Formation temperatures of thermogenic and biogenic methane
Science
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Abstract
Methane is an important greenhouse gas and energy resource generated dominantly by methanogens at low temperatures and through the breakdown of organic molecules at high temperatures. However, methane-formation temperatures in nature are often poorly constrained. We measured formation temperatures of thermogenic and biogenic methane using a “clumped isotope” technique. Thermogenic gases yield formation temperatures between 157° and 221°C, within the nominal gas window, and biogenic gases yield formation temperatures consistent with their comparatively lower-temperature formational environments (<50°C). In systems where gases have migrated and other proxies for gas-generation temperature yield ambiguous results, methane clumped-isotope temperatures distinguish among and allow for independent tests of possible gas-formation models.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Formation temperatures of thermogenic and biogenic methane |
| Series title | Science |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.1254509 |
| Volume | 344 |
| Issue | 6191 |
| Year Published | 2014 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| Contributing office(s) | Central Energy Resources Science Center |
| Description | 4 p. |
| First page | 1500 |
| Last page | 1503 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |