Stability and composition of CH4-rich clathrate hydrates in the present martian subsurface

Gloesener, Elodie; Karatekin, Özgür; Déhant, V.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114099

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…[8][9][10][11][12] These compounds are naturally present in permafrost regions of Earth (such as Antarctica and Greenland) and in ocean sediments and are also expected to be in astrophysical environments such as Titan's atmosphere, Mars polar caps and icy comets. 13,14 Although many types of clathrate hydrate structures are in principle plausible, only a limited number of them occur in nature: the cubic structures sI and sII and the hexagonal structure sH. 15 All three classes consist of a hydrogen-bonded water framework composed by different building blocks (see Fig.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of DFT approaches in noble gas clathrate-like clusters: stability and thermodynamics

Yanes-Rodríguez

Prosmiti

2022

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.

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confidence: 99%

Assessment of DFT approaches in noble gas clathrate-like clusters: stability and thermodynamics

Yanes-Rodríguez

Prosmiti

2022

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.

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“…This rate is consistent with liberal estimates of the maximum methane production rate by serpentinization reactions on Mars (Stevens et al., 2015) in addition to measurements of methanogenic microbes at depth in Mars‐analog terrestrial settings (Colwell et al., 2008; Onstott et al., 2006). Methane‐clathrate‐hydrate (MCH) reservoirs have also been hypothesized as a potential source of methane (Gloesener, 2019; Gloesener et al., 2021; Pla‐García et al., 2019), though the associated release of methane would likely be episodic and therefore not well‐represented by a continuous subsurface source. Our model assumes direct source rock‐to‐seepage pathway similar to that described in Etiope et al.…”

Section: Methods: Fractured‐rock Heat and Mass Transport Simulations ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sub‐Diurnal Methane Variations on Mars Driven by Barometric Pumping and Planetary Boundary Layer Evolution

Ortiz,

Rajaram,

Stauffer

et al. 2024

JGR Planets

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In recent years, the Tunable Laser Spectrometer within the Sample Analysis at Mars (TLS‐SAM) instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected methane variations in the atmosphere at Gale crater. Methane concentrations appear to fluctuate seasonally as well as sub‐diurnally, which is difficult to reconcile with an as‐yet‐unknown transport mechanism delivering the gas from underground to the atmosphere. To potentially explain the fluctuations, we consider barometrically induced transport of methane from an underground source to the surface, modulated by temperature‐dependent adsorption. The subsurface fractured‐rock seepage model is coupled to a simplified 1‐D atmospheric mixing model to provide insights on the pattern of atmospheric methane concentrations in response to transient surface methane emissions, as well as to predict sub‐diurnal variation in methane abundance for the northern summer period, which is a candidate time frame for a MSL Curiosity sampling campaign. Our analysis suggests that there is a lower limit to the subsurface fracture density that can produce the observed methane patterns, below which the atmospheric methane variations would be out of phase with the observations. The best‐performing model scenarios indicate a significant, short‐lived methane pulse just prior to sunrise, the detection of which by TLS‐SAM would be a potential indicator of the contribution of barometric pumping to Mars' atmospheric methane variations.

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“…Their density, and therefore whether they sink or float, depends on the relative incorporation of CO 2 and CH 4 as the guest molecules in the clathrate structure. To calculate the clathrate's density and the fraction of guest species incorporated in the clathrate phase from a specified initial gas composition at given temperature and pressure, we follow the approach from Gloesener et al (2021). Full details of the approach are in Appendix B.…”

Section: Ocean Freezing and Clathrate Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, it seems plausible that most N 2 would escape enclathration within a primordial Plutonian ocean (Kamata et al 2019). Future work should seek to quantify the extent and implications of N 2 and H 2 clathrate formation (which requires ∼16 MPa and >200 MPa at 273 K to form single component clathrates but needs lower pressures if these guest species are incorporated in small quantities within CO 2 and/or CH 4 clathrates; Sloan & Koh 2007;Gloesener et al 2021), as well as determine whether there are any evolution pathways that may lead to high molalities of species like CO or H 2 S, in the ocean.…”

Section: Modeling Assumptions and Uncertaintiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To calculate the fraction of guest species incorporated in the clathrate phase from a specified initial gas composition at a given temperature and pressure, we follow an approach previously used to determine the composition of clathrate hydrates in Martian conditions (Gloesener et al 2021). This model is based on the statistical thermodynamic method developed by van der Waals & Platteeuw (1958), which requires the following assumptions (Sloan & Koh 2007):…”

Section: Appendix a Geochemical Modeling Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Timing and Abundance of Clathrate Formation Control Ocean Evolution in Outer Solar System Bodies: Challenges of Maintaining a Thick Ocean within Pluto

Courville,

Castillo-Rogez,

Daswani

et al. 2023

Planet. Sci. J.

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Clathrate hydrates may represent a sizable fraction of material within the icy shells of Kuiper Belt objects and icy moons. They influence the chemical and thermal evolution of subsurface oceans by locking volatiles into the ice shell and by providing more thermal insulation than pure water ice. We model the formation of these crystalline compounds in conditions relevant to outer solar system objects, using Pluto as an example. Although Pluto may have hosted a thick ocean in its early history, Pluto’s overall heat budget is probably insufficient to preserve liquid today if its outer shell is pure water ice. One previously proposed reconciliation is that Pluto’s ocean has a winter jacket: an insulating layer of methane clathrate hydrates. Unfortunately, assessments of the timing, quantity, and type of clathrate hydrates forming within planetary bodies are lacking. Our work quantifies the abundance of clathrate-forming gases present in Pluto’s ocean from accreted ices and volatiles released during thermal metamorphism throughout Pluto’s history. We find that if Pluto formed with the same relative abundances of ices found in comets, then a buoyant layer of mixed methane and carbon dioxide clathrate hydrates may form above Pluto’s ocean, though we find it insufficient to preserve a thick ocean today. In general, our study provides methodology for predicting clathrate formation in ocean worlds, which is necessary to predict the evolution of the ocean’s composition and whether a liquid layer remains at present.

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Stability and composition of CH4-rich clathrate hydrates in the present martian subsurface

Cited by 5 publications

References 61 publications

Assessment of DFT approaches in noble gas clathrate-like clusters: stability and thermodynamics

Assessment of DFT approaches in noble gas clathrate-like clusters: stability and thermodynamics

Sub‐Diurnal Methane Variations on Mars Driven by Barometric Pumping and Planetary Boundary Layer Evolution

Timing and Abundance of Clathrate Formation Control Ocean Evolution in Outer Solar System Bodies: Challenges of Maintaining a Thick Ocean within Pluto

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