AvantHiatus Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Climate Central http://www.climatecentral.org/news/earthquakes-may-contribute-to-methane-leaks-16304 Several studies have confirmed that Earthquakes can release significant amounts of Methane Hydrates embedded inside the Earth's crust. As most know, Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Earthquake induced methane release would be considered a natural source of global warming and may explain a certain percentage of the 20th century warming. A key event being studied is a 1945 earthquake in the Arabian Sea which is believed to have released large amounts of Methane Hydrates. Climate scientists have for decades worried about the fragility of these hydrates – as the world warms, they are likely to be released in huge quantities from the Arctic seabed, for instance – but this is the first evidence that natural rather than human-triggered cataclysms could make a serious difference to the global carbon budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow_Miser Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 This is an interesting study. It would be interesting to see if there has been any trend in Earthquakes over the 20th-Century and see how much of the warming could be ascribed to it. Probably not much is my first guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonger Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I would guess there are tons of gasses released in an earthquake, methane and co2. Has anyone ever tried to connect warming events to notable earthquakes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WXheights Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Cutting right to the chase - Is it not reaching to conclude seismic events have anything to do with ongoing CH4 releases http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZQBTrKqL9w not that you are claiming this but some might jump to PETM was all about a seismic event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvantHiatus Posted August 26, 2013 Author Share Posted August 26, 2013 Cutting right to the chase - Is it not reaching to conclude seismic events have anything to do with ongoing CH4 releases http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZQBTrKqL9w not that you are claiming this but some might jump to PETM was all about a seismic event. Good point here, I do not necessarily consider earthquake-released methane to be the main component of the current methane trends but could be a more significant factor than most have realized. In my opinion, this gas has been overlooked by a large margin and has the potential to alter the climate in a manner that we do not understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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