Methane generation during experimental serpentinization of olivine

Methane generation during experimental serpentinization of olivine.

Oze et al. (1) observed generation of methane (CH4) during experimental serpentinization of olivine, and use the results to make inferences about sources of methane in natural serpentinites. Their data interpretation, however, is directly contradicted by results of prior studies, critically undermining the credibility of their conclusions. Several prior studies conducted using experimental meth...

Have olivine, will gas: Serpentinization and the abiogenic production of methane on Mars

[1] Spatial variability of methane (CH4) on Mars suggests the presence of localized subsurface sources. Here, we show that olivine hydration in the Martian regolith and crust may be a major CH4 source, which contributed significantly to the warming of early Mars. Methane production is kinetically and thermodynamically favored during low-T aqueous alteration of olivine-rich rocks. Sustained rele...

Effect of water activity on rates of serpentinization of olivine

The hydrothermal alteration of mantle rocks (referred to as serpentinization) occurs in submarine environments extending from mid-ocean ridges to subduction zones. Serpentinization affects the physical and chemical properties of oceanic lithosphere, represents one of the major mechanisms driving mass exchange between the mantle and the Earth's surface, and is central to current origin of life h...

Experimental Study of Serpentinization Reactions

Is Serpentinization the Source of Titan’s Atmospheric Methane?

Lunine, M. Pasek, D. Cordier, J. H. Waite Jr., K. E. Mandt, W. S. Lewis, and M.-J. Nguyen, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA ([email protected]), Université de FrancheComté, Institut UTINAM, CNRS/INSU, UMR 6213, Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de Besançon, France, Université de Rennes 1, Institut de Physique de Rennes, CNRS, UMR 6251, France, Eco...