Exploring Abiogenic Methane: What's the Consensus?

[jmg102]

Just wondering if anyone has an idea what the general consensus on abiogenic methane is at the moment. Just because they can produce it in the lab does that mean that it is definitely out there? Also how much of the methane in the Earth can now be attributed to this development process?

Thanks!

(I also posted this in the Chemistry forum)

 

[quantumcarl]

Just wondering if anyone has an idea what the general consensus on abiogenic methane is at the moment. Just because they can produce it in the lab does that mean that it is definitely out there? Also how much of the methane in the Earth can now be attributed to this development process?

Thanks!

(I also posted this in the Chemistry forum)

Titan offers a good example of abiogenic methane production.

(Speaking about the abundance of methane on Saturn's moon, Titan:)

Methane is just one carbon and four hydrogens, there is no reason it has to be formed biologically. The same is true of ethane, and so on. Just because we see it formed biologically here (on earth) doesn't mean anything for its formation elsewhere.

Presumably, Earth had a primary atmosphere similar to what is seen on Titan today. We might be able to assume that there are pockets of abiogenically produced methane remaining somewhere on our planet.

 

[ravenprp]

The general consensus on abiogenic methane is still a topic of debate in the scientific community. While there is evidence that methane can be produced in laboratory settings, it is still unclear if this process occurs in nature. Some scientists argue that the amount of methane produced in the lab is not enough to account for the large amounts of methane found in the Earth's atmosphere.

Additionally, there is evidence that methane can be produced through biological processes, such as from living organisms in the ocean floor. This further adds to the uncertainty surrounding the origin of methane on Earth.

It is important to continue exploring and researching abiogenic methane, as it could potentially have significant implications for our understanding of the Earth's natural processes. However, at this point, it is difficult to determine the exact amount of methane that can be attributed to abiogenic processes. More research and evidence are needed to reach a consensus on this topic.