Hydrates of natural gas; a review of their geologic occurrence

Kvenvolden, Keith A.; McMenamin, Mark A. S.

doi:10.3133/cir825

Cited by 115 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…4) (24). Gas hydrates commonly overlie or occur near thermogenic reservoirs, such as in the Gulf of Mexico and the western margin of North America, with subsurface connectivity between the reservoirs (25,26).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatically driven emissions of hydrocarbons from marine sediments during deglaciation

Hill

Kennett²,

Valentine³

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Marine hydrocarbon seepage emits oil and gas, including methane (Ϸ30 Tg of CH4 per year), to the ocean and atmosphere. Sediments from the California margin contain preserved tar, primarily formed through hydrocarbon weathering at the sea surface. We present a record of variation in the abundance of tar in sediments for the past 32,000 years, providing evidence for increases in hydrocarbon emissions before and during Termination IA [16,000 years ago (16 ka) to 14 ka] and again over Termination IB (11-10 ka). Our study provides direct evidence for increased hydrocarbon seepage associated with deglacial warming through tar abundance in marine sediments, independent of previous geochemical proxies. Climate-sensitive gas hydrates may modulate thermogenic hydrocarbon seepage during deglaciation.methane ͉ paleoclimate ͉ Quaternary climate ͉ hydrate ͉ tar

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatically driven emissions of hydrocarbons from marine sediments during deglaciation

Hill

Kennett²,

Valentine³

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Hence, most slopes found in water deeper than 400 to 500 m have a sea-floor pressure and temperature environment within the stable phase for gas-hydrate formation. To produce a marine gas hydrate, water molecules bond to form a cubic lattice structure within which individual gas molecules, primarily methane, are caged (Kvenvolden and McMenamin, 1980). The resulting structure densely packs natural gas molecules in a configuration that is far tighter than would exist in free gas at the same pressure and temperature.…”

Section: The Formation Of Gas Hydratementioning

confidence: 99%

Submarine landslides: Selected studies in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone

Schwab¹,

Lee²,

Twichell³

1993

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“…Most hydrates have been found in deep ocean sediments where there is a sufficient supply of methane and where pressure and temperature ranges between 0.2 -5 MPa and 0 -25°C, respectively, as per Kvenvolden and McMenamin (1980). World storage of the hydrates has been estimated to range from 10 18 to 10 19 g (e.g., Milkov 2004;Kvenvolden 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One volume of hydrate can contain up to 164 volumes of free gas (Kvenvolden 1993), therefore is a very condensed form of gas. The hydrates and any free gas trapped below the hydrate stability field may provide a significant hydrocarbon resource in the future (Kvenvolden and McMenamin 1980;Kvenvolden 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Methane hydrate in marine sediments may form a significant global sink of methane, a gas that is about 20 times more effective as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Variations in waterbottom temperature or the position of the sea level may influence the stability of hydrate, and in some cases, could result in the release of additional methane into the atmosphere and potentially influence climate (Kvenvolden and McMenamin 1980;Kvenvolden 1993). In addition, as the submarine accretionary prism grows or even emerges from the sea, some hydrates will decompose into gases and get released into the atmosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gas Hydrate Stability Zone in Offshore Southern Taiwan

Chi¹,

Reed²,

Tsai³

2006

Terr. Atmos. Ocean. Sci.

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Methane hydrates are considered a major potential source of hydrocarbon energy and could be important in meeting natural gas demand in the future. To study the feasibility of recovering methane from the offshore southern Taiwan region and its impact on many geological processes, it is necessary to know the total amount of hydrate in the region; something that is still unclear. Here we take the first step using a bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) to estimate the total volume of the stability field that can hold hydrates in the sediments offshore of southern Taiwan. We used a dense grid of 6-channel and 120-channel reflection profiles to study the distribution and sub-bottom depth of a BSR. BSRs are marked by a reversed polarity reflector that increases in sub-bottom depth with increasing water depth, suggesting that BSRs mark the base of methane hydrate stability zones. For offshore Taiwan a BSR is located in offscraped sediments derived from the Taiwan orogen and the Chinese continental margin. These sediments may have high amounts of organic carbon, thereby providing a source for the methane. We document the areal extent and subbottom depth of BSRs covering a 45000 km 2 -wide region. The BSRs were classified into three categories based on how well they fit the seismic characteristics of the BSR associated with hydrates. Q1 BSR fits with all the expected seismic attributes to be found at the base of a hydrate boundary, while Q2 and Q3 BSRs are possible and probable reflectors resulting from such a boundary. We then estimate the volume of the hydrate stability zone bounded between the seafloor and the mapped BSRs in the offshore region.Terr. Atmos. Ocean. Sci., Vol. 17, No. 4, December 2006 830 At least 1023 km 3 of the hydrate stability field is underlain by the highest quality BSRs while as much as 11522 km 3 is underlain by all mapped BSRs. We then speculated on the total amount of hydrate stored in the region using published regional porosity-depth relations and assuming a range of saturation values of hydrates in the pore spaces. Hydrate storage can be better estimated once additional porosity and saturation information becomes available.

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Hydrates of natural gas; a review of their geologic occurrence

Cited by 115 publications

References 30 publications

Climatically driven emissions of hydrocarbons from marine sediments during deglaciation

Climatically driven emissions of hydrocarbons from marine sediments during deglaciation

Submarine landslides: Selected studies in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone

Gas Hydrate Stability Zone in Offshore Southern Taiwan

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