Crustal fingering facilitates free-gas methane migration through the hydrate stability zone.

ABSTRACT: Widespread seafloor methane venting has been reported in many regions of the world oceans in the past decade. Identifying and quantifying where and how much methane is being released into the ocean remains a major challenge and a critical gap in assessing the global carbon budget and predicting future climate [C. Ruppel, J. D. Kessler. Rev. Geophys. 55, 126-168 (2017)]. Methane hydrate ([Formula: see text]) is an ice-like solid that forms from methane-water mixture under elevated-pressure and low-temperature conditions typical of the deep marine settings (>600-m depth), often referred to as the hydrate stability zone (HSZ). Wide-ranging field evidence indicates that methane seepage often coexists with hydrate-bearing sediments within the HSZ, suggesting that hydrate formation may play an i

SUBMITTER: Fu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7749334 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature