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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Energy Res.
Sec. Advanced Clean Fuel Technologies
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2025.1505654
Thermal Released Mercury (TRM): A New Exploration Technology for Natural Gas Hydrate Exploration in Tibetan Plateau Permafrost Area
Provisionally accepted- 1 China Liaocheng Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning, No. 266, Meihe Road, Economic Development Zone, Liaocheng City., China
- 2 Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Langfang, Hebei Province, China
- 3 Observation and Research Station of Gas Hydrate and Permafrost Environment in Muli Town (Qinghai Province), Ministry of Natural Resources, No. 267, North Fourth Ring Road Middle Section, Haidian District, Beijing., China
The occurrence environment and fundamental characteristics of natural gas hydrate (NGH) in the permafrost regions of the Tibetan Plateau are highly complex. A significant barrier to advancements in NGH exploration within these areas is the lack of effective exploration methods. The Juhugeng mining area represents the sole location in China's permafrost zone where NGH has been identified. In this study, we conducted a thermal released mercury (TRM) exploration experiment in the Juhugeng area, covering an area of 150 11.75 km² with a sampling density of 2 16 points per square kilometer/km² . Soil samples were collected to a depth of 60 cm, totaling 300 163 samples, which were analyzed for TRM using the XG-7Z Zeeman mercury analyzer. The experimental results indicate that high-value anomalies of TRM occur at the boundaries of NGH deposits, while lower values are observed directly above the hydrates, forming an annular anomaly pattern. The maximum value of TRM recorded was 127.37 ng•g -1 , with an average value of 32.59 ng• g -1 , and the lower limit of the anomaly was established at 39.24 ng• g -1 . By analyzing the spatial relationship between TRM anomalies and hydrocarbon anomalies, this study proposes a geogas migration mechanism for the formation of TRM anomalies. The anomalies are closely linked to NGH deposits, suggesting that TRM analysis is an effective auxiliary exploration technology for NGH in permafrost regions.
Keywords: thermal released mercury, Natural gas hydrate, Exploration technology, Permafrost region, tibetan plateau
Received: 03 Oct 2024; Accepted: 10 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Tang, Pang, Zhang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Shouji Pang, Observation and Research Station of Gas Hydrate and Permafrost Environment in Muli Town (Qinghai Province), Ministry of Natural Resources, No. 267, North Fourth Ring Road Middle Section, Haidian District, Beijing., China
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