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1.
Groundwaters in the confined aquifers of the Chianan and Ilan coastal plains of Taiwan are rich in dissolved methane (CH4). Serious endemic “blackfoot disease”, which occurred in the Chianan plain, especially during AD1950-1970, has been demonstrated to have arisen from drinking highly reducing groundwater with abnormal arsenic and humic substance levels. In order to explore the origin of CH4 and its hydrological implications, stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) and radiocarbon (14C) ages of exsolved CH4, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and sedimentary biogenic sediments from a total of 34 newly completed water wells at 16 sites were determined. The main results obtained are as follows: (1) The δ13CCH4 (−65‰ to −75‰) values indicate that, except for one thermogenic sample (δ13CCH4=38.2‰) from the Ilan plain, all CH4 samples analyzed were produced via microbially mediated CO2 reduction. Many δ13CDIC values are considerably greater than −10‰ and even up to 10‰ due to Rayleigh enrichment during CO2 reduction. (2) Almost all the 14C ages of CH4 samples from the shallow aquifer (I) (<60 m depth) are greater than the 14C ages of coexisting DIC and sediments, suggesting the presence of CH4 from underlying aquifers. (3) The 14C ages of coexisting CH4, DIC and sediments from aquifer (II) of the Chianan plain are essentially equal, reflecting in-situ generation of CH4 and DIC from decomposition of sedimentary organic matter and sluggishness of the groundwater flow. On the other hand, both CH4 and DIC from each individual well of the relatively deep aquifers (III) and (IV) in the Chianan plain are remarkably younger than the deposition of their coexisting sediments, indicating that current groundwaters entered these two aquifers much later than the deposition of aquifer sediments. (4) Each CH4 sample collected from the Ilan plain is older than coexisting DIC, which in turn is distinctly older than the deposition of respective aquifer sediments, demonstrating the presence of much older CO2 and CH4 from underlying strata.  相似文献   

2.
Carbon isotope fractionation factors reported for aerobic bacterial oxidation of CH4(αCH4-CO2) range from 1.003 to 1.039. In a series of experiments designed to monitor changes in the carbon isotopic fractionation of CH4 by Type I and Type II methanotrophic bacteria, we found that the magnitude of fractionation was largely due to the first oxidation step catalyzed by methane monooxygenase (MMO). The most important factor that modulates the (αCH4-CH3OH) is the fraction of the total CH4 oxidized per unit time, which strongly correlates to the cell density of the growth cultures under constant flow conditions. At cell densities of less than 0.1 g/L, fractionation factors greater than 1.03 were observed, whereas at cell densities greater than 0.5 g/L the fractionation factors decreased to as low as 1.002. At low cell densities, low concentrations of MMO limit the amount of CH4 oxidized, while at higher cell densities, the overall rates of CH4 oxidation increase sufficiently that diffusion of CH4 from the gaseous to dissolved state and into the cells is likely the rate-determining step. Thus, the residual CH4 is more fractionated at low cell densities, when only a small fraction of the total CH4 has been oxidized, than at high cell densities, when up to 40% of the influent CH4 has been utilized. Therefore, since Rayleigh distillation behavior is not observed, δ13C values of the residual CH4 cannot be used to infer the amount oxidized in either laboratory or field-studies. The measured (αCH4-CH3OH) was the same for both Type I and Type II methanotrophs expressing particulate or soluble MMO. However, large differences in the δ13C values of biomass produced by the two types of methanotrophs were observed. Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b (Type II) produced biomass with δ13C values about 15‰ higher than the dissimilated CO2, whereas Methylomonas methanica (Type I) produced biomass with δ13C values only about 6‰ higher than the CO2. These effects were independent of the magnitude of the initial carbon isotope fractionation caused by MMO and were relatively constant despite changing ratios of assimilatory to dissimilatory carbon transformation by the organisms. This suggests that the difference in biomass carbon isotopes is primarily due to differences in the fractionation effect at the formaldehyde branch point in the metabolic pathway, rather than assimilation of CO2 by Type II methanotrophs.  相似文献   

3.
The search for petroleum has evolved into a highly sophisticated technology where today almost every scientific discipline known is being brought to bear upon the endeavour. Yet, the use of geochemical hydrocarbon exploration remains a peripheral exploration tool. The trend toward scientific integration has led the petroleum explorationist to the point of being a specialist. It would seem that our petroleum scientists have focussed their interests mainly on the investigation of principles and less on their ultimate purpose of discovering new and larger oil and gas reserves. So, it is not by chance, that leading geochemists have been speaking more and more freely of the necessity to integrate our tools of exploration and thereby do a better job. The theoretical basis for hydrocarbon geochemistry is complex, and, as with all exploration tools, the problems and difficulties of interpreting the data will never be completely eliminated.This article considers the importance of using the ΔC method in geochemical hydrocarbon exploration which has been employed successfully for over 40 years. The addition of carbon-isotope ratios and trace-element analysis to this method has added a new dimension to geochemical hydrocarbon exploration. The theoretical basis of the ΔC method has been presented earlier by the author and will only be touched upon briefly here.Very simply, the basis of all geochemical hydrocarbon exploration is based on the much debated premise that the lighter hydrocarbon gases and their components migrate vertically from a trap through the overlying sedimentary pile to the surface. Upon reaching the surface, through oxidation, they leave their signatures in one form or another that can be detected by physicochemical methods. These physicochemical signatures are discernable as “geochemical haloes”.From soil samples, collected from 2–3 m deep, what is measured is the result of absorption and adsorption by soil particles that are altered to CO2 by oxidation and form a unique, stable, carbonate system with the surface and near-surface material. This is unlike other carbonate systems and when subjected to a differential thermal technique, dissociates into CO2 surface material is cumulative and indicates where maximum hydrocarbon leakage has taken place over the life span of the material sampled. It is durable and unaffected by pressure and temperature variation or recent hydrocarbon contamination.Values are expressed in terms of millivolts which are proportional to the CO2 given off by the dissociation of the carbonate system under standard conditions. Frequency curves are constructed for all values for the determination of significant contour levels above the normal geochemical background for mapping.After significant ΔC anomalies are located, they can be further verified by use of carbon-isotope ratios. As methane migrates to the surface from underlying hydrocarbon accumulations, there is a progressive selection or fractionation that causes enrichment of the carbon-13 isotope. The methane, thus reaching the near-surface, is isotopically lighter. When oxidized in accordance with the equation CH4 + 2O2 → 2H2O + CO2, the carbon having been converted to carbon dioxide, is taken up in the pore-filling carbonate cements that are found in the near-surface soils and sediments.High carbon dioxide values (ΔC) in the geochemical halo are related the δ 13C carbon-isotope ratios from underlying hydrocarbon accumulations. This is observed over fields containing hydrocarbon accumulations where δ 13C values in the pore-filling carbonate cements become increasingly negative (lighter) toward the crests of traps (i.e. exhibiting lower ΔC values). This indicates enrichment of 12C relative to the PDB standard. Whereas, positive values of δ 13C indicate depletion in 12C or enrichment in 13C (i.e. exhibiting higher ΔC values away from the crests of the traps).The observed ΔC anomalies and δ 13C anomalies leave an indelible pattern in the near-surface sediments and soils which are herein referred to as geochemical hydrocarbon haloes.Trace-element associations, that form organometallic compounds, are found “haloed” or concentrated over or around underlying hydrocarbon reservoirs. These associations seem to have occurred from vertically migrating methane that has acted as a “carrier” sweeping up the trace elements on the pathways to the surface. Vanadium, nickel, chromium, iron, cobalt, copper, manganese, strontium, barium are various trace element ratios seen to also halo and indicate subsurface hydrocarbon accumulations.An example presented from the Ocho-Juan Field, a producing reef field, located in Scurry and Fisher Counties, Texas shows that the combination of ΔC, δ 13C and trace-element analysis from near-surface soil sampling is a significant step forward in improving geochemical hydrocarbon exploration methods.  相似文献   

4.
The concentrations of CH4, SO42−, σCO2 and the carbon isotope compositions of ΣCO2 and CH4 in the pore-water of the GS sedimentary core collected from Guishan Island (Pearl River Estuary), South China Sea, were determined. The methane concentration in the pore-water shows dramatic changes and sulfate concentration gradients are linear at the base of the sulfate reduction zone for the station. The carbon isotope of methane becomes heavier at the sulfate-methane transition (SMT) likely because of the Raleigh distillation effect; 12CH4 was oxidized faster than 13CH4, and this caused the enrichment of residual methane δ 13C and δ 13C-ΣCO2 minimum. The geochemical profiles of the pore-water support the existence of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), which is mainly controlled by the quality and quantity of the sedimentary organic matter. As inferred from the index of δ 13C-TOC value and TOC/TN ratio, the organic matter is a mix of mainly refractory terrestrial component plus some labile alga marine-derived in the study area. A large amount of labile organic matter (mainly labile alga marine-derived) is consumed via the process of sedimentary organic matter diagenesis, and this reduces the amount of labile organic matter incorporated into the base of the sulfate reduction zone. Due to the scarcity of labile organic matter, the sulfate will in turn be consumed by its reaction with methane and therefore AOM takes place. Based on a diffussion model, the portion of pore-water sulfate reduction via AOM is 58.6%, and the percentage of ΣCO2 in the pore-water derived from AOM is 41.4%. Thus, AOM plays an important role in the carbon and sulfur cycling in the marine sediments of Pearl River Estuary.  相似文献   

5.
Stable isotopes were used to constrain the origin of CO2 involved in the ageing process of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash under open-air conditions. The δ13C and δ18O values of CaCO3 occurring in MSWI bottom ash samples of variable age and the δ13C of the residual organic matter content were measured, and laboratory assessments made of the isotopic fractionation accompanying CaCO3 neo-formation during accelerated carbonation experiments of bottom ash or pure lime with atmospheric or industrial CO2. The results indicate that stable isotopic compositions exhibited by fresh and aged bottom ash samples reflect non-equilibrium processes resembling those described in the carbonation of concrete and mortar. They also lead to conclusions on the prevalent involvement of atmospheric CO2 in the open-air carbonation of MSWI bottom ash.  相似文献   

6.
The Ledong gas field, consisting of three gas pools in a shale diapir structure zone, is the largest gas discovery in the Yinggehai Basin. The gases produced from the Pliocene and Quaternary marine sandstone reservoirs show a considerable variation in chemical composition, with 5.4–88% CH4, 0–93% CO2, and 1–23.7% N2. The CO2-enriched gases often display heavier methane δ13C values than those with low CO2 contents. The δ15N values of the gases range from −8 to −2‰, and the N2 content correlates negatively with the CO2 content. The high geothermal gradient associated with a relatively great burial depth in this area has led to the generation of hydrocarbon and nitrogen gases from the Lower–Middle Miocene source rocks and the formation of abundant CO2 from the Tertiary calcareous-shales and pre-Tertiary carbonates. The compositional heterogeneities and stable carbon isotope data of the produced gases indicate that the formation of the LD221 gas field is attributed to three phases of gas migration: initially biogenic gas, followed by thermogenic hydrocarbon gas, and then CO2-rich gas. The filling processes occurred within a short period approximately from 1.2 to 0.1 Ma based on the results of the kinetics modeling. Geophysical and geochemical data show that the diapiric faults that cut through Miocene sediments act as the main pathways for upward gas migration from the deep overpressured system into the shallow normal pressure reservoirs, and that the deep overpressure is the main driving force for vertical and lateral migration of the gases. This gas migration pattern implies that the transitional pressure zone around the shale diapir structures was on the pathway of upward migrating gases, and is also a favorable place for gas accumulation. The proposed multiple sources and multiple phases of gas migration and accumulation model for the Ledong gas field potentially provide useful information for the future exploration efforts in this area.  相似文献   

7.
Inorganic gases are commonly seen in eastern China and occasionally in southern China from the shallow water columns above hot and cold springs. The gases contain 68% to nearly 100% CO2, with δ13CCO2 and δ13C1 values in the range of −1.18‰ to −6.00‰ and −19.48‰ to −24.94‰, respectively. All of the 34 large inorganic CO2 and one inorganic methane accumulations discovered in China are distributed in eastern parts of the country, from both onshore and continental shelf basins. No commercial inorganic gas accumulation has been found in central and western China. This is a review of the occurrence and geochemical characteristics of inorganic gas accumulations in Chinese sedimentary basins. A detailed study of gas samples collected from four representative inorganic CO2 pools and one possible inorganic methane pool indicates that inorganic alkane gases typically show δ13C1 values greater than −10‰ versus PDB (mostly −30‰), with a positive stable carbon isotope sequence of δ13C1 < δ 13C2 < δ13C3 < δ 13C4. In contrast, the δ13C1 values of biogenic alkane gases are lighter than −30‰, with a negative isotope sequence (i.e. δ13C1 > δ13C2 > δ 13C3 > δ13C4). Inorganic gases also tend to show less negative δ13CCO2 values (−10‰) than biogenic gases (<−10‰).  相似文献   

8.
Reactions of CO2 with carbonate and silicate minerals in continental sediments and upper part of the crystalline crust produce HCO3− in river and ground waters. H2SO4 formed by the oxidation of pyrite and reacting with carbonates may produce CO2 or HCO3−. The ratio, ψ, of atmospheric or soil CO2 consumed in weathering to HCO3− produced depends on the mix of CO2 and H2SO4, and the proportions of the carbonates and silicates in the source rock. An average sediment has a CO2 uptake potential of ψ = 0.61. The potential increases by inclusion of the crystalline crust in the weathering source rock. A mineral dissolution model for an average river gives ψ = 0.68 to 0.72 that is within the range of ψ = 0.63 to 0.75, reported by other investigators using other methods. These results translate into the CO2 weathering flux of 20 to 24 × 1012mol/yr.  相似文献   

9.
A series of laboratory studies were conducted to increase understanding of stable carbon (13C/12C) and hydrogen (D/H) isotope fractionation arising from methanogenesis by moderately thermophilic acetate- and hydrogen-consuming methanogens. Studies of the aceticlastic reaction were conducted with two closely related strains of Methanosaeta thermophila. Results demonstrate a carbon isotope fractionation of only 7‰ (α = 1.007) between the methyl position of acetate and the resulting methane. Methane formed by this process is enriched in 13C when compared with other natural sources of methane; the magnitude of this isotope effect raises the possibility that methane produced at elevated temperature by the aceticlastic reaction could be mistaken for thermogenic methane based on carbon isotopic content. Studies of H2/CO2 methanogenesis were conducted with Methanothermobacter marburgensis. The fractionation of carbon isotopes between CO2 and CH4 was found to range from 22 to 58‰ (1.023 ≤ α ≤ 1.064). Greater fractionation was associated with low levels of molecular hydrogen and steady-state metabolism. The fractionation of hydrogen isotopes between source H2O and CH4 was found to range from 127 to 275‰ (1.16 ≤ α ≤ 1.43). Fractionation was dependent on growth phase with greater fractionation associated with later growth stages. The maximum observed fractionation factor was 1.43, independent of the δD-H2 supplied to the culture. Fractionation was positively correlated with temperature and/or metabolic rate. Results demonstrate significant variability in both hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation during methanogenesis from H2/CO2. The relatively small fractionation associated with deuterium during H2/CO2 methanogenesis provides an explanation for the relatively enriched deuterium content of biogenic natural gas originating from a variety of thermal environments. Results from these experiments are used to develop a hypothesis that differential reversibility in the enzymatic steps of the H2/CO2 pathway gives rise to variability in the observed carbon isotope fractionation. Results are further used to constrain the overall efficiency of electron consumption by way of the hydrogenase system in M. marburgensis, which is calculated to be less than 55%.  相似文献   

10.
We collected sediment samples and pore water samples from the surface sediment on the Daini Atsumi Knoll, and analyzed the sediments for CH4, C2H6, and δ13CCH4, and the pore fluids for CH4, C2H6, δ13CCH4, Cl−, SO42−, δ18OH2O, and δDH2O, respectively. A comparison of the measured concentration and isotopic composition of methane in pore water samples with those in sediment samples revealed that methane was present in the sediment samples at a higher concentration and was isotopically heavier than those in the pore water samples. It suggests that the effect of the release of a sorbed gas bound to organic particles when heated prior to analysis of hydrocarbons was larger than that of the degassing process. A large amount of a sorbed gas would be a significant source of natural gas. Two striking features are the chemical and isotopic composition of the pore water samples taken from the different sites around the Daini Atsumi Knoll. In the KL09, KL10, and KP07 samples, Cl− concentrations in the pore water samples showed depletion to a minimum of 460 mmol/kg, correspond to  17% dilution of seawater, however the latter was not enriched in CH4. The isotopic compositions of pore water samples suggested the low-Cl− fluids in the pore water were not derived from dissociation of methane hydrate, but were derived from input of meteoric water. In contrast, in the KP05 samples from the north flank of the Daini Atsumi Knoll, pore water were characterized by CH4 enrichment more than 370 μmol/kg, but not depleted in Cl− concentrations. The observed methane concentration in the KP05 samples is not sufficient for methane hydrate to form in situ, indicating that the existence of methane hydrate in the surface sediment is negligible, as supported by Cl− concentration. Based on the stable carbon isotope ratio of methane in the pore fluid from the KP05 site (δ13CCH4 < − 50‰PDB), methane is thought to be of microbial origin. The pore waters in the surface sediments in the north flank of the Daini Atsumi Knoll were not directly influenced by upward fluid bearing methane of thermogenic origin from a deeper part of the sedimentary layer. However, extremely high methane concentration in the north flank site as compared with the concentration of pore water taken from the normal seafloor suggests that the north flank site is not the normal seafloor. We hypothesize that upward migration of chemically-reduced fluids from a deeper zone of the sedimentary layer reduces chemically-oxidized solutes in the surface sediment. As a consequence methane production replaced sulfate reduction as the microbial metabolism in the reduced environment of the surface sediment.  相似文献   

11.
天然气水合物成因探讨   总被引：18，自引：0，他引：18  
天然气水合物是未来的能源资源。其分布于极地地区、深海地区及深水湖泊中。在海洋里,天然气水合物主要分布于外大陆边缘和洋岛的周围,其分布与近代火山的分布范围具有一致性。同位素组成表明天然气水合物甲烷主要是由自养产甲烷菌还原CO2形成的。典型的大陆边缘沉积物有机碳含量低（＜0．5％～1．0％）,不足以产生天然气水合物带高含量的甲烷。赋存天然气水合物的沉积物时代主要为晚中新世-晚上新世,具有一定的时限性,并且天然气水合物与火山灰或火山砂共存,表明其形成与火山-热液体系有一定联系。火山与天然气水合物空间上的一致性表明,天然气水合物甲烷的底物可能主要是由洋底火山喷发带来的CO2。由前人研究结果推断 HCO－3在脱去两个O原子的同时,可能发生了亲核重排,羟基 H原子迁移到 C原子上,形成了甲酰基（HCO－）,使甲烷的第一个 H原子来源于水。探讨了甲烷及其水合物的形成机制,提出了天然气水合物成因模型。  相似文献   

12.
A unique dataset from paired low- and high-temperature vents at 9°50′N East Pacific Rise provides insight into the microbiological activity in low-temperature diffuse fluids. The stable carbon isotopic composition of CH4 and CO2 in 9°50′N hydrothermal fluids indicates microbial methane production, perhaps coupled with microbial methane consumption. Diffuse fluids are depleted in 13C by ∼10‰ in values of δ13C of CH4, and by ∼0.55‰ in values of δ13C of CO2, relative to the values of the high-temperature source fluid (δ13C of CH4 =−20.1 ± 1.2‰, δ13C of CO2 =−4.08 ± 0.15‰). Mixing of seawater or thermogenic sources cannot account for the depletions in 13C of both CH4 and CO2 at diffuse vents relative to adjacent high-temperature vents. The substrate utilization and 13C fractionation associated with the microbiological processes of methanogenesis and methane oxidation can explain observed steady-state CH4 and CO2 concentrations and carbon isotopic compositions. A mass-isotope numerical box model of these paired vent systems is consistent with the hypothesis that microbial methane cycling is active at diffuse vents at 9°50′N. The detectable 13C modification of fluid geochemistry by microbial metabolisms may provide a useful tool for detecting active methanogenesis.  相似文献   

13.
The geochemistry of dissolved and suspended loads in river catchments of two low mountain ranges in Central Europe allows comparison of pertinent chemical weathering rates. Distinct differences in lithology, i.e. granites prevailing in the Black Forest compared to Palaeozoic sediments in the Rhenish Massif, provide the possibility to examine the influence of lithology on weathering. Here we determine the origin of river water using the stable isotope ratio δ18OH2O and we quantify the geogenic proportions of sulphate from stable isotope ratios δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4. Particularly in catchments with abundant pyrite, determination of the geogenic amount of sulphate is important, since oxidation of pyrite leads to acidity, which increases weathering. Our results show that spatially averaged silicate weathering rates are higher for the river catchments Acher and Gutach in the Black Forest (10–12 t/km2/yr) compared to the river catchments of the Möhne dam and the Aabach dam in the Rhenish Massif (2–6 t/km2/yr). Correspondingly, the CO2 consumption by silicate weathering in the Black Forest (334–395 × 103 mol/km2/yr) is more than twice as high as in the Rhenish Massif (28–151 × 103 mol/km2/yr). These higher rates for watersheds of the Black Forest are likely due to steeper slopes leading to higher mechanical erosion with respective higher amounts of fresh unweathered rock particulates and due to the fact that the sediments in the Rhenish Massif have already passed through at least one erosion cycle. Carbonate weathering rates vary between 12 and 38 t/km2/yr in the catchments of the Rhenish Massif. The contribution of sulphuric acid to the silicate weathering is higher in the catchments of the Rhenish Massif (9–16%) than in the catchments of the Black Forest (5–7%) due to abundant pyrite in the sediments of the Rhenish Massif. Three times higher long-term erosion rates derived from cosmogenic nuclides compared to short-term erosion rates derived from river loads in Central Europe point to three times higher CO2 consumption during the past 103 to 104 years.  相似文献   

14.
Chemical and isotopic compositions have been measured on 62 microbial gases from Tertiary hemipelagic sediments in the Middle America Trench off Guatemala and from decaying kelp and surf grass currently accumulating in Scripps Submarine Canyon off southern California. Gases from the Middle America Trench have been generated primarily by the reduction of carbon dioxide; methane δ13C varies from −84‰ to −39‰, methane δD varies from −208‰ to −145‰, and carbon dioxide δ13 C varies from −27‰ to +28‰. Gases from Scripps Submarine Canyon have been generated primarily by acetate dissimilation; methane δ13 C varies from −63‰ to −43‰, methane δD varies from −331‰ to −280‰, and carbon dioxide δ13C varies from −17‰ to +3‰.Methane δ13C values as heavy as −40‰ appear to be uncommon for gases produced by carbon dioxide reduction and, in the Middle America Trench, are associated with unusually positive carbon dioxide δ13C values. However, based on the 25‰ intramolecular fractionation between acetate car☐yl carbon and methyl carbon estimated from the Scripps Submarine Canyon data, methane produced by acetate dissimilation may commonly have heavy δ13C values. The δD of methane derived from acetate is more negative than natural methanes from other origins. Microbial methane δD values appear to be controlled primarily by interstitial water δD and by the relative proportions of methane derived from carbon dioxide and acetate.The chemical and isotopic compositions of microbial gas and thermogenic gas overlap, making it difficult to determine the origins of many commercial natural gases from methane δ13C and C2+ hydrocarbon concentrations alone. Measurements of methane δD and carbon dioxide δ13C can provide useful additional information, and together with ethane δ13C data, help identify gases with mixed microbial and thermogenic origins.  相似文献   

15.
Vertical profiles of concentration and C-isotopic composition of dissolved methane and carbon dioxide were observed over 26 months in the catotelm of a deep (6.5 m) peat bog in Switzerland. The dissolved concentrations of these gases increase with depth while CO2 predominates over CH4 (CO2 ca. 5 times CH4). This pattern can be reproduced by a reaction-advection-ebullition model, where CO2 and CH4 are formed in a ratio of 1:1. The less soluble methane is preferentially lost via outgassing (bubbles). The isotopic fractionation between CO2 and CH4 also increases with depth, with αC values ranging from 1.045 to 1.075. The isotopic composition of the gases traces the passage of respiration-derived CO2 (from the near surface) through a shallow zone with methanogenesis of low isotopic fractionation (splitting of fermentation-derived acetate). This solution then moves through the catotelm, where methanogenesis occurs by CO2 reduction (large isotopic fractionation). In the upper part of the catotelm the C-13-depleted respiration-derived CO2 pool buffers the isotopic composition of CO2; the δ13C of CO2 increases only slowly. At the same time strongly depleted CH4 is formed as CO2 reduction consumes the depleted CO2. In the lower part of the catotelm, the respiration-derived CO2 and shallow CH4 become less important and CO2 reduction is the dominant source of CO2 and CH4. Now, the δ13C values of both gases increase until equilibrium is reached with respect to the isotopic composition of the substrate. Thus, the δ13C values of methane reach a minimum at intermediate depth, and the deep methane has δ13C values comparable to shallow methane. A simple mixing model for the isotopic evolution is suggested. Only minor changes of the observed patterns of methanogenesis (in terms of concentration and isotopic composition) occur over the seasons. The most pronounced of these is a slightly higher rate of acetate splitting in spring.  相似文献   

16.
Carbon stable-isotope compositions of coexisting carbon dioxide and methane from geothermal springs across the Central Andes of northern Chile and Bolivia are reported. A total of 60 samples were analyzed for δ13CCO2 and, of these, 10 were selected for δ13CCH4 analyses. The Central Andes are characterized by an active volcanic arc and an unusually thick (up to 75 km) continental crust behind the arc, beneath the high plateau region of the Altiplano. Furthermore, helium-isotope evidence suggests active mantle degassing in a 350-km-wide zone beneath the thick continental crust in the Central Andes (Hoke et al., 1994).

The present results show a wide range of δ13CCO2 (-14.9 to -0.6‰) and a surprisingly heavy δ13CCH4 (?20.9 to ?12.3‰). The difference between δ13CCO2 and δ13CCH4 (δ13CCO2-CH4 ) for individual samples varies between 1.5‰ and 13.5‰. The δ13CCO2 results show wide and overlapping ranges in the samples collected from the Precordillera, the Volcanic Arc (or Western Cordillera), the Altiplano, and the Eastern Cordillera. The widest ranges occur in the Eastern Cordillera (?15.0 to ?4.8‰) and the Altiplano (?20 to ?6‰). The δ13CCO2 results for geothermal samples from the Volcanic Arc range between ?8.0‰ (Surire) and ?0.6‰ (Abra de Nappa), whereas δ13CCO2 measured in gases collected from geothermal springs in the Precordillera range from ?10 to ?5‰.

The relationships between 3He/4He, δ13CCO2 , and δ13CCH4 are used to distinguish between crustal and mantle origins. The wide (21‰) range in the is interpreted to reflect contributions from different CO2 sources that include organic and inorganic crustal and mantle carbon. Assuming isotopic equilibrium between coexisting methane and carbon dioxide, Δ13CCO2-CH4 suggests very high equilibrium temperatures, in excess of 530°C, for some geothermal systems that also are characterized by a high (up to 63%) mantle-derived helium component.

δ13CCH4 results suggest that methane has not formed by bacteriogenic processes or by thermal decomposition of organic matter, but rather abiogenically through the high-temperature reaction between H2 and CO2. The δ13CCH4 results for the samples from the Volcanic Arc and from two CO2-rich geothermal springs in the Altiplano (Coipasa-2 and Belen de Andamarca) are similar to those reported from hydrothermal fluids emitted from the East Pacific Rise (Welhan, 1988) and White Island, New Zealand (Hulston and McCabe, 1962), suggesting a mantle-derived carbon component in the methane.  相似文献   

17.
Detailed knowledge of the extent of post-genetic modifications affecting shallow submarine hydrocarbons fueled from the deep subsurface is fundamental for evaluating source and reservoir properties. We investigated gases from a submarine high-flux seepage site in the anoxic Eastern Black Sea in order to elucidate molecular and isotopic alterations of low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons (LMWHC) associated with upward migration through the sediment and precipitation of shallow gas hydrates. For this, near-surface sediment pressure cores and free gas venting from the seafloor were collected using autoclave technology at the Batumi seep area at 845 m water depth within the gas hydrate stability zone.Vent gas, gas from pressure core degassing, and from hydrate dissociation were strongly dominated by methane (> 99.85 mol.% of ∑[C1–C4, CO2]). Molecular ratios of LMWHC (C1/[C2 + C3] > 1000) and stable isotopic compositions of methane (δ13C = ? 53.5‰ V-PDB; D/H around ? 175‰ SMOW) indicated predominant microbial methane formation. C1/C2+ ratios and stable isotopic compositions of LMWHC distinguished three gas types prevailing in the seepage area. Vent gas discharged into bottom waters was depleted in methane by > 0.03 mol.% (∑[C1–C4, CO2]) relative to the other gas types and the virtual lack of 14C–CH4 indicated a negligible input of methane from degradation of fresh organic matter. Of all gas types analyzed, vent gas was least affected by molecular fractionation, thus, its origin from the deep subsurface rather than from decomposing hydrates in near-surface sediments is likely.As a result of the anaerobic oxidation of methane, LMWHC in pressure cores in top sediments included smaller methane fractions [0.03 mol.% ∑(C1–C4, CO2)] than gas released from pressure cores of more deeply buried sediments, where the fraction of methane was maximal due to its preferential incorporation in hydrate lattices. No indications for stable carbon isotopic fractionations of methane during hydrate crystallization from vent gas were found. Enrichments of 14C–CH4 (1.4 pMC) in short cores relative to lower abundances (max. 0.6 pMC) in gas from long cores and gas hydrates substantiates recent methanogenesis utilizing modern organic matter deposited in top sediments of this high-flux hydrocarbon seep area.  相似文献   

18.
High sedimentation-rate basins are characteristic of the continental margins, where sedimentation rates up to 500m/Ma and more are no exception. The sediments are rich in organic matter and undergo a well-established sequence of bacterial oxidation reactions, starting at the sediment/water interface with: (1) the oxidation zone (absent in euxinic basins), which is followed downwards by (2) the nitrate reduction zone, (3) the sulfate reduction zone, (4) the carbonate reduction zone, (5) the fermentation zone and (6) the decarboxylation zone, which marks the onset of thermocatalytic reactions characteristic of the intermediate stage (and deeper stages) of diagenesis. This sequence of bacterially mediated organic-matter decomposition reactions in rapidly deposited sediments on the continental margins is well reflected in the vertical trends of pore-water chemistry. Carbon isotopic fractionation permits to distinguish between zones (1) to (3) with negative δ13C values for the CO2 generated, and between zones (4) and (5) with increasingly heavier carbon-isotopes in CO2 (up to + 15 to + 25‰ δ13C). The formation of gas-hydrates causes characteristic chemical and isotopic signatures in pore waters retrieved from hydrate-bearing sediments. After hydrate decomposition (in the sampling process or at the base of hydrate zones) marked chlorimity decreases accompanied by increases in heavy oxygen isotopes are observed. These are distinctly different from the effects of meteoric water influx, which are not accompanied by positive δ18O values. The opposite trend of increasing salinity at shallow burial depths, rather than pore-waters freshening, is observed in the vicinity of evaporites.  相似文献   

19.
A detailed model is presented of methane photochemistry in the primitive terrestrial atmosphere along with speculation about its interpretation. Steady-state CH4 mixing ratios of 10−6–10−4 could have been maintained by a methane source of about 1011 cm−2 s−1, which is comparable to the modern biogenic methane production rate. In the absence of a source, methane would have disappeared in <104 years, being either oxidized, or polymerized into more complex hydrocarbons. The source strength needed to maintain a steady CH4 mixing ratio and the degree to which methane could have polymerized to form higher hydrocarbons depend upon the amount of CO2 present in the early atmosphere. The dependence on H2 is much weaker. Infrared absorption by methane, and especially by other hydrocarbon species, may have supplemented the greenhouse warming due to carbon dioxide. A radiative model is needed to establish this effect quantitatively. The destruction of the methane greenhouse early in the Proterozoic may have triggered the Huronian glaciation.These calculations also suggest that atmospheres rich in both CO2 and CH4 may be photochemically unstable with respect to conversion to CO.  相似文献   

20.
Laboratory experiments on reagent-grade calcium carbonate and carbonate rich glacial sediments demonstrate previously unreported kinetic fractionation of carbon isotopes during the initial hydrolysis and early stages of carbonate dissolution driven by atmospheric CO2. There is preferential dissolution of Ca12CO3 during hydrolysis, resulting in δ13C-DIC values that are significantly lighter isotopically than the bulk carbonate. The fractionation factor for this kinetic isotopic effect is defined as εcarb. εcarb is greater on average for glacial sediments (−17.4‰) than for calcium carbonate (−7.8‰) for the < 63 μm size fraction, a sediment concentration of 5 g L−1 and closed system conditions at 5°C. This difference is most likely due to the preferential dissolution of highly reactive ultra-fine particles with damaged surfaces that are common in subglacial sediments. The kinetic isotopic fractionation has a greater impact on δ13C-DIC at higher CaCO3:water ratios and is significant during at least the first 6 h of carbonate dissolution driven by atmospheric CO2 at sediment concentrations of 5 g L−1. Atmospheric CO2 dissolving into solution following carbonate hydrolysis does not exhibit any significant equilibrium isotopic fractionation for at least ∼ 6 h after the start of the experiment at 5°C. This is considerably longer than previously reported in the literature. Thus, kinetic fractionation processes will likely dominate the δ13C-DIC signal in natural environments where rock:water contact times are short <6-24 h (e.g., glacial systems, headwaters in fluvial catchments) and there is an excess of carbonate in the sediments. It will be difficult apply conventional isotope mass balance techniques in these types of environment to identify microbial CO2 signatures in DIC from δ13C-DIC data.  相似文献   

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