What's the Current Consensus on Abiogenic Methane Production?

[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.