wedge synclines leads to an upward migration of the base of gas hydrate stability with respect to stratigraphy, causing dissociation of gas hydrates to water and free gas. A trough‐shaped syncline's radially dipping beds promotes along‐strata, upward migration of gas away from the hinge area, incrementally depleting synclinal hinges of gas and resulting in a BSR gap or muted BSR. This model may be applicable to observed gaps in BSRs in tectonically active slope basins worldwide. Reflectivity gaps in across hydrate related bottom simulating reflections induce uncertainty around large‐scale estimations of gas hydrate occurrence. Using two‐dimensional seismic data from the southern Hikurangi subduction margin, we present a new model that explains the cause of BSR gaps within synclinal structures. The new model may have wide appliciability in hydrate provinces with similar tectonic histories