First determination of gas hydrate crystallite size distributions using high‐energy synchrotron radiation

Abstract

Due to experimental difficulties grain size distributions of gas hydrate crystallites are largely unknown in natural samples. For the first time, we were able to determine grain size distributions of six natural gas hydrates for samples retrieved from the Gulf of Mexico and from Hydrate Ridge offshore Oregon from varying depths. High‐energy synchrotron radiation provides high photon fluxes as well as high penetration depth and thus allows for investigation of bulk sediment samples. The gas hydrate crystallites appear to be (log‐) normally distributed in the natural samples and to be of roughly globular shape. The mean grain sizes are in the range from 300–600 μm with a tendency for bigger grains to occur in greater depth, possibly indicating a difference in the formation age. Laboratory produced methane hydrate, starting from ice and aged for 3 weeks, shows half a log‐normal curve with a mean value of ∼40 μm. This one order‐of‐magnitude smaller grain sizes suggests that care must be taken when transposing grain‐size sensitive (petro‐)physical data from laboratory‐made gas hydrates to natural settings.