DEFINITION OF GAS HYDRATES

Gas hydrates or clathrates are solid, ice-like

water-gas mixtures that form at cold temperatures

(40°F–43°F, or 4°F–6°C) and pressures above 50 atmospheres.

They form on deep marine continental margins and

in polar continental regions, often below the seafloor. The gas

component is typically methane but may also contain ethane,

propane, butane, carbon dioxide, or hydrogen sulfide, with

the gas occurring inside rigid cages of water molecules. The

methane is formed by anaerobic bacterial degradation of

organic material.

It is estimated that gas hydrates may contain twice the

amount of carbon known from all fossil fuel deposits on the

planet, and as such they represent a huge, virtually untapped

potential source of energy. However, the gases expand by

more than 150 times the volume of the hydrates, they are

located deep in the ocean, and methane is a significant greenhouse

gas. Therefore there are significant technical problems

to overcome before gas hydrates are widely mined as an energy

source.

See also HYDROCARBON.

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