Bacterial production of methane and its influence on ground-water chemistry in east-central Texas aquifers

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Geology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0495:BPOMAI>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:7013856

Grossman, E L; Coffman, B K ^[1]; Fritz, S J ^[2]; Wada, Hideki ^[3]

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1. Texas A and M Univ., College Station (USA)
2. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (USA)
3. Shizoka Univ., Shizuoka City (Japan)

Geochemical and isotopic data for methane and ground water indicate that gaseous hydrocarbons in Eocene aquifers in east-central Texas form by bacterial processes. The {delta}{sup 13}C values of methane from live wells in the clay-rich Yegua and Cook Mountain Formations range from -71{per thousand} to -62{per thousand}. Methane from ten wells in the cleaner sands of the Sparta Queen City Formations have {delta}{sup 13}C values between -57{per thousand} and -53{per thousand}. The carbon isotopic difference between methanes from the Yegua and Sparta aquifers is comparable to the isotopic difference in sedimentary organic matter from outcrops of the units, suggesting substrate control on the {delta}{sup 13}C of bacterial methane. Hydrogen isotopic compositions of methane from the aquifers are similar, averaging -181{per thousand}. This high value suggest methane production predominantly by CO{sub 2} reduction. The {delta}{sup 13}C dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in high bicarbonate waters increase from about -20{per thousand} to 0{per thousand} with increasing DIC. Mass-balance calculations indicate that the DIC added to the ground water has {delta}{sup 13}C values as high as 10{per thousand}. This {sup 13}C-enriched carbon is predominantly derived from CO{sub 2} production by fermentation and anaerobic oxidation reactions combined with CO{sub 2} consumption by CO{sub 2} reduction. This process is responsible for high bicarbonate contents in these and probably other Gulf Coast ground waters.

• OSTI ID: 7013856
• Journal Information: Geology; (USA), Journal Name: Geology; (USA) Vol. 17:6; ISSN GLGYB; ISSN 0091-7613
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030200* -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
&amp; Exploration
033000 -- Natural Gas-- Properties &amp; Composition
ALKANES
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
AQUIFERS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOCONVERSION
BIOSYNTHESIS
CARBON 13
CARBON 14
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONATE ROCKS
CENOZOIC ERA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DIGESTION
ENRICHMENT
EOCENE EPOCH
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC AGES
GROUND WATER
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
METHANE
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPES
REDUCTION
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STABLE ISOTOPES
SYNTHESIS
TERTIARY PERIOD
TEXAS
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
WELLS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES