Site 996 is located above the Blake Diapir where numerous indications of vertical fluid migration and the presence of hydrate existed prior to Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 164. Direct sampling of hydrates and visual observations of hydrate-filled veins that could be traced 30-40 cm along cores suggest a connection between fluid migration and hydrate formation. The composition of pore water squeezed from sediment cores showed large variations due to melting of hydrate during core recovery and influence of saline water from the evaporitic diapir below. Analysis of water released during hydrate decomposition experiments showed that the recovered hydrates contained significant amounts of pore water. Solutions of the transport equations for deuterium (delta (super 2) H) and chloride (Cl (super -) ) were used to determine maximum (delta (super 2) H) and minimum (Cl (super -) ) in situ concentrations of these species. Minimum in situ concentrations of hydrate were estimated by combining these results with Cl (super -) and delta (super 2) H values measured on hydrate meltwaters and pore waters obtained by squeezing of sediments, by the means of a method based on analysis of distances in the two-dimensional Cl (super -) -delta (super 2) H space. The computed Cl (super -) and delta (super 2) H distribution indicates that the minimum hydrate amount solutions are representative of the actual hydrate amount. The highest and mean hydrate concentrations estimates from our model are 31% and 10% of the pore space, respectively. These concentrations agree well with visual core observations, supporting the validity of the model assumptions. The minimum in situ Cl (super -) concentrations were used to constrain the rates of upward fluid migration. Simulation of all available data gave a mean flow rate of 0.35 m/k.y. (range: 0.125-0.5 m/k.y.).