Dear Fletcher Christian,

I’ve done some reading about methane clathrates. Haven’t seen a word about “global warming” having any effect. The critical fact is that the bulk of methane clathrate deposits are found embedded in the silt strata of benthic ocean bottoms.

DEEP.

The waters at those depths are near freezing at all times, regardless of surface temperatures. (Well, except for volcanic vents.)

Now, I gotta admit right off that I’m just relating information from what I’ve read – I haven’t been down in a bathyscaphe, nor brought up and examined ice cores myself.

Methane clathrates are made up of frozen water ice with methane molecules fixed in one of several geometric matrices possible between the methane and water molecules. Although some atmospheric methane is found fixed in polar ices, they occur mainly in the deep places of the ocean because of methane seeping up through geologic faults from magma. The clathrates can be stable (i.e., remain frozen) up to 18 degrees centigrade at deep sea pressures.

The thing that really does seem to release methane in substantial quantities from those deposits is geothermal warming from magma near the surface.

Interestingly, a map of the occurrence of methane clathrates shows them concentrated around the “Ring of Fire” – the subduction zones where the Pacific plates are being pushed under various continental plates. This suggests that the deposits are both formed AND later released into the atmosphere… by the action of the tectonic plates in their inexorable movements.

Not arguing with *you* F.C., just pointing out that any methane released from the depths of the ocean is likely from vulcanism NOT any anthropogenic etiology.