They are found abundantly worldwide in the top few hundred meters of sediment beneath continental margins at water depths between a few hundred and a few thousand feet. They are present to a lesser extent in permafrost sediments in Arctic areas.
In the marine environment the gas hydrate stability zone is determined by water depth, seafloor temperature, pore pressure, thermal gradient and the gas and fluid composition. The base of the zone in which hydrate can exist is limited by the increase in temperature with depth beneath the seabed.