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Molecular and Isotopic Analyses of the Hydrocarbon Gases Within Gas Hydrate-Bearing Rock Units of the Prudhoe Bay-Kuparuk River Area in Northern Alaska

U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-299
Version 1.0

By Zenon C. Valin and Timothy S. Collett

1992

Gas hydrates, which are crystalline substances of water molecules that encase gas molecules, have the potential for being a significant source of natural gas. World-wide estimates for the amount of gas contained in hydrates range from 1.1 x 105 to 2.7 x 108 trillion cubic feet. Gas hydrates exist in many Arctic regions, including the North Slope of Alaska.

The two primary objectives of the U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrate Research Project are (1) to map the distribution of in-situ gas hydrates on the North Slope of Alaska, and (2) to evaluate the geologic parameters that control the distribution of these gas hydrates. To aid in this study, British Petroleum Exploration, ARCO Alaska, Exxon Company USA, and the Continental Oil Company allowed the U.S. Geological Survey to collect geochemical samples from drilling North Slope production wells.

Molecular analysis of gaseous drill cutting and free-flowing gas samples from 10 production wells drilled in the Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk River, and Milne Point oil fields indicates that methane is the primary hydrocarbon gas in the gas hydrate-bearing stratigraphic units. Isotopic data for several of these rock units indicate that the methane within the inferred gas hydrate occurences originated from both microbial and thermogenic processes.

CONTENTS

  1. README - Text file
  2. Contents - Text file
  3. Open-File Report 92-299 - Text file
  4. Original digital file [Macintosh self-extracting archive encoded using BinHex 4.0]

This work was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey Global Change and Climate History Program and the U.S. Department of Energy (Agreement No. DE-AI21-83MC20422).

This open-file report is available for purchase from:

USGS Information Services, Box 25286,
Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225
telephone: 303-202-4210; e-mail: infoservices@usgs.gov

DISCLAIMERS

This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic code. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although all data and software released with this open file have been used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and related materials and (or) the functioning of the software.


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