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Science 13 August 1999:
Vol. 285. no. 5430, pp. 1055 - 1057
DOI: 10.1126/science.285.5430.1055
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Abiogenic Methane Formation and Isotopic Fractionation Under Hydrothermal Conditions

Juske Horita, 1* Michael E. Berndt 2

Recently, methane (CH4) of possible abiogenic origin has been reported from many localities within Earth's crust. However, little is known about the mechanisms of abiogenic methane formation, or about isotopic fractionation during such processes. Here, a hydrothermally formed nickel-iron alloy was shown to catalyze the otherwise prohibitively slow formation of abiogenic CH4 from dissolved bicarbonate (HCO3-) under hydrothermal conditions. Isotopic fractionation by the catalyst resulted in delta 13C values of the CH4 formed that are as low as those typically observed for microbial methane, with similarly high CH4/(C2H6 + C3H8) ratios. These results, combined with the increasing recognition of nickel-iron alloy occurrence in oceanic crusts, suggest that abiogenic methane may be more widespread than previously thought.

1 Chemical and Analytical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
2 Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: horitaj{at}ornl.gov

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