Origin of seeping hydrocarbon gases from onshore mud volcanoes in Makran coast of Iran
Subject Areas : GeochemistryMahin Farhadian Babadi 1 * , Behzad Mehrabi 2 , Adriano Mazzini 3 , Elena Poludetkina 4 , Ata Shakeri 5
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Abstract :
Mud volcanoes are geological structures formed as a result of gas emission, mud-fluid mixing and variably sized rock fragments in onshore and offshore settings. These structures are different morphologically which considered as significant marker of modern crustal movement and neotectonic activity. Occurrence of numerous mud volcanoes on the Makran accretionary prisms in Iran and Pakistan are reported which caused by the convergence of the Arabian and the Eurasian plates. In this study, origin of discharged hydrocarbon gases from three active onshore mud volcanoes; Ain, Borborok and Sand Mirsuban in Makran coasts of Iran were examined. The released gases of all these mud volcanoes are dominantly methane with concentration between 97.24-99.18 vol. % and minor amount of ethane (0.04-1.2 vol.%), propane (0.001-0.194 vol.%), n-butane (226 ppmvol.%), iso-butane (5-363 ppmvol.%), n-pentane (37ppmvol.%), iso-pentane (1-66 ppmvol.%), hexane (1-78 ppmvol.%) and CO2 (0.07-0.4 vol.%). Carbon and hydrogen isotope ratio of methane and its heavier derivatives indicate thermogenic source for emitted gases of all investigated mud volcanoes and evidences of the absence of biodegradation. CO2 with carbon isotope ratio of -11.1 to -14.3‰ is organic in origin. Our research suggests the presence of hydrocarbon system and active source rock in Makran active tectonic area. Although the occurrence of an exploitable gas reservoir in this area has to be confirmed by geophysical measurements, geological survey and structural settings.
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