Warming the fuel for the fire: Evidence for the thermal dissociation of methane hydrate during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum

Research Article| December 01, 2002 Warming the fuel for the fire: Evidence for the thermal dissociation of methane hydrate during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum Deborah J. Thomas; Deborah J. Thomas 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3315, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James C. Zachos; James C. Zachos 2Earth Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Timothy J. Bralower; Timothy J. Bralower 3Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3315, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ellen Thomas; Ellen Thomas 4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06549-0139, USA and Center for the Study of Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Steven Bohaty Steven Bohaty 5Earth Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Deborah J. Thomas 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3315, USA James C. Zachos 2Earth Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Timothy J. Bralower 3Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3315, USA Ellen Thomas 4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06549-0139, USA and Center for the Study of Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA Steven Bohaty 5Earth Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 07 May 2002 Revision Received: 05 Aug 2002 Accepted: 13 Aug 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (12): 1067–1070. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 07 May 2002 Revision Received: 05 Aug 2002 Accepted: 13 Aug 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 Deborah J. Thomas, James C. Zachos, Timothy J. Bralower, Ellen Thomas, Steven Bohaty; Warming the fuel for the fire: Evidence for the thermal dissociation of methane hydrate during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum. Geology 2002;; 30 (12): 1067–1070. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.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 Dramatic warming and upheaval of the carbon system at the end of the Paleocene Epoch have been linked to massive dissociation of sedimentary methane hydrate. However, testing the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum hydrate dissociation hypothesis has been hindered by the inability of available proxy records to resolve the initial sequence of events. The cause of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum carbon isotope excursion remains speculative, primarily due to uncertainties in the timing and duration of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum. We present new high-resolution stable isotope records based on analyses of single planktonic and benthic foraminiferal shells from Ocean Drilling Program Site 690 (Weddell Sea, Southern Ocean), demonstrating that the initial carbon isotope excursion was geologically instantaneous and was preceded by a brief period of gradual surface-water warming. Both of these findings support the thermal dissociation of methane hydrate as the cause of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum carbon isotope excursion. Furthermore, the data reveal that the methane-derived carbon was mixed from the surface ocean downward, suggesting that a significant fraction of the initial dissociated hydrate methane reached the atmosphere prior to oxidation. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.