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Article: Gauging gas reserves. (natural gas reserves measured directly)(Earth Science)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- February 15, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The first direct measurement of natural gas imprisoned in sediment beneath a portion of the ocean floor has added fuel to a debate about the magnitude of such gas reserves worldwide.
Scientists drilled hundreds of meters into the ocean bed in two spots on Blake Ridge, 3 kilometers below the ocean surface off the coast of North Carolina. Samples revealed an abundance of methane hydrate, a solid formed when high pressure and low temperature lock methane in ice (SN: 11/9/96, p. 298). The researchers also found free methane beneath that layer, in concentrations about 10 times previous estimates.
The study, published in the Jan. 30 Nature, indicates that a ...