Escape of methane gas through sediment waves in a large methane hydrate province

Research Article| May 01, 2002 Escape of methane gas through sediment waves in a large methane hydrate province W.S. Holbrook; W.S. Holbrook 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar D. Lizarralde; D. Lizarralde 2School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar I.A. Pecher; I.A. Pecher 3Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78759–8345, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A.R. Gorman; A.R. Gorman 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K.L. Hackwith; K.L. Hackwith 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M. Hornbach; M. Hornbach 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar D. Saffer D. Saffer 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information W.S. Holbrook 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA D. Lizarralde 2School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA I.A. Pecher 3Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78759–8345, USA A.R. Gorman 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA K.L. Hackwith 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA M. Hornbach 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA D. Saffer 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 11 Oct 2001 Revision Received: 11 Jan 2002 Accepted: 15 Jan 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (5): 467–470. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0467:EOMGTS>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 11 Oct 2001 Revision Received: 11 Jan 2002 Accepted: 15 Jan 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation W.S. Holbrook, D. Lizarralde, I.A. Pecher, A.R. Gorman, K.L. Hackwith, M. Hornbach, D. Saffer; Escape of methane gas through sediment waves in a large methane hydrate province. Geology 2002;; 30 (5): 467–470. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0467:EOMGTS>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Despite paleoceanographic evidence that large quantities of methane have escaped from marine gas hydrates into the oceans, the sites and mechanisms of methane release remain largely speculative. New seismic data from the Blake Ridge, a hydrate-bearing drift deposit in the western Atlantic, show clear evidence for methane release and suggest a new mechanism by which methane gas can escape, without thermal or mechanical disruption of the hydrate-bearing layer. Rapid, post–2.5 Ma formation of large sediment waves and associated seafloor erosion created permeable pathways connecting free gas to the seafloor, allowing methane gas expulsion. The amount of missing methane, 0.6 Gt, is equivalent to ∼12% of total present-day atmospheric methane. Our results imply that significant amounts of methane gas can bypass the hydrate stability zone and escape into the ocean. Mechanisms of tapping methane directly from the free-gas zone, such as widespread seafloor erosion, should be considered when seeking the causes of large negative carbon isotope excursions in the geological record. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.