Gas Hydrate as Part of the Petroleum System of Mars

The recent detection of plumes of seasonal methane venting into the Martian atmosphere indicates the likely presence of a significant subjacent gas resource. The venting of methane requires a deep, long-term source that, whether originating from biogenic or abiogenic processes, appears to require the existence of an aqueous environment at depth. This methane may reside within and beneath the Martian cryosphere as natural gas hydrate within the hydrate stability zone. Shallower deposits may be easily accessible from the surface. An accessible natural gas hydrate resource would provide the basis for the production of high density liquid fuels and serve as a chemical industry feedstock for constructing facilities and products from local Martian resources. A resource-rich Mars, based on indigenous methane hydrate, water, CO₂, and minable minerals, would make Mars and its moons an ideal base for the exploration of the outer solar system.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90142 © 2012 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, April 22-25, 2012, Long Beach, California