Characteristics of hydrate-bound gas retrieved at the Kedr mud volcano (southern Lake Baikal).

ABSTRACT: We reported the characteristics of hydrate-bound hydrocarbons in lake-bottom sediments at the Kedr mud volcano in Lake Baikal. Twenty hydrate-bearing sediment cores were retrieved, and methane-stable isotopes of hydrate-bound gases (?¹³C and ?²H of?-?47.8‰ to?-?44.0‰ V-PDB and?-?280.5‰ to?-?272.8‰ V-SMOW, respectively) indicated their thermogenic origin accompanied with secondary microbial methane. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns of the crystals and molecular composition of the hydrate-bound gases suggested that structure II crystals showed a high concentration of ethane (around 14% of hydrate-bound hydrocarbons), whereas structure I crystals showed a relatively low concentration of ethane (2-5% of hydrate-bound hydrocarbons). These different crystallographic structures comprised complicated layers in the sub-lacustrine sediment, suggesting that the gas hydrates partly dissociate, concentrate ethane and form structure II crystals. We concluded that a high concentration of thermogenic ethane primarily controls the crystallographic structure of gas hydrates and that propane, iso-butane (2-methylpropane) and neopentane (2,2-dimethylpropane) are encaged into crystals in the re-crystallisation process.

SUBMITTER: Hachikubo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7479611 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature